Althouse: Josh Marshall holy craps.

December 16, 2012

Josh Marshall holy craps.

Kinda skittish, isn't he?

62 comments:

Moose said...: You're supposed to know when your defeated and roll over and pee on yourself. You're not supposed to have any fight left..; 12/16/12, 9:22 AM
KCFleming said...: ") It has the feel of that fortitude against the bleak tomorrow futurism that I associate with the Terminator series."

More likely The Road than the Terminator.; 12/16/12, 9:25 AM
Eric the Fruit Bat said...: Anyone who thinks the work of Wagner and Riefenstahl are of the same stripe is not to be taken seriously.; 12/16/12, 9:26 AM
tiger said...: FTA: 'But it has this sort of Wagnerian, Leni Riefenstahl quality to it'

Now THIS is a political 'dog whistle' referring to Republicans' political causes in terms that directly represent Hitler and Nazism.

I guess ol' Josh lost under Godwin's Law.

I wonder how he feels about the actual thug and suppressive tactics being used by the UAW and SEIU...; 12/16/12, 9:30 AM
robinintn said...: Eeek! A mouse!; 12/16/12, 9:34 AM
Kchiker said...: The statement "We are in a war" is a bit jarring (to me) when this war is being fought against ... The President of the United States.; 12/16/12, 9:38 AM
Phil 314 said...: Who owns the copyright for "Talking Point Memo", Marshall or O'Reilly?; 12/16/12, 9:41 AM
Anonymous said...: Looks like a generic negative campaign ad to me. Apart from its coming out after the election is over, I'm not seeing the novelty.; 12/16/12, 9:47 AM
Wince said...: Josh Marshall reaction: "Um...Holy Crap"

It has the feel of that fortitude against the bleak tomorrow futurism that I associate with the Terminator series.

My reaction: "No shit".

Why is it that the left has to insert religion into politics and... doo doo?; 12/16/12, 9:51 AM
Known Unknown said...: And The Life of Julia is Orwellian.

There. We're even.; 12/16/12, 9:53 AM
sakredkow said...: The extreme right has never had a problem embracing their inner warrior. Scares the shit out of ordinary Americans.; 12/16/12, 9:54 AM
Tim said...: phx said...

"The extreme right has never had a problem embracing their inner warrior. Scares the shit out of ordinary Americans."

Except, the extreme left has never had a problem embracing their inner totalitarian. Scares the shit out of ordinary Americans.

FIFY.; 12/16/12, 9:59 AM
edutcher said...: It would be Holy only if it emerged from a saint or a prophet.

But Moose is right. That's why shilol and the rest of the ghouls are doing here, it's called Operation Demoralize, the whole "Resistance Is Futile" nonsense.

Ned Silver is the new Nostradamus, only his prophecies are valid, all those polls that suddenly, miraculously show the country swinging hard Left must be accepted without question.

Or that 24% in the Koskidz poll might hit 54%.

Kchiker said...

The statement "We are in a war" is a bit jarring (to me) when this war is being fought against ... The President of the United States.

Of course, the Lefties didn't see it that way when Dubya was President.; 12/16/12, 10:00 AM
Kchiker said...: "Of course, the Lefties didn't see it that way when Dubya was President"

The fringe was... Fringe-y...but as a whole, democrats rallied behind the President in the wake of national tragedy.; 12/16/12, 10:05 AM
chickelit said...: The background music was Wagnerian, but I failed to see any Riefenstahl. Please explain, Josh.

Speaking of Wagnerian scores, we watched "Empire of the Sun" last night. The film itself was interesting, a bit too lengthy, but utterly ruined by the "emotional" orchestration which is typical I suppose for Spielberg. I gave it the finger on Netflix ratings.

I haven't seen "Lincoln" yet--is there a overt emotional soundtracking?; 12/16/12, 10:06 AM
sakredkow said...: Except, the extreme left has never had a problem embracing their inner totalitarian.

IMO whether that's the case or not (it's not) the problem for the right is that you guys scare ordinary Americans, say those in the middle and undecideds, more than the left does. That was my point.

You disagree. You think the LEFT scares them more.

That's why I encourage you guys to speak up loud and clear.; 12/16/12, 10:06 AM
Wince said...: It's interesting Marshall picked up on the "Terminator" metaphor.

The Skynet Funding Bill is passed. The system goes on-line August 4th, 1997. Human decisions are removed from strategic defense. Skynet begins to learn at a geometric rate. It becomes self-aware at 2:14 a.m. Eastern time, August 29th. In a panic, they try to pull the plug.

Conservatives do fear that the state is about to become like the machines in "Terminator". And rather than remaining a servant to the public, the state is about to become self-aware and self-perpetuating, sentient in terms of pursuing its own self-interest apart from those it was created to serve.; 12/16/12, 10:08 AM
Automatic_Wing said...: Look, scary right-wingerz! Oooga booga!; 12/16/12, 10:10 AM
chickelit said...: Ned Silver is the new Nostradamus,..

More like "Vostradamus" -- not inclusive -- second person plural. He is their prophet, not ours.; 12/16/12, 10:11 AM
Darleen said...: but as a whole, democrats rallied behind the President in the wake of national tragedy.

It was a beautiful five minutes, wasn't it?; 12/16/12, 10:14 AM
edutcher said...: Kchiker said...

Of course, the Lefties didn't see it that way when Dubya was President

The fringe was... Fringe-y...but as a whole, democrats rallied behind the President in the wake of national tragedy.

Only because the other 70% of america would have seen them for the Fifth columnists and Quislings they are.

And what Darleen said.; 12/16/12, 10:20 AM
Tim said...: "That's why I encourage you guys to speak up loud and clear."

Right.

Break down in detail for us that exceedingly clear, left policy agenda Obama ran on during his re-election campaign?

You know, the one that Obama embraced so strongly, without equivocation?

The one Obama didn't run from, or hide?

That one.; 12/16/12, 10:23 AM
roesch/voltaire said...: I don't see why --this is the usual right wing propaganda calling for more war, guns, free markets etc, while distorting the record-- the Dow has increased and corporate profits are up, fifteen people will not determine your health plan any more than the clerks in private insurance who deny coverage, but it helps stir up the outrage.; 12/16/12, 10:24 AM
Wince said...: EMD said...
And The Life of Julia is Orwellian.

Julia was the name of Winston Smith's girlfriend in "1984".

Room 101

"Do it to Julia! Do it to Julia! Not me! Julia! I don't care what you do to her. Tear her face off, strip her to the bones. Not me! Julia!"; 12/16/12, 10:26 AM
sakredkow said...: Just sayin'.

You want to talk policy. Dems wanted to talk about YOU guys. And it worked for them.

What are you gonna do, eh?

Or what do you think the GOP should do? More war talk? More stuff about Democratic totalitarians?; 12/16/12, 10:28 AM
Balfegor said...: re: chickelit:

The background music was Wagnerian,

No it wasn't. It was generic movie trailer music, not 'Wagnerian' at all. Wagnerian would be if they played Siegfried's funeral march or something.

That said, there was a mildy humorous disconnect between the intensity of the background music, the man's even and slightly nasal delivery, and the words used to convey the message, which were pretty humdrum, not stirring at all.; 12/16/12, 10:28 AM
AllenS said...: roesch/voltaire said...
... fifteen people will not determine your health plan any more than the clerks in private insurance who deny coverage

It might not be the fifteen people who are denying coverage now, but there be another set of fifteen people representing the government that will deny you coverage.; 12/16/12, 10:30 AM
Balfegor said...: re: phx:

Or what do you think the GOP should do? More war talk? More stuff about Democratic totalitarians?

Wait for Obamacare to collapse under the weight of its own internal contradictions. And perhaps stop trying to save the people from the President's stupid policies. Irresponsible, perhaps, but as Mencken put it, "Democracy is the theory that the common people know what they want, and deserve to get it good and hard."; 12/16/12, 10:31 AM
sakredkow said...: That's a plan Balfegor. If GOP rank and file doesn't screw it up again by insisting on talking about that stuff that has a tendency to get them in trouble. You know, women, social policy, race relations.; 12/16/12, 10:33 AM
sakredkow said...: "Obama is a totalitarian."; 12/16/12, 10:34 AM
Balfegor said...: re: roesch/voltaire:

fifteen people will not determine your health plan any more than the clerks in private insurance who deny coverage

No, they will do it in a different way on top. You'll still have the clerks in your private insurance plan denying you coverage -- that won't change -- but after you transition to Medicare, IPAB will be cutting reimbursement rates for particular treatments, so in practice, they simply won't be covered by Medicare at all.; 12/16/12, 10:34 AM
sakredkow said...: The war for our culture.; 12/16/12, 10:35 AM
campy said...: Wait for Obamacare to collapse under the weight of its own internal contradictions. And perhaps stop trying to save the people from the President's stupid policies. Irresponsible, perhaps, but as Mencken put it, "Democracy is the theory that the common people know what they want, and deserve to get it good and hard."

Trouble is the stupid repubs kept control of the House. Thus they're set up for 100% of the blame for everything bad coming down the pike while Zero and the dems will get the credit for anything good.

See Truman vs. Dewey 1948.; 12/16/12, 10:43 AM
Tim said...: "You want to talk policy. Dems wanted to talk about YOU guys. And it worked for them."

Can't argue with this.

Obama and the Dems overwhelmingly won the low-information voter cohort.

Policy certainly wasn't the driving force behind American doubling down on failure.; 12/16/12, 10:54 AM
sakredkow said...: Can't argue with this.

Right. Now I don't think the Dems are anywhere near as bad as you think they are, but I think generally conservative ideology is completely respectable and a valid competitor for the H&M of America.

My belief however is that it's the style of the Republican rank and file, led by guys like Limbaugh and Breitbart that throws it away for them. The Dems don't have to argue policy, and why would they if the GOP is going to throw the game anyway.; 12/16/12, 11:00 AM
Tim said...: "Now I don't think the Dems are anywhere near as bad as you think they are,..."

Sure.

That trillion dollar per year deficit, not anywhere near as bad as I think, probably.

Can't wait to see the president's proposal to fix that...while he and the Democrats continue to add new expenses to government.

Low-information voters are everywhere...; 12/16/12, 11:07 AM
DADvocate said...: Any opposition to Obama and the left wing agenda is unacceptable. No one should be allowed for veer from the path.; 12/16/12, 11:12 AM
sakredkow said...: Any opposition to Obama and the left wing agenda is unacceptable. No one should be allowed for veer from the path.

Now that is a strawman.; 12/16/12, 11:13 AM
LarryK said...: Outrageous! This is like accusing Obama supporters of putting out videos with a creepy, Stalinist vibe.

Oh wait, that actually happened

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WtGrp5MbzAI&feature=youtu.be; 12/16/12, 11:13 AM
shiloh said...: Again, cons/Reps are just really, really sore losers as their mindset is they should never lose a presidential election regardless!

It's that basic.

And whereas Althouse has a Nate Silver fetish because he easily predicted the 2012 presidential outcome and she was made to look like a total fool along w/the majority of her flock, said flock appears to have a childish Ned Silver fetish ... go figure.

And it's ok for Althouse #1 doting, trained seal to keep calling the twice elected 44th President of the United States of America choom, 'cause hey ...

that's how childish Althouse cons roll.

blessings ...; 12/16/12, 11:30 AM
Christopher said...: I am still undecided about whether Shiloh is sincere in his beliefs or whether this is a schtick like America's Politico or Titus.; 12/16/12, 11:57 AM
Christopher said...: Phx,

When the media can turn " binders" into a controversy I think we're past the point of it being entirely about righty mistakes and at least partially in the media bias category.; 12/16/12, 12:05 PM
Wince said...: phx said...
"Obama is a totalitarian."

Correction: Liberals necessarily have totalitarian instincts in their zeal to come up with solutions, invariably coercive, for the state to meet individual needs.

Especially when they're in a room together alone making policy, like Obamacare.

It's also revealed in their rhetoric toward opponents after the battle to impose them. How many times have I heard a triumphant liberal, after imposing one mandate or another, taunt that those who opposed its imposition should be excluded from whatever "benefit" is now public?

I'm not sure they don't follow up on that threat because of altruism and principle, or because simple fairness in the public mind (at least still for now) would also require that their opponents be exempted from the tax/cost/mandate, which would collapse the whole coercive enterprise.; 12/16/12, 12:43 PM
Balfegor said...: RE: shiloh:

And it's ok for Althouse #1 doting, trained seal to keep calling the twice elected 44th President of the United States of America choom, 'cause hey ...

Look, for some eight-odd years, Bush II was called "Shrub" and repeatedly compared to a monkey (and Hitler, etc. etc.). I'm sure Clinton had an insulting nickname too, though I don't recall what it was. I don't particularly care for the custom, but using insulting nicknames for our would-be masters is a pretty well established tradition in the US, and shows a healthy contempt for our political class.; 12/16/12, 12:43 PM
shiloh said...: Whereas inarticulate Willard should have said résumés instead of binders, binders wasn't his original idea.

"First of all, it is not true. The "binder" of women's résumés was prepared before the election by the Massachusetts Government Appointments Project, a coalition of nonpartisan women's groups. When Romney won, the women -- not in binders -- gave him the résumés.

Romney told that story in an effort to demonstrate how well his administration had done in hiring women. Except it didn't. A study by the University of Massachusetts and the Center for Women in Politics and Public Policy shows that the percentage of women in senior positions during his tenure actually declined. It went from 30% when Romney took office to 27% when he left and up to more than 33% after the new governor took over."

Indeed, just another in a longgg string of mittens' lies. And aren't "we" are grateful that his string of lies ended when Obama cleaned his clock ...

Oh wait!

>

And Chris, only a true lib could have this much fun re: Obama's (2) decisive presidential victories. Indeed, more fun than humans should be allowed as Letterman would say.

Whereas it is true I also had fun when cheney/bush were in charge.

Again, the yin/yang of libs/cons.; 12/16/12, 12:49 PM
Chip Ahoy said...: are just really, really sore losers

You're right, you little asshole, I am a very VERY sore loser. But you're wrong to dismiss it as being only just sore. My soreness is much worse than that. My entire real life has changed and if you would make your comment directly to me in that real life along with your false blessing, my soreness is such I would attack you directly.; 12/16/12, 12:59 PM
shiloh said...: Chippy's con, sore loser, passive/agressive syndrome is duly noted.

Hopefully he has a release outside of the insular con blogosphere ...; 12/16/12, 1:01 PM
Wince said...: shiloh said...
It went from 30% when Romney took office to 27% when he left and up to more than 33% after the new governor took over.

Actual statistics from the report below.

But first let's look at some of the scandal-plagued women that Deval Patrick has appointed to senior level positions but now has to... "reassign".

Departing Public Safety Secretary Mary Beth Heffernan — given a nod by Gov. Deval Patrick yesterday as someone who’d make a “great judge” — has donated thousands of dollars to Democratic campaigns over the years, campaign finance records show.

Heffernan was listed as a reference on the job application of Sheila Burgess, the state’s ex-highway safety director who resigned after her checkered, four-page driving record became public last month.

Now, from the left-leaning UMB Report. Notice the selective timing of the data points:

Figure 1 demonstrates the gender differences in appointments at three points in time: those made by
the Romney administration during the initial response to the MassGAP initiative (2002 to 2004), during the second half of the Romney administration (2004- 2006), and during the first nine months of the Patrick administration. Highlights include the following:

Between January 2002 and July 2004, 14 (42 percent) of Governor Romney’s first 33 appointments
to senior-level positions were women.

From 2004 to 2006, however, women made up just 25 percent of the 64 new appointments made by Governor Romney.

From January 2007, when Governor Patrick took office, to September 13, 2007, when data collection
concluded, he had made 60 new appointments. Twenty-seven (45 percent) of these were women.

Figure 2 shows the status of women’s representation
at the four points in time (September 2002, July
2004, mid-November 2006, and September 2007) of
this study. One can see that:

Just prior to the 2002 election, women made up 30 percent of the senior appointees in our sample.

The percentage stayed about the same during Governor Romney’s first wave of appointments, but declined between July 2004 and mid-November
2006.

Women made noticeable gains in 2007 after Governor Patrick’s first wave of appointments: women currently hold 33.6 percent of senior-level
positions.; 12/16/12, 1:30 PM
MadisonMan said...: Better than wholly crapping, I guess. Espcially for your neighbors.; 12/16/12, 2:05 PM
Christopher said...: Given the lack of self awareness Shiloh's posts regularly display I'm going with schtick.; 12/16/12, 2:21 PM
Christopher said...: MM,

Or holly crapping; 12/16/12, 2:21 PM
shiloh said...: "lack of self awareness"

= Althouse con laughable presidential predictions. Indeed, the ad nauseam, conservative, childish schtick makes this blog somewhat entertaining!; 12/16/12, 2:48 PM
Christopher said...: Shiloh,

I've finally figured out who you remind me of: The Kids in the Hall Head Crusher.; 12/16/12, 3:20 PM
chuck said...: Reading Josh Marshall's old blog and the commenters thereon was the proximate reason I left the Democratic Party. I sure as Hell didn't want to be associated with those reactionary lefty goofballs. He hasn't improved any since.; 12/16/12, 3:44 PM
tiger said...: shiloh said...
Again, cons/Reps are just really, really sore losers as their mindset is they should never lose a presidential election regardless!

Are you serious or just trolling?

Shall we talk about the Dems in Madison leaving town two years ago in order to prevent a vote being taken on Act 10?

Or maybe we should discuss the 'There will be war' comment from the Dem in Lansing last week or how about the violence coming from the UAW?

If you think this commercial is worse than ACTUAL actions from the Left you're a mental and emotional child unworthy and unprepared to discuss these topics.

Let me know when there was TEA Party caused violence or threats of violence.

Until then remain quiet.; 12/16/12, 4:20 PM
Michael K said...: " shiloh said...
Again, cons/Reps are just really, really sore losers as their mindset is they should never lose a presidential election regardless!

It's that basic."

No, it's more important than that. In 2000, I didn't really care all that much if Gore beat Bush, ditto in 1992. I did buy gold when Clinton was elected and did well with it but it was not a world changing event like 2012.

The left thinks the election was about contraceptives and abortion and gay marriage. It wasn't.

It was about the ability of a democracy to handle its financial affairs once the people learn they can vote themselves benefits.

The election determined that it cannot. Those who don't pay taxes, let's call them the "47%", can vote taxes on everybody who does pay them and especially that evil 2% who, in fact, pay most of the taxes.

It used to be characteristic of Americans that they did not envy the rich because they thought everyone had a reasonable chance to get rich himself. We have seen a sea change in the past 40 years. We now have a chronic underclass that responds to demagoguery and class warfare. They see themselves as victims and Democrats, plus the Labour Party in Britain, have figured out how to win elections with class warfare argument.

Part of that strategy is to encourage immigration of poorly educated people who will become voters for their party.

This is all about getting elected and politics. Nothing is being said or done about the financial consequences of these policies. Romney was a real opportunity to deal with it. He was not as knowledgeable about the legislature but here is where Ryan fit in perfectly.

The fact that they lost with poor turnout by the white lower-middle class makes me very pessimistic about the future. My only relief is that I am 75 and not in the best of health so I probably won't have to live through what is coming. My children will but 3/5 of them voted for Obama. The more degrees they have the more likely their Obama vote. I hope they don't regret it.; 12/16/12, 4:46 PM
Robert Cook said...: "...'but as a whole, democrats rallied behind the President in the wake of national tragedy.'

"It was a beautiful five minutes, wasn't it?"

If you call nearly the whole of Bush's term "five minutes,"I guess you're not wrong.

Even a literal five minutes would have been too long to have supported Bush's ruinous and criminal wars.; 12/16/12, 5:04 PM
Robert Cook said...: "You're right, you little asshole, I am a very VERY sore loser. But you're wrong to dismiss it as being only just sore. My soreness is much worse than that. My entire real life has changed and if you would make your comment directly to me in that real life along with your false blessing, my soreness is such I would attack you directly."

Hmmm...your propensity to threaten violence over a throwaway remark is...disturbing.

However, assuming your life circumstances are so recently changed for the worse that one can understand your anger, do you really think they would be any better had Obama not been President these past four years?

If you do, you've been successfully conned. Obama is doing pretty much exactly what McCain would have done...pursuing pretty much the same policies, serving the interests of the 1%, which by definition are not the interests of most of America.; 12/16/12, 5:18 PM
shiloh said...: MK's hyperbolic pessimism aside, (((if))) you aren't lying about betting on gold, congrats as "we" don't want you putting down $$$ on any of your recent inane, presidential predictions.

Let me rephrase, diehard cons/Reps er the type that frequent this blog daily are really, really sore losers ie MK, bagoh, Althouse #1 & #2 trained seals, tiger, chippy, dami, Roger J, Nathan A, DBQ, etc. etc.

So many sore losers, so little time ...; 12/16/12, 5:41 PM
Christopher said...: Shorter Shiloh: "I squish your heads"; 12/16/12, 8:02 PM
DEEBEE said...: If Romney had won the left would be doing the same thing and bloggers on the right talking of the Wagnerian blah, blah.
Since BHO won, it is time for right to act as if the end of the world is nigh and the left to feign this half amused, smug stance.; 12/17/12, 5:01 AM
Sam L. said...: Kchiker, it seems he's in a war against us. Recognise it. Deal with it.

"Of course, the Lefties didn't see it that way when Dubya was President"

"The fringe was... Fringe-y...but as a whole, democrats rallied behind the President in the wake of national tragedy." Not for long.; 12/17/12, 1:48 PM