And probably illegal ones, at that. So says the folks at Toys in the Attic:
John, did you use enough adjectives? You may have missed a few. You can always tell when somebody is going over the top when they load up on the adjectives.
The problem for Cole here is twofold:
Bill Donohue doesn’t work for any Republican candidates for President. He does not represent the GOP in an official manner and he doesn’t represent any organization other than his own. So making a comparison between and Marcotte and McEwan, who were hired to be bloggers for a Presidential candidate, is completely irrelevant.
Even if Donohue is everything John says he is, it too is irrelevant. This is a tactic that is constantly used on both sides of the aisle. It doesn’t matter what Donohue has said in the past about anybody else. Why? Because it doesn’t make what he says about Marcotte and McEwan wrong.
Point #1- Bill Donohue does not receive any money for working for Republican candidates that I am aware of, and if you know otherwise, fill me in. However, he most certainly does work towards electing Republicans. He has deep ties with the GOP, a great disdain for the Democrats and the left (which, by itself, is no sin), and works constantly towards helping Republican candidates get elected all the while turning a blind eye to any transgressions committed by Republicans.
Ever remember Catholic Bill Donohue castigating Republicans for speaking at Bob Jones? Me either.
Pretending Donohue is not a lackey for the current GOP makes you just look silly, Jay. Not to mention, he is a hypocrite.
Point #2- I agree with Donohue, for the most part, about Marcotte. Problem is, I agree with much of what Marcotte has to say about pompous moralizing gasbags like Donohue.
So I get it, alright, it isn’t “official,” so therefore you can reap the benefits of his venom while maintaining a safe distance. Whatever. But please, go on, pretend that I am somehow captive to the left for observing that.
And if there is one god damned (now I can never work for a Democratic politician- although I am sure I could get away working for a Republican without anyone raising a stink) thing that pisses me off it is accusations that I have somehow changed because I have watched all these so-called conservatives sell their principles and their beliefs down the river for political expediency.
I still think the same things, for the most part. I have just realized my party doesn’t anymore, and may never have. I have realized that many on the right in the blogosphere don’t have principles, they have a team they are rooting for, and nothing more. That doesn’t mean I have been converted, but it does make me disgusted and disgruntled.
*** Update ***
And a response, of sorts (my original comments italicized):
Ever remember Catholic Bill Donohue castigating Republicans for speaking at Bob Jones? Me either.
Another irrelevant point, but your memory is poor. Dononue did in fact call out Governor George W. Bush for speaking at Bob Jones U. The criticism was huge and Bush had to renounce the school to Cardinal John O’Connor for crying out loud.
I stand corrected. Once in the past decade, Donohue has not served as full time lackey for the GOP under the guise of serving the Catholic Church.
So I get it, alright, it isn’t “official,” so therefore you can reap the benefits of his venom while maintaining a safe distance. Whatever.
Oh please. Save that drivel for your lackey audience. Nobody gave a shit about what Amanda Marcotte wrote before she decided she wanted to join Edwards campaign. The moment she signed on for that, everything she has written or said became relevant. Deal with it. The fact that it was a loud mouth like Donohue that made the most noise and brought it a good deal of attention is irrelevant. You want to attack Donohue? Fine. But stop blubbering about in the context of Marcotte’s departure as a blogger for the Edwards campaign.
I was not blubbering about the context of her departure, as there simply is no love lost between me and Marcotte. I merely stated the obvious- the nutters got their scalp, and Donohue, every bit as despicable as Marcotte and with more impact, remains an unpaid (officially) but faithful servant of the GOP, spewing his bullshit at every opportunity, and you are fine with that. Gleeful, it seems. He isn’t taking any campaign money, so it is not official. Wink wink! Everyone move along, nothing to see here.
And if there is one god damned (now I can never work for a Democratic politician- although I am sure I could get away working for a Republican without anyone raising a stink) thing that pisses me off it is accusations that I have somehow changed because I have watched all these so-called conservatives sell their principles and their beliefs down the river for political expediency.
Sheesh. Now we get into the “Whoa is me” act. John, it’s not your attitude that simply changed, it’s the little things seemingly done to make sure maintain good traffic from the Kos/Atrios wing of the blogosphere. That’s why you added your little dig in that comment after writing ‘god damned’ and talking about ‘illegal aliens’ in the start of the entry. It’s lame dude. Really lame.
I am not one to normally correct typos and spelling errors (hell, I probably have ten in this post), but that one is pretty amusing. It is “woe is me,” not woah. And such it is with your final remark, yet another accusation that I say what I say not because I believe it, but for other motives. By the way- which “wing” of the blogosphere were you trying to gin up traffic with the statement “The aliens that abducted John Cole have finished their transformation. He has officially become Hesiod, formerly of Counterspin. ” Wait, I get it now- you make a snide remark, I jokingly turn it back on you, and you are the victim. Whoa is you, indeed!
At any rate, I am sure you read Jeff Goldstein- go check what he has to say about bad faith arguments and Amanda Marcotte. You might learn something.
The Other Steve
I didn’t leave the Republican Party. The Republican Party left sanity.
pharniel
i was a republican through much of my young life
i was seduced by the image of michael j fox and responsability and the warrior motief
then..well….i went to college, and learned a bit.
they havn’t had me since they told me Deathtounge had to change thier name..
Richard Bottoms
What is the opposite of disgruntled? Engruntled?
grumpy realist
Bravo, John! What attracts me to your blog, is that although I may not agree with you on certain topics, you are consistent and have integrity about your beliefs. What’s good for the goose is definitely good for the gander.
I thought Republicans were the ones who believed in the rule of law, suspicion of letting gov’t have too much power, and checks and balances.
What happened?
jg
The republican party didn’t change. You just now see through the lie they told when they ‘identified’ with you. The republicans have risen to power by convincing various groups that they will still respect them in the morning.
Zifnab
Bill Donahue is like John Lieberman in that neither are members of the Republican Party.
And other things too unsightly to print.
Andrew
This all sounds a little effeminate to me.
Myrtle Parker
Hey John, check out Greenwald’s latest. That fake quote of Lincoln’s has now made it into the congressional record.
dreggas
Strike the last part for me…then Newt Gingrich showed his true colors, Along came the republican Congressional Circus, and finally George Bush was elected.
That’s when I registered independent and voted for the “other guy” at the time. After 6 years if this is the path the republican party intends to continue down (and it seems to be) then they’ve lost me and a lot of others it seems. Their general response seems to be “good we don’t need you”, that’s fine, they can enjoy being in the minority and join the ranks of their base in handling snakes and drinking cyanide laced kool-aid on some tropical island. I bid them farewell.
Jake
Did Donahue and his ilk ever have any principles or beliefs? (Other than all libruls will burn in hell I mean.)
Sorry to break it to you, but to the “Either you’re with us or you’re a filthy hippy” crowd anything but 100% allegiance is a sign of “conversion.*” So fuck ’em and revel in the fact that any defection from the ranks scares the crap out of them.
j
* In the interest of fair and balancedness, I will say this mindset afflicts both sides of the aisle.
Otto Man
Donohue may not have worked for a Republican campaign, but he sure seems to have a blind spot for those who do.
Nice double standard Donohue has. Foul-mouthed bloggers must be driven from Democratic campaigns, because their words might offend.
But sexual predators who get 18-year-old girls in their care drunk and then seduce them? They can stay right on board Bush-Cheney 2004.
I know, I know — It’s OK If You’re a Republican!™
Darren
It is a sad state of affairs that after the last 10 years, you cannot believe anything said about the conservativism as espoused by Gingrich and his successors. It will be equally sad and very worrying if at the end of next 5 or so years, we are saying the same about the Dems. If the 2 parties do not mean anything to anyone except the crazed minorities of believers on both side then we could be in for a period of extreme unrest and discomfort, especially when some of GW’s bills come due in 2012.
dreggas
I was listening and heard the same thing also heard them quote D’Souza. Unreal…just unreal.
numbskull
Yep, I was pretty apolitical until Newt. That’s when I started to think “Man, anything that smells this bad just cannot be good for you.”
brendan
Great rant, and one of the reasons I read your blog.
And pharniel, middle of the road/man it stanks/let’s run over Lionel Richie with a tank.
I still have the Billy and the Boingers mini-45 that came with that Bloom County book!
dreggas
I was suckered by the contract with america and was knowledgable to enough to know about dem corruption. The thing that amazes me is it took the republicans only 12 years to become just as corrupt as those they railed against were.
r4d20
I have realized that many on the right in the blogosphere don’t have principles, they have a team they are rooting for, and nothing more. That doesn’t mean I have been converted, but it does make me disgusted and disgruntled.
Well said, but dont expect them to understand.
Jake
I was listening and heard the same thing also heard them quote D’Souza. Unreal…just unreal.
Well, they know they can’t talk about the actual war.
You go to debate with the facts you make up, not the facts you wish you had.
stickler
The Language Man asks:
In highfalutin’ East Coast English, the word would be “gruntled.”
West of the Mississippi, it’s “embiggened.”
demimondian
And up here in the ever-so-polite Pacific Northwest, it’s “having a high degree of gruntlement security”.
Darrell
Ah yes, the Last Principled Conservative (TM).
Is there even 1 person alive who could peruse your archives or here and not say that John Cole’s positions have changed SIGNIFICANTLY? And the arrogance in slamming down and smearing others who disagree with you even when you’re dead wrong, that’s new too. You used to have humility. Anyone perusing your archives could see that change too. When was the last time anything close to a post like this came from John Cole
John Cole
Darrell- Maybe when I realized that people like you were accusing people of rooting for failure when they really just opposed the war?
Tsulagi
Donohue a moralizing for thou gasbag shill for the GOP? Nope, not a chance. I’m sure in addition to Democratic candidates his organization sent letters like this as well to Pubs like Brownback demanding they publicly denounce Edwards’ bloggers. No doubt. Any moment we’ll hear the required denouncements from McCain, Rudy, et all.
Of course no letter or statement from the party of Bush is complete without the absolutely mandatory victimhood affirmation…
While Jesus may be weeping, I feel like throwing up everytime I hear them play the victim. While they’re praying to the Lord, they should add a spine to their wish list.
stickler
demimondianian:
Dude, I’m in Oregon. Ground Zero for ever-so-polite, Scandinavian/Methodist/Mark O. Hatfield warmfuzziness. And here’s what I have to say about your comment:
Go fuck yourself.
(If that wouldn’t be inconvenient. Or if you have time. And if it’s not too much bother. And if now’s not a good time, then next week would be okay, too. No? Okay. Sorry, then. Say, how about them Blazers?)
The Other Steve
Clearly this is proof that John Cole hates Christmas.
Hyperion
i have to disagree. the level of corruptness “achieved” by the Rs in 12 years greatly exceeds what it took decades for the Ds to get.
when i compare details on the “yeah but they did it first!” claims, i find the Rs win hands down: length of votes left open, judge nominations blocked in committee, ethics panel BS, preventing the opposition from reading bills, etc.
the Ds were not and are not perfect. the Rs are just more power mad and, for some strange reason, convinced of their superiority even in the face of tons of evidence to the contrary.
Pb
Oh, gosh, really? How could we possibly have forgotten that:
Harsh words. “I don’t think he’s a bigot“–yeah, Donohue really twisted the knife there. Why, compared to Bush, he had kid gloves on when he pledged to keep attacking Edwards non-stop.
Richard 23
I think that’s a fair statement. It’s not like BushHitler McHalliburton doesn’t like black people. He sure likes Condi.
rorschach
At any rate, I am sure you read Jeff Goldstein- go check what he has to say about bad faith arguments and Amanda Marcotte. You might learn something.
Dude, Jeff Goldstein is a bad faith argument.
Dug Jay
This is a laughable comment! As with Andrew Sullivan, Mr. Cole has occasional trouble maintaining a consistent train of thought from one day to the next.
Lee
Didn’t he disprove his whole hypothesis about Donohue when he brought up that he made Bush apologize for speaking at Bob Jones?
If Donohue is not supposed to be a GOP power player how on earth could he have gotten an apology?
rorschach
I’m reminded of Sir Charles Barkley. A reporter asked him if he is still a Republican. He replied, “I was a Republican… until they lost their damn minds!”
Rome Again
Just because you don’t understand his beliefs as he does doesn’t make his beliefs inconsistent. I find little inconsistency personally.
I think it must be very difficult to maintain consistency and a Republican political affiliation at the same time theswe days. John’s understanding that he couldn’t believe has he does and continue to shovel the Republican shit piles anymore makes perfect sense to me.