Author Topic: Humorless Politics Thread  (Read 854017 times)

John Junk 2.0

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Re: Humorless Politics Thread
« Reply #885 on: October 27, 2008, 04:24:30 PM »
You can put that "McCain is the bomb!" video up next to the will.i.am "Yes We Can" video and I can't decide which group of people are more hateful.  Weirdly, both videos are made by Obama supporters. 

I don't see how people can even pretend to legitimately argue that Obama is a socialist when he has declined public funding for his campaign and is running the most pimped out campaign in history.  On this point, Obama is way more free market than McCain.  I assume they're trying to demonize the impulse that a lot of people (like me) are feeling, which is "Actually, socialism doesn't seem so bad".  I honestly don't get how "spread the wealth" all the sudden is supposed to be a scary communist slogan.  It's also weird that Biden (who was awesome in that interview) said something like "we don't want to spread the wealth UP", essentially trying to invert the inversion of meaning of that sound bite. 

Also, WTF is wrong with being like Sweden?

When right wingers try to paint Obama as a scary liberal, it's funny, because they're basically painting a picture of someone like me. And I'm not scary at all. 

Martin

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Re: Humorless Politics Thread
« Reply #886 on: October 27, 2008, 04:27:17 PM »
Also, WTF is wrong with being like Sweden?

THANK YOU.

John Junk 2.0

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Re: Humorless Politics Thread
« Reply #887 on: October 27, 2008, 04:27:34 PM »
The only other thing I can think is that Republicans are more visually sophisticated than people realize and are finally making the connection that those Shepard Fairey posters are in a style that initially parodied socialist/communist propaganda and now are being employed unironically to support Obama, which any graphic designer who actually had a fucking brain in his head would realize is a problematic visual decision, and  republicans are consciously or unconsciously connecting the dots and are like "Charismatic centralizing figure = red revolution!"

Bryan

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Re: Humorless Politics Thread
« Reply #888 on: October 27, 2008, 04:31:38 PM »
Also, WTF is wrong with being like Sweden?

THANK YOU.

I know! I love how that's always bandied around as a threat. "You don't want the USA to turn into Sweden, do you?"

buffcoat

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Re: Humorless Politics Thread
« Reply #889 on: October 27, 2008, 04:42:46 PM »
I really don't appreciate your sarcastic, anti-comedy tone, Bro!

Andy

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Re: Humorless Politics Thread
« Reply #890 on: October 27, 2008, 04:42:50 PM »
I agree.  But now you need a really sophisticated argument to justify why your side is right and the other side is wrong.  And frankly, the intellectual firepower on both sides is really high.  When you've got Henry Hazlitt and Friedrich Hayek on one side (not to mention Edmund fucking Burke) you need to bring a little more to the table than, "What's a matter, you?  Don't you see that you're just wrong?  Isn't it obvious?"


Who are some impressive contemporary conservative intellectuals? Anytime I try to read or listen to contemporary conservative thought, it always seems nutty, dumb, mean-spirited or just like a big pack of lies. I know I'm a lefty, and some of my response is just my bias, but the big names that I'm aware of (Jonah Goldberg, David Horowitz, David Frum) are just awful.

Surely there are some better thinkers than that?
Michael Savage?
Breakfast- I'm havin' a time
Wheelies- I'm havin' a time
Headlocks- I'm havin' a time
Drunk Tank- not so much a time
George St.- I'm havin' a time
Brenda- I'm havin' a time
Bingo- I'm havin' a time
House Arrest- I'm still havin' a time

Martin

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Re: Humorless Politics Thread
« Reply #891 on: October 27, 2008, 04:45:37 PM »
Also, WTF is wrong with being like Sweden?

THANK YOU.

So... cold!

Good point. But thanks to the wonders of Global Warming, it's just a matter of time til it's like the Mediterranean!

todd

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Re: Humorless Politics Thread
« Reply #892 on: October 27, 2008, 04:47:07 PM »
I'm not very knowledgeable, but I always liked David Brooks on the NPR segments I've heard. He's a conservative but seems to know his shit.

Andy

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Re: Humorless Politics Thread
« Reply #893 on: October 27, 2008, 04:48:34 PM »
also, I was kidding about Michael Savage (obviously)
Breakfast- I'm havin' a time
Wheelies- I'm havin' a time
Headlocks- I'm havin' a time
Drunk Tank- not so much a time
George St.- I'm havin' a time
Brenda- I'm havin' a time
Bingo- I'm havin' a time
House Arrest- I'm still havin' a time

yesno

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Re: Humorless Politics Thread
« Reply #894 on: October 27, 2008, 05:34:36 PM »
Surely there are some better thinkers than that?

I guess from the values/traditionalist side, Theodore Dalrymple.  I used to respect Victor Davis Hanson but he lost his mind.  Mark Helprin is responsible for the great quote: "Modern literature is all cool and detached, even though a lot of modern writers are passionate about their politics. To me, passion should be for literature, and reason and detachment for politics."  John McWhorter is good when he talks about language.  (Popular linguist  Mario Pei was also an arch-conservative on the side.)

The problem with those guys I think is that they have devoted their life to defeating a bogey-man:  their invented notion that the left is dedicated to burning and destroying all that's good about western civilization.  But I like their pessimism and misanthropy.

Richard Posner is brilliant, but he's so politically weird.  He's really, really not a conservative in the least.  He's more like Richard Rorty's evil twin.

Defenders of unfettered capitalism are more likely to be found among the libertarians.  I like reading Reason magazine.  But I'd have to note that most of them have turned on the Republicans (for instance, "Why the Republicans Must Lose"--  http://reason.com/news/show/129599.html).  Their thinking on stuff like health care is pretty awful but they're to be commended for opposing the Iraq war.

I try not to read too many "pundits" even though it is hard in this election.  So I tend to be out of date.  Richard Weaver?  Uhhhh.... T.S. Eliot?  David Mamet (http://www.villagevoice.com/content/printVersion/374064)?

To be fair, I wouldn't put Markos Moulitsas or even Paul Krugman up against John Rawls or John Kenneth Galbraith.

Chris L

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Re: Humorless Politics Thread
« Reply #895 on: October 27, 2008, 05:48:43 PM »
I'm not very knowledgeable, but I always liked David Brooks on the NPR segments I've heard. He's a conservative but seems to know his shit.

I was going to mention him sarcastically.  :(

yesno

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Re: Humorless Politics Thread
« Reply #896 on: October 27, 2008, 05:53:29 PM »
I just woke up from a nap and read my favorite erratic alcoholic lunatic:

http://slate.com/id/2203120

which reminded me of the fact that a lot of republicans really are idiots who deserve to be mocked.  Not for their misguided views on economics and the role of the state, but for their religion and fear of science.  So carry on todd.

todd

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Re: Humorless Politics Thread
« Reply #897 on: October 27, 2008, 05:57:34 PM »
I'm not very knowledgeable, but I always liked David Brooks on the NPR segments I've heard. He's a conservative but seems to know his shit.

I was going to mention him sarcastically.  :(

He could be an idiot, I'm really really not very smart when it comes to this stuff. I just know when he's on NPR he doesn't seem to tow the party line nonstop.

cron

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Re: Humorless Politics Thread
« Reply #898 on: October 27, 2008, 08:40:47 PM »
I agree.  But now you need a really sophisticated argument to justify why your side is right and the other side is wrong.  And frankly, the intellectual firepower on both sides is really high.  When you've got Henry Hazlitt and Friedrich Hayek on one side (not to mention Edmund fucking Burke) you need to bring a little more to the table than, "What's a matter, you?  Don't you see that you're just wrong?  Isn't it obvious?"


Who are some impressive contemporary conservative intellectuals? Anytime I try to read or listen to contemporary conservative thought, it always seems nutty, dumb, mean-spirited or just like a big pack of lies. I know I'm a lefty, and some of my response is just my bias, but the big names that I'm aware of (Jonah Goldberg, David Horowitz, David Frum) are just awful.

Surely there are some better thinkers than that?

I'm basically a bleeding-heart liberal, but I stumbled upon and have been reading Daniel Larison's blog almost daily, and I think he's one of the most intelligent and thoughtful folks around of any political stripe.  He's a "paleo-con" however, meaning that he's completely opposed to a huge chunk of what the Republican party currently stands for, especially foreign policy.  People like Goldberg, Horowitz and Frum would probably consider him a heretic or something.  Definately recommended if you're interested in someone coming from a different perspective who's far from being a partisan hack.

http://www.amconmag.com/larison/

David Brooks is obviously really smart, but what bugs me about him is that I don't think he's very honest.  If you contrast what he says on TV panels and on the radio with his New York Times columns, he comes across as much more open and unguarded in the former, while his columns are much more partisan in tone and even frequently contradict things he says on those talking head shows.

Trembling Eagle

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Re: Humorless Politics Thread
« Reply #899 on: October 27, 2008, 08:49:54 PM »
You can put that "McCain is the bomb!" video up next to the will.i.am "Yes We Can" video and I can't decide which group of people are more hateful. 

Oh yeah the video of the nut threatening physical harm to Obama if he "took our jobsss" is the same thing as the goofy rap video.