The "My Dog's Better Than Your Dog" Argument

Republicans don't criticize. They attack. Democrats don't attack. They criticize.

The mask came completely off the media last week with their "coverage" of the Tea Party demonstrations, as every report outside of Fox News sought to delegitimize them as Racist™. Organized by "The Rich™". Or Fox News. Or Talk Radio. Or "Republican".

The Obama Administration tried to delegitimize them by simultaneously saying "Oh? I wasn't aware" and releasing the executive summary of a memo that basically said that conservatives are potential terrorists and we'd best marginalize them. These are crazy people out demonstrating, after all, unlike ... say, Cindy Shenhan.

And I found out this morning that a comedian/actress whom I used to like thinks I'm an ignorant, racist redneck. Her words. Wound me, Jeneane ... I am none of the above. You clearly are at least two of them. And I could make an argument that the tattoos all over someone I used to think was attractive makes you the third as well.

She has no clue who was at these Tea Parties. But she's brought on to speak as some sort of ... expert... I guess. As if being popular qualifies you to speak on ... anything.

So here's a headline.... "Republican Pitt Bull Attacks Don't Hurt Obama". Yeah? Well my Superman can beat up your Spider Man. Yeah! I said "spider". They're icky bugs!"

Anyway, in it, Albert Hunt indignantly offers up several observations about the Right's criticism of Obama, The One™, such as:

One right-wing blogger wrote that the Somali pirates have been emboldened by the administration’s “touchy feely” military posture.

as it is self-evidently absurd. You know, the "laugh in your face" argument. Not that his own Vice President didn't predict events like this during the campaign or anything.

So Obama pulled the trigger, so to speak, and good for him. Most "Right-Wing" bloggers such as myself gave him credit for it. We're happy to be proven wrong over things like this. Liberals just never want to be wrong. (I didn't bow! I wasn't aware of those sermons. Yeah. Sure.)

He goes on to say:

it illustrates the vacuity of the Republican and conservative in those waters and more than 270 hostages, some Somali Sinbad realized that Obama had cut back on missile defense, showing the U.S.’s weakness, and so decided to attack.

Why is that vacuous, exactly? Obama made it clear that he abhors aggressive military action, runs around the world apologizing for the U.S., voted into office in large part by people who feel putting a bug in a prisoner's cell "torture" ... one might get the idea to test how far the non-violent, Rainbow-Farting Unicorn ideology goes. Just sayin' it's not all that huge a leap.

There is a case to be made against this administration’s foreign and domestic policies. It just isn’t being made by the chief opposition. The Republican governor of Texas won’t dismiss calls for secession, an issue that was settled on those Gettysburg fields.

Was it? Kind of in the same way that my right to resist a robbery was settled when the last guy who tried it was shot and killed? Ah, the depth of the arguments here. About as deep as The One's rhetoric turns out to be when analyzed for actual meaning.

This, as much as Obama’s persuasive communication skills, political acumen, strong advisers and appealing positions, may explain why the president remains so popular and Republicans so unpopular.

Kinda comparing apples to oranges there, aren'tcha? How 'bout we compare Democrats and Republicans? The edge pretty much goes away when you compare apples to apples. And like I said, only people who didn't go to these Tea Party rallies don't know that the anger is directed at both parties. I know you Libs find that hard to believe, because you think that conservatives are monolithically Republican and vice versa. Conservatives have had to vote Republican because the other party stinks worse. And we're pretty pissed about being forced into that position.

Never mind Obama. Do they really believe that Gates, the first President Bush’s Central Intelligence Agency director and the second President Bush’s defense secretary, would “disarm” America?

Oh look, a herring! And, hey, isn't it ... crimson??? Gates ultimately has to do what the President and Congress tell him to do. He can ask and make suggestions... but it's not really up to him in the end.

On economic issues, the Grand Old Party almost unanimously opposed Obama’s economic-stimulus package. When pressed for their own solutions, the best congressional Republicans could come up with was cutting taxes, especially for wealthier Americans.

Never mind the fact that that's the only thing that's been shown to actually, you know, work. And that the top 10% pays 60% of the taxes, the top 20% pays 70%. The bottom 80% pay the other 30%. And something like the bottom 30 or 40% pay no taxes at all. And that a poor man isn't the guy who creates jobs. Details, I know.

Politically and intellectually, the two most astute critics were to be Gingrich and Karl Rove, Bush’s former top political adviser. Instead, both have looked more like opportunistic attack dogs.

And so the liberal media never misses a chance to dismiss them in hopes that not too many people will pay attention to the fact that they have been very astute critics armed with insider insight .... just as the author is dismissing here. Just because they attack doesn't mean they're wrong. And calling them "dogs" may be a slight, but may I point out that dogs are known largely for being loyal, and man's best friend.

Rove joined Gingrich in expressing shock that, in a speech in Ankara to the Muslim world, Obama seemed to empathize with Turkey’s secular politics. Do they prefer Iran’s brand of Islam?

[sarcasm]Of course they do. Gigrich and Rove's support and love for Iran is well known. [/sarcasm] "Shock" is a purposeful overstatement here, making this statement at least as overreaching as he claims Rove's and Gingrich's to be.

As the new administration reaches its 100-day mark, the opposition really has only one strategy: Count on Obama to fail.

Well it does have one thing going for it. It is sure to happen. I just hope it doesn't end up being the final unraveling of the country as it was originally designed. The sad thing is is that the Republican Party hasn't been, in practice, a whole lot better than "Democrat-Lite". What we need is a return to founding principles, small government, and to remember that the "establishment" clause in the first amendment is followed by another clause prohibiting the enactment of laws that prohibit the free exercise thereof.

Like, for instance, being able to pray where ever you want. Even in public. And even if you're Christian.