Well if she thinks another four years of trillion dollar deficits and growth killing policies by the Democrats is the way to go then drift leftward is the way to go.
I noticed that she wears nice shoes on both her left and right foot, but I have never noticed her drifting as she usually walks on the Walker side of the street.
I clicked the last option. I think just giving the choice of this last option shows a certain amount of lofty detachment.....The usual liberal options are: Do you disagree with me because you are: 1) stupid 2 evil 3) in the pay of the oil companies.
In the rare occasions that I listen to talk radio, I cringe when a host takes a call from someone who makes it all about the host instead of the topic, whether ass-kissing or lambasting.
Left, right and center only have meaning in relation to a fixed point. The essence of the Althouse vortex is that there is no fixed point in her rotational universe. Fixed points, the singularity that so interests Instapundit, do not arise in Vortexville.
No, Althouse's criticisms have been mostly about about finer points of law, tactics, perception and media hands overplayed.
I mostly agreed with them.
But I did object to Althouse taking Stacey McCain (who I'm no fan of) to task for being sexist.
I thought McCain did a fair job of explaining why the Democrats didn't want to notice Fluke's testimony. McCain made his point in the context of what Althouse said should be the focus of the debate -- costs imposed by health insurance mandates -- as it related to Fluke's prior scholarly advocacy of mandatory insurance coverage for sexual reassignment.
Instead, I suspected Althouse that morning was put-off by Dr. Helen Smith's post, as I was too, but Althouse couldn't hang the sexist tag on her so she unfairly hit McCain in order to tell the broad swath of commentators on the right to cool it.
A little unfair displacement and playing of the sexism card in my opinion.
"Althouse excels at sharp perceptions seen from the middle or some intriguingly aloof position, except that as a presidential election nears she becomes more and more likely to line up with her team, the Democrats."
It's a syndrome even the most independent minded suffer from.
Seriously, the creative eye of Professor Althouse sees what others miss. And she expresses what she sees with a master communicator's skill. That is actually exciting to be around.
I know that I could never keep up with culture and political discourse the way she does everyday for years.
Althouse is like the south pole: a fixed point in a world constantly adrift. When the political climate drifts leftward, Althouse appears to move rightward, and vice versa. But she isn't moving. She's too stubborn to move.
I haven't noticed any particular drift leftward... or any new ideological tendency, any marked change of direction. What brought this on?
She is and remains recognizably Althouse. She goes her way. I don't really see her as "left" or "right"-- but she's not "bland" "middle of the road" either. If I had to locate her political coordinates, very roughly, I'd say fiscal (and foreign policy) center-right, social liberal. But in the end she's impossible to pin down politically because she's a master of critique, rarely engages in positive advocacy or ideological exposition. (Not a bad thing; IMO it's one of her strengths as a blogger.) So I'll go with the last option.
Althouse is not an ideological voter so much as a pragmatic one. While she may fall for the lure of Obamanian "pragmatism" again, if she's looking for pragmatism, seems to me Romney the ultracompetent businessman would be her guy. So if forced to bet today on how she'll vote in November, if Romney's the GOP nominee, I'd say Romney over Obama-- but that may be based on projection. She's shocked me before (2008) and might well do so again. Anyway, I expect plenty of cruel neutrality through the general campaign (as we've seen through the primaries) and then, all bets are off.
I'm so looking forward to an Althouse "how Obama lost me" post (that could be so epic; please, merciful Zeus, make it so). But I'm also steeling myself for the possible "how Romney lost me". I guess we'll see!
I can't vote for any of those. I vote for "Althouse is human and there are some issues which she is wrong on due to personal factors, and on those issues she is usually too far to the left for me, but I understand it."
I wouldn't say you're moving left, but I do think that you're going to vote for Obama again and that your reasoning will be as labored and nonsensical as it was last time.
And it may end up being a deal-breaker for me this time. I'm not sure.
Notice the tacit claim that "modern" is a boon to which all good people should aspire. G.K. Chesterton observed that "[e]very one of the popular modern phrases and ideals is a dodge in order to shirk the problem of what is good. We are fond of talking about 'liberty'; that, as we talk of it, is a dodge to avoid discussing what is good. We are fond of talking about 'progress'; that is a dodge to avoid discussing what is good. … The modern man says…, 'Away with your old moral formulae; I am for progress.' This, logically stated, means, 'Let us not settle what is good; but let us settle whether we are getting more of it.'" The most optimistic thing that one can say about people who fret about whether a person or thing is adequately modern is that it, too, is one of Chesterton's dodges. It's a thought-terminating cliche. In the twentieth century, the arrogance of "modern" architecture created unspeakably ugly buildings, and the arrogance of "modern" politics and morality killed millions of people in the name of creating systems that were "modern." If the worst that can be said for Rick Santorum is that he does not belong to the modern age—to the age of caddish behavior and easy moral depravity, to the age of the mass murder of children, to the age of moral relativism, to the age of quickie divorce and kim kardishan, to the age of slutty law students and classless politicians, to the age of "Lil' Wayne," to the age of sagging pants and baseball caps worn backwards, etc. ad nauseum—that might be thought to be praising with exceedingly faint damnations.
"Andy R. said... Has the Republican party demonstrated that they are batshit insane and completely unqualified to govern this country?
"Are all of their candidates a joke, even Romney at this point?
"Has Althouse noticed this and drawn the obvious conclusions?
'Would we expect Althouse to every say anything nice about a party that is as racist and sexist and homophobic as the Republicans are?
'These questions answer themselves.
3/8/12 1:29 PM
'Spoken from a knee-jerk supporter of Obama. You never fail to demonstate just what a tool you are."
Hardly.
Andy R.'s observations about the Republicans are plainly true, but it doesn't take a "knee-jerk Obama supportor" to state it...I loathe Obama, didn't vote for him and won't vote for him. He's a war criminal and he is presiding over the continuing expansion and consolidation of a police state here in America.
I notice Charles Johnson Language in your posts. That seems similar to me. He let extreme trolls influence his political perceptions to the extend he lost his mooring and began to drift. People do that.
It's just a desire to find a balanced focus in a political world. A focus that is productive and creative and moves people. If you want to move people you have to assume the role of heretic at some times and take the floggings. People will eventually wake up to be better thinkers.
You are strong in a lot of new thought. I though the Co-ed railing was pretty weak. But again, artists paint and paint and never reach the perfection in their mind.
to the age of sagging pants and baseball caps worn backwards, etc. ad nauseum
I'd be thrilled if it was just the hats being worn backwards. Nothing wrong with that and it can even serve the purpose of clearing up peripheral vision.
It's the canted off slight to the side or tilted that is the visual equivalent of an emery board roughly sanding the inside of an eyelid.
What is left? Does it mean sinister? IMO left is wanting change with reasoned thought. Extreme left is wanting change with little thought, Radical left is change with no thought to consequences. Obama falls into the Extreme left.
The right is the people who want to hold onto traditions over change. With the same degrees.
The middle is mostly people with no time to be informed as they are forced into wage slavery to support their crazy radical siblings who waste away in pissing matches.
IMO left is wanting change with reasoned thought. Extreme left is wanting change with little thought, Radical left is change with no thought to consequences. Obama falls into the Extreme left.
The right is the people who want to hold onto traditions over change. With the same degrees.
This plane you describe leaves out the elephant in the room (no pun), that is, the means of achieving that change. The further left you go on a given issue, whether it's carefully reasoned or not, the more you're willing to use coercive government power to affect that change, all the way to tyranny. The further right, less so all the way to anarchy.
A right of center country mostly want to be left alone to make their own decisions (smaller government) and don't mind obeying reasonable laws and paying reasonable taxes.
Why did the chicken cross the road? In search of better seeds and grubs of course or to escape a predator, I do not know for sure, but it seems like the basis for a good joke.
There have been dead giveaways. More in recent weeks.
We are not speaking of a convert. Not.
We are speaking of a person of the left who, like many, has been mugged by reality and disgusted with the actions of others on the left. This has led, on the surface, to the appearance of becoming more moderate, if not conservative, on some matters. But this is superficial.
When push comes to shove -- as it has in recent weeks -- the inner lib/leftist comes out. She might have disappointment and disillusionment at leftism, but her antipathy and irrational prejudice against those on the right far exceeds any real change as an ultimate intellectual matter.
We have seen it with the knee-jerk lashing out, unhinged from reason or facts, with contempt and occasional animus that rivals AndyR. And one can insist that, no, this is just cruel neutrality, this is just playing devil's advocate, this is just being too cute by half, but the truth is that this is the real deal. Passive-aggressive, maybe, but this is the real inner her.
Perhaps she is sincere in her belief that she might vote Republican this time around. But that does not necessarily make one a moderate, much less a move toward the right. One can lie to herself and do that. No, better a Stalin or Mao or Ho Chi Minh be elected than anyone who might be authentically conservative, especially if she or he be a social conservative.
She might be embarrassed at the actions of her comrades, but in her heart she is still a fellow traveler. Which just makes it all the more irrational because there is a large part of her that sees and knows how intellectually corrupt and disasterous the left is.
Notice the tacit claim that "modern" is a boon to which all good people should aspire. G.K. Chesterton observed that "[e]very one of the popular modern phrases and ideals is a dodge in order to shirk the problem of what is good. We are fond of talking about 'liberty'; that, as we talk of it, is a dodge to avoid discussing what is good. We are fond of talking about 'progress'; that is a dodge to avoid discussing what is good. … The modern man says…, 'Away with your old moral formulae; I am for progress.' This, logically stated, means, 'Let us not settle what is good; but let us settle whether we are getting more of it.'" The most optimistic thing that one can say about people who fret about whether a person or thing is adequately modern is that it, too, is one of Chesterton's dodges. It's a thought-terminating cliche. In the twentieth century, the arrogance of "modern" architecture created unspeakably ugly buildings, and the arrogance of "modern" politics and morality killed millions of people in the name of creating systems that were "modern." If the worst that can be said for Rick Santorum is that he does not belong to the modern age—to the age of caddish behavior and easy moral depravity, to the age of the mass murder of children, to the age of moral relativism, to the age of quickie divorce and kim kardishan, to the age of slutty law students and classless politicians, to the age of "Lil' Wayne," to the age of sagging pants and baseball caps worn backwards, etc. ad nauseum—that might be thought to be praising with exceedingly faint damnations.
I personally always thought this was a tough crowd to be trolling for a laugh from.
She might be embarrassed at the actions of her comrades, but in her heart she is still a fellow traveler.
Right. She has no reason whatsoever to be embarrassed by the actions of her comrades on the right. And nobody on her own blog representing the right could ever be called embarrassing.
When Santorum is saying the separation between church & state makes him "throw up" and associates with Neanderthals like Foster Friess, you know he's a raving lunatic.
To settle the question, it would be interesting and entertaining to analyze a sample of your (Ann's) handwriting. If you're bold(!) and courageous(!), post an everyday sample (ie your normal handwriting) and I'll do a quick analysis in comments suitable for public view.
phx - why do you lump me in with ALL the right wing as though we're just some gigantic gelatinous blob/mass? Is it easier that way for your feeble little mind?
"My comrades on the left." I like that. ~My comrades they all loved me well Jolly, saucy crew A few hard cases I will recall Though they were all brave and true I wander round from town to town Just like a rovin' sign And everyone says there goes Tom Moore From the days of '49~
If you're bold(!) and courageous(!), post an everyday sample (ie your normal handwriting) and I'll do a quick analysis in comments suitable for public view.
David, does the capital B in your last name prove that you love big boobs? I mean, just look at it...so firm and full. You didn't HAVE to use a capital b, but for some reason, you chose to.
I've been sensing this leftward drift and it makes my heart soar! I just knew she wouldn't allign herself with the misogynist party. Common sense has prevailed!
I can't vote because there's no accurate choice for me. Rather than "blandly" wandering in the middle (A portrayal I like because it shows Ann sees her agenda-mongering as passive) I see Ann more like someone playing those driving video games for the first time, who loses control on the right turns to repeatedly crash the road's left railing. And, just like in a video game, she just starts over like it never happened, hitting the gas - HARD!
phx - why do you lump me in with ALL the right wing as though we're just some gigantic gelatinous blob/mass? Is it easier that way for your feeble little mind?
Did NOT you big poopyhead!
Alex I don't have any idea where you stand on ANY particular issue. I think you are on the right though you love to lambaste them at least as much as you love to lambaste lefty AndyR (got some kind of flirty thing going there, sailor? get in line behind some of the others).
But apparently it's okay for you to refer to my "comrades on the left" - like a typical dumbass would, and just when I think you might have some smarts, too.
Is Althouse drifting leftward? Yes, and it's terrible.
Well, there may be some leftward drift based on subject selection, but I'm not such an unthinking rightwinger that I'd say it's "terrible."
Yes, and it's grand.
Certainly, I wouldn't say the shift is "grand." I can't imagine a self-respecting lefty who would portray him or herself as an unthinking cheerleader, either.
No, and it's a shame.
Nope.
No, and that's the way I like it.
Nope.
Althouse will always be wandering around blandly in the middle of the road.
What kind of an idiot does she take me for that I would visit this blog and take the time to vote in a poll, just to say I think her positions are "bland." Only a dope would select this.
Althouse excels at sharp perceptions seen from the middle or some intriguingly aloof position.
By default, this is the only acceptable choice lef. . . Hey, wait a minute!
Althouse caters to her viewership, much like a tv network ie her current flock is 90/10 in favor of conservatives.
Plus they, the 90%, are more likely to buy Althouse stuff lol.
Although said 10% seems to be dominating the threads lately w/"our" astute intelligence/perspective/analysis/humor. Otherwise this blog would be one pathetic, never ending, conservative circle jerk.
And yes Althouse, you are entirely welcome. :)
>
btw, mittens is still a clueless train wreck who can't get out of own way, god love him.
"I don't get it, there is nothing moderate about Obama except his tone of voice. Does Althouse equate moderate tone of voice to moderate policy making?"
You're right. As with our previous recent (and not-so-recent)presidents, Obama is immoderate in satisfying the prerogatives of the military/industrial/corporate/financial/complex and their implacable drive for more, More, MORE.
Politically, he is neither left nor right; he is simply, expedient, brutal, and at the service of the elites who own this country. In this, he is no different than his predecessors.
You always go to the left when it comes to women's rights, gay rights, or multicultural rights. It's just that we've had a lot of issues of that ilk arise recently: the flap over Fluke (she had the sense of humor of a rhinocerous); and then the Bam vid on the topic of Derek Bell. Santorum gets you going too because you're not religious and he offends your other interests as represented above.
Ann is still Liberal (rather than Lefty) on social issues, but trending Conservative on almost everything else (how hawkish she might be on foreign policy I can't say, but she went for Dubya over Lurch so you can do the math any way you want) and I believe Conservative on fiscal matters.
"Politically, he is neither left nor right; he is simply, expedient, brutal, and at the service of the elites who own this country. In this, he is no different than his predecessors."
Oh, the humanity! Oh, the disappointment!
A hard-leftist with a passing familiarity with C. Wright Mills would, within reason, assess Obama this way; as compared to the American electorate, Obama clearly ran on a decidedly left-of-center platform, albeit obviously not leftist.
I suppose for the true believer, the threshold test for Socialism is outright nationalizing of the means of production; simply settling for how every aspect of business is conducted per federal regulations and allowing the vassals, er, "owners" to keep some share of the profits doesn't pass the test, and laughably makes those in power "expedient, brutal, and (in) the service of the elites who own this country.
You obviously mean that as sarcasm, but you make one fatal error. We cannot be embarrassed by our opponents. We can be embarrassed only by our comrades (and ourselves).
Althorse has no "comrades on the right" because she is neither on the right nor of the right. Her better sense tells her conservatism is right, but her treasured self-image is that of a child of the Sixties and an accepted member of the liberal professoriate.
In cases of conflict -- which is what generated this “poll” -- the hippie professor will ultimately trump her better sense. You’ll never go broke covering that bet. Any conservative who takes Althorse to be a comrade is a seriously mistaken conservative.
hmm, this thread is Althouse going to see a pedestrian psychiatrist for free lol.
Bottom line, she panders to her flock, which are mostly conservative, regardless of her ever changing political ideology, real or imagined. So, in essence, she's a lot like her boy, mittens :-P ... except that mittens is clueless re: politics!
And Althouse knows exactly who she is, whereas mittens is still searchin' for an identity ...
I get this strong feeling of insecurity. What a good way to stroke a bruised ego then have your readers fight and fawn over you. But the true question is how many advertisers have you lost........ I think your having a "Rush" moment.
I listen to this, and I think to myself how shallow Althouse is sometimes. http://www.therightscoop.com/1990-thomas-sowell-explains-derrick-bell/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter
shiloh - you're absolutely full of shit. You blast this blog because allegedly it has a huge tilt towards conservatives, but when I ask for a list of moderate blogs you can't deliver. Typical liberal, big mouth.
It is tough to let go of the residue of one's former life. Even after knowing that what went before is untenable and unsustainable, still there is a tendency to cling to some part of it, to keep some measure of it in reserve. Even when one knows it to be wrong, still that is what is comfortable, and it is tough to let go of it. Much safer to stick with the devil you know then to risk the unknown, especially if you erroneously think that you do know what you really do not know and further erroneously think it to be not only wrong but the greatest evil ever, thereby justifing your animosity.
That is what makes it all so irrational. But there is still hope. While difficult, such is not necessarily a permanent condition.
True conversion (from the Latin for "turning with") is possible. But it requires letting go. And a sincere desire for truth.
You have to just let that residue go. Crede ut intelligas. Believe so that you might understand.
Bender's psychiatric gobbledygook notwithstanding, Althouse probably remembers the wonderful years from 2001 to 2008 ie cheney/bush and rather than apprehensive of the unknown, she is mindful of the current Republican political reality.
Sadly, shiloh, you too are one of those who are so ignorant and utterly clueless that you don't even know how much you don't know a damn thing.
You are like the gallon jug that has a few drops of water in it, but arrogantly thinking that you are over-filled to the brim.
Althouse at least has much more than a few drops, such that there is something there to work with, but too much of what she thinks she knows, she is actually either totally ignorant about or she gets it backasswards wrong.
And such ignorance and blindness to the truth is rather destructive and a hindrance. It is hard to get to where you really want to be when you have a blindfold on or when you otherwise prefer the darkness. Better to take off the blindfold and come into the light because only the truth will make one free. But first one must admit to herself that she is wearing a blindfold and wandering around in the dark.
Is this maybe all about Breitbart and the Obama video?
You don't have to be a liberal to believe Breitbart, while a fascinating character, was not the conservative icon he's being made out to be.
And certainly you don't have to be a liberal to perceive that the tape hardly contains the stuff that would have turned the 2008 election or will turn the 2012 election.
Ann might be thinking that her common-sense reaction to Breitbart and his works means she is leaning left. Well, it could mean that, but it also could mean that she's discerning in her choice of conservative pundits and conservative meta-events.
Oh, and I should throw in Limbaugh too. She listens to him way more than even most conservatives do. However, because I was stuck in a prison camp, I listened to him in 2011 way more than I had since Limbaugh's early days. He's sustaining himself as an enterprise purely on his past reputation. I snort when I hear people defend him as "merely an entertainer" because as opposed to the early 1990s, there is nothing entertaining about Rush now. He is the quintessential complaining old man, rigid in his views, incredibly arrogant and closed-minded, backward-looking and totally unfunny. This tumble he's taken, he's been riding for a long time. He needs to retire.
And this is the period during which Ann has been most exposed to him, somehow finding three hours a day for his podcast. If I had to do that, I'd be much more liberal now, just out of distaste for his constant, ugly rap. Even the 1-2 hours a day I could usually find for him caused me to shift a bit leftward.
But in the end, ideas are not about who embraces them. We are not teenagers. You can be conservative, or like me semi-conservative RINO without the R, and take note when circus performers like Breitbart or aging radio jocks like Limbaugh offend you or take positions to the right of where you are, and still not become a leftist. I suspect that's Ann right now -- reexamining her beliefs in a low period for conservatism, but not necessarily ditching them.
Pointing out to you, shiloh, that you don't know what you are talking about is not a personal attack on the messenger (even here you show your ignorance), but is an exhortation for the messenger to enlighten himself before he speaks, for his own benefit, if not for others.
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117 comments:
Needs a "Yes and hilarious" option.
Has the Republican party demonstrated that they are batshit insane and completely unqualified to govern this country?
Are all of their candidates a joke, even Romney at this point?
Has Althouse noticed this and drawn the obvious conclusions?
Would we expect Althouse to every say anything nice about a party that is as racist and sexist and homophobic as the Republicans are?
These questions answer themselves.
no, althouse has always been left, she's just not lockstep about it.
Well if she thinks another four years of trillion dollar deficits and growth killing policies by the Democrats is the way to go then drift leftward is the way to go.
I noticed that she wears nice shoes on both her left and right foot, but I have never noticed her drifting as she usually walks on the Walker side of the street.
Adrift, but with rudder and compass.
And Meade is rowing, sometimes in the direction AA wants to go.
"Wandering around...in the middle of the road," yes. "Blandly?" Who wrote this poll?
It's very tough to live in Moscow-on-the-Mendota unless you're a Party member.
I clicked the last option. I think just giving the choice of this last option shows a certain amount of lofty detachment.....The usual liberal options are: Do you disagree with me because you are: 1) stupid 2 evil 3) in the pay of the oil companies.
I thought this was a drunk driving question.
You meant , blindly , right?
We e-mailed Chip that we would pay him for a video showing Flower Child Ann inciting Daly's riot in 1968 in Chicago.
But so far Chip has showed us several versions and they all looked like Ann Margret dancing in Viva Las Vegas.
LaAlthouse remains inscrutable.
No.
There is no "drift leftward"
You've always been there.
tries to stay middle of the road
infrequently runs off the road into a ditch...sometimes left, sometimes right
Come on, did anyone seriously believe she wasn't going to vote for Obama again?
Analytical but thinks like a woman.
Dear God I think she's drifting inward.
Really, it's Meade's blog now...Althouse is just "The Great Pirate Roberts"
One year since you documented the demonstrators.
My guess is that your party invitations have severely dropped off, and you're trying to get back into the social scene in Mad-Madison.
In the rare occasions that I listen to talk radio, I cringe when a host takes a call from someone who makes it all about the host instead of the topic, whether ass-kissing or lambasting.
This is similar and similarly cringe-worthy.
Andy R. said...
Has the Republican party demonstrated that they are batshit insane and completely unqualified to govern this country?
Are all of their candidates a joke, even Romney at this point?
Has Althouse noticed this and drawn the obvious conclusions?
Would we expect Althouse to every say anything nice about a party that is as racist and sexist and homophobic as the Republicans are?
These questions answer themselves.
3/8/12 1:29 PM
Spoken from a knee-jerk supporter of Obama. You never fail to demonstate just what a tool you are.
Althouse excels at sharp perceptions seen from the middle or some intriguingly aloof position.
Would we her her any other way? Of course not, otherwise why would her blog be so interesting?
I'm going over to watch the McDonalds commercial again.
Althouse is a mystery.
@ScottM you are not all bad.
Left, right and center only have meaning in relation to a fixed point. The essence of the Althouse vortex is that there is no fixed point in her rotational universe. Fixed points, the singularity that so interests Instapundit, do not arise in Vortexville.
No, Althouse's criticisms have been mostly about about finer points of law, tactics, perception and media hands overplayed.
I mostly agreed with them.
But I did object to Althouse taking Stacey McCain (who I'm no fan of) to task for being sexist.
I thought McCain did a fair job of explaining why the Democrats didn't want to notice Fluke's testimony. McCain made his point in the context of what Althouse said should be the focus of the debate -- costs imposed by health insurance mandates -- as it related to Fluke's prior scholarly advocacy of mandatory insurance coverage for sexual reassignment.
Instead, I suspected Althouse that morning was put-off by Dr. Helen Smith's post, as I was too, but Althouse couldn't hang the sexist tag on her so she unfairly hit McCain in order to tell the broad swath of commentators on the right to cool it.
A little unfair displacement and playing of the sexism card in my opinion.
One more option.
"Althouse excels at sharp perceptions seen from the middle or some intriguingly aloof position, except that as a presidential election nears she becomes more and more likely to line up with her team, the Democrats."
It's a syndrome even the most independent minded suffer from.
Seriously, the creative eye of Professor Althouse sees what others miss. And she expresses what she sees with a master communicator's skill. That is actually exciting to be around.
I know that I could never keep up with culture and political discourse the way she does everyday for years.
Drifting leftward from what point?
From when I first started reading (2007-ish)? No, she's definitely drifted rightward.
From, oh, about a year ago? Maybe just a smidge, barely, if you look at in the right light.
Hey, remember when Althouse was a "Dirty Libtard Pirate Whore"? Those were the days!
Went with door #4. As I say, the crusty Conservative coating is getting a little crustier and deeper every day.
Andy R. said...
Has the Republican party demonstrated that they are batshit insane and completely unqualified to govern this country?
Are all of their candidates a joke, even Romney at this point?
Has Hatman realized both questions apply far more to the Demos than they ever will to the Republicans?
traditionalguy said...
LaAlthouse remains inscrutable
I think Meade has disproven that.
AA is a militant moderate. They are almost extinct. I blame Socrates
WV tragetiv. What a tragetiv.
It's the intellectual equivalent to "Do I look fat in these jeans?"
Happy International Women's Day
Althouse is like the south pole: a fixed point in a world constantly adrift. When the political climate drifts leftward, Althouse appears to move rightward, and vice versa. But she isn't moving. She's too stubborn to move.
Do people really think that someone like Althouse would ever associate with a party that keeps handing frothy victories?
She teaches at a university, he's pre-modern.
I agree with Lyssa.
Althouse is far right compared to where she was when I first commented here in 2005 (!!!), but slightly left compared to last month.
It's all a matter of scale though. This is movement within a narrow range.
Radical feminist leftist
who likes to tweak the left
from time to time
in order to drive traffic.
As long as you:
A) have interesting things to say,
and
B) don't call me a nazi
I don't really care if you're left right up down center, middle, or wherever.
What about the most obvious choice:
E. Althouse has always been on the left, is not moving left (occasionally playing the devils advocate doesn't make you on the right).
Backdate this to "one year ago," and it would fit better into the blog.
why would i care whether or not althouse is drifing leftward?
I haven't noticed any particular drift leftward... or any new ideological tendency, any marked change of direction. What brought this on?
She is and remains recognizably Althouse. She goes her way. I don't really see her as "left" or "right"-- but she's not "bland" "middle of the road" either. If I had to locate her political coordinates, very roughly, I'd say fiscal (and foreign policy) center-right, social liberal. But in the end she's impossible to pin down politically because she's a master of critique, rarely engages in positive advocacy or ideological exposition. (Not a bad thing; IMO it's one of her strengths as a blogger.) So I'll go with the last option.
Althouse is not an ideological voter so much as a pragmatic one. While she may fall for the lure of Obamanian "pragmatism" again, if she's looking for pragmatism, seems to me Romney the ultracompetent businessman would be her guy. So if forced to bet today on how she'll vote in November, if Romney's the GOP nominee, I'd say Romney over Obama-- but that may be based on projection. She's shocked me before (2008) and might well do so again. Anyway, I expect plenty of cruel neutrality through the general campaign (as we've seen through the primaries) and then, all bets are off.
I'm so looking forward to an Althouse "how Obama lost me" post (that could be so epic; please, merciful Zeus, make it so). But I'm also steeling myself for the possible "how Romney lost me". I guess we'll see!
I can't vote for any of those. I vote for "Althouse is human and there are some issues which she is wrong on due to personal factors, and on those issues she is usually too far to the left for me, but I understand it."
Althouse is doing a smashing job of demonstrating how useless the notions of left and right are when compounded across all political questions.
Pro gay marriage, anti recall...
She eschews adolescent notions of idealogical purity and casts a skeptical eye toward political dogma.
Hooray! I just broke the tie between options 5 and 6.
Is there a typo in no. 5? Shouldn't the "a" be an "i"?
:-)
Andy R. said...
Do people really think that someone like Althouse would ever associate with a party that keeps handing frothy victories?
Seem like. Just because she doesn't like Santorum doesn't mean she's lost her wits and decided to go Demo again.
That would be mindless.
She teaches at a university, he's pre-modern.
And Hatman is ante-diluvian
Well, wandering around somewhere.
I wouldn't say you're moving left, but I do think that you're going to vote for Obama again and that your reasoning will be as labored and nonsensical as it was last time.
And it may end up being a deal-breaker for me this time. I'm not sure.
The correct answer wasn't included:
"What an absurd question!"
Andy R. said...
"[Santorum is] pre-modern."
Notice the tacit claim that "modern" is a boon to which all good people should aspire. G.K. Chesterton observed that "[e]very one of the popular modern phrases and ideals is a dodge in order to shirk the problem of what is good. We are fond of talking about 'liberty'; that, as we talk of it, is a dodge to avoid discussing what is good. We are fond of talking about 'progress'; that is a dodge to avoid discussing what is good. … The modern man says…, 'Away with your old moral formulae; I am for progress.' This, logically stated, means, 'Let us not settle what is good; but let us settle whether we are getting more of it.'" The most optimistic thing that one can say about people who fret about whether a person or thing is adequately modern is that it, too, is one of Chesterton's dodges. It's a thought-terminating cliche. In the twentieth century, the arrogance of "modern" architecture created unspeakably ugly buildings, and the arrogance of "modern" politics and morality killed millions of people in the name of creating systems that were "modern." If the worst that can be said for Rick Santorum is that he does not belong to the modern age—to the age of caddish behavior and easy moral depravity, to the age of the mass murder of children, to the age of moral relativism, to the age of quickie divorce and kim kardishan, to the age of slutty law students and classless politicians, to the age of "Lil' Wayne," to the age of sagging pants and baseball caps worn backwards, etc. ad nauseum—that might be thought to be praising with exceedingly faint damnations.
Cuban Bob, quoting Andy R. and reacting, said:
"Andy R. said...
Has the Republican party demonstrated that they are batshit insane and completely unqualified to govern this country?
"Are all of their candidates a joke, even Romney at this point?
"Has Althouse noticed this and drawn the obvious conclusions?
'Would we expect Althouse to every say anything nice about a party that is as racist and sexist and homophobic as the Republicans are?
'These questions answer themselves.
3/8/12 1:29 PM
'Spoken from a knee-jerk supporter of Obama. You never fail to demonstate just what a tool you are."
Hardly.
Andy R.'s observations about the Republicans are plainly true, but it doesn't take a "knee-jerk Obama supportor" to state it...I loathe Obama, didn't vote for him and won't vote for him. He's a war criminal and he is presiding over the continuing expansion and consolidation of a police state here in America.
I notice Charles Johnson Language in your posts. That seems similar to me. He let extreme trolls influence his political perceptions to the extend he lost his mooring and began to drift. People do that.
It's just a desire to find a balanced focus in a political world. A focus that is productive and creative and moves people. If you want to move people you have to assume the role of heretic at some times and take the floggings. People will eventually wake up to be better thinkers.
You are strong in a lot of new thought. I though the Co-ed railing was pretty weak. But again, artists paint and paint and never reach the perfection in their mind.
Great sex is the only consolation.
Andy R you are broad brushed based on personal experiences. Listening to a broad range of music will improve your political discourse.
Simon, nicely put.
Althouse was always left-wing and no drifting required.
Spoken from a knee-jerk supporter of Obama. You never fail to demonstate just what a tool you are.
Except that Obama is a uniter, not divider. Just ask those bitter clingers in PA.
I noticed someone mentioned Charles Johnson. I pray the day will come when Althouse turns into that monstrosity.
Justify why anyone should vote for a Republican. It seems they are the party of the old, white male and nobody else.
to the age of sagging pants and baseball caps worn backwards, etc. ad nauseum
I'd be thrilled if it was just the hats being worn backwards. Nothing wrong with that and it can even serve the purpose of clearing up peripheral vision.
It's the canted off slight to the side or tilted that is the visual equivalent of an emery board roughly sanding the inside of an eyelid.
Althouse has always been Left, she will always be Left. Her past - and future! - vote for Obama proves this.
(Yes, yes, we know, Althouse voted for Bush. As if that makes her Rightward leaning.)
Althouse voting for Bush in 2004 - a once in a lifetime event. Otherwise, a sparkling pro-Democrat!
What is left? Does it mean sinister? IMO left is wanting change with reasoned thought. Extreme left is wanting change with little thought, Radical left is change with no thought to consequences. Obama falls into the Extreme left.
The right is the people who want to hold onto traditions over change. With the same degrees.
The middle is mostly people with no time to be informed as they are forced into wage slavery to support their crazy radical siblings who waste away in pissing matches.
So, if there's another Slutwalk and nobody's allowed to report on it ('cause we're all so sensitized now), did it ever really happen?
IMO left is wanting change with reasoned thought. Extreme left is wanting change with little thought, Radical left is change with no thought to consequences. Obama falls into the Extreme left.
The right is the people who want to hold onto traditions over change. With the same degrees.
This plane you describe leaves out the elephant in the room (no pun), that is, the means of achieving that change. The further left you go on a given issue, whether it's carefully reasoned or not, the more you're willing to use coercive government power to affect that change, all the way to tyranny. The further right, less so all the way to anarchy.
A right of center country mostly want to be left alone to make their own decisions (smaller government) and don't mind obeying reasonable laws and paying reasonable taxes.
Why did the chicken cross the road? In search of better seeds and grubs of course or to escape a predator, I do not know for sure, but it seems like the basis for a good joke.
There have been dead giveaways. More in recent weeks.
We are not speaking of a convert. Not.
We are speaking of a person of the left who, like many, has been mugged by reality and disgusted with the actions of others on the left. This has led, on the surface, to the appearance of becoming more moderate, if not conservative, on some matters. But this is superficial.
When push comes to shove -- as it has in recent weeks -- the inner lib/leftist comes out. She might have disappointment and disillusionment at leftism, but her antipathy and irrational prejudice against those on the right far exceeds any real change as an ultimate intellectual matter.
We have seen it with the knee-jerk lashing out, unhinged from reason or facts, with contempt and occasional animus that rivals AndyR. And one can insist that, no, this is just cruel neutrality, this is just playing devil's advocate, this is just being too cute by half, but the truth is that this is the real deal. Passive-aggressive, maybe, but this is the real inner her.
Perhaps she is sincere in her belief that she might vote Republican this time around. But that does not necessarily make one a moderate, much less a move toward the right. One can lie to herself and do that. No, better a Stalin or Mao or Ho Chi Minh be elected than anyone who might be authentically conservative, especially if she or he be a social conservative.
She might be embarrassed at the actions of her comrades, but in her heart she is still a fellow traveler. Which just makes it all the more irrational because there is a large part of her that sees and knows how intellectually corrupt and disasterous the left is.
Andy R. said...
"[Santorum is] pre-modern."
Notice the tacit claim that "modern" is a boon to which all good people should aspire. G.K. Chesterton observed that "[e]very one of the popular modern phrases and ideals is a dodge in order to shirk the problem of what is good. We are fond of talking about 'liberty'; that, as we talk of it, is a dodge to avoid discussing what is good. We are fond of talking about 'progress'; that is a dodge to avoid discussing what is good. … The modern man says…, 'Away with your old moral formulae; I am for progress.' This, logically stated, means, 'Let us not settle what is good; but let us settle whether we are getting more of it.'" The most optimistic thing that one can say about people who fret about whether a person or thing is adequately modern is that it, too, is one of Chesterton's dodges. It's a thought-terminating cliche. In the twentieth century, the arrogance of "modern" architecture created unspeakably ugly buildings, and the arrogance of "modern" politics and morality killed millions of people in the name of creating systems that were "modern." If the worst that can be said for Rick Santorum is that he does not belong to the modern age—to the age of caddish behavior and easy moral depravity, to the age of the mass murder of children, to the age of moral relativism, to the age of quickie divorce and kim kardishan, to the age of slutty law students and classless politicians, to the age of "Lil' Wayne," to the age of sagging pants and baseball caps worn backwards, etc. ad nauseum—that might be thought to be praising with exceedingly faint damnations.
I personally always thought this was a tough crowd to be trolling for a laugh from.
I don't get it, there is nothing moderate about Obama except his tone of voice. Does Althouse equate moderate tone of voice to moderate policy making?
She might be embarrassed at the actions of her comrades, but in her heart she is still a fellow traveler.
Right. She has no reason whatsoever to be embarrassed by the actions of her comrades on the right. And nobody on her own blog representing the right could ever be called embarrassing.
When Santorum is saying the separation between church & state makes him "throw up" and associates with Neanderthals like Foster Friess, you know he's a raving lunatic.
phx - of course there is nothing to be embarrassed by your comrades on the left. Like Bill Maher, Maxine Waters, Wise Latina and so on.
alex and YOU have nothing to be embarrassed by, oh hell. NYAH NYAH NYAH NYAH!
To settle the question, it would be interesting and entertaining to analyze a sample of your (Ann's) handwriting. If you're bold(!) and courageous(!), post an everyday sample (ie your normal handwriting) and I'll do a quick analysis in comments suitable for public view.
phx - why do you lump me in with ALL the right wing as though we're just some gigantic gelatinous blob/mass? Is it easier that way for your feeble little mind?
I personally always thought this was a tough crowd to be trolling for a laugh from.
Not really, but you need a 12x scope and good spotter.
I read this blog every day, and even though I'm sensing a leftward drift, I would NEVER accuse the Professor of being disingenuous. I mean it.
"My comrades on the left." I like that.
~My comrades they all loved me well
Jolly, saucy crew
A few hard cases I will recall
Though they were all brave and true
I wander round from town to town
Just like a rovin' sign
And everyone says there goes Tom Moore
From the days of '49~
Everybody knows how I feel about "the comrades".
ScottM that's the truth
If you're bold(!) and courageous(!), post an everyday sample (ie your normal handwriting) and I'll do a quick analysis in comments suitable for public view.
David, does the capital B in your last name prove that you love big boobs? I mean, just look at it...so firm and full. You didn't HAVE to use a capital b, but for some reason, you chose to.
Tell me about your father...
Seriously you guys gotta get over the "your comrades on the left" baby food.
That's embarrassing.
That means you too Alex.
I've been sensing this leftward drift and it makes my heart soar! I just knew she wouldn't allign herself with the misogynist party. Common sense has prevailed!
Whether she's left or right, AA is terrible at formulating poll questions.
Seriously you guys gotta get over the "your comrades on the left" baby food.
Agreed. "your comrades on the left" is redundant. Grow up and just use "progressive".
I can't vote because there's no accurate choice for me. Rather than "blandly" wandering in the middle (A portrayal I like because it shows Ann sees her agenda-mongering as passive) I see Ann more like someone playing those driving video games for the first time, who loses control on the right turns to repeatedly crash the road's left railing. And, just like in a video game, she just starts over like it never happened, hitting the gas - HARD!
It's a feminist trait,...
phx - why do you lump me in with ALL the right wing as though we're just some gigantic gelatinous blob/mass? Is it easier that way for your feeble little mind?
Did NOT you big poopyhead!
Alex I don't have any idea where you stand on ANY particular issue. I think you are on the right though you love to lambaste them at least as much as you love to lambaste lefty AndyR (got some kind of flirty thing going there, sailor? get in line behind some of the others).
But apparently it's okay for you to refer to my "comrades on the left" - like a typical dumbass would, and just when I think you might have some smarts, too.
Agreed. "your comrades on the left" is redundant. Grow up and just use "progressive".
I prefer Shining Path Liberation Front sympathizer
Friends of Baader-Meinhoff and the Classical Guitar.
I prefer Shining Path Liberation Front sympathizer
lol
...let me just adjust for elevation and windage...
Is Althouse drifting leftward?
Yes, and it's terrible.
Well, there may be some leftward drift based on subject selection, but I'm not such an unthinking rightwinger that I'd say it's "terrible."
Yes, and it's grand.
Certainly, I wouldn't say the shift is "grand." I can't imagine a self-respecting lefty who would portray him or herself as an unthinking cheerleader, either.
No, and it's a shame.
Nope.
No, and that's the way I like it.
Nope.
Althouse will always be wandering around blandly in the middle of the road.
What kind of an idiot does she take me for that I would visit this blog and take the time to vote in a poll, just to say I think her positions are "bland." Only a dope would select this.
Althouse excels at sharp perceptions seen from the middle or some intriguingly aloof position.
By default, this is the only acceptable choice lef. . . Hey, wait a minute!
Althouse caters to her viewership, much like a tv network ie her current flock is 90/10 in favor of conservatives.
Plus they, the 90%, are more likely to buy Althouse stuff lol.
Although said 10% seems to be dominating the threads lately w/"our" astute intelligence/perspective/analysis/humor. Otherwise this blog would be one pathetic, never ending, conservative circle jerk.
And yes Althouse, you are entirely welcome. :)
>
btw, mittens is still a clueless train wreck who can't get out of own way, god love him.
shiloh - point me out some blog where the users are 50/50.
Alex said:
"I don't get it, there is nothing moderate about Obama except his tone of voice. Does Althouse equate moderate tone of voice to moderate policy making?"
You're right. As with our previous recent (and not-so-recent)presidents, Obama is immoderate in satisfying the prerogatives of the military/industrial/corporate/financial/complex and their implacable drive for more, More, MORE.
Politically, he is neither left nor right; he is simply, expedient, brutal, and at the service of the elites who own this country. In this, he is no different than his predecessors.
dominating the threads = ceaseless drivel in multiple comments after the serious, intelligent people have had their say = Lefty circle jerk
(looks like bathtub swabbie/some phony folksy is now my biggest fan)
You always go to the left when it comes to women's rights, gay rights, or multicultural rights. It's just that we've had a lot of issues of that ilk arise recently: the flap over Fluke (she had the sense of humor of a rhinocerous); and then the Bam vid on the topic of Derek Bell. Santorum gets you going too because you're not religious and he offends your other interests as represented above.
Ann is still Liberal (rather than Lefty) on social issues, but trending Conservative on almost everything else (how hawkish she might be on foreign policy I can't say, but she went for Dubya over Lurch so you can do the math any way you want) and I believe Conservative on fiscal matters.
Hoosier Daddy said...
"Come on, did anyone seriously believe she wasn't going to vote for Obama again?"
+1
This is as predictable as anything else could ever be.
"Politically, he is neither left nor right; he is simply, expedient, brutal, and at the service of the elites who own this country. In this, he is no different than his predecessors."
Oh, the humanity! Oh, the disappointment!
A hard-leftist with a passing familiarity with C. Wright Mills would, within reason, assess Obama this way; as compared to the American electorate, Obama clearly ran on a decidedly left-of-center platform, albeit obviously not leftist.
I suppose for the true believer, the threshold test for Socialism is outright nationalizing of the means of production; simply settling for how every aspect of business is conducted per federal regulations and allowing the vassals, er, "owners" to keep some share of the profits doesn't pass the test, and laughably makes those in power "expedient, brutal, and (in) the service of the elites who own this country.
disappointing, but not unexpected.
shiloh - I'm still waiting for the list of blogs filled with moderates and no nasty right-wingers.
You obviously mean that as sarcasm, but you make one fatal error. We cannot be embarrassed by our opponents. We can be embarrassed only by our comrades (and ourselves).
Althorse has no "comrades on the right" because she is neither on the right nor of the right. Her better sense tells her conservatism is right, but her treasured self-image is that of a child of the Sixties and an accepted member of the liberal professoriate.
In cases of conflict -- which is what generated this “poll” -- the hippie professor will ultimately trump her better sense. You’ll never go broke covering that bet. Any conservative who takes Althorse to be a comrade is a seriously mistaken conservative.
Read Bender’s comment above. He’s got it right.
Yeah. We don't want her either Peano.
JK Althouse. We love you right or left, up or down.
Happy IWD.
hmm, this thread is Althouse going to see a pedestrian psychiatrist for free lol.
Bottom line, she panders to her flock, which are mostly conservative, regardless of her ever changing political ideology, real or imagined. So, in essence, she's a lot like her boy, mittens :-P ... except that mittens is clueless re: politics!
And Althouse knows exactly who she is, whereas mittens is still searchin' for an identity ...
I get this strong feeling of insecurity. What a good way to stroke a bruised ego then have your readers fight and fawn over you. But the true question is how many advertisers have you lost........ I think your having a "Rush" moment.
I listen to this, and I think to myself how shallow Althouse is sometimes. http://www.therightscoop.com/1990-thomas-sowell-explains-derrick-bell/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter
There should be an option for "yes, and I don't have strong feelings one way or another."
shiloh - you're absolutely full of shit. You blast this blog because allegedly it has a huge tilt towards conservatives, but when I ask for a list of moderate blogs you can't deliver. Typical liberal, big mouth.
Who cares which way she drifts? She voted for Obama and now she has her doubts. Who knows which way she'll swing in November 2012?
It is tough to let go of the residue of one's former life. Even after knowing that what went before is untenable and unsustainable, still there is a tendency to cling to some part of it, to keep some measure of it in reserve. Even when one knows it to be wrong, still that is what is comfortable, and it is tough to let go of it. Much safer to stick with the devil you know then to risk the unknown, especially if you erroneously think that you do know what you really do not know and further erroneously think it to be not only wrong but the greatest evil ever, thereby justifing your animosity.
That is what makes it all so irrational. But there is still hope. While difficult, such is not necessarily a permanent condition.
True conversion (from the Latin for "turning with") is possible. But it requires letting go. And a sincere desire for truth.
You have to just let that residue go. Crede ut intelligas. Believe so that you might understand.
Bender's psychiatric gobbledygook notwithstanding, Althouse probably remembers the wonderful years from 2001 to 2008 ie cheney/bush and rather than apprehensive of the unknown, she is mindful of the current Republican political reality.
Sadly, shiloh, you too are one of those who are so ignorant and utterly clueless that you don't even know how much you don't know a damn thing.
You are like the gallon jug that has a few drops of water in it, but arrogantly thinking that you are over-filled to the brim.
Althouse at least has much more than a few drops, such that there is something there to work with, but too much of what she thinks she knows, she is actually either totally ignorant about or she gets it backasswards wrong.
And such ignorance and blindness to the truth is rather destructive and a hindrance. It is hard to get to where you really want to be when you have a blindfold on or when you otherwise prefer the darkness. Better to take off the blindfold and come into the light because only the truth will make one free. But first one must admit to herself that she is wearing a blindfold and wandering around in the dark.
Bender childishly attacks the messenger, instead of the message. Typical Althouse, name calling lemming. Congrats!
And thanx for caring ...
Is this maybe all about Breitbart and the Obama video?
You don't have to be a liberal to believe Breitbart, while a fascinating character, was not the conservative icon he's being made out to be.
And certainly you don't have to be a liberal to perceive that the tape hardly contains the stuff that would have turned the 2008 election or will turn the 2012 election.
Ann might be thinking that her common-sense reaction to Breitbart and his works means she is leaning left. Well, it could mean that, but it also could mean that she's discerning in her choice of conservative pundits and conservative meta-events.
Oh, and I should throw in Limbaugh too. She listens to him way more than even most conservatives do. However, because I was stuck in a prison camp, I listened to him in 2011 way more than I had since Limbaugh's early days. He's sustaining himself as an enterprise purely on his past reputation. I snort when I hear people defend him as "merely an entertainer" because as opposed to the early 1990s, there is nothing entertaining about Rush now. He is the quintessential complaining old man, rigid in his views, incredibly arrogant and closed-minded, backward-looking and totally unfunny. This tumble he's taken, he's been riding for a long time. He needs to retire.
And this is the period during which Ann has been most exposed to him, somehow finding three hours a day for his podcast. If I had to do that, I'd be much more liberal now, just out of distaste for his constant, ugly rap. Even the 1-2 hours a day I could usually find for him caused me to shift a bit leftward.
But in the end, ideas are not about who embraces them. We are not teenagers. You can be conservative, or like me semi-conservative RINO without the R, and take note when circus performers like Breitbart or aging radio jocks like Limbaugh offend you or take positions to the right of where you are, and still not become a leftist. I suspect that's Ann right now -- reexamining her beliefs in a low period for conservatism, but not necessarily ditching them.
Pointing out to you, shiloh, that you don't know what you are talking about is not a personal attack on the messenger (even here you show your ignorance), but is an exhortation for the messenger to enlighten himself before he speaks, for his own benefit, if not for others.
Re: gobbledygook, at least Bender is consistent and persistent!
take care
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