Al Gore Strikes Again
Actually it's part of the same speech I mentioned here; a really long, borderline Amish-style sermon he donated to something called the "We Media Conference," in early October.
Drink in some pure spring-fed Gore:
"The present executive branch has made it a practice to try and control and intimidate news organizations: from PBS to CBS to Newsweek. They placed a former male escort in the White House press pool to pose as a reporter -- and then called upon him to give the president a hand at crucial moments. They paid actors to make make phony video press releases and paid cash to some reporters who were willing to take it in return for positive stories. And every day they unleash squadrons of digital brownshirts to harass and hector any journalist who is critical of the President." (My emphasis; as far as I know Al's volume stays pretty constant.)
If there were such a thing as an intellectual integrity grand jury, this paragraph would be clearly indictable. Not that I’m suggesting that sort of mechanism.
I could deal with more of it, but that last sentence: how does that feel, as one of Al's targets in my own little way? Like this: it tells me I’m Al’s nigger and Jew. You can hate me and sneer at me as much as you want, Al says, because that’s all I deserve. I’m a brownshirt, I’m an orc. Sixty years ago our species' haters targeted Jews; now - if I'm to give Al the courtesy of taking his words seriously - they’ve turned another direction and discovered a new target for their need to blame: the Right, and their muscleboys like me. So Al is free, free as the wind, proud possessor of moral license to indulge in one of the most dehumanizing, dismissive terms available to the PC left. And he’s talking about me! I'm a brainless toady brownshirt! Sir, is it too late? Can I make you my president?
Al has used the term before; this isn't a one-off. He likes it! It's so clever. And oh, you should see the worshipping comments after the transcript!
Here's my comment: Go to hell, Al.
Update: I did a little stylistic editing since yesterday. (I reserve that right.) And I want to reassure my familars: my description of how Al's words make me react? That's how they make me react. So please: don't invalidate my feelings, man.
Update 2: I consider the political blog world to be a wonderful development in political discourse; one of the very main reasons is because it has allowed the communication of the conservative take on things (and debate about it) to reach a wider realm than the mainstream print press has typically allowed. Al's recommendation: ignore it, flee it, mock it, kill it if possible. There couldn't be a more concise example of what I find both laughable and creepy about the left's too-common attitude about their opponents.
Drink in some pure spring-fed Gore:
"The present executive branch has made it a practice to try and control and intimidate news organizations: from PBS to CBS to Newsweek. They placed a former male escort in the White House press pool to pose as a reporter -- and then called upon him to give the president a hand at crucial moments. They paid actors to make make phony video press releases and paid cash to some reporters who were willing to take it in return for positive stories. And every day they unleash squadrons of digital brownshirts to harass and hector any journalist who is critical of the President." (My emphasis; as far as I know Al's volume stays pretty constant.)
If there were such a thing as an intellectual integrity grand jury, this paragraph would be clearly indictable. Not that I’m suggesting that sort of mechanism.
I could deal with more of it, but that last sentence: how does that feel, as one of Al's targets in my own little way? Like this: it tells me I’m Al’s nigger and Jew. You can hate me and sneer at me as much as you want, Al says, because that’s all I deserve. I’m a brownshirt, I’m an orc. Sixty years ago our species' haters targeted Jews; now - if I'm to give Al the courtesy of taking his words seriously - they’ve turned another direction and discovered a new target for their need to blame: the Right, and their muscleboys like me. So Al is free, free as the wind, proud possessor of moral license to indulge in one of the most dehumanizing, dismissive terms available to the PC left. And he’s talking about me! I'm a brainless toady brownshirt! Sir, is it too late? Can I make you my president?
Al has used the term before; this isn't a one-off. He likes it! It's so clever. And oh, you should see the worshipping comments after the transcript!
Here's my comment: Go to hell, Al.
Update: I did a little stylistic editing since yesterday. (I reserve that right.) And I want to reassure my familars: my description of how Al's words make me react? That's how they make me react. So please: don't invalidate my feelings, man.
Update 2: I consider the political blog world to be a wonderful development in political discourse; one of the very main reasons is because it has allowed the communication of the conservative take on things (and debate about it) to reach a wider realm than the mainstream print press has typically allowed. Al's recommendation: ignore it, flee it, mock it, kill it if possible. There couldn't be a more concise example of what I find both laughable and creepy about the left's too-common attitude about their opponents.
posted by Lonesome Payne at
12:29 AM
