Althouse: "The people at Breitbart appear to have gone insane."

April 7, 2014

"The people at Breitbart appear to have gone insane."

Tweets Ana Marie Cox, and I've got to agree.

See for yourself: here.

76 comments:

Fandor said...: Looks edgy. Just the kind of stuff that would appeal to the left coast, southern Cal crowd.; 4/7/14, 6:03 PM
Capt. Schmoe said...: It's art. Satirical art, but art non the less. Anybody with a teenaged son at home, equipped a cynical sense of humor, will have seen a wardrobe stuffed with equally offensive t-shirts and walls covered with similar posters.

The Dems are pissed because W isn't the target.

Frankly, I don't think Pelosi is very bright and is a horrible representative - why should she be exempt?; 4/7/14, 6:04 PM
Anonymous said...: So déclassé.; 4/7/14, 6:05 PM
Ann Althouse said...: "The Dems are pissed because W isn't the target. Frankly, I don't think Pelosi is very bright and is a horrible representative - why should she be exempt?"

Well, I think it's awful, and I like Bush and can't stand Pelosi.

It's irrelevant that it might be somewhat artistic or that teenage kids engage with images like that.

It's bad branding, and GOP mainstreamers have to get distance from it.; 4/7/14, 6:08 PM
Darrell said...: It's not classy stuff like the Leftist humor with people shitting in Sarah Palin's mouth.; 4/7/14, 6:08 PM
fivewheels said...: Ana Marie Cox of Wonkette?; 4/7/14, 6:09 PM
Capt. Schmoe said...: "Looks edgy. Just the kind of stuff that would appeal to the left coast, southern Cal crowd"

Guilty as charged.; 4/7/14, 6:11 PM
Capt. Schmoe said...: "Well, I think it's awful, and I like Bush and can't stand Pelosi"

That's easy - don't look at the posters!; 4/7/14, 6:13 PM
chickelit said...: It reminds me of Jello Biafra's humor except that he offended the Right and the Left pretty equally.; 4/7/14, 6:14 PM
rhhardin said...: Maybe it's a collage.

Bits of colored paper would have made it clearer.; 4/7/14, 6:14 PM
The Cracker Emcee Refulgent said...: "It's bad branding, and GOP mainstreamers have to get distance from it."

Balls. Trashing works, but it has to be persistent to be effective. It's way past time for the GOP to start throwing elbows.; 4/7/14, 6:23 PM
djf said...: This is typical of youngish, wanna-be-hipster mainstream conservative or libertarian political bloggers. They operate under the illusion that their views are on the verge of becoming cool, based on a few polls showing that millennials are less infatuated with Obama, or on some mildly popular movie or cable-TV cartoon making fun of some leftwing authority figure. They're always imagining that its the harbinger of a new zeitgeist when some B-list celebrity or has-been rocker says something halfway critical of the Democrats. Pathetic.

To be clear, I'm a rightwinger myself, but the notion that gimmicks like the stuff Breitbart churns out are having any effect is delusional.; 4/7/14, 6:43 PM
Known Unknown said...: It's bad branding, and GOP mainstreamers have to get distance from it.

Mainstreamers? Like Lindsey Graham?

Finally -- someone on the right how knows how to have fun with a brand.; 4/7/14, 6:45 PM
traditionalguy said...: Avant garde enough for the Repubbies? It looks like a day at The Macho Response.; 4/7/14, 6:58 PM
Titus said...: classy-cons are totally cool.; 4/7/14, 6:58 PM
Sorun said...: It's for all the young people tired of the old geezer Establishment. Young people are struggling while old whores like Pelosi get richer.; 4/7/14, 7:04 PM
n.n said...: Step away from the muck.; 4/7/14, 7:06 PM
Patrick Henry was right! said...: Professor, every time there appears to be some indication that you understand what is going on, you sign on to something like this.
Why is this ok when directed at Sarah Palin or Michelle Bachman but not Pelosi?
As our President instructed, punch back twice as hard.; 4/7/14, 7:47 PM
Unknown said...: If you live in CA you might think differently. The guy with b@@bs was a bit much.; 4/7/14, 7:51 PM
Robert J. said...: Meh. It's long past time to go Full Alinsky on the left.

War.; 4/7/14, 7:52 PM
rhhardin said...: “To say the least, the Breitbart News ad is foul, offensive, and disrespectful to all women,” Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz said in a statement. “It is a disgusting new low and would be reprehensible against any woman – regardless of party.”

But not all women deserve respect, so you should substract them out.

It's disrespectful to women deserving respect.

Except it's not portraying any women deserving respect, so it looks like bad conclusion.

Indians in South America walk in single file, as least the one I saw did.

Logic is hard.; 4/7/14, 7:54 PM
khesanh0802 said...: Is this a case of "I don't care what you say about me just spell my name correctly"?

Tasteless - but there's a lot of that going around - but effective. Did it get everyone's attention? Is it being discussed? Only a little more tasteless than the Colorado Obamacare ads, and that was for a government program!; 4/7/14, 8:16 PM
Wince said...: Pretty standard fare on campus since punk days. And the Politico article makes a good point about the Miley Cyrus sketch on SNL where Republicans were depicted siimilarly.

And that has to be the most flattering image of Pelosi's face I've seen in decades.; 4/7/14, 8:17 PM
Saint Croix said...: It's bad branding, and GOP mainstreamers have to get distance from it.

Breitbart is branding itself as irreverent opposition, kind of like Rolling Stone (if Rolling Stone wasn't moldy and run by senior citizens).

I think the real danger is to liberals. Or, as Admiral Akbar might say, "It's a trap!"

Breitbart says something outrageous and the "liberal" response is to censor the citizens

"(T)heir elected and Party leadership should condemn this outrageous behavior, call on Breitbart News to immediately remove the ad...

I would expect Putin to say something like this, since Putin is not an American and is a fascist thug. But to have people in our Congress calling on the "Party leadership" to censor critics? It's rather astounding and clueless.

Republicans should be quite happy to be the party of free speech. Americans like free speech--even obnoxious speech--way more than we like our rulers.; 4/7/14, 8:19 PM
Brent said...: What meh said. Being civil is how we got President Romney, right?

Hit Democrats and the left back 3x as hard. If anyone is offended, why should we care? The Democrat Party went overboard in dishonest ads in 2012 and it worked, aided by the left's graphic wonders towards, for instance, Palin - she wasn't even on the ballot. But voters were not repelled, they voted for the nleast executive experienced President in American history anyway. Do tell us again Ann how thoughtfulness and cicility win elections.

The young are as a group are way too self-centered and politically and civically stupid to understand anything beyond who can be made to look like the biggest fool. Continually show Democrats as the assholes most of them truly are - Pelosi, Boxer are demonstrably sociopathic and Harry Reid is downright evil. Why should we be nice to them while they shit daily on good hard working Americans? Sorry Ann, niceness loses elections in the 2010's.

Will people get tired of it. Sure, the cycle will overheat, niceness will come back in vogue for about 5 minutes of history and then Democrats - they can't help themselves, it's their nature and insane worldview - will start the meanness and machiavellian attempts again.; 4/7/14, 8:25 PM
Gahrie said...: GOP mainstreamers have to get distance from it.

Jesus Christ...if a hummingbird farts in far off Persia you think the GOP has to apologise for it.

A suspicious person might think that you are looking for ways to make Republicans look bad, and for ways to excuse Democrats.; 4/7/14, 8:27 PM
Unknown said...: Nancy Pelosi is to Miley Cyrus as Barack Obama is to the Joker.

Suck it up, liberals. Free speech!; 4/7/14, 8:34 PM
stan said...: Insane? I've seen insane. Madison, San Francisco, Berkeley. Really bat sheet, bizarre, nuts, crazy -- by the thousand.; 4/7/14, 8:35 PM
Michael K said...: It looks juvenile but then I'm 76 and no judge,; 4/7/14, 8:36 PM
Phil 314 said...: Hmmm, let's consult Ted Cruz on this one.; 4/7/14, 8:41 PM
Henry said...: Who's the target audience? What are the metrics? This looks like desperation. Are they losing tons of money? Good God.; 4/7/14, 8:48 PM
David said...: The Breitbart insanity is letting themselves be gamed by "street artist Sabo." Sabo is just another shock artist on the make. He's pretty sure that if he put the Virgin Mary or Sarah Palin in that pose he would get almost no attention at all. Been there, done that. So he gets Pelosi in a pose from some teen age porn movie poster and everyone goes ape shit. Presto, Sabo (who has a very prominent signature on the piece) is in front of the whole country.

Sabo will have put on his boots, zipped up his pants and left the room by the time the idiots who are pretending to be Breitbart wake up and wonder what the fuck happened.

Here's what happened. You let yourselves be used. No way Sabo was going to respect you in the morning. See if you can find your self respect. Maybe it's under the bed somewhere. Or did you just leave it in your purse because you were swept away by the passion?; 4/7/14, 8:55 PM
Anonymous said...: This is great. And to have the old lady who gets cranky about it and thinks its just awful? Perfect. They'd have failed miserably if althouse actually approved.

We need a lot more of this. A lot.; 4/7/14, 9:05 PM
Illuninati said...: I think the pictures are funny.; 4/7/14, 9:10 PM
n.n said...: We will fight them in the House.
We will fight them in the Court.
We will fight them in the muck.
We will plunge their toilets and expose their insanity to the coherence of reality.; 4/7/14, 9:18 PM
rcocean said...: Pretty subversive and irreverent. Going for the yutes of America. Old people may be offended, but they're set in their ways, and rarely change their voting patterns.

Oh, and the party of Wiener, Billy Bob Clinton, Joe Biden, and Gawker "respects Women". Give me a break.; 4/7/14, 9:18 PM
SeanJ said...: Hell no embrace it! More of this, much more. Screw civility! Show the liberals what we got, big balls!; 4/7/14, 9:21 PM
rcocean said...: Good grief, the left viciously attacks ANY Republican women who's half-way successful and has for years. Remember Katherine Harris? Palin? Bachmann?

The conservatives launch a minor counter-attack and its hysteria.; 4/7/14, 9:23 PM
Anthony said...: Cox is just upset that Pelosi is horning in on her turf.; 4/7/14, 9:35 PM
SeanJ said...: Take no prisoners. It's time to launch an all out war against the gay mafia and feminazis. Stop listening to old women like Althouse and Lindsey Graham.; 4/7/14, 9:38 PM
n.n said...: I prefer the aristocrat-themed photo of Pelosi, where She stands with an oversized mallet, surrounded by Lords and Ladies, ready to deal Democrat punishment to anyone who disagrees with Her.

You must pass it to know what's in it!

Classic. The business attire should appeal to the anti-business as usual types.

She will mock them in the House.
She will mock them in the Court.
She will muck them in the Press.

To mock, or muck. That is the question!; 4/7/14, 9:38 PM
Jazzizhep said...: Disrespectful?

I could have sworn Pelosi was passing that exact picture out at some BDSM rally/parade/fundraiser in San Fran a few weeks ago. She wanted everyone to know what they were getting before she was passed around.; 4/7/14, 9:43 PM
Michael K said...: Ana Marie Cox is no judge of insanity.; 4/7/14, 9:49 PM
MayBee said...: It actually reminds me of some of Bob Dylan's artwork, his Revisionist History series.; 4/7/14, 9:56 PM
Paco Wové said...: Well, that's a big old "WTFF?"

I'm not sure who the target demographic is, but I'm pretty sure it's not me.; 4/7/14, 9:56 PM
Howard said...: It's horrible branding, Mainstream GOP have to get so far away from this that they have plausible deniability. Ann is absolutely spot on for the poached egg crowd that never ever invents the future.

It's awful. Raw testosterone saying Go Fuck Yourself is never a good campaign slogan.

Traditional Guy nail's it. A visual gattling gun

I'd add it's Crack MC meets the Banksy knockoff Shephard Fairey.

As art, it's hilarious, disgusting, provocative, low class, shocking, derivative, pandering etc. It's actually not art. It's propaganda that does nothing to hide it's true nature.

I love it. Especially the Cruz portrait on Sabo's site and the Obama Drones

SABO

It shows that some conservatives still have a heart and some balls.

Joe Bob says Check it Out.; 4/7/14, 10:10 PM
FullMoon said...: Daniel Fish said...

This is typical of youngish, wanna-be-hipster mainstream conservative or libertarian political bloggers. They operate under the illusion that their views are on the verge of becoming cool, based on a few polls showing that millennials are less infatuated with Obama, or on some mildly popular movie or cable-TV cartoon making fun of some leftwing authority figure. They're always imagining that its the harbinger of a new zeitgeist when some B-list celebrity or has-been rocker says something halfway critical of the Democrats. Pathetic.

To be clear, I'm a rightwinger myself, but the notion that gimmicks like the stuff Breitbart churns out are having any effect is delusional.
Hahahahaha, you are pretty full of yourself eh Daniel Fish? You are operating under an illusion.. haha.; 4/7/14, 10:17 PM
Anonymous said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 4/7/14, 10:23 PM
Biff said...: I think it's an interesting attempt at using the same sort of "edgy" graphics that one sees plastered all over some of the more avant garde precincts of NYC, LA, or even Cambridge. It seems no better or worse in quality than the stuff I see all the time. Why not try to be subversive on subversives' turf? I doubt there will be any significant confusing of this stuff with the GOP mainstream, and it is a drop in the bucket compared with worse stuff from the Left, which somehow doesn't seem to get attached to the Democrat mainstream. It strikes me as a reasonable marketing experiment: it may work, or it may fail, but there is a lot of room to try to use different methods to reach different audiences. I'm glad to see someone trying something different.; 4/7/14, 10:41 PM
Lnelson said...: Reverse the partisan slant of the "art" and Ana Marie would think it's funny and good.
I think it's funny and good as is.; 4/7/14, 10:49 PM
Real American said...: It's bad branding, and GOP mainstreamers have to get distance from it.

That's a feature, not a bug. the GOP lamestream doesn't get it, but it's not a GOP advertisement, is it?; 4/7/14, 11:25 PM
Guildofcannonballs said...: Insane compared to a debt of trillions in the teens is not a relative.; 4/8/14, 12:06 AM
jimspice said...: Well, your commenters don't seem to be distancing themselves from it.; 4/8/14, 12:45 AM
Jason said...: Brilliant.

And to hell with what Ana Marie Cox thinks. She was queen of tasteless whore chic at wonkette and basically rode references to anal sex to her sweet gig at Time.

She's upset because she's not the coolest and hippest kid on the block.

It's high time these libtards got punctured and deflated as objects of ridicule on their home turf. Reminds me of defacements of Saddam Hussein pictures in Iraq after he sent tens of thousands of decent men out in a futile effort to die on his behalf.; 4/8/14, 1:06 AM
Bob Loblaw said...: Ana Marie Cox of Wonkette?

Yeah, would this be the same potty-mouthed Ana Marie Cox who blathered on about anal sex at Wonkette and considered herself edgy?

After years of Hitler mustaches and fangs on Bush posters I'm having trouble condemning pretty much any negative depiction of Democratic politicians. Obama has escaped most of it because he's black, but Pelosi is fair game.; 4/8/14, 1:37 AM
Dustin said...: It is all too predictable to read the same tired old argument: But they did this nasty bad thing.

And when they (and by they we mean the jerks of the 'other' side) did it, it was bad, right? Guess what that means it is when someone you agree with does it?

Sigh.

Yes it's tacky. I wish the Breitbart organization would not use his name anymore.; 4/8/14, 4:51 AM
Rusty said...: Looks very "Huntington Beach" to me.; 4/8/14, 5:51 AM
Rusty said...: Blogger Michael K said...
It looks juvenile but then I'm 76 and no judge,

It'll play well to the urban 30 and under crowd.; 4/8/14, 5:53 AM
Bruce Hayden said...: Cox is just upset that Pelosi is horning in on her turf.
And
Yeah, would this be the same potty-mouthed Ana Marie Cox who blathered on about anal sex at Wonkette and considered herself edgy?

That latter was my response when I first heard this, and before I read the comments. Her apparent claim to fame is a preference for anal sex. Something like that. Not really all too worried about her not liking something that makes fun of Pelosi, who deserves as much ridicule as can be heaped on her. She is a lifetime politician, from a family of Democrat machine politicians, is dumb as a rock, and bears a large amount of responsibility for our country being in the sixth year of the Obama Recession, as well as ramming through Obama-PelosiCare, which seems destined to do even worse damage to our economy, while destroying one of the best health care systems in the world - just so that the Dems can continue to get rich off of their control of the government. I suspect that a lot of those who are up in arms don't fully recognize how vile she really is.; 4/8/14, 6:33 AM
George M. Spencer said...: What's good for the goose....

Tit for tat.; 4/8/14, 6:41 AM
Big Mike said...: I didn't find it very funny, but worse has been directed at Republican women.; 4/8/14, 7:21 AM
Anonymous said...: Looks like they punked Althouse and Wonkette and the rest.

http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2014/04/07/Wasserman-Schultz-Pelosi-Condemn-Tasteless-and-Undignified-Breitbart-California-Viral-Art

Wait, did Althouse come out and repudiate the Saturday Night Live skit and say they've gone insane?

I'm sure that's different.; 4/8/14, 7:27 AM
Anonymous said...: "It's bad branding, and GOP mainstreamers have to get distance from it."

Just like you called for all the Democrat mainstreamers to get distance from the Saturday Night Live skit?; 4/8/14, 7:29 AM
Unknown said...: More please.; 4/8/14, 7:38 AM
Ann Althouse said...: @eric

How about actually knowing what I've been doing over the years before acting like you've caught me on something?

And do you know what "punked" means?

Explain what exactly you are trying to say about me and then examine what you are saying and assess the accuracy of it.

If you take the trouble to do that, I will respond. If not, let this stand as my response: You are quite wrong about me.; 4/8/14, 8:19 AM
chickelit said...: @eric: Thank you for that link at 7:27 AM. It puts things in perspective for people who have memories.; 4/8/14, 8:29 AM
Brennan said...: Ms. Cox used to live so dangerously when she was a regular cheerleader for DC call girls.

But I haven't see her report on members of Congress lately.

wuh happen?; 4/8/14, 8:32 AM
Anonymous said...: "How about actually knowing what I've been doing over the years before acting like you've caught me on something?

And do you know what "punked" means?"

It means playing a trick on you. Like in the television show, "Punked". in this case, I mean "tricking" you.

"Explain what exactly you are trying to say about me and then examine what you are saying and assess the accuracy of it."

I'm saying they tricked you. Punked you. I'd say it's 100% accurate.; 4/8/14, 8:36 AM
Ann Althouse said...: "I'm saying they tricked you. Punked you. I'd say it's 100% accurate."

That is a conclusory statement. What is the trick? Be specific.

And don't just point out one thing that I didn't blog about. I don't see everything and I don't choose to blog about everything.

But I take it that you are accusing me of attacking only the demeaning of women that comes from the right and never from the left.

You can't make that assertion based on my having missed one thing. You need to be saying that I have systematically targeted the sexism of the right.

No way can you support that.

If that isn't what you're saying, I can't understand what you are saying.; 4/8/14, 8:41 AM
Ann Althouse said...: I have a "gender politics" tag.

Click on it, read the posts. There are only 481, so it shouldn't take you too long to get educated on what I actually have said.

I demand that level of respect here, not conclusory accusations that are -- it's obvious to me -- not based on knowing who I am and what I have worked on for the last 10 years.

You are an idiot ideologue in my book. I can't see your background. You're just some lower-case "eric" with a Google profile since 2011.; 4/8/14, 8:45 AM
Ann Althouse said...: The word "punked" would make sense if it was revealed that those ads were not really from Breitbart but from some anti-Breitbart operation.; 4/8/14, 8:46 AM
Unknown said...: These ads are not my cup of tea, but I don't mind them either. I find them just as offensive as the left's brutilzation of Palin and her children.

I'm tired of anyone to the right of Olympia Snow walking around like a wounded victims over the left's socially stunted sense of what's decent. Get over it, already.

Breitbart has gone over the top here, but so what? The left has done this kind of vile garbage for ages... Remember, punch back twice as hard, people!

Lastly, these people are politicians, for Pete's sake. Not gods. Who cares how they're depicted. They're not much better than bottom feeders and should be treated accordingly.; 4/8/14, 8:54 AM
Col Mustard said...: "That is a conclusory statement. What is the trick? Be specific.

And don't just point out one thing that I didn't blog about. I don't see everything and I don't choose to blog about everything.

But I take it that you are accusing me of attacking only the demeaning of women that comes from the right and never from the left.

You can't make that assertion based on my having missed one thing. You need to be saying that I have systematically targeted the sexism of the right.

No way can you support that.

If that isn't what you're saying, I can't understand what you are saying."

Sounds like lawyer-speak to me :-); 4/8/14, 8:55 AM
khesanh0802 said...: Ann;

Whoever you're responding to really must have hit a sore spot. You did a quick jump on to your high horse. Lawyerese does not help. You come off a little like Crack. Very unexpected!; 4/8/14, 10:45 AM
Bilwick said...: Sorry, fail to feel the outrage. Maybe decades of "edgy" left-wing agitprop has jaded me. I will savor the Hive's righteous indignation. Actually, showing Pelosi participating in a S&M sex is kind of fitting. For years I've seen the sadomasochistic streak in what passes for "liberalism" these days. I just wish "liberals" (and by "liberals" I mean of course "tax-happy, coercion-addicted, power-jonesing State-fellators") would take it to leather bars and S&M swing clubs, and leave those of us who want to live free the hell alone.; 4/8/14, 1:59 PM
Anonymous said...: Ana Marie Cox has no standing when it comes to criticizing others for the "edgy" photos:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/anamariecox/with/3312654664; 4/8/14, 5:20 PM