The other day I got mildly involved in a tweet argument with a right-winger from California who was seriously challenged in the area of vocabulary and context and all around general intelligence. I blame it on TooMuchPerfection.
I won't go into detail because in the end, its pretty silly. TMP made a random comment and apparently this guy was trolling for key words and decided to go after her. The details are in her blog, linked above. Suffice it to say we felt it necessary to school him not only in the error and rudeness of picking an argument with a random Tweetstranger but also in the meanings of the words equivocate as opposed to equal, subterfuge as opposed to spin, the difference between your and you're, etc.
At one point this guy ranted that all liberals ever do is correct grammar when they have no real arguments and then insisted that he used the words exactly right within the context of the conversation. He went silent after I reminded him that context does not change the definition of a word. It didn't occur to this putz that there might be a legitimate reason for his continually being corrected. It didn't occur to him that he might have more credibility if he spoke his native language with some sense of, oh I don't know, knowledge?.
Look, I don't have an issue with people being right wing per se. Cliched as it sounds, a couple of my best friends are full on Conservatives, one of whom still insists that Nixon was framed. He remains one of my most treasured friends and favorite people. When we argue, it can get heated, but never silly. For one, he knows his vocabulary and grammar better than I do, for another his opinions, for the vastly most part (yes I know that's a vile phrase) are rooted in facts. Conservatives and Liberals need eachother, because without opposition, both sides go off the deep end.
In general, I don't agree with the conservative viewpoint, but that doesn't mean that I don't respect it as a theory and there are certain issues I am in agreement with. For the record there is a lot in the liberal viewpoint that I think is ridiculous too. I just happen to agree more than I disagree with it.
But here's the thing. Over the last couple of decades, the bat shits have taken over the Right.
Joe Klien in his excellent piece this week talks about this to a greater extent than I will go into here.
But for every Andrew Sullivan, there is a Betsy McCaughey (believe me, we here in New York have been subject to her bullshit rantings for decades. It's amazing to watch her spew the same self aggrandizing lies she did 15 years ago. Watch the video, then read the Atlantic article to get some insight into why she can't be trusted on anything), for every David Brooks, there is a Rush Limbaugh, also a Laura Ingraham, Sean Hannity, Lou Dobbs, Glenn (I poisoned Nancy Pelosi) Beck and Sarah Fucking Palin.
Until Conservatives stop yelling and screaming nonsense about Socialism, stop making stuff up, stop letting whackjobs speak for them, start learning from the dictionary, they will not only be the party of No, but the party of No Credibility.
I want some intelligent argument about this bill, please. And I want it now.
Also, I want the Democratic Party to grow a pair and let them drop. NOW!
P.S. I promise to write more frequently from now on.
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