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July 12, 2006
Davey Brooks is "selective"
David Brooks has been recently attacking the Daily Kos and other leftie websites, comparing the attempted ouster of Joe Lieberman to the Spanish civil war, or something like that. I've compared all sorts of things to the Spanish civil war in my lifetime, including the lines at my grocery store, so I'm not going to accuse Mr. Brooks of hyperbole. And I don't read the Daily Kos or Huffington Post regularly, so I'm not about to say that they're not out to get Lieberman.
But to not acknowledge the angry, frothing boogeymen in the right's closet when you accuse the left of being mean and nasty, Davey, is selective at best. Maybe you missed the memo: the right has been accusing your boss, your paper, your dead trees, ye old Grey Lady of treason. Someone said Bill Keller should be sent to the gas chamber. I'm aware of no leftie that has advocated gassing Lieberman. They're just in favor of replacing him on the Democratic ticket. Wise, unwise, fair, not fair... that's democracy in action. Conn. is a blue state, an anti-war state and Lamont has the right to voice the population's objection to Lieberman's stance.
Davey, I watch you on PBS and I must say, it's hard to stir any grand anger towards you personally because you seem genial. Of course, I've only seen you on the Dulcet Network (the best network on the dial, in my opinion) and not on Fox News. Maybe you can spit and foam at the mouth with the best of the Hannitys and O'Reillys.
Perhaps you choose not to defend Keller in a column, or bring some silver to save him from the gallows pole, because he's definetely not going to the gas chamber and Lamont may win the nomination. I understand the difference between a right-winger's wet dream and the electorial process. But to say we lack civility when those on the far right, with alarming regularity, threatenen to kill, or deport, or charge with treason any number of left-wing, middle-wing or no-wing figures they happen to disagree with (G. G. Liddy's target practice, I recall) is selective.
There's plenty of meanness on the right, but perhaps this does not bother you. Frequently, I hear the non-frothing right defend the frothers on the grounds that the frothers are joking. Gas chambers being the high point of all political hilarity, I assume.
Davey, it boils down to this. If you want civility, ask it from all sides. Call out your fellow right-wingers when they hope people get killed, San Francisco gets attacked (Bill O'Reilly) or any number of "jokes" which "civil" people don't usually make.
Posted by emily at July 12, 2006 5:26 PM