April 18, 2011

Why did the anti-Palin protesters think it was right and good to shout her down?

The more I think about it, the less sense it makes to me. On Saturday, there was a planned Tea Party rally to take place at the King Street side of the Wisconsin Capitol. It was the usual "tax day" event, made special by the appearance of Sarah Palin and also because the Capitol has been dominated over the last 2 months by intense anti-GOP/anti-conservative protesters. In fact, it was quite nervy of Sarah to show up in this town, which, even in quieter times, Republicans avoid if they can. I've been living here since 1984, and I don't remember any GOP presidential candidates ever stopping in for a rally. (By contrast, Obama has held huge rallies here twice.)

The anti-Tea party people had a rally planned for the opposite side of the Capitol, at State Street. Here's some video, shot by Meade and me, the first half of which shows the State Street rally, where the audience is able to assemble and listen to their speakers. In the video, you see a poet named Josh Healey who is mocking Sarah Palin. (What if Scott Walker and Sarah Palin had a baby?) No one is heckling him or interfering with his presentation.

At 1:55 in the video, we're suddenly at the other side of the Capitol, midway through Sarah Palin's speech, in a crowd that contains people who want to hear the speech and people who are trying to deny them that privilege. Watch:



At 2:09, you see a man in a black and yellow jacket pointing and yelling "shame, shame." After a cut, switching from Meade's camera to mine, you see this man directly in front of me. The black in the upper left corner is the brim of my hat. He had been shouting right behind me as I tried to listen to Palin, and I turned to include him in my video. He thinks he can deny me the right to show his face on camera as the person who was most interfering with my hearing the speech. The cut at 2:22 is the switch from my camera to Meade's, Meade having just arrived at my side.

At 2:25, the man says "I will knock those cameras out of your hands." Meade says, "No, you won't That would be assault." (Question: What do the letters CPD on the side of the man's hat stands for? )Clearly visible at 2:58.)) He tries to block my view with his hands and yells, "You're here to see the damned rally. Turn around and watch it." And he goes back to yelling "shame," as if I could listen to a speech with a guy yelling "shame" right behind me. Eventually, our cameras cause him to shrink back into the crowd.

Then you can see, there are people yelling "liar, liar" right next to me. The noise of vuvuzelas and "booooooo" seems to come from everywhere. Even though we are near a loudspeaker, you can barely hear Palin.

Now, my question is: What is the argument that making that noise was a worthy and good thing to do? I know these protesters believe they are the good people with the right values. So explain this to me. Now, any crowd is diverse. Maybe there were respectful anti-Palinistas. Maybe the local Madison folk were polite and the rude ones were from out of town, perhaps Chicago. Maybe the letter "C" on that man's hat stood for Chicago. CPD. Chicago PD. I don't know. You tell me. Anyone could have a CPD hat.

223 comments:

1 – 200 of 223   Newer›   Newest»
Anonymous said...

Re all the Hobbit talk.

Why does the left think that the Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings belongs to them?

These novels are about the eternal presence of evil in our lives and the necessity to fight (wage war) against evil.

These novels are conservative and religious in nature.

kent said...

Why did the anti-Palin protesters think it was right and good to shout her down?

"Do not question Ape Law, human."

Moose said...

If you look at the right side of his hat as he walk away, I'm pretty sure thats the symbol for the Chicago Police Department.

Known Unknown said...

That "poet" is awful.

Kevin said...

They are thugs and brownshirts.

The SA is their model.

The Crack Emcee said...

Now, my question is: What is the argument that making that noise was a worthy and good thing to do? I know these protesters believe they are the good people with the right values. So explain this to me.

''Cause."

Anonymous said...

There's something, I dunno, delicious about watching some guy yelling "Shame! Shame!" at the same time that he's holding up a hand in front of his face like a freshly-indicted politician running the press gantlet on his way out of the courthouse.

Unknown said...

C'mon, Ann, this is how the Lefties have gotten (or tried to get their way) since those glorious days protesting the Vietnam War.

Don't you remember how proud all the small c communists were that they "hounded Lyndon Johnson from office"?

If your side can't win the debate with facts, shout 'em down - or demagogue them - or send in the goons - or manufacture votes by the hundreds - or make up any kind of lie the public will swallow - anything to get their way.

They're on the side of right and goodness, their intentions are pure, so the end justifies the means

traditionalguy said...

Palin attacked the crowd first, She used their Capitol to make a speech without permission from them or from Judge Sumi. So they were forced to make a citizen's arrest of the speech sounds she was emitting. What makes Palin think she is free to disobey a Teacher's Union?

Sal said...

I think the two groups remaining of the protests are the people who just love the protesting and street theater (isn't it fun?) and the bitter haters.

There really is no other reason to stand in the cold for hours just to yell at someone. I can't think of anyone in the world I'd drive to the capitol to yell at, even on a nice day.

Anonymous said...

"At 2:25, the man says "I will knock those cameras out of your hands."

That man is a Chicago Police Department police officer bussed in to do thuggery for the corrupt Democrat Party.

I'm surprised he didn't fucking cold-cock you. The camera saved you. He knew you had him on film.

That's why you always take a camera.

David said...

Palin's voice can also be drowned out by silence. The MSM barely gave the event or her remarks a mention. They are much more interested in Donald Trump.

Anonymous said...

The short answer is:

Palin is a powerful and dangerous opponent.

So, she must be defeated by any means necessary.

When will the left cease with the "Palin is stupid" argument?

The actions of the left prove that they consider this woman their most effective and dangerous opponent.

Dust Bunny Queen said...

Why did the anti-Palin protesters think it was right and good to shout her down?"


There is no good excuse. Period.

The Crack Emcee said...

My question is:

Who told them to do it?

How many people just "spontaneously" decided to show up and make noise with things like beans in cans?

Sounds like that "spontaneous" Teacher's Strike to me,...

Henry said...

Here's a mashup of the last two posts -- a comment to Krugman's column celebrating the silencing of Palin:

BRAVO!!! Prof. Krugman. I just witnessed a video of Sara Palin trying to make a speech in Madison, Wisconsin with a huge crowd shouting her down with chants of GO HOME! which went on and on. One could not make out what she was trying to say but the screeching of her voice was like chalk on a blackboard. The intensity of the crowd's response was electrifying, the placards to the point and hopefully will be played out in other parts of the country and involve all the issues you have raised. (pvolkov, Burlington, Ontario)

Got that? It's energizing to shout down your opponents. If you read on, you find that "honest reporting" and "grass roots" organizing are also near and dear to our censor's heart. Thus the open mind of the progressive.

chuck said...

I know these protesters believe they are the good people with the right values.

What does that have to do with anything? I met old Nazis in Germany who believed the same. Feeling good about ones own motives and purity is not a challenging moral test.

galdosiana said...

They will suppress any speech that they deem to be "hateful" and "stupid"...i.e. anything that does not perfectly fit in with what they believe. These are the same people who censor their blogs, facebook pages, etc. to block and delete any comment that goes against their message. They do not believe in free speech. They only believe in speech that suits their needs.

Unknown said...

Most likely, Chicago Police Department (that looks like the CPD star on the other side). Nice of him to make the drive to Madison....

Also sounds like a typical uninformed officer. "You can't take my picture without permission".

This whole "two camera" thing is perfect for these events. An off-duty offier swiping one camera is easily deniable. Swiping two, that would take talent.

Duncan said...

Their parents (if any) didn't raise them right.

bagoh20 said...

From what I've seen, it looks like it all came of perfectly BECAUSE of the anti-Palins. Without them, the contrast would not be seen. This is why the anti-Walker protests were so lame. They seemed to be protesting to no one.

Palin and the other speakers talked about their adversaries right in front of them, and in return, they barked like trained seals proving the rightness of every point made.

The attempt to have only one side heard after weeks of being allowed to vent endlessly (without ever making a coherent argument) shows clearly who believes freedom works, and who has confidence in the merits of their argument. In short the Anti- Palins helped enormously. I think the speakers are glad the protesters were there and obnoxious.

Unknown said...

Another point to keep in mind, the Lefties are scared to death that this woman could be the next President.

All the talk about Caribou Barbie is, as I have noted before, whistling past the graveyard. They think if they tell themselves, and each other, how stupid she is, it will be true. But it never works, she outsmarts them and kicks their fluffy white behinds (including a scrawny cafe au lait one) every time.

Fact is, her remarks are on the internet, as are videos of her speech. People can read and hear what she had to say. That's what scares the Lefties - they can't control the message anymore. Same as their failure in the Prosser election.

PS I'll have to send The Blonde up to ride shotgun with you guys next time you get into a situation like that.

Anonymous said...

The left is to be judged by their intentions (which are assumed to be good - after all, they're leftists) while the right is to be judged by results (which are always assumed to be bad - after all, they're racists, terrorists, homophobes, rich people, and that all-purpose pejorative: mean-spirited).

This is the framework from which the media spins the narrative. The left behaves in in a completly uncivilised, anti-democratic way because they know they won't suffer socially or politically. Intimidation is what they do. They feel entitled.

Bottom line: when your intentions are good, you can do anything you want.

Dr.D said...

It is much easier to make sure you do not start to think about what she is thinking if you are fixated on making noise to drown her out. The Left is determined not to hear her themselves, nor to let anyone else hear her because they fear her so very much.

TWM said...

Is this a rhetorical question? You know the answer, I am sure.

They shout because they do not want to hear any opposing view. And worse, they do not want anyone else to hear those views for fear they might make sense to them and catch-on.

They are thugs. Bullies. Certain in their right to have things exactly as they want them and no other way. They are probably bullies all the time, but it's only in groups or when they are in control - a teacher bullying his or her students - that it comes out with a vengence.

They may believe they are good people but it's a fantasy of their own making.

And Ut is correct, they guy probably would have assaulted you if you did not have the camera.

geoffb said...

"Why did the anti-Palin protesters think it was right and good to shout her down?"To make this ironic.

MadisonMan said...

Was the Capitol freely open to the public on Saturday? I didn't think to go in when I was at the Square around 8:30.

CPD could be Chicago Parks Division too. Either way, a FIB. Chronically Pissed-off Demonstrator?

lemondog said...

Chicago Police Department skull cap $14.95

Chicago Cop Shop

Jon said...

If not Chicago PD, possibly Community Planning and Development.

1775OGG said...

Ah, next they'll come wearing balaclavas, covering their faces. But do they realize that their eyes tell the tale of their souls, their very dead souls?

Someone commented on a very recent Althouse blog that the Madison union protesters reminded him of Stalinist tactics. That seems to be correct. The unionist protesters are Stalinists, entitled to so whatever they want, especially to suck at the public teat.

Coldstream said...

The CPD hat is a Chicago Police Department hat...whether he's a cop or not is anyone's guess since those hats are for sale to the public.

(3rd hat down here:)
http://www.chicagocopshop.com/hats.html

Although wearing even part of a uniform to a protest certainly is amusing. Almost as if they are trying to co-opt authority.

I suppose he could have just written "Cop" in marker on duct tape and put it on his hat. That seems to work for the Madison Left.

FloridaSteve said...

In a nutshell. Smugness. Arrogance. Condescension. Free speech for me but not for thee.

On some level they believe that what Sarah Palin is saying is a crime. Or thought-crime if you will. I imagine that Orwell would be amused.

Wince said...

"Why did the anti-Palin protesters think it was right and good to shout her down?"

Because anything declared by their union to be in opposition to their economic self interest has been hopelessly conflated with evil in their minds.

RichardS said...

Individuals may be rational, groups of people often tend to become mobs.

David said...

That weenie is not CPD, for sure. I do love his yellow dayglow vest though. It's so official. The guy making the speech was special too. A specialist in preaching to choirs.

Most of these people have never even tried to persuade someone outside of their own bubble group of anything. That shows.

It's hard to take them seriously, but we should. Trying to drown out speech is nasty business. As are threats of physical battery.

What do you suppose the guy would have done if Meade were not there? Good chance he would attack a 60 year old woman. (Sorry, Althouse.) That's bad stuff.

And Meade, you were wrong. The guy had already committed assault with the threat. It was battery that your presence probably impeded.

wv = "crackbi"
Finally, the truth?

Hagar said...

Someone wrote that if every one in the Athenian Assembly had been a philosopher king, they would still have constituted a mob.

MaggotAtBroad&Wall said...

The Crack Emcee (10:42 AM):

Gateway Pundit had a post on either Thursday or Friday of last week containing a screen shot of a firefighter union website urging Palin haters to show up with noisemakers and puppets to counter-protest against Palin. Apparently Palin is now a corporate puppet whose strings are being pulled by her corporate masters. Undoubtedly the Koch brothers. Who knew?

I didn't pay attention to the date of the firefighter union's post, so I don't know how long they had to organize their little hate festival.

bagoh20 said...

Like me, far more people watched the speeches online where you could clearly hear them and see the obnoxious opponents. I assume the choir up front could also hear fine. So, unless you were in the group trying NOT to hear it, you got the message - both sides of it. That's bad for the lefties.

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
AllenS said...

What is the argument that making that noise was a worthy and good thing to do?

It's all that they know.
Don't believe me? Check out your commenters from the left on this blog.

Chuck66 said...

Why did the people of Alabama attack the Freedom Marchers? It only hurt the white racists. When you hate a group of people so much, you can't control your emotions. I watched some more videos that Badger Blogger and his (hers?) commenters have posted or linked to.

With all do respect to normal Madison people.....but your town looks like a Selma or Birmingham Alabama 50 years ago. When the entire population (or so it seems) comes out and thinks nothing wrong with trying to shut down people you don't like, using very foul language and images.

Shouting Thomas said...

Here's the link to the Wisconsin State Journal's coverage of the speech.

Remember, our always wrong commenter, garbage, said that this rally was called to say "fuck you!" to the public employees unions.

This rally is, in fact, an annual event. From the Journal's article:

Saturday marked the third straight year Wisconsin’s tea parties have hosted a Tax Day Rally at the Capitol.

I'm Full of Soup said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

"The CPD hat is a Chicago Police Department hat...whether he's a cop or not is anyone's guess since those hats are for sale to the public."

Likely he felt that this symbol of authority went well with his brown shirt.

His sense of entitlement was informantive. He's one of the enforcers that collectivists tend to give special licence to.

As Andy Stern said, “[W]e prefer to use the power of persuasion, but if that doesn’t work we use
the persuasion of power.”

Alex said...

The real issue is how evil Sarah Palin is, not shouting her down. She's an evil motherfucker who SHOULD be shouted-down. In fact it's your PATRIOTIC duty to shout down every neo-con RethugliKKKan down.

/garage

Chuck66 said...

Again, I say this with all due respect to any normal people there, but Madison folks come across as rather uneducated hillbillies. To see the mocking and the smiles on their faces as they come out in their goofy clothes and drums, totally ignorant to how they appear to people out in the real world.

Alex said...

totally ignorant to how they appear to people out in the real world.

THESE are the real people, not you.

/garage

Alex said...

Did I tell you just how much I hate that Sarah Palin, motherFRAKKER?
HATE, HATE, HATE!!!!

/garage

Roux said...

They are losing and they know it. Obama was their hero and he's having a meltdown right before their eyes.

I'm Full of Soup said...

Chuck:
I agree. We have to come up with some new name to describe doofuc libruls from the so-called sophisticated parts of the country.

bagoh20 said...

I watched the video and I was just laughing out loud. The reasons are many, and too obvious to mention, but damned funny - both the speaker and the CPD guy. All just clueless hilarity! I loved it. That CPD guy reminded me of cockroach when you turn the light on.

Alex said...

The new meme of today from the left is "civility is servility to the Republicans, we must shout down the motherfuckers".

Brian Hancock said...

Ancient Vulcan proverb: "Only Palin could go to Mad-town!"

Chuck66 said...

Compare Madison wackos to this.....I was visiting friends in western Wisconsin last month and Twin Cities TV news had a story on gov't employees holding a protest in Hudson. I thought "this is going to be good". But when the story came on...yes, they were holding their socialist redistribute-the-wealth signs, but lefty protestors were all dressed normally and were acting like rational humans. Compare that to the hillbillies in Madison.

Anonymous said...

totally ignorant to how they appear to people out in the real world.

I think they're used to having their bad behaviour de-emphisized and/or excused by the media. "Sanitized for their protection."

As collectivists their behaviour is also driven by the assumption that they're acting for the greater good.

The presence of the New Meadia really drives them round the bend. It's hard for them to get used to it. Impossible, really.

chickelit said...

Way to get in their faces Meadhouse!

Bravissimo!

Brian Brown said...

What is the argument that making that noise was a worthy and good thing to do?

There is no "argument"

These people are arrested development adolescents. Acting like the teenagers they are at heart.

LordSomber said...

"Why did the anti-Palin protesters think it was right and good to shout her down?"

Simple minds need their Emmanuel Goldsteins.

LarryK said...

When I "shared" Ann's last post on this topic (4/16 9:40 PM) on Facebook, my intro comment was

Note to the Left: any mindless thug can shout down someone they disagree with, and if that's your reaction to someone expressing dissenting views, then you're acting like a mindless thug. This is NOT what democracy looks like.

The video here shows exactly what I meant. Shouting down people you disagree with is thuggish, cowardly, and stupid - essentially an admission that you can't compete in a rational discussion, so your only recourse is intimidation and force.

And speaking of stupid, thank God there are no "poets" on the right as puerile and inarticulate as Josh Healey. Anyone would stand in the snow to listen to this imbecile needs to take a long, hard look at their life.

Issob Morocco said...

Cashton WI police Department?

Known Unknown said...

And Ut is correct, they guy probably would have assaulted you if you did not have the camera.

I doubt this, solely because the camera was the issue in the confrontation.

Now, if Meade were wearing some pro-Palin gear sans camera, that would be a possibility.

garage mahal said...

Remember, our always wrong commenter, garbage, said that this rally was called to say "fuck you!" to the public employees unions.

That, and the WI GOP needed some new energy as they face the numerous recalls. There may be enough sigs to file on all 8 senators when this is all said and done. [there are 4 as of this morning] What better way to fire up the base than to dangle Sarah Palin in front of an already smarting Madison like a piece of red meat? In other words, it went all according to plan.

PaulV said...

If WI has 'really fast rail" the carbon impact of the carpetbagging Chicago hillbillys would not be so great.

WV: trutb grade b truth

Mary Ellen said...

I'm pretty sure the CPD is the Chicago Police Department. If you look, they call their website the CPD website.

http://www.cityofchicago.org/city/en/depts/cpd.html

I'm not surprised by his behavior, which is typical of the Chicago Police. (I was born and raised in Chicago and now live in the suburbs of Chicago).

windbag said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Shouting Thomas said...

That, and the WI GOP needed some new energy as they face the numerous recalls. There may be enough sigs to file on all 8 senators when this is all said and done. [there are 4 as of this morning]

What you haven't considered, garbage, is this:

You might well lose the recall votes.

Wouldn't surprise me.

Would you then abide by the results of the elections?

Known Unknown said...

The gentleman next to the shy CPD-hatted fellow is wearing a White Sox coat.

What's with all the Illinoise?

windbag said...

Now, my question is: What is the argument that making that noise was a worthy and good thing to do?

Grown-ups aren't afraid of the dark. Cockroaches are afraid of the light.

Conservatives and libertarians aren't afraid to wade into the dark and empty arguments of progressives, but progressives fear the exposure of the their vapidity in the light of conservative and libertarian arguments. By whatever means available and necessary, progressives will avoid the light.

That's why.

Lincolntf said...

I know Internet tough guys are a dime-a-dozen, and I'm not looking to join their ranks, but if that dude had treated my wife that way I would not have maintained any journalistic composure. Sad to say, I probably would've knocked him flat on his sorry ass, thus providing the anti-TPers's exactly what they wanted.

chickelit said...

garage mahal wrote: That, and the WI GOP needed some new energy as they face the numerous recalls.

Loser. Your side couldn't even muster the vote to shut down a free & democratic election of Prosser.

You will fail with the recalls and I will cheer.

Bruce Hayden said...

And Meade, you were wrong. The guy had already committed assault with the threat. It was battery that your presence probably impeded.

But Meade was also correct, because taking the camera would have been assault. He might also have mentioned theft.

The problem here is that while making a credible threat may technically be assault, you really need the physical assault to get any traction with the police, and esp. here, where it appears that some, if not many, of them may be siding with the protesters.

The situation with the police in regards to these protests surfacing. It has been the elephant in the tent all along with government pensions, since many of the worst abusers (esp. in CA) of spiking pensions with huge amounts of overtime their last years of work is esp. egregious in the public safety realm (ok, prison guards in CA seem to be in class of their own).

BUT, the cops (and to a lesser extent, firemen and women) have a lot of discretion that most of us do not want this discretion aimed at them. They carry guns, and the teachers don't.

In the end though, public safety personnel are going to have to be addressed too. And, that will ultimately be through budget cuts, one way or another. The power of the purse is really what controls them, and being willing to use that to rein in their power.

And, I would think that one of the best ways to start would be to start taking their toys away from them. Try abolishing SWAT teams, because all that money is going to the cops' pensions. See how that wakes them up. Then, maybe slow down the replacement of their cars, make them ride double, increase the number on foot or bicycle. All in the name of paying for their pensions.

Chuck66 said...

It sounds like a meaningless cliche...but "you can dish it out, but can't take it" always applies to these situations. The guy thought nothing of coming to a Palin rally and scream "fuck you" at the Governor, but you put a camera on him and he goes nuts.

The center-right is not allowed any actions, according to the left.

PaulV said...

Garage, with the results of the Prosser election, how many D senators will be recalled? They left the state to avoid democracy, you know.

WV: clowm
Garage is a clowm

rhhardin said...

Madison folks come across as rather uneducated hillbillies.

College town plus union thugs.

Bruce Hayden said...

They are losing and they know it. Obama was their hero and he's having a meltdown right before their eyes.

I do believe that there is a bit of panic going on right now. They have lost "the people", and know it.

But, in the long run, the incivility is backfiring.

Beta Rube said...

I understand the sentiment Lincolntf, but I was there Saturday,with screaming disrepectful goons to all sides, and as much as I would have liked to mix it up, I am truly glad nothing happened.

Meade Media has showm amazing restraint during this entire lefty tantrum, which has allowed them to provide the best coverage of these events, period.

Bayoneteer said...

That guy's a Chicago cop and he's wearing his uniform illegally. He didn't want to photographed for that reason.

garage mahal said...

Loser. Your side couldn't even muster the vote to shut down a free & democratic election of Prosser.

It's .04 margin of "victory" for Prosser as it stands now. 16 counties flipped in just a few months. So if you're correct and the right is "winning", why are they so fucking miserable all the time? The pettiest little thing sends then to the fainting couch.

damikesc said...

Why is it a good idea?

Because shut up...that's why.

...remember, they aren't any nicer on college campuses, either...

Chuck66 said...

rhhardn....another example of lack of intellegnece, education, sophistication of Madison residents.

Another video posted from Saturday shows several Madison Democrats who has taken broom poles, and put large bright yellow gloves on the end of the handles. Then tied the outer 4 fingers back, so just the middle finger was sticking up. Then they took these to the Capital and raised them into the air, hopping Governor Palin would see them.

Could imagine Barry Obama coming to Wausau or Appleton and seeing Republicans from those cities doing that?

Shouting Thomas said...

It's .04 margin of "victory" for Prosser as it stands now. 16 counties flipped in just a few months. So if you're correct and the right is "winning", why are they so fucking miserable all the time? The pettiest little thing sends then to the fainting couch.

And, it was only weeks ago that you announced that outrage against Gov. Walker was sweeping the state.

By the way, the winner of an election is the winner, no matter the margin of victory.

Which is what you've been refusing to concede all along.

Apparently, you were wrong.

J Allen said...

Got this video showing union thugs interrupting a rally in Boston. At the beginning you can see a cute little commie flag. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aB5JdYE16v4&feature=share


And the police are where?

carrie said...

Because Madison is all about liberal totalitarianism, and under liberal totalitarianism liberal speech is the only speech that is worthy of respect. I used to be a liberal, but became a conservative when I finally figured out that the main stream media was not reporting the whole story about anything political. As a result, I started reading conservative literature and, GASP!, listening to Rush Limbaugh, and my politics shifted to the right. I think the left is afraid of that happening to anyone who is exposed to conservative thought, so they try to suppress it. Thanks to the new media, it is hard to suppress it anymore.

Chuck66 said...

My post above, I should include the disclaimer that I am not trying to do a blanket attack on all Madison residents. Including the owners of this blog.

Just the 75% that belong to the left.

Toad Trend said...

Because free speech, like ObamaKare waivers, are for liberals and friends of liberals, exclusively.

chickelit said...

@garage: Try taking the pulse of the electorate at a more distal point rather than in Madison.

You've got your finger on the pulsating Madison "erectorate."

Chip S. said...

The disdain for Palin seems similar to what All the Right People used to say about Margaret Thatcher:

Attila the Hen. - Clement Freud

When Mrs Thatcher says she has a nostalgia for Victorian values I don't think she realises that 90 per cent of her nostalgia would be satisfied in the Soviet Union. - Peter Ustinov

She approaches the problems of our country with all the one-dimensional subtlety of a comic-strip. - Denis Healey

Looks like America's Thatcher is on the cusp of Gandhi's 3rd stage:

"First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win."

D.D. Driver said...

"And, it was only weeks ago that you announced that outrage against Gov. Walker was sweeping the state.

By the way, the winner of an election is the winner, no matter the margin of victory."

The Koch Brother conspired with Haliburton and the reanimated corpse of John Wilkes Boothe to blackmail the entire City of Brookfield into faking the missing votes. Apparently someone got their hands on a night-vision video of the City of Brookfield in a compromising with Paris Hilton.

Just follow the money. Which goes right back to the Koch Brothers (because they are so rich).

Anonymous said...

Hey look!

Another "just one guy" who's just protesting everyone, and NOT targeting the 14 yr. old girl...

D.D. Driver said...

Ugh. Palin =/ Thatcher.

Maggie Thatcher was a research chemist conversant in Hayek. She served six years as prime minister after surviving an assassination attempt.

Mama Grizzly is a reality TV star that quit in her first term as governor of Alaska because people were mean to her.

I appreciate what she accomplishes as a ramble rouser, but let's not get carried away.

Stan said...

"Why did the anti-Palin protesters think it was right and good to shout her down?"

They thought it was important to prove to the world that they should never be permitted to have power? Like the murderer who asks to be stopped before he does it again, the left-wing agitators were crying out for help. They know they are incapable of fair and honest governance and wanted to remind the voters.

In any event, regardless of their motives they made it clear that it's a bad idea to vote for anyone who wants to give them any power.

J said...

"Why did the anti-Palin protesters think it was right and good to shout her down?"


Because she's a confused piece of white trash petrol-capitalist dreck ? Eazy one, Ayn. Sort of related to the necessity to fight (wage war) against evil.

DCS said...

A big part of any movement that believes it has found "THE" answer is the part about silencing any criticism. After sll, if the movement can be criticized, maybe it doesn't have a monopoly on the truth. Suppression of dissent is the natural outgrowth of that attitude. Its quieter forms take the form of shunning or otherwise ignoring conservative viewpoints in the university community. When some of the more boisterous members of the fraternity get onstage, as in madison, we see more physical manifestations like pushing, shoving and screaming so that no one else can be heard. Think of a nine year old. Think of the nine year old being given directions by an adult and screaming "NYAH NYAH NYAH can't HEAR YOU!" with hands clamped firmly over the ears and you'll get the picture.

traditionalguy said...

The planned economic disaster that has started and will happen faster and faster is being channeled into claims made by rival tribal groups. The tribal dances and chants are designed to assert that only empowerment that comes from within a tribal group is going to be people's hope. And tribal civil wars are never civil.

Lincolntf said...

Browndog, that is just disgusting. I know the Left is filled with pissant cowards, but to actually see the scumbags in action is jarring. There's no doubt that in his mind that guy is one of "the little people" fighting the evil "rich" by screaming "Fuck you" at children.
The fact that he looks like Squiggy from Laverne & Shirley notwithstanding, he's a perfect model of WI public employee union members.

Brian Brown said...

Sort of related to the necessity to fight (wage war) against evil.


And here we have an easily misled pea brain justifying it all...

Isn't that cute?

Toad Trend said...

@D D Driver

"...ramble rouser..."

'Rabble rouser'.

//fixed.

Just what is needed, another liberal versed in class envy/ historical revision.

Shouting Thomas said...

So, garbage, let me ask the essential question:

What criteria do you have for actually accepting the outcome of elections?

Or do you only accept the outcome of elections when you win?

And, J, you are every kind of lowlife piece of shit imaginable. Must rot your mind and infuriate you that nobody is interest in you, and that just about everybody wants to hear what Palin has to way.

Lay off the crack pipe for a while.

Brian Brown said...

Because she's a confused piece of white trash petrol-capitalist dreck ?

Remember, you're "tolerant"

Jim Ryan said...

Anne, the premise of Marxism is that there are no reasons but only brute forces underlying social standards. There are no moral reasons for a society's set of values but only material forces that caused them.

Therefore, there is no point in honest debate because there is no such thing as reasoning and debate. There is only power. The revolutionary undermines his opponent by any means necessary, often by slandering the motives of his opponent. That is an example of the use of brute force because it is an attempt to force the audience to reject the Marxist's opponent's argument for no reason. But also shouting down and violence are in the Marxists arsenal.

This is the very essence of Marxism. Marxism is essentially nihilistic. It cannot even morally prefer its communist ideal because ex hypothesi there are no reasons to have moral preferences. Marxism is both brutal and incoherent.

vbspurs said...

Ann Althouse wrote:

What is the argument that making that noise was a worthy and good thing to do?

As with any explanation about human behaviour, the answers are various.

It may have something to do with Pastor Martin Niemöller's famous "First they came..." poem, that urged people to speak out in the face of tyranny before the Establishment takes the rights we have, leaving no one to defend them.

Consequently, NOT to protest would seem like collusion with tyranny.

Equally, Barack Obama urged his supporters to: "[...] argue with them and get in their face."

At the time, many read this as being ripped straight out of Saul Alinsky's playbook, which could be true.

More likely, arguing back makes many Leftists feel a rush of power; of being seen publicly to make a stand, reinforcing that far from bleeding-heart pantywaists, they are tough customers canny with tongues AND fists, so don't mess with them.

Lastly, do not discount the role played by belonging.

Terrotorialism is strong in the human psyche. Palin is invading their turf in Madison, just like Ann Althouse and her husband, Meade, do to Mr Shankman's crowd. They are merely defending it.

Cheers,
Victoria

ricpic said...

During the Bush (W) years it was the most natural thing in the world for someone at a gathering of almost any kind, not just small private parties, to go into an anti-Bush rant, the assumption being that of course everyone else at the gathering, strangers as well as friends, were in agreement. In other words it was inconceivable to the ranter that anyone could be in disagreement. This, I think, is what justifies, in the liberals' minds, drowning out Palin's speech: it is a total outrage to them that she exists, that an opposed viewpoint exists, it just can't be and we're going to make damned sure that it won't be heard.

D.D. Driver said...

Thanks for fixing my typo, but not drinking Palin's kool aid hardly makes me a "liberal."

Unless you mean liberal in the classical sense. In which you are correct (if you even know the difference).

vbspurs said...

Bagoh20 wrote:

This is why the anti-Walker protests were so lame. They seemed to be protesting to no one.

The nail's head has been hit.

Chuck66 said...

Browndog, wow.

Ann, Meade, I would like to see this video featured on its own thread.

To expand on my previous posts...this guy sees nothing wrong with screaming nasty things at a 14 year old girl, but also repeadly giving her the finger, while the people standing next to him also see nothing wrong with that, as the smile at his rant.

J said...

What's that, Jay the white trash frat boy?

Given that you're the ones resorting to the quasi-theological terms--good, evil--yr part of he anti-christ. Like yr leader ...Ayn Rand! .

Heh heh. Even the catolicos understand that (and look in Dante for where usurers reside, trash)

J said...

Heh heh.

The demons of Aynhouse done stirred up. A is indubitably A........dar-leeenks

Anonymous said...

Althouse said:

"I know these protesters believe they are the good people with the right values."

Before I opine as to another attempt on your behalf to defend these people, as an attempt to, once again, deny the reality of the world you suddenly find yourself--

I need clarification;

("I know..)

Does that mean it is a universally acknowledge fact that these are good people with good intentions, and you are simply acknowledging that fact?

Or, is it a personal truth?

Because if it's a "personal truth" it is beyond reproach.

If it's the former...well, it wouldn't surprise me if other bloggers find themselves accusing you of being deceptive

vbspurs said...

Galdosiana wrote:

They will suppress any speech that they deem to be "hateful" and "stupid"

By countering with speech that is hateful and stupid.

I still haven't quite worked out how they think this attitude helps them out -- because it doesn't. Surely, at some point, they have to see that, no?

Saying you defend women's rights, are against the traditional abuse heaped towards women, then turning around and calling Palin and Bachmann c*nts is illogical, inconsistent, wrong.

It's like using the n-word if you're black.

For God's sake, if you believe in something, eventually you have to make a stand or stand accused of hypocrisy for all time.

Toad Trend said...

@D D Driver

"The Koch Brother conspired with Haliburton and the reanimated corpse of John Wilkes Boothe to blackmail the entire City of Brookfield into faking the missing votes."

I hardly think a 'classic' liberal would allow his fingers to type such a foolish meme.

A classic liberal ('libertarian', as I consider myself) doesn't need to construct false scenarios in an attempt to smear or call events into question. That job is cheerfully undertaken by the loony left.

You were saying?

Hoosier Daddy said...

Palin went to Madison? Madison Wisconsin? Seriously? I'd have to say that's right up there with the Doolittle Raid in a display of bravery.

Sofa King said...

Browndog, wow.

Ann, Meade, I would like to see this video featured on its own thread.

Oh, but we can't trust that video. We don't know the context, or something.

Anonymous said...

A classic liberal ('libertarian', as I consider myself) doesn't need to construct false scenarios in an attempt to smear or call events into question.

Dude. I've seen broken sarcasm detectors before, but this has got to be some sort of record.

Chuck66 said...

It is interesting as I feel I am right in almost all of my political opinions. So I welcome a free discussion. I want the other side to be heard. I am very comfortable that I can defend any position I take, so therefore I do not need to silence the other side.

If you try to silence your political opponents, that tells me that you cannot defend your positions, so you have to use threats and force instead.

Hoosier Daddy said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
William said...

There seems to be a negative correlation with being right and being self righteous. I do not know the exact optimum package that civil service workers deserve. Nor does anyone else on earth. I would be willing to let the push and shove of democracy settle the issue. That said, when the tactics become this aggressive, the tactics themselves become the issue. This is patently wrong. The fact that such tactics will not be condemned by anyone in sympathy with the Democrats means that the next step will be a little further over the line.

DKWalser said...

This reminds me of the last time I was able to hear Ronald Reagan speak in person. It was in Phoenix at the end of the Bush/Clinton Presidential election and President Reagan spoke at a noon time rally in the park across the street from my office.

A bunch of Clinton supporters were there to try and shout down the former president. Two of them were new staff people from my office. It just so happened we were conducting semi-annual performance reviews and I had been completing their evaluations (along with those of the other staff who worked for me) before I went to the rally.

The behavior of my staff embarrassed me and upset me greatly, so I called them into my office to discuss the matter before I finished their evaluations. Their take was shouting down Reagan was an expression of their free speech rights and should not effect their evaluations. They were "speaking truth to power" and were on the side of the angels, so it was all good. I asked them to consider how they'd have felt if it had been Clinton speaking and Bush supporters had prevented them from hearing what Clinton had to say. To their credit, they felt that, too, would have been an expression of free speech.

So, Ann, I suspect that would be the anti-Palin protesters' answer to your question of why it was a good to try and shout Palin down: free speech is good and they were engaging in free speech, so what they were doing was good.

It's as simple (minded) as that. They believe it's alright to try to shout down a speaker because their protest is a form of speech signifying their disagreement with what the speaker is going to say. Like my young staffers, they fail to consider what society would be like if no one could speak in public because anyone disagreeing felt it would be okay to disrupt the proceedings. Any "free speech rule" that applied universally would prevent the free and public exchange of ideas cannot be a good one.

As for my staffers, I warned them that their actions outside the office reflected not just on them but on our firm. Public rudeness was NOT something our firm wanted to be known for and such behavior, in the future, would be considered as part of their evaluations. Whenever I see such behavior I wonder if I let them off too easily.

Hoosier Daddy said...

At 2:25, the man says "I will knock those cameras out of your hands." Meade says, "No, you won't That would be assault."

Oh come on Meade. The proper response should have been: "Do you feel lucky? Well do ya, punk?"

Toad Trend said...

@Paul Z

Oops. Good call.

You're probably right. Wasn't positive DD was responding to another post - my bad.

DD, my apologies, that's what I get for interrupting a perfectly good 'conversation' without fully understanding the context.

Carry on.

Chip S. said...

3D, We differ in this regard, apparently: You think that Thatcher succeeded because of her knowledge of chemistry and Hayek. I think she succeeded because of her understanding of the desirability of a free society and her determination to make Britain freer.

Good policy advice is easy to come by. Political courage, not so much.

mark said...

"Why did the anti-Palin protesters think it was right and good to shout her down?"

Interesting psychological question. I'll personally listen to a socialist again when they can explain to me the psychology of why the attempts at it in Europe, Asia, and Africa devolved into the murder of hundreds of millions of innocents.

To me, they shout her down for the exact same reasons. Intellectual Purity.

The men and women who stood on the death camp walls are stunned that you don't understand why killing and starving people who are intellectually impure is good and right. In the same way, those screaming in the street are stunned that you are not hating Sarah and screaming along with them.

vbspurs said...

Chip S wrote:

Looks like America's Thatcher is on the cusp of Gandhi's 3rd stage:

"First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.


Awesome, awesome quote, Chip. I'll add to it.

"Then they fight your family, then they collude to silence you, then they indict you, then they imprison you...if you're lucky. Because if not, then they kill you."

Since 2008, I've feared that someone would assassinate Sarah Palin. That's why, more than any other American politician, she surprises me every time she opens her mouth, because the guts this woman has is astonishing.

If guts alone were criteria to be US President, she would be better qualified than any other politician by an astronomical mile.

Cheers,
Victoria

Chip S. said...

Victoria, I share your fears.

Roger J. said...

There are clearly some idiots in wisconsin that make white citizens councils in Mississipi 50 years ago look absolutely tolerant--I mean really--you are the most pathetic pieces of shit I have ever seen in my lifetime--go fuck yourselves--one and all

vbspurs said...

DKWalser wrote:

Whenever I see such behavior I wonder if I let them off too easily.

You did, but it was the right decision. Everyone deserves at least one warning -- especially if they're new. Also, in real world terms, you would've opened yourself to a slew of lawsuits where a lawyer would've twisted your motives.

JohnJ said...

"Why did the anti-Palin protesters think it was right and good to shout her down?"

Yes, arrogance, self-righteousness, ends/means justification, and so on. But also a strong sense of territoriality, I suspect.

Another thing that occurs to me is that the generally accepted meanings of "shame" and "democracy" have taken a real hit.

Chuck66 said...

Roger J...I posted something to the affect (effect?) earlier. Seeing the 50+ year old films of Little Rock and Selma and Jackson and Birmingham were very similiar to what we see in Madison. The hatred of the angry white folk, the screaming, the signs. The panic that "those people" think they have an equal right to be here.

vbspurs said...

Chip S wrote:

Victoria, I share your fears.

Just think, Palin went to MADISON, WISCONSIN...just a fortnight removed from the most virulent protests that ultra-liberal town has ever seen. That woman has a pair.

X said...

In other words, it went all according to plan.


for me, the most enjoyable thing throughout all of this, have been garage's Hitler in the bunker comments. thanks for the laughs dude. Steiner is coming!

Chip S. said...

That woman has a pair.

and they're fantastic.

Um, unless you were using the term metaphorically....

Chuck66 said...

Chip....either way.

Toad Trend said...

@Victoria

"That woman has a pair." ;-)

Indeed.

And, she apparently has more guts than any man in DC. The men in DC all surrendered their testicles to their re-election campaigns long ago.

Which is exactly why the left fears her.

Chip S. said...

So, she's got two pairs and a full house.

[sorry]

garage mahal said...

I see the usual pearl clutching from the self proclaimed Tough Rugged Independent Conservatives, over some booing. I thought you guys were the tough guys? Will the sobbing ever stop? Why no, it won't.

Phil 314 said...

"Why did the anti-Palin protesters think it was right and good to shout her down?"

As already stated its the whole "speaking truth to power" meme. And hey, its Madison, Wisconsin

Hopefully folks in Wisconsin, regardless of their feelings regarding Palin, see what this anti-Walker movement has become. And if its not "representative" of the anti-Walker movement then hopefully those "inside" the movement are working to change the image.

But, it appears this has gone beyond anything to do with Wisconsin teachers and their benefits. National unions clearly see this as a line in the sand and are putting all of their efforts behind defeating it and more important, making it a rallying point. This also appears to be a rallying point for all causes liberal for the local college students and the resident liberals.

Now I appreciated the "poet" because his rant highlighted the under-reported schism within the Democratic Party; those that still support BO and those who are disappointed if not contemptuous. But hey dissent is a good thing in the Democratic Party. In the Republican Party its a sign of how extreme they are.

Phil 314 said...

And I must always remind myself that, its not the number of:
-comments on a blog
-protesters at a rally

but
-votes on election day

that's what democracy looks like

Roger J. said...

Chuck 66--my apologies because I think it was your comment that made my aged synapse fire--there aint a dimes worth of difference between the all white "liberal" protesters in Wisconsin from the all white "racist" protesters in Mississippi--its just that the liberals cant see see what they have become--sorry fucking pieces of shit.

Hoosier Daddy said...

I see the usual pearl clutching from the self proclaimed Tough Rugged Independent Conservatives, over some booing.

Project much?

I must say though, after watching those videos, that is some group you hitched your wagon to garage. Says quite a lot.

garage mahal said...

They booed Sarah. Whaaaaaaaaaaaaa! Somebody hold me!

Sofa King said...

"First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.

Needs to be updated.

First you win, then you win a second time, then you are bi-winning.

Sofa King said...

Then you win.

WV: badgre

vbspurs said...

Don't Tread 2012 wrote:

And, she apparently has more guts than any man in DC. The men in DC all surrendered their testicles to their re-election campaigns long ago.

We'll get back to dissecting the anti-Palin protesters, but let me just echo what you wrote.

I'm astonished whenever I hear liberals like Joy Behar say that conservative men like Palin because she's pretty.

Nuh-uh. It's because she's TOUGH. Same reason men voted for Thatcher and Meir in droves.

But to do so would go counter to their opinion that conservative men are just knuckledragging illiterates led by their fully erect penises at the sight of a nubile woman.

So Palin is pretty. Hell, that's just dessert, not the main course.

garage mahal said...

here aint a dimes worth of difference between the all white "liberal" protesters in Wisconsin from the all white "racist" protesters in Mississippi-

Except the fact, you know, our candidate is black, and your party is full of birthers who send around chimp and watermelon emails.

Tank said...

Just part of most of the left's general approach to people they disagree with - STFU. Whether it's banning you from their website comments, or feigning "civility," or some other nonsense, they don't want to hear what you have to say.

Roger J. said...

Miss Victoria--speaking as a knuckle dragging white male with a full erection, I do like Ms Palin and Ms Bachmann--I will check out their political affiliations later. :) First things first, Ms Victoria.
Liberals are stuck with Ms Pelosi and Ms Clinton--erection killers extraordinare.

Ken B said...

weewarkBecause of a widespread long term failure of the educational system. unter

Chuck66 said...

All I see in the videos is a lot of angry white people.

Titus said...

Would you videotape the rare clumber and I walking? Not near a protest because I am not into group things.

Just walking somewhere. Or would you ask?

When I was in India I was doing videos of people everywhere and I never asked. My Indian UK husband said it was rude and I should not do it.

My husband's in Slough right now.

vbspurs said...

First things first, Ms Victoria.
Liberals are stuck with Ms Pelosi and Ms Clinton--erection killers extraordinare.


Don't forget Helen Thomas! There. I killed every erect penis in sight for 20 years.

Roger J. said...

No Garage--our president is not black--he is half black--and he has really big ears and is a consummate liar--not a question of race at all--its a question of competence, veracity and character--hell--I'd rather have al sharpton as president than this jug eared president we have in the white house now. Dont play the racist card with me it doesnt work

Lincolntf said...

The only difference between the Wisconsin Teachers' protests and a Klan rally? The Klansmen go to work the next day.

Roger J. said...

Miss Victoria--that was a really low blow

Its going to take me three hours to recover :)

Chip S. said...

Victoria said,

So Palin is pretty. Hell, that's just dessert, not the main course.

Of course, I agree with this. But I think the fact that Palin is extraordinarily photogenic is a large factor in why her opponents are frustrated. Photographers are almost certainly trying their best to catch her in an unflattering pic, if only because that pic would be republished ad infinitum. I think that's why we see so many photoshop and cartoon versions of Palin--she just doesn't seem to photograph badly, ever. And pictures drive narratives.

Would Bush's opponents have done quite as well at making a Harvard MBA into a moron if there weren't those pics in which he looked less than fully perceptive?

Chuck66 said...

Eminem is more "black" than Obama.

fivewheels said...

I think the people trying to shout down the rally are the equivalent of comment trolls. They don't want to allow people they disagree with to enjoy a civilized discussion, so they just start making noise, creating a distraction and displaying their hatred. Anything to derail, even if it's stupid and obnoxious.

The motives and the behavior are pretty much straight Jeremy.

Chip S. said...

I think the people trying to shout down the rally are the equivalent of comment trolls.

Perfect.

Lombardi Chick said...

Sofa King said...

Oh, but we can't trust that video. We don't know the context, or something.



: )

Roger J. said...

Chip--generally agree except here's the difference--while I love fucking with Jeremey the rest of the commentary can take place irrespective of Jeremey or his ilk--in a public forum with horns drums and the like, not so much. In that sense we can still maintain a conversation that is foreclose by the egregious tactics of the modern american "left"

Anonymous said...

I see the usual pearl clutching from the self proclaimed Tough Rugged Independent Conservatives, over some booing. I thought you guys were the tough guys? Will the sobbing ever stop? Why no, it won't.

So, now, garbage, you're reduced to defending shouting down public speakers.

You are a self-admitted piece of shit.

Is there any vile stupid thing that you don't embrace?

Roger J. said...

OMG--just realized I was spelling Jeremy's name wrong--its actually Piece of shit

vbspurs said...

Chip S wrote:

Would Bush's opponents have done quite as well at making a Harvard MBA into a moron if there weren't those pics in which he looked less than fully perceptive?

Or a former star football player like Gerald R Ford into a stumbling fool of a man.

Mind you, CONCEPTUALLY what Chevy Chase did was brilliant, almost pantomimic. What Tina Fey does to Palin or Will Ferrell to Dubya is several rungs below in the comedic scale.

BTW, Chip, in 2008, I wrote this about Governor Palin, on Althouse:

"Historically, there have been three ways a female leader (usually a Queen regnant or similar) has been successful.

- Beauty/Youth Archetype

- The Mother Archetype

- Warrioress Archetype

[...]Sarah Palin is the Female Perfect Storm:

She is a fertile mother, beautiful, and as a life-long huntress at home with guns and the military, qualifies as a warrioress already."

Archetypes affect us subconsciously. We understand their power, because they are universal to the human experience.

This is a good way to sum up the reactions of the protesters in Madison, in Ann's video above.

ken in tx said...

Calling these anti-Palin folks 'hillbillies' is an insult to hillbillies. The original hillbillies were people who lived in the hills of Northern Ireland and supported William of Orange as King of England. Their descendants immigrated to North America and settled in western Pennsylvania and all down the Appalachians to the south. They are not well known for their learning, but they are very well known for their bravery and honor. These protesters do not display any of those three qualities.

Roger J. said...

Ms Victoria--an aside--my lady and I will be coming thru Miami on the way to Lubbers quarter cay (vacation home east of Marsh Harbour) a week thursday--dont know what our layover will be in MIA but it would our pleasure to take you and your beau (and I know you have a beau--if not Miami mankind is poorer for the lack) to the Versaillies if our layover schedule permits--will contact you thru your blog if thats OK

ken in tx said...

The anti-Palin people remind me of a classic insult I read, in which it was said that a certain man had all the qualities of a good dog, except loyalty and bravery.

vbspurs said...

Oh Roger, my treasured blog chum, my blog is closed to comments due to the profusion of Chinese spam, but I can be found on Twitter under this very ID. We can talk better there, whenever you want.

But even if we don't meet up this time, I want to wish you happy visiting! Florida in April is magical, as you well know. Enjoy it, my friend. :)

Carol_Herman said...

It's just like Eisenhower said: "The first contact with reality and all your military planning goes up in smoke.

But it still pays to PLAN.

IF you go to rallies, ahead ... And, some people might ... And, you see a bunch of thugs what are some of the things you can do to stand your ground?

Also, when you go to vote, ahead, what can you do to guarantee that your vote counts? (Leave no hanging chads)! Stay away from the computers! And, when you're handed a ballot, take your time with it! Make sure it looks good enough to be counted. Isn't checked off in green ink, or anything like that!

And, if enough people vote the "Al Franken Unit" organizers go home disappointed.

Don't expect politics to be a religious experience, either.

Roger J. said...

Thanks Miss Victoria--will be in touch and respects to your mother

DKWalser said...

They booed Sarah. Whaaaaaaaaaaaaa! Somebody hold me!

Garage,

There's a huge difference between booing (or applauding) at appropriate moments during a speech and trying to prevent the speech from being made by shouting it down. The first is an example of the give and take that has characterized our national free speech for more than 200 years. The second is the antithesis of our concept of free speech. It is an attempt to control what can be discussed by preventing the wrong people from being able to speak in public.

Which side of this free speech divide are you on? The side that demonstrates its tolerance of a wide range of ideas by respectfully listening (which includes the occasional pause for cheer and jeers from the audience) or the side that actively tries to prevent opposing viewpoints from being heard?

pst314 said...

That definitely is a Chicago Police Dept knit cap. But any tourist (or delusional, power-mad liberal) can buy one. See www.chicagocopshop.com.

pst314 said...

Why do lefties think it is right and good to shout down those they disagree with?

Surely that is a rhetorical question. Silencing opposition is what the left is all about. Anyone who survived the sixties (and seventies) knows this.

Unknown said...

Maybe the hat stands for

COMMUNIST PU$$Y DEMONSTRATOR

MayBee said...

This is what happens when, despite all evidence, everything you do is described as the good, rules-following people of Wisconsin.

Even when the rules followers are banging drums in the middle of the night in the Capitol, that is just good old fashioned free speech.

Where legislators flee the state rather than legislate, and are labeled as heroes.

Where the practice of public college professors getting involved in liberal politics is given an important, lofty label, "The Wisconsin Idea!".

Eventually, you start to think everything you do is ok.

Clyde said...

It's fear, pure and simple. If Sarah Palin were truly risibly ignorant, then the best thing that the Lefties could do is stand back, let her speak and make a fool of herself. The fact that they are out there screaming themselves hoarse shows that they really, truly view her as a serious threat to President Obama and their coming socialist paradise.

I can smell their fear from my house.

Paddy O said...

Fundamentalism.

Brian Brown said...

Given that you're the ones resorting to the quasi-theological terms--good, evil--yr part of he anti-christ. Like yr leader ...Ayn Rand! .


Do you mean like when Obama said that we need to use government as a charity in front of a group of religious leaders?

reader_iam said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Phil 314 said...

They booed Sarah. Whaaaaaaaaaaaaa! Somebody hold me!

Garage;
Maybe a little whining going on but I think the basic complaint is:
-the whole civility BS
-"this is what democracy looks like"=shouting down, running away, taking over the capital, lots of drums etc
-elections have consequences

Ms. Palin can take care of herself

shiloh said...

AA trying to placate her flock by feeding them more red meat ...

:zzzz:

Martin L. Shoemaker said...

Hey! Be fair to these protesters. At least when they mocked a 14-year-old girl and a grandmother, they did it in person, where they might be identified or even face other consequences. Give them credit for some guts.

If they were real pussies, they would do their mocking anonymously on some comment thread.

Toad Trend said...

@Roger J

"First things first, Ms Victoria.
Liberals are stuck with Ms Pelosi and Ms Clinton--erection killers extraordinare."

@Victoria

"Don't forget Helen Thomas! There. I killed every erect penis in sight for 20 years."

I still haven't fully recovered from this exchange...

Stephanie said...

garage mahal said...
I see the usual pearl clutching from the self proclaimed Tough Rugged Independent Conservatives, over some booing. I thought you guys were the tough guys? Will the sobbing ever stop? Why no, it won't.


Wow! Projection much? You moonbats are the best in the world at it. Congratulations! At least you're good at something.

ajw said...

I also had an altercation with that guy. I think the hat is "Chicago Police Department." I asked him "Are you a police officer" and he said, "Not here." I repeated "Not here?" and he said, "Not anywhere, I just have some friends who are police." Later, a mini-marching band came through to go up by the stage, and I stood in front of them and refused to move, because I thought they were being rude. This gentleman in the CPD hat pushed me aside and shouted "clear the way." That's when I realized - he wanted to look official so he could push people around. I told him he had no personal character, and he called me the f word and some other names. That was all of our interaction.

MayBee said...

Remember all the angst about some guy allegedly yelling out "terrorist!" at a Palin '08 rally?

Ha ha ha ha ha.

KCFleming said...

The dark night of fascism is always falling over the GOP, but it keeps landing among the liberals.

Dustin said...

I can only imagine how damn certain Shiloh and Garage would be of racism if the target of this screaming was Obama.

Just a few thousands tea partiers making it completely impossible to hear a word Obama says. Screaming right behind the heads of Obama supporters. Threatening to knock their cameras out of their hands if they expose what's being done.

Of course, that's implausible, because Obama's ideas are wrong, so we aren't afraid to argue against them. The left thinks Palin is right, and doesn't want to face her arguments. They know one group is ripping off another group, and they want to be the beneficiaries. That the rest of us say "no!" is the whole point of WI's union drama lately.

gerry said...

Progressives have a long tradition that advocates silencing the oppostion using any means possible. "Big" Bill Haywood payed assassins to maim and kill political enemies; Emma Goldman advocated the use of dynamite to foment fear and revolution.

It is the "any means justifies the ends" mentality of Progressives that is disheartening. Between 1890 and 1930 they used bombs to try to gain their political goals. Will they repeat such tactics, since they seem to be frustrated with being on the wrong side of history again?

PackerBronco said...

I love the non-violence of the Left. Practicing what Gandhi taught 'em ...

I'll have to get that director's cut of Ben Kingsley's "Gandhi". I bet it includes a scene where Gandhi flips off the British and calls a little 14-year English girl, a f*ing b****.

vbspurs said...

ajw1983 wrote:

That's when I realized - he wanted to look official so he could push people around.

Ohhhhh. There we go.

Another commenter up top had it right. It's like those self-proclaimed Capitol marshalls shown in that Meadehouse video.

carrie said...

Ricpic said--"During the Bush (W) years it was the most natural thing in the world for someone at a gathering of almost any kind, not just small private parties, to go into an anti-Bush rant, the assumption being that of course everyone else at the gathering, strangers as well as friends, were in agreement."

That was me! I went to UW-Madison and that is exactly what I thought when I graduated. And the liberals make you think that way by calling everyone who disagrees with them derogatory names like "red neck" and "white trash" which, of course, reinforces the new college graduate's view of the world as being a very liberal place. I still remember vividly the day shortly after I started working at my first job in Madison that a co-worder gently told me, in the midst of a discussion about politics, that I should not assume that everyone in the room was a liberal. I was really taken aback because the room was fully of people that I really admired and it was inconceivable to me at that time that these people might not all be liberals. Personally, I now think that there are more liberals who are bigots than there are conservatives who are bigots, but it took a long time for me to recognize that.

Franklin said...

I love reading all the comments, but in long threads like these, sometimes the funniest way to read them quickly is to ctrl-F “garage”. I’m going to start sticking the garage tag in my comments just so they come up in garage feeds.

hombre said...

"Why did the anti-Palin protesters think it was right and good to shout her down?"

Because it is consistent with Leninist/Stalinist orthodoxy where any speech not deemed politically correct, ie., consistent with the goals of the leftist movement, must be stifled and punished.

We are just a short haul from the punishment part, which will be administered by these thugs with the approval of the liberal intelligentsia and Democrat politicians.

P.S. Where are the trolls on this?

hombre said...

P.S. Where are the trolls on this?

It wasn't my intention to ignore Garage. I just think of him as local and shameless.

Anonymous said...

It's very simple to understand-

Inside every liberal there is a fascist

if they could completely silence or kill the opposition, they would

If they could murder Sarah Palin, THEY WOULD

RuyDiaz said...

Now, my question is: What is the argument that making that noise was a worthy and good thing to do? I know these protesters believe they are the good people with the right values. So explain this to me.(...)

You only have half the story. True, they see themselves as the good people with the good values. But the see us, as the evildoers with no values whatsoever.

Furthermore, the way the see things, it is obvious what the right values are. Therefore only a dumb or evil person would hold different values, and we just don't need to listen to the dumb, and the evil must be stopped.

In the language of Thomas Sowell: they are the enlightened, and we are the benighted; they don't need to give us the time of the day.

Robin said...

Notice how proud the "progressives" are that they've abandoned argument for invective.

orbicularioculi said...

These intolerant GOONS and IDIOTS are attempting to replicate the Sixties childish behavior. The problem then was that the adults allowed them to take over the colleges and Univesities.

Today, the American People are NOT going to put up with these THUGS and we are going to DESTROY them politically. They just don't realize how ABSURD their behavior is in 2011.

orbicularioculi said...

Public Union Members shamefully demonstrating how intolerant and STUPID they are. Congratulations Wisconsin Public Unions - you LOST!

@RolandRock1234 said...

We can fight this with a reverse teleprompter! Instead of speaking, Sarah can project her words on a jumbo-tron. That way, the disrupters will not be able to ruin it for the behavers!
undiepundit.com

MarkD said...

Because they can't debate the issues, so they shout down the speaker. Nothing has changed since the sixties. They are still cowards.

BTW, has your car been keyed yet?

Laika's Last Woof said...

"What is the argument that making that noise was a worthy and good thing to do?"

"The man of action views the issue of means and ends in pragmatic and strategic terms. He has no other problem; he thinks of his actual resources and the possibilities of various choices of action. He asks of ends only whether they are achievable and worth the cost; of means, only whether they will work."
-Saul Alinsky, "Rules for Radicals"

"I know these protesters believe they are the good people with the right values. So explain this to me."

Their beliefs are so fundamentally flawed it prevents them from even knowing what a "good person" is. Witness the liberal reaction to the Ken Gladney beating: "He's probably committing insurance fraud."
Most bad people think of themselves as good; liberals wash away their bad behavior with psychological projection and thus do the most awful things while still feeling good about themselves.
"Republicans are racist, therefore Ken Gladney had it coming. Republicans are sexist, therefore Sarah Palin has it coming." It's an inseparable part of the liberal mentality, perhaps even of liberalism itself.

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