What the Hey?
Has Taylor Marsh lost her freakin’ mind? You know, I’ve always liked Taylor and enjoyed her writing, but the silly season seems to be having a deeply adverse effect on her judgement. In the last few days, she has jacked up the shrillness to MalKKKin-ian levels. First there was that crap about Obama being a “plagiarist”. Look at the headline on this from HuffPo:
“I Have a Dream” Becomes Obama’s “I Have a Con”
And she goes on to parrot the Clinton campaign’s anti-Obama talking points with an eerie precision that would make Right Wing shills like Cap’n Ed and Hugh Hewitt glow with pride.
Rhetorical flourishes are inspiring, especially when they’re authentic. The problem comes when they’re canned. Jake Tapper has a good run down on Obama’s convenient oratory. It would be one thing if they came from the heart, or if what he was saying was actually original. Unfortunately, they don’t and they aren’t. They’ve all been said before. “Yes, we can reuse slogans!” says Ben Smith. “You bet your life we can,” quips Deval Patrick. Si Se Puede. The word bamboozled comes to mind.
Uh, no, actually the words “made-up non-controversy” come to mind, along with the words “kneecapping”, “hatchet job”, and “desperation”.
Bob Cesca deals handily with the “plagiarism” issue here, but I would like to add my two cents’ worth before I go on. Most of you know that I spent a significant portion of my adult life as a professional musician. One song that my band came to rely on as a never-fail show-stopper was our rocked-up version of David Bowie’s “Andy Warhol”. Now, sometimes I would introduce it as, “the greatest song we never wrote”. Other times I would just say, “This is a David Bowie song” before we started playing it.
But, other times, we would just tear right into the opening chords and play the song. Sometimes, and it pains me to admit this, we never gave the audience any indication that it wasn’t our song. I guess that makes us “plagiarists” as bad as Ben “Caught Stealing” Domenech.
Or not. People play cover songs all the time. As far as I know, you don’t get fined by ASCAP and BMI for failing to announce the composer, artist, and date of first publication of “All Along the Watchtower” when (god forbid) you and the opening band drunkenly pull it out as an encore at the end of the night.
But, moving right along, Marsh really started chewing the scenery today when she freaked out about Michelle Obama’s offhand comment about being really proud of America for the first time in her adult life, etc. etc.
Michelle Obama Does Not Speak for Me
“For the first time in my adult lifetime I am really proud of my country. And not just because Barack has done well, but because I think people are hungry for change.” - Michelle Obama (video) The love I have for this country does not depend on a political campaign predicated on the notion of “change.”
The love I have for this country does not depend on one person, certainly not some politician with a slogan that others have used, which he has re-used.
The love I have for this country does not depend on aiding the winning of someone for president, without a clue what he or she is offering in the guise of one word, “change.”
The love I have for this country does not depend on ignorance of what patriotism requires to serve a personal goal.
My uncle Dick certainly didn’t serve his country and get battle fatigue in WWII so people could pick and choose pride in this nation based on personal association to some politician, forgetting the greater glory we all serve through our country’s ideals.
Taylor, darlin’, I feel fairly confident that Mrs. Obama doesn’t want to dig up your Uncle Dick’s bones, piss on them, and re-bury them upside down. Call it a guess, a hunch, even, but that seems to be the level of insult that you’re dealing with here.
The thing that really bugs me about this Taylor Marsh post, though, is how much it stylistically resembles this bit of vintage wingnuttery, Michelle Malkin’s “John Doe Manifesto”:
Dear Muslim Terrorist Plotter/Planner/Funder/Enabler/Apologist,
You do not know me. But I am on the lookout for you. You are my enemy. And I am yours.
I am John Doe.
I am traveling on your plane. I am riding on your train. I am at your bus stop. I am on your street. I am in your subway car. I am on your lift.
I am your neighbor. I am your customer. I am your classmate. I am your boss.
I am John Doe.
I will never forget the example of the passengers of United Airlines Flight 93 who refused to sit back on 9/11 and let themselves be murdered in the name of Islam without a fight.
Blah, blah, blah. This species of hot-faced, clench-jawed jeremiad may feel marvelous to write, but a post that feels like a blazing tower of righteousness at the keyboard can have a distinct tendency to read like an unhinged, holier-than-thou diatribe when it pops up on someone else’s monitor. Just FYI.
I said earlier that I like and respect Taylor. She was a delight in the few minutes we had to converse face to face at YKos, but I think it would be good for her to scootch the chair away from the computer for a couple days, dust off her hands, and maybe go rent a batting cage or take out a wall in her house with a sledgehammer.
I understand that primary season has a way of wearing us all down to edgy, anxious bundles of raw nerves, but there comes a point when the rhetoric outstrips the issue at hand and just becomes shouting. Like kids on a playground, one side says something and the other side immediately contradicts, “Nuh-UH!” and goes off, ranting from whatever fragile high ground they can attempt to base an argument on.
This is all futile of course. Given Obama’s win in Wisconsin tonight, I feel fairly confident that the SS Clintanic is going to charge even faster toward tangling with that iceberg. I wonder what or who they will throw overboard next. Seriously, though, I can’t help but think that the only people whose reputations and standing with the American people are being damaged by this onslaught of sniping from Hillaryland are the candidate herself and perhaps even the legacy of her husband, whose noisy entree into the fray in South Carolina made me (and several other people I know) suddenly realize that we really, really don’t want four or more years of Clinton Family Drama.
Say what you will about the Clintons. They may be amazingly competent politicians, seasoned leaders, whatever. They also happen to be the biggest bunch of drama queens the US political scene has seen outside the Bush cartel. It’s always freaking something. Drama, drama, drama.
I don’t know about you, but I’m just not interested in buying back into their whole three-ring circus. Obama’s going to win the nomination. I seriously doubt that he’s going to start marching people to the gas chambers should he win the presidency. You’d never know that, though, from the way some people are writing about the race.
Everybody needs to take a deep breath and just calm the fuck down. When we attack other Democrats here, we’re attacking our own, people. Let’s not go all Coulter-y/Limbaugh-y here, okay?
Thanks.
51 Responses to “What the Hey?”
By madmommy on Feb 19, 2008 11:35 pm |
Exactly. I voted for Obama, but either one of the Dem candidates is light years ahead of anything the GOP can put up for election. It’s just no contest.
By newdealfarmgrrrlll on Feb 19, 2008 11:36 pm |
attaboy, T. We gotta aim our attacks in the right direction (jeez, couldn’t let that one pass
)
as i mentioned on an earlier thread, talked to my mom in Wisc. tonight. She decided at the last moment. She likes ALL the Dem candidates, those still in the race, and those that have dropped out. She wants them all in the next administration. And all the Rethugs tossed out on their sleazy tushes.
By Betsy on Feb 19, 2008 11:36 pm |
Taylor Marsh and Jeralyn have both been WAY partisan and WAY annoying the past two weeks.
By msmolly on Feb 19, 2008 11:40 pm |
I heard someone over at the watery place complaining about Taylor Marsh a couple of weeks ago, demanding she be taken off their blogroll.
Looks like a trend…
By msmolly on Feb 19, 2008 11:42 pm |
BTW, Scott Horton over at Harpers has been batting them outta the park lately. Worth a read!
By TRex on Feb 19, 2008 11:42 pm |
msmolly said
Well, I don’t know that I would go that far. I’m hoping this is just some temporary fever that has overcome her. Seriously, though, she’s been writing lately with the agenda-driven hysterical blindness that I’m only used to seeing at RedState or Townhole dot com.
By madmommy on Feb 19, 2008 11:43 pm |
I heart Rachel Maddow. She just put McCain’s campaign in a nutshell: “No We Can’t!”.
By Betsy on Feb 19, 2008 11:46 pm |
good night all
By TRex on Feb 19, 2008 11:49 pm |
madmommy said
She’s so awesome. When, oh, when will they finally give her her own show?
By msmolly on Feb 19, 2008 11:49 pm |
Betsy said
I’m out too. See you all in a week, unless I can manage to figure out the toobz problem in Las Vegas.
By Betsy on Feb 19, 2008 11:51 pm |
have a good trip msmolly.
By Petrocelli on Feb 19, 2008 11:52 pm |
SS Clintanic … ROFL !!!
TRex, you are the best !!!
By e on Feb 19, 2008 11:52 pm |
But to hear them tell it, it’s the *Obama* supporters that have gone ’round the bend.
The lefty blogosphere these days seems to be divided among
(1) admittedly fierce partisans; (2) hypocritically “neutral” but equally fierce partisans; and (3) folks like TRex who recognize that a circular firing squad can only end with everyone frikkin DEAD.
In the latter camp I have also noted Attaturk, Thers, and Rude Pundit.
I’m sure there are others but…..you know, I don’t read blogs much. Furthermore, I can quit ANYTIME I want to.
By newdealfarmgrrrlll on Feb 19, 2008 11:53 pm |
have a good trip & good visit w friends, msmolly!
g’night all, have to get up early for a drive across town in rush hour traffic
see you all tomorrow.
By madmommy on Feb 19, 2008 11:54 pm |
Amazing. The talking heads are discussing the “really proud” flap, and that it was Cindy McCain who fired the first response. They refered to her as a “force”, with no mention at all of her stealing drugs from her charity, and that if she had not been married to a sitting Senator she’d likely be sitting in jail right now. *pleh*
By e on Feb 19, 2008 11:54 pm |
msmolly said
er……Pot? Kettle. How ya doin?
By Petrocelli on Feb 19, 2008 11:56 pm |
((((( NDFG )))))
If they’re smart, they’ll keep ya !
By Petrocelli on Feb 19, 2008 11:59 pm |
The Cindy V Michelle undercard will be more lopsided than the John V Barack main fight …
By burnspbesq on Feb 20, 2008 12:00 am |
All the hyper-partisan Clinton and Obama supporters who want to rip each other’s lungs out should be reminded of something:
A few days ago, John McCain effectively promised to nominate Janice Rogers Brown to the first available Supreme Court seat if he’s elected.
http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2008/02/passion-of-st.html
Let’s keep our eye on the big picture, kids. It’s not about who starts and who comes off the bench. IT’S ABOUT WINNING.
By TRex on Feb 20, 2008 12:03 am |
Alright, kids. I’m headed home. See you in a bit.
By Petrocelli on Feb 20, 2008 12:03 am |
Absolutely correct, Burns … get a veto proof Congress and give it to the Dem nominee … the future of democracy is in peril …
By samwoman on Feb 20, 2008 12:06 am |
Yay! I LIKE the sound of President Obama!!!
Can I just say–off topic–that Cindy McCain looks like she has no eyeballs–it’’s so spooky!
By Laura on Feb 20, 2008 12:06 am |
burnspbesq said
A-BSOLUTELY-MEN!!
By madmommy on Feb 20, 2008 12:09 am |
burnspbesq said
Just Wiki’d her, scary stuff! The Supreme Court is the big picture here. The more liberal judges are no spring chickens, and since the court can’t be bothered to uphold the Constitution the person who will be appointing judges for the next few years is vital.
And now it’s off to bed. Good night all!
By Petrocelli on Feb 20, 2008 12:12 am |
I hope President Obama elects Charles Barkley to the Supreme Court … *g*
Alito & Roberts will resign …
By Myrna the Minx on Feb 20, 2008 12:26 am |
Funny, I unsubscribed from TM’s feed earlier today. Will keep TM on my blogroll because she is a Nevada blogger like me. Just can’t read every day anymore–too many other blogs like this one that I want to follow on a daily basis.
By Christine Edmonson on Feb 20, 2008 12:33 am |
Whew! Just had a catch up here…still awake?
By peanutbutter on Feb 20, 2008 12:34 am |
Evening, all! Just climbed up out of EPU land so deep it’s embarrassing to mention. Sigh.
Have had a busy day and will probably not last long. Having lots of fun with the news. Am not sure why Clinton’s still in the play.
By Christine Edmonson on Feb 20, 2008 12:39 am |
And hello, all my friends — wonderful to see you here so late. And calming, after the Lake. I love it there, but isn’t Late Nite supposed to be OT?
By TRex on Feb 20, 2008 12:42 am |
Just poking my head out from behind the stage curtain to make sure everybody’s comfortable and happy. Anybody need a drink? PeanutB, could you put on my album of Roberta Flack/Donny Hathaway duets? There’s a dear.
I’m working on another post. Holler if you need me.
By LoudounLib on Feb 20, 2008 12:47 am |
Can’t sleep, just dropping back in for a few…
Oooh, Roberta and Donny? Here you go…
By peanutbutter on Feb 20, 2008 12:47 am |
A *turntable*! *squee!*
*carefully puts needle on record and cranks the volume up approrpriately*
By Sharonlee on Feb 20, 2008 1:02 am |
Just getting home and checking in.
It seems it’s all over but the shouting. Don’t know what the two debates will add. My 70-something, white-male brother (i know male and brother are redundant, but seems necessary) is supporting Obama. He is also a renegade Republican.
And even more surprising, my right-wing sister is actually mentioning global warming as if she believes it exists.
TRex, I appreciate your comments about attacking our own. A touch of maturity in a discussion that seems to be beyond shrill.
LL, I am going to start the music as background for my proofreading project tonight.
By LoudounLib on Feb 20, 2008 1:04 am |
Hi Sharonlee, actually I should have included the title of that song — “The Closer I Get To You”, one of my faves
By Sharonlee on Feb 20, 2008 1:06 am |
LoudounLib said
It’s playing now. Very soothing after all the political stuff.
By LoudounLib on Feb 20, 2008 1:08 am |
Glad you’re enjoying it
By punaise on Feb 20, 2008 1:11 am |
TM does come across as rather unhinged lately.
By Sharonlee on Feb 20, 2008 1:12 am |
LoudounLib said
Now have moved on to Luther and Beyonce with the same song.
By LoudounLib on Feb 20, 2008 1:20 am |
*Thud* … there go my eyelids again. Good night TRexxies, will catch up in the AM over coffee
By burnspbesq on Feb 20, 2008 1:22 am |
peanutbutter said
Did you clean that record, and zap it with the anti-static gun? Did you check the stylus force, the anti-skating, and the horizontal and vertical alignment of the cartridge? Is that the $50 limited-edition pressing on virgin 180g vinyl that’s as rigid as rebar?
Can you tell that I have spent a lot of time the last couple of months reading audiophile mags and hanging out on audiophile websites, and I am about up to here with the vinyl-and-tubes snobs? Dang. Just put the CD in the drawer, turn down the lights, and let’s dance.
By TRex on Feb 20, 2008 1:24 am |
Fresh thread:
http://www.iamtrex.com/?p=372
By LoudounLib on Feb 20, 2008 1:24 am |
lol burns — there are some real vinyl snobs out there…
Bonne nuit / buenas noches / good night!
By Sharonlee on Feb 20, 2008 1:26 am |
I’m not an audiophile, but do have a turntable. No CD except in the computer.
As a result of the Treehouse, I did know who Fiest and Amy were at the Grammy’s (Otherwise just know the oldies brought in for the special anniversary).
Also, the jazz pianist who won for best album played TRex’s river song on The View this morning.
By peanutbutter on Feb 20, 2008 1:26 am |
Ha!
For the record (snerk), I dropped vinyl like a hot potato when CDs came out and have never looked back since.
But the mechanics of putting the record on and the needle in place, ah now that’s just nostalgia and a wee bit of fun.
Anti-static gun? Da-yum, don’t remember nothing like that
By punaise on Feb 20, 2008 1:27 am |
peanutbutter said
don’t taze me, sister!
By anangryoldbroad on Feb 20, 2008 6:57 am |
I guess the good thing about all this nonsense is that it helps “weed the garden” as it were,you get a very clear idea of who is who when this kind of eating our own happens.
I think it’s time for someone new,enough with the political dynasties already,no matter what party they represent.
My 14 yr old,who could care less about politics,actually told me to stop channel surfing last night so he could watch Sen Obama. His only complaint? That in speaking of education,the Senator only addressed early education and college. He said”Mom,there’s alot of years there that none of these political people ever talk about”.
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