The American Spectator

S.L. Toddard| 9.21.09 @ 10:54AM

"since I was listening to his CDs at the time"

Say it ain't so, Mr. Antle.

Alan Brooks| 9.21.09 @ 11:16AM

if a Jewish man (or even Woman) were elected potus, he or she would be assassinated.
Blacks will be accepted someday. But Jews will always be needed as scapegoats.

Philly Red| 9.21.09 @ 11:22AM

"I don't think someone ... would have stood up and screamed at him during his speech."

If Mr. Matthews knew the facts he would have known that Joe Wilson didn't stand up and scream at Obama. He yelled out "You Lie" in response to a specific statement that the President was trying to make about the availability of universal health coverage to illegal immigrants.

Truth is, illegals *were* going to be covered, but since Rep Wilson put the truth out there the House bill now has specific language making sure it doesn't happen.

If it wasn't a lie, then why did they have to change the bill to make Obama's original statement true?

S.L. Toddard| 9.21.09 @ 11:34AM

"if a Jewish man (or even Woman) were elected potus, he or she would be assassinated."

Right. They are such a persecuted minority in this country. That explains their relative poverty compared with the rest of America, and their utter lack of representation in the news and entertainment media.

They just can't catch a break in this country.

Brian Kirk| 9.21.09 @ 11:35AM

Hike up your hood a little more...

W. James Antle III| 9.21.09 @ 12:03PM

"Say it ain't so, Mr. Antle. "

I started listening to Dave Matthews when I realized that the fat guy backstage in the "Runaround" music video really was the lead singer of Blues Traveler.

S.L. Toddard| 9.21.09 @ 12:42PM

Moon Boot Lover

Ericka Andersen| 9.21.09 @ 12:59PM

Nice catch -- and play on words :)

Tim| 9.21.09 @ 2:10PM

It's racists all the way down.

Jim Treacher| 9.21.09 @ 3:19PM

Can't wait to hear him play Rielle Hunter's wedding.

JR| 9.21.09 @ 3:48PM

Remind me again: there were national anti-Clinton rallies being flogged by major media personalities throughout 1993, right? By April '93, we had a massive anti-Clinton movement dedicated to calling him a secret muslim-communist usurper, didn't we? The militia movement, for example, was given national legitimacy as soon as Clinton started trying to reform health care, weren't they? It must just be me, but for some reason I don't remember ANY of that stuff happening in the early 90s.

W. James Antle III| 9.21.09 @ 4:10PM

JR: As a matter of fact, in 1993-94, the same people who are today wetting their pants about the Tea Parties were then wetting their pants about "angry white men," Rush Limbaugh, G. Gordon Liddy's target practice techniques, militias, a "vast-right wing conspiracy," anti-Clinton conspiracy theories describing the president as a murderer and drug runner, talk radio, short wave radio, etc.

I'm not suggesting that none of these things were crazy or disturbing. But then just as now, there was an effort to conflate all opposition to Clinton with the craziest fringes.

Back in 1993-94, there was no real Internet, no Fox News, no Facebook or other social networking technologies, few voices on the right that approached Limbaugh's reach, and no anti-Bush movement on the left for conservative activists to emulate. I think all of those changes are more relevant to the differences that exist than the racial differences between Clinton and Obama.

S.L. Toddard| 9.21.09 @ 4:43PM

"Back in 1993-94, there was no real Internet, no Fox News, no Facebook or other social networking technologies, few voices on the right that approached Limbaugh's reach, and no anti-Bush movement on the left for conservative activists to emulate. I think all of those changes are more relevant to the differences that exist than the racial differences between Clinton and Obama."

That's an excellent point. There does seem to be a marked increase in intensity of emotion this time around compared to the Clinton years. While Clinton's healthcare/Hillarycare proposal faced stiff, even angry, opposition, it paled in comparison to what we see now, I think. I do not recall threats to "water the tree of liberty" with Clinton's blood, or accusations of Nazism on his part or that sort of bug-eyed nonsense. And there was certainly no concerted effort to emphasize Bill Clinton's "otherness", i.e. with this silly "birther" business, or accusations of his being a crypto-Marxist Manchurian candidate and so on. And it doesn't seem to me that it's only the fringe of the Right dealing in this sort of extreme, unhinged rhetoric either. Although perhaps the internet, in giving fringe ideas wider distribution, makes those fringe ideas more mainstream.

Personally I don't think it's out of line to question whether Obama's race, name and ethnic background play a role in the level of intensity shown by his opposition, esp vis a vis the aforementioned efforts to portray him as alien and other (though I do think it's out of line to condemn the opposition offhand as "racist" with no evidence of such, just as I think seeing a group of angry white protesters and assuming they are all "racist" is itself an act of bigotry and prejudice). Still, though, I think the internet-defense is a good one, and really could do a lot to explain that.

Margie| 9.21.09 @ 9:31PM

"That's an excellent point. There does seem to be a marked increase in intensity of emotion this time around compared to the Clinton years."

... Baloney!

Margie| 9.21.09 @ 9:39PM

"Personally I don't think it's out of line to question whether Obama's race, name and ethnic background play a role in the level of intensity shown by his opposition."

So you agree with Jimmy Carter, then. Nice.

S.L. Toddard| 9.22.09 @ 8:05AM

Hm. Does Jimmy Carter "think it's out of line to condemn the opposition offhand as "racist", as I do - and as I said, in that same quote?

Tim| 9.22.09 @ 9:35AM

I seem to recall Big Billy C. tried to pin the Oklahoma City bomb on Rush Limbaugh...

Margie| 9.22.09 @ 4:44PM

I don't know, Mr. Toddard. Why don't you make up your mind?

Liberal Reader| 9.21.09 @ 5:15PM

Mr. Antle,

One of the things that concerns me is that a fervent, genuine conservative critique of government is being made to seem like nothing but "rodeo clowning" by some in the media.

And I don't think the "liberal media" are to blame for this unfair conflation.

Every day Limbaugh and others take to the air waves and present themselves as THE conservative voice.

But why should libertarians and social conservatives -- each with important contributions to make to public discourse -- simply assume that Limbaugh, or Beck, or any of the rest of the blowhards are going to make their case?

The country needs good, honest debate, new ideas, and articulate thinkers to explain them to people.

Margie| 9.21.09 @ 9:21PM

"But why should libertarians and social conservatives -- each with important contributions to make to public discourse -- simply assume that Limbaugh, or Beck, or any of the rest of the blowhards are going to make their case?"

..I always say if you've got something important to say, then say it.

Margie| 9.21.09 @ 9:28PM

"The country needs good, honest debate, new ideas, and articulate thinkers to explain them to people."

... the plain truth is good enough for me, and for most conservatives, I'd venture to say. It doesn't need any "new" ideas and it certainly doesn't need arrogant intellectual so called "Progressives" to tell us anything. You wanna talk about "blowhards?"

Margie| 9.21.09 @ 9:34PM

"Every day Limbaugh and others take to the air waves and present themselves as THE conservative voice."

... Yes. And great minds think alike!

Margie| 9.21.09 @ 9:13PM

.."esp vis a vis the aforementioned efforts to portray him as alien"

-Where's the Birth Certificate?

Nobama| 9.21.09 @ 10:35PM

How can we have 'good, honest debate' when liberals consistently lie through their teeth? No way, no how.

How can you tell when a liberal is lying?
Their lips are moving.

Nobama| 9.21.09 @ 10:38PM

"Articulate thinkers?" What the hell is an articulate thinker, Bozo?

Test| 9.21.09 @ 10:43PM

Test...

Curtis Rasmussen| 9.21.09 @ 10:50PM

Lib Screeder is promoting the fairness doctrine. Only speakers approved by the communist party will be allowed to debate. Tell the truth one too many times, and you're out.

Then, the leftie cockroaches can us the cloak of darkness to consume the hard work of the American people and crap on anything that remains.

Liberal Reader| 9.22.09 @ 1:32AM

Curtis --

Can you, in fact, not read?

Or, are you deliberately distorting what I said?

I think it's the second choice, which makes you intellectually dishonest.

Why not argue against the points I actually make, rather than attributing points to me that I did not make? Are you a coward as well as a sneak?

Liberal Reader| 9.22.09 @ 1:34AM

Margie --

Oh, Margie's back. The Am. Spectator's resident bigot.

Margie, what do you enjoy most about race baiting?

Margie| 9.22.09 @ 4:54PM

Liberal Reader~ What do you enjoy most about lying? Is it that you are proud to have joined the ranks of Nancy Pelosi and the Liar-in-Cheif in the White House?

Ladies & Gents, I give you Liberal Reader. Am. Spectator's resident LIAR!

Liberal Reader| 9.22.09 @ 1:36AM

Nobama --

What is an articulate thinker? Hilarious.

An articulate thinker is someone who can skillfully put his ideas into words -- someone who does not need to simplify and distort reality but who can handle complicated and tricky concepts.

He's a person who THINKS and who can REASON, and he's a person who can ARTICULATE his thoughts.