The “Respectful” Right Dances on Ted Kennedy’s Grave
Watching Patrick the Pedant attempt to duel with CC is always fun. The Nexus of Assholery hasn’t yet figured out that piling on the pomposity is simply NOT an effective rhetorical response to uninhibited gleeful snark.
Nevertheless Patrick never seems to tire of off-target shots at CC, presumably when he gets tired seeing that little (0) after the word “Comments” in the wasteland that is the Nexus. His most recent was posted a couple of days ago;
At a time when, for the most part, the blogosphere as a whole is respectfully marking the passing of Ted Kennedy, one may wonder: How is it that Robert Peter John Day marking the occasion?
I was extremely heartened to hear that the “blogosphere as a whole” was “respectfully marking the passing of Ted Kennedy”. I set immediately on a tour of my favourite Conservative blogs to savour this new and uncharacteristic civility.
Well, it wasn’t to be found at Jay Currie’s, unaccountably held by some to be a “decent” BT site:
Ted Dead? Party animal, Hero of Chappaquiddick, dog giver to the O – no matter what anyone says the man sank to the bottom at least once – is reported by the Chicago Tribune to have leapt this mortal coil. And, with him, one hopes, the shining beacon of stockswindler, appeasement boy and serial diddler Joe Kennedy and his Son the President who inherited the least obnoxious of Dad’s traits.
At every turn he sought to undermine American values. He undermined the troops in Vietnam. Subverted the country and worked with the Commies during the Cold War. Was a total NIMBY when it came to his pious devotion to care for the planet. Aided and abetted the murderers, rapists, drug addicts and other assorted felons in his own family.
(As a bonus, Ms. Sullivan generously takes a break from hallucinating Muslim terrorists and Murderous Somali Businessmen and daughter-fucking Indian dads to provide spiritual counseling as a Catholic to Mr. Kennedy. Don’t miss it.)
But back to the search for civility. Could it be at Kathy Shaidle’s, hiding between the paypal buttons? Hmm…today’s tagline is “as a young man, reagan SAVED girls from drowning.” Uh, okay, not there…
Canada’s leading conservative blogdragon, Kate the Curs’t?
Just Water Under The Bridge…
Oh, dear. Now we’re scraping bottom. NeoConservative?
Apparently the first woman you drown is totally deductible.
In fact, the only one of my regular conservative reads NOT to take a dump on Kennedy’s grave was Scenty, who presumably doesn’t know who Ted Kennedy was.
So I returned to Patrick’s site, and he graciously clarified what he meant by “most of the blogosphere”.
“there was what I had to say about Ted Kennedy’s passing.”
Ah. Got it.
Nexus of Assholery…”The Rest of the Blogosphere”.
My kid’s been getting me to watch South Park, about which I have mixed feelings–when they’re on, they’re on, but they’re inconsistent.
Nevertheless, they have developed quite wonderful characters. And it is obvious that the poor sad little mullet-head is what Eric Cartman becomes when he grows up–the latter, of course being relative.
Balb, you don’t have a point worth getting right now.
As for childish, I’d suggest you go find yourself a good mirror.
Na na na NA na!
Patrick’s a funny case. I’ve had at least two lengthy and quite interesting chats with him on his site – one about Kubrick, one about the biological basis of evolution. But as evidenced here (and of course at Nexus, constantly), he almost inevitably retreats to a position of sophomoric, obsessive pedantry as a final defense. It’s a shame to see him slide down the Neo route; he really could be a lot better, and god knows we need better bloggers over on their side.
They think they’re being politically incorrect Internet warriors and not just a bunch of goodie two-shoe boot-licking toadies to the Conservative establishment. Like an echo chamber full of Marilyn Monroes, they’ve fallen victim to believing their own press.
I guess. It’s just that increasingly there’s no sign of anything happening in those heads except a kind of galvanic spasm when the right nerve is touched, coupled with an aggrieved and aggressive infantilism. I can’t read the Dodos or the Sandy Cruxes anymore without wondering whether they are, in fact, just particularly dim, unpleasant teenagers who simply don’t understand what “thinking” means.
Oh, well, I’ve never actually read them. I was just guessing based on the days when I used to read SDA comments.
And not that I give a rat’s ass one way or another about Edward Kennedy. I mean, gawd. Must we defend EVERYBODY who isn’t an idiot rightwinger?
I can’t see that anyone in this thread is defending Kennedy at all.
That’s even worse.
Well, that’s just how we sexist chauvinists roll. (At least I’m moving up the food chain – I was a “misogynist” for criticizing Sarah Palin).
That’s okay. Feminists are being blamed by rightwingers for NOT pissing all over Edward Kennedy’s grave because he was such a boozing womanizer. I mean, why do rightwingers think Feminists should care if a politician is a boozing womanizer? Cripes, why would anybody care? It’s not like he pretended NOT to be a boozing womanizer.
Oops. I guess I was defending Edward Kennedy.
But seriously, even with the drunk driving death of one of his girlfriends, he turned out better’n his dad. Gawd. The Kennedys. Yuck.
Still, not as evil as the Bush clan.
I still am not entirely convinced that Dodo’s isn’t a parody site. Some of the stuff that gets posted there sits far too close to the “too stupid to have been authored in earnest by someone capable of operating a computer” line.
So much of Senator Edward Kennedy’s “The Dream Shall Never Die” speech is relevant now. It makes me sad that so many Americans do not know how much it was really he that advanced the dreams of his brothers into reality. So many of us who want now to pick up the “fallen standard” need the example his life offers of HOW liberal ideals can be transformed into something real that betters the lives of our neighbors.
I put together some of the audio of the speech, accompanied it with images and ideas that highlight some of his accomplishments, and put it into a video. The following page also has information on the 6 (of 13 or a minority) Democratic senators in the Senate Finance Committee who have yet to pledge their support for the public option in the Kennedy Health Care bill.
http://ipolity.com/wiki/index.php?page=TDP+Health+Care
“I still am not entirely convinced that Dodo’s isn’t a parody site.”
I know the feeling. But I think she sort of means it. She is clearly enjoying the attention, getting a kick out of being CC’s most recent bete noire, and enjoys pushing his/our buttons. Unfortunately she stopped carrying my enthusiastic endorsement of a “Palin-Quayle in 2012″ team when I suggested lyrics for their campaign:
“Sarah Palin, yay yay yay
She’s the one to lead the USA
She’s the bestest thing today,
Yay, Sarah Palin, yay yay YAY!”
That might have been too much.
It wouldn’t be too much for Sarah Palin, though. You should copyright it.
I still am not entirely convinced that Dodo’s isn’t a parody site. Some of the stuff that gets posted there sits far too close to the “too stupid to have been authored in earnest by someone capable of operating a computer” line.
Interestingly enough, the only person I can think who could pull off a stunt like that is Patrick. Patrick’s genius is his ability to actually believe the nonsense he inevitable ends up writing.
Lately I’ve been thinking that a more fit correlation to a television character for Patrick (instead of Cartman–though that is good) is Frank Burns.
Frank Burns always wanted to be taken seriously, but never was due to, well, who he was–a petulant whiner who stomps out of a room when things don’t go his way.
Every once in a while (far too seldom), Frank did ’something good’ which made him less of a caricature and sort of redeemed the rest of his nonsense.
Patrick Ross–the Frank Burns of the Canadian Political Blogosphere.
ROTFL
Right. Because you know everyone takes Sparky seriously.
And Ti-Guy, too. Yep. People take him seriously.
I never want to be taken seriously.
I don’t give a rats ass about what other people think regarding me personally.
See, this leaves me complete autonomy to point out the fallacies in others without worrying about their sophmoric attacks on me.
I’m also the guy who loves knocking down bloviating blowhards. Oh wait–that’d be you.
And just ’cause you don’t know you’re knocked down doesn’t mean it didn’t happen.
And this is why Patrick continues to be Frank Burns–”Why won’t anone take me seriously???”
ROTFL
Sparky, just because you want to pretend you’ve knocked someone down doesn’t mean you didn’t just get creamed.
I mean, again.
twat’s, your purposefully obvious projections are simply precious.
twatsie rosshole: when passive aggression goes from mere personality flaw to full-blown personality disorder.
creamed you again! w00t!
KEvron
Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Patrick–
a man who thinks octagons are triangles
a man who thinks that deficits aren’t deficits
a man who thinks links aren’t links
and now a man who thinks he’s the ‘rest of the blogosphere’…
Thanks for being you, Patrick. Offering much mirth and merriment whenever you post.
“Arrogance and stupidity in the same package. How efficient of you”
And ladies and gentlemen, let me present for you, Sparky-
-An individual who lives in the past. Moreover, a man who lives on the past hollow “triumphs” of others.
-An individual who thinks that computer-generated links in the absence of any kind of editorial review represent an endorsement of genius.
-An individual who cannot admit when most of the blogosphere has unequivocally contradicted him.
-An individual who actually lionizes his distinct non-contribution to intellectual discourse.
“Arrogance and stupidity in the same package”. The lack of self-awareness is utterly hilarious.
Wow, Patrick, you come up with that all by yourself?
Nicely done!
Now be a good boy and shed some truths on every one of those points.
Oh wait, if you did, you wouldn’t have a point to make!
Oh right–status quo for Patrick.
Keep it up, Patrick. You’re the joke that keeps on giving.
To begin with, Kennedy was a dyed in the wool socialist. Unrepentant supporter of causes that would have had JFK rolling in his grave. Rather than what can you do for your country, Teddy flipped that on it’s head and promoted the nanny sate with What can your country do for you. I found it amusing as well reading the posts here, especially the early ones, accusing the conservatives if being less than civil, and at the same timne the blogger tossed around words like “assholery” as if that is some kind edefying term. In short, this blog seems to revel in hypocracy at least on that front. Time will tell if that has affected the rest of the blog as well. My suspicion is, that it has. But I am willing ot be convinced otherwise. I am just not holding my breath.
Interesting, Sparky.
I’m still waiting for you to explain away those lies you told about Russ Campbell’s blogpost. Remember those?
Maybe you’d like to shed some truth on that.
“To begin with, Kennedy was a dyed in the wool socialist.”
Heh. Ted Kennedy’s level of socialism, if manifest in a Canadian politician, would have made him something akin to a Red Tory here. In the US the phrase “socialist” may work as a bogeyman: it doesn’t here.
“Unrepentant supporter of causes that would have had JFK rolling in his grave.”
No doubt. And JFK supported activities – the invasion of Cuba, for example – that would have appalled Ted. Your point is…?
“Rather than what can you do for your country, Teddy flipped that on it’s head and promoted the nanny sate with What can your country do for you.”
Going somewhere with this?
“I found it amusing as well reading the posts here, especially the early ones, accusing the conservatives if being less than civil, and at the same timne the blogger tossed around words like “assholery” as if that is some kind edefying term.”
Uh…Nick? The blogger I am commenting on – Patrick Ross – runs a blog called “The Nexus of Assholery”. His choice of terminology, not mine. If you find the term unedifying, I suggest you take it up with him: it’s how he’s chosen to brand himself.
“In short, this blog seems to revel in hypocracy at least on that front.”
I hope I’ve corrected your mistaken impression.
“Time will tell if that has affected the rest of the blog as well. My suspicion is, that it has. But I am willing ot be convinced otherwise. I am just not holding my breath.”
We live but for the sunshine of your approval.
Patrick, when you learn how to read, I’ll respond to your accusation.
Oh wait, when you learn how to read, you’ll realize that your point was wrong in the first place (as with many of your other supposed ‘gotcha’ moments)
I’ll be waiting…
Patsy reminds me of one of those little weighted balloon dolls they had when I was a kid. You kept flailing away at it, and it would just resume its upright position with the same silly painted smile on its empty face. Until at last the damn thing popped.
See, Sparky, that’s hilarious.
Because unlike you I actually did read the blog post in question.
You’ve been trying to skate around your little fib, so I’m just going to go ahead and rub your nose in it again.
“The death of Edward “Ted” Moore Kennedy, the famous liberal senator, has brought both praise and some scorn from across the United States and throughout the world. His passing marks the end of an era during which the Kennedy clan—most notably its three famous brothers: John, Robert and Edward—fascinated a nation and the world beyond it with their ambition, style, idealism and tragedies.
I cannot fathom what drives commentators like journalist/broadcaster Michael Coren to so denigrate the achievements of this man. Without question, it is hard to forgive the man for the part he played in the death of Mary Jo Kopechne—when he virtually got away with manslaughter. And his private life has left much to be desired by one who should have been a role model for his fellow Americans.
However, do his well publicized misdeeds so overshadow decades of worthwhile service in the U.S. Senate that we should dwell almost exclusively on them? I think not.
His legislative legacy includes health insurance for children of the working poor, the landmark 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act, family leave and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. He was also key to passage of the No Child Left Behind Education law and a Medicare drug benefit for the elderly, both championed by Republican President George W. Bush.
And although Republicans would open their wallets to fight anything Kennedy stood for, many of them respected and befriended him. To the end, Ted Kennedy remained the Senate’s foremost liberal and one of its legendary dealmakers. He’ll be missed in that august body.
As Democrat Patrick Leahy of Vermont said, “He [Kennedy] really worked at becoming the best senator he possibly could. And he did.”
Certainly, Sparky,. the post in question does make mention of Kennedy’s various foibles. I’d say fair enough to that particular point.
But then I’d have to turn around and remind you that Russ notes that Kennedy’s personal foibles aren’t what define his career, or even his life. In fact, Russ heaps a good amount of praise on Kennedy, and there’s no reason why he shouldn’t.
Sparky, you were lying when you forwarded this post as being disrespectful of Kennedy. It’s all right there. You must realize I don’t even need you to admit to your dishonesty.
As it pertains to Balbulican, the first 300 hits on a Google blog search have turned in a grand total of 15 posts disrespectful of Kennedy. That’s a margin of 5%.
Ready to admit that the vast majority of the blogosphere marked Kennedy’s passing respectfully? It seems like it’s about time that you did.
Nice goalpost move, there, Patrick.
Not “the majority of the blogosphere.” The “Conservative blogosphere” was what was referred to in the post.
And respectful comments from that quarter, while there were a few, were drowned out by the usual club-waving yahoo chorus.
Since it’s been proven over and over again that your reading comprehension is hovering around 0, Patrick, you calling anyone else on their supposed lying is a lark.
Let me quote something for you–
Quoth the person who knows how to read–
“Maybe you were referring to this one–
http://russ-campbell.blogspot.com/2009/08/sen-edward-ted-kennedy.html
but then again, the comments kinda give that away…”
Trying to dumb it down so the willfully obtuse Patrick can understand it–
“Patrick,
Maybe you meant this blog post when you came up with your ‘respectful blogs’ idea.
However, the comments there show something different.”
See, you’d have to actually read first before you write your tirade, Patrick. That’s what smart people do–they read and understand before they make baseless accusations. That way they don’t look like total doofuses when their very own words come back and bite them in the ass.
How is that ‘no deficit’ thing working for you?
How did that ‘not undercover agents’ thing turn out?
How did those supposedly ‘compassionate conservatives’ over at the BT’s mark Kennedy’s passing? Y’know, besides you and that other guy you love to quote (ignore the commenters, however–that won’t do for your point)
Yeah, this can be lumped onto the ever growing heap of things you just got royally wrong–either through willfull stupidity or just plain ignorance–but aren’t man enuf to own up.
That’s okay, though. We need the comic relief.