Shots Across The Bow

Liberal bigotry revisited

Liberals are much nicer people than conservatives. It says so right here on the label. They aren't mean spirited or petty, and would never stoop to personal attacks or vendettas in support of their own ideology. They always take the high road, discussing issues passionately, but reasonably, and always based on facts.

It's those nasty mean dirty conservatives who've dragged political discourse in the mud. They're ideology is morally and logically bankrupt, so all they can do is rant and rave and shout down any who try to disagree with them, going so far as to call anybody who dares have a differing opinion "unamerican," or "traitor."

It's a good thing we have liberals to keep us on the right, oops, correct path. After all, we the sheeple are too dumb to know whats best for us. We need our good Uncle Sam to take care of us and make sure we wash behind our ears before he tucks us in at night.

Yeah, right.

What ignited this little rant, you ask? I guess I'm just fed up with the rampant hypocrisy coming from a good portion of the left, particularly those who feel the need to take the most extreme elements of conservatism and use them to tar the entire conservative community while simulaneously denying that the extreme leftists are a part of the left. It's hypocrisy, pure and simple. Yes, there are whack jobs on the right, but they do not represent the views of the majority of conservatives; that's why they are called extremists. Get it?

Probably not.

Normally, I don't link to hate sites, but this little gem illustrates what I'm talking about. It's a Flash animation from the DNC talking about how Bush is going to destroy the Supreme Court. Now dems are claiming that it's just humor, (Funny how that excuse doesn't work when the humor is racist, sexist, or homophobic. Must be that non-existent bigotry against conservatives again.) but I fail to see anything funny in lies being used to try and scare people.

Examples? Sure.

• The clip implies that Miguel Estrada is hiding his record. Untrue. His judicial record has been reviewed by the ABA, who found him to be well qualified for the Court.
  
• The clip implies that President Bush wants to pack the court with ultra conservatives. Based on his judicial appointments to date, only 2 of which faced significant dem opposition, that simply hasn't been the case. And even the two nominees facing opposition aren't ultra-conservative.
  

Beyond the lies, are the personal attacks. According to the add, conservatives are heartless ("Heart? We don't need a heart!") and unAmerican (...American Values, not right wing values.)

It isn't a joke when lies, distortion, and innuendo are used to try and ignite a firestorm of opposition; it's demagoguery of the worst kind. Not to mention that the creators of this garbage take it very seriously.

"This is really using humor to talk about a very serious subject, that is the kind of thing at stake if George W. Bush actually gets to make an appointment to the Supreme Court," said Democratic political consultant Kiki Moore.

It's amusing to hear a liberal so scared of the power of conservatism that she honestly belives that Bush can turn the entire nation into an ultra-conservative nightmare with a single SCOTUS appointment. Conservatism must be some pretty potent stuff.

I already know what I'm going to hear from liberals who like the cartoon:

1. But it's OK, because conservatives do it too!
   
2. But it's OK, because conservatives are really bad people; they deserve it.
   
3. But it's OK, because conservatives have all the power, so vicious satire is the only weapon we have.

   Alright, let's deal with these.
   

   1. Yep, they do. And since both sides do it, don't get on your high horse about "negative campaigning," or "the decline in civility" the next time a dem gets flamed. Or stand ready to shown up as the hypocrite you will be.
      
   2. Careful, your bigotry is showing again. That line has been used to legitimize bigotry since Cain was banished from the garden. The "party of tolerance" should be able to do better than that. Or is all that talk about multiculturalism just hype?
      
   3. Here's my favorite one of all, because it really reveals a lot about the mindset of some liberals. According to this argument it's OK for them to indulge in vicious and petty attacks on conservatives because conservatives have all the power. Liberals are weak, puny, disorganized, and insignificant. The only way they can fight back is through vituperative rhetoric.

   It must be awful living with such a core of self loathing. No wonder they tend to be so cranky.

   Finally, I have to address the implication of the entire bit, that conservatives are either diabolical, plotting the overthrow of all that is good and decent, or subhuman monsters, programmed to do their master's bidding without thought or feelings. It's the same paradigm I pointed out before, that all conservatives are either corrupt ideologues, or dupes.

   Posted by Rich at June 17, 2003 11:32 AM | TrackBack