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You are here: Home / Politics / Shorter Peggy Noonan

Shorter Peggy Noonan

by John Cole|  June 1, 200710:53 am| 48 Comments

This post is in: Politics, Republican Stupidity

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“Conservatives were cool with the lying, the incompetence, the spending, the failed war, the expanded government, the assault on civil liberties, and the broken promises, but, man are we pissed about the immigration bill!”

Not to stroke my own ego, but I predicted this.

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48Comments

  1. 1.

    norbizness

    June 1, 2007 at 10:59 am

    Ladies and gentleman! We may have found a way to traverse the seemingly impenetrable Galactic 28% barrier!

  2. 2.

    Dreggas

    June 1, 2007 at 11:00 am

    Yeah you predicted it alright and I agree. It just goes to show how completely fucked up these people are.

  3. 3.

    The Other Steve

    June 1, 2007 at 11:05 am

    14% here we come!

  4. 4.

    dslak

    June 1, 2007 at 11:08 am

    I do love the “How dare he impugn our patriotism!” attitude. As if the Bush administration is capable of anything else, like, say, putting forward an argument.

    It’s okay to suggest that Max Cleland and and Jack Murtha aren’t patriotic, but when you’ve questioned the patriotism of the 101st Fighting Keyboardists, you’ve gone too far, Sir!

  5. 5.

    Gold Star for Robot Boy

    June 1, 2007 at 11:17 am

    In the 6-1/2 years of the Bush Administration, this is by far my favorite. week. ever.

  6. 6.

    Zifnab

    June 1, 2007 at 11:20 am

    The president has taken to suggesting that opponents of his immigration bill are unpatriotic–they “don’t want to do what’s right for America.” His ally Sen. Lindsey Graham has said, “We’re gonna tell the bigots to shut up.” On Fox last weekend he vowed to “push back.” Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff suggested opponents would prefer illegal immigrants be killed; Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez said those who oppose the bill want “mass deportation.” Former Bush speechwriter Michael Gerson said those who oppose the bill are “anti-immigrant” and suggested they suffer from “rage” and “national chauvinism.”

    Ouch. Looks like someone can dish it out, but she just can’t take it. BURN!

  7. 7.

    Gold Star for Robot Boy

    June 1, 2007 at 11:20 am

    On a serious note, it’ll be interesting to see how many – if any – wingers do some soul-searching before saying, “I may be partially to blame because I enabled him, Lord knows I did.”

  8. 8.

    RSA

    June 1, 2007 at 11:20 am

    The single best comment I’ve seen is from Jon Chait on The Plank:

    What happened to the thoughtful, fair-minded, unwaveringly logical president we once knew?

  9. 9.

    Dreggas

    June 1, 2007 at 11:26 am

    Ya know. It’s almost ironic I am listening to a song right now called “Now Lie In It” by a band called Spanking Machine which of course borrows the phrase “You made your bed now lie in it”.

  10. 10.

    Wilfred

    June 1, 2007 at 11:35 am

    We may have found a way to traverse the seemingly impenetrable Galactic 28% barrier!

    For the physics of it:

    http://highclearing.com/index.php/archives/2007/06/01/6540

  11. 11.

    Krista

    June 1, 2007 at 11:36 am

    On a serious note, it’ll be interesting to see how many – if any – wingers do some soul-searching before saying, “I may be partially to blame because I enabled him, Lord knows I did.”

    None. They’ll see this as a betrayal. They’ve ignored his malfeasance all along, but as soon as the malfeasance affects THEM, they cry “You’ve changed on us! You’re not the same man you were!” Guess what, righties? He is the same man. He always has been. This is just the first time that you’re the ones getting screwed over and called names.

  12. 12.

    Anonymous Jim

    June 1, 2007 at 11:46 am

    Personally, I think Noonan et al are suffering from BDS. It is what I have been told that I suffer from every time I question anything this President does.

  13. 13.

    norbizness

    June 1, 2007 at 11:47 am

    Also, with Dan Bartlett resigning, we may enter a new, dark era of incompetence and shameless lawbreaking in the Bush Administration! Um…

  14. 14.

    Lee

    June 1, 2007 at 11:53 am

    Anyone want to email Noonan “I told you so”?

  15. 15.

    ThymeZone

    June 1, 2007 at 11:54 am

    Yeah you predicted it alright and I agree. It just goes to show how completely fucked up these people are.

    My comment = ditto

    Remember, these are the people who turned on Barry Goldwater, for crissakes.

  16. 16.

    Tsulagi

    June 1, 2007 at 11:57 am

    This one is cracking me up. Watching the 28%ers like those on RedState define unhinged at the admin’s standard practice of saying if you don’t support them in everything, you’re unpatriotic. For good measure they’re throwing in bigotry and racism. I’m waiting for the still diehard Bushies to add in “you don’t support the troops” and “you’re gay” if you don’t back them to really rally the base for this bill.

    What, no love now for their Uniting not Dividing president? The brain-dead one they’ve rubber stamped for the past six years? The one they could never crawl too far up his ass? Oh, I feel your pain, bitches.

    Also funny on RedState yesterday was their taking some exception to Rove and Mehlman. Seems their previous American idols are now telling them the immigration bill is essential to the survival of the Republican party, and they’d be stupid not to realize it. Rovian math backing up known truth has calculated all Hispanic immigrants would vote Republican.

    And you thought Idiocracy was just a movie. It’s a blueprint.

  17. 17.

    Gold Star for Robot Boy

    June 1, 2007 at 12:08 pm

    Remember, these are the people who turned on Barry Goldwater, for crissakes.

    Barry, our nation turns its lonely eyes to you. Woo woo woo.

  18. 18.

    tBone

    June 1, 2007 at 12:09 pm

    From Noonan’s piece:

    This White House thinks its base is stupid and that its heart is in the wrong place.

    Whatta you know, I actually agree with the White House on something.

  19. 19.

    ThymeZone

    June 1, 2007 at 12:13 pm

    What we are seeing now sort of proves that you actually cannot fool some of the people all of the time.

    No matter how fucking stupid, gullible and prone to magical thinking they may be.

  20. 20.

    tBone

    June 1, 2007 at 12:15 pm

    God, that Noonan rant is a goldmine:

    Why would they speak so insultingly, with such hostility, of opponents who are concerned citizens?

    Yeah, who could have ever imagined they would do something like that? I’m shocked – shocked, I tell you!

    I can’t wait for Peggy’s follow-up piece on how water is wet and the sky is blue.

  21. 21.

    Dreggas

    June 1, 2007 at 12:18 pm

    Tsulagi Says:

    This one is cracking me up. Watching the 28%ers like those on RedState define unhinged at the admin’s standard practice of saying if you don’t support them in everything, you’re unpatriotic. For good measure they’re throwing in bigotry and racism. I’m waiting for the still diehard Bushies to add in “you don’t support the troops” and “you’re gay” if you don’t back them to really rally the base for this bill.

    Wait for it….

    They don’t support the troops, after all there are so many who are earning their citizenship who were illegal but joined the military to become citizens. They must not support the troops because a good number of the troops are probably illegal immigrants filling the ranks so the 101st Keyboarders don’t have to!!!

  22. 22.

    BFR

    June 1, 2007 at 12:25 pm

    Rovian math backing up known truth has calculated all Hispanic immigrants would vote Republican.

    I actually think the Rove cabal is probably right on this point. If the Rs gave in& delivered the major crackdown the base wants, then the Rs would be cemented as the minority party for a long, long time. The crackdown would help them in 1, maybe 2 election cycles but that’s it – the base would eventually move on to some other nefarious bogeyman while leaving behind a generation of D voting hispanics & agrobusiness folks.

    Say bye bye to winning many statewide offices outside of the deep south & rustbelt.

  23. 23.

    Gold Star for Robot Boy

    June 1, 2007 at 12:32 pm

    If the Rs gave in& delivered the major crackdown the base wants, then the Rs would be cemented as the minority party for a long, long time. The crackdown would help them in 1, maybe 2 election cycles but that’s it – the base would eventually move on to some other nefarious bogeyman while leaving behind a generation of D voting hispanics & agrobusiness folks.

    For proof, look at California post-1994. Yes, Prop. 187 got Pete Wilson re-elected but it destroyed the long-term future of the GOP.

  24. 24.

    Jack H.

    June 1, 2007 at 12:32 pm

    I think Noonan meant to say ‘Why would they speak so insultingly, with such hostility, of opponents who are concerned (REPUBLICAN) citizens?.’ Unfreakinbelievable yet predicted by John.
    The ‘Bush is actually a liberal’ meme is going to be pushed hard in the coming year I’m sure.

  25. 25.

    Rome Again

    June 1, 2007 at 12:38 pm

    national chauvinism

    Damn that’s an interesting term. It speaks to exactly what I think of this new wave of nationalism we’ve been seeing.

  26. 26.

    Zifnab

    June 1, 2007 at 12:47 pm

    I actually think the Rove cabal is probably right on this point. If the Rs gave in& delivered the major crackdown the base wants, then the Rs would be cemented as the minority party for a long, long time.

    Rove is no idiot. He knew exactly what he was doing when he sent Bush down to Mexico to meet with Vicente Fox. He knew exactly what he was doing when he pitched a number of hispanic-friendly-on-paper intiatives in Texas. To be fair, Rove really was a political mastermind in that regard. But you can’t fight stupid, and Rove picked the wrong side of the fence to pitch his tent on.

    If the Republicans had played it smart, they could have leveraged their “deep religious values” to win themselves a voting block as widespread and loyal as blacks have been to the Democrats. That’s what Rove was after.

  27. 27.

    BFR

    June 1, 2007 at 1:03 pm

    Rove is no idiot.

    Probably not, but his genius status is probably half BS. He’s been responsible for purusing a party plank that combined social traditionalism/nativism, rabid fear mongering along with wedge politics.

    It’s been clear they were targeting hispanic votes as far back as the 2000 election, yet he/they failed to anticipate that their political positioning woud eventually whip up anti-immigrant/anti-hispanic emotions among their base voters.

    I wouldn’t have necessarily seen it coming myself (but I don’t think about this as a fulltime job). They’re kind of stuck now – the base isn’t going to let go of immigration anytime soon.

  28. 28.

    BFR

    June 1, 2007 at 1:29 pm

    WRT Rove – I think his reliance on wedge/base politics has the effect of eventually boxing R candidates into corners. Look at where the Republican party is on:
    1) Immigraion
    2) War in Iraq
    3) Climate change
    4) Evolution

    and on and on – playing to base politics forces whichever party is doing into playing to increasingly irrational emotions within their base. The Republican party looks increasingly absurd to huge % of people but can’t really afford to break with their base without sustaining huge, short-term losses. They’ve let their base force them into a decision of lose now or lose later. That’s not the signature of a genius.

  29. 29.

    Tsulagi

    June 1, 2007 at 2:27 pm

    Comedy is alive and well at RedState. Deep thinking going on prompted by this immigration bill. From the head deep thinker over there himself…

    But seriously, is the Bush White House a sleeper cell of Democrats? That could explain why they never booted all the Democrat hacks who have set about destroying the President’s policies.

    And that could explain No Child Left Behind, the Medicare bill, and now Bush’s immigration position.

    There you have it. Finally an explanation. It’s known truth Hastert’s gay staffers were covert Democratic operatives that kept him from doing anything about Foley. Just so they could embarrass the Republican party for the midterms. Seems the WH has been infiltrated all along too.

  30. 30.

    Rome Again

    June 1, 2007 at 2:34 pm

    There you have it. Finally an explanation. It’s known truth Hastert’s gay staffers were covert Democratic operatives that kept him from doing anything about Foley. Just so they could embarrass the Republican party for the midterms. Seems the WH has been infiltrated all along too.

    Paranoia will destroy ya!

  31. 31.

    Lee

    June 1, 2007 at 2:49 pm

    Captain’s Quarters Post

    Go thru the comments for some pure comedy gold.

    In fact, he has repeatedly gone out of his way to be deferential and assume the best motives of his harshest critics

    This guy must have been asleep the last 6 years.

  32. 32.

    tBone

    June 1, 2007 at 3:00 pm

    There you have it. Finally an explanation. It’s known truth Hastert’s gay staffers were covert Democratic operatives that kept him from doing anything about Foley. Just so they could embarrass the Republican party for the midterms. Seems the WH has been infiltrated all along too.

    I have it on good authority that one of those self-same Democrat moles forced Harry Whittington to wear a quail mask while hunting with Cheney. They’ll stop at nothing.

  33. 33.

    Bubblegum Tate

    June 1, 2007 at 3:03 pm

    The ‘Bush is actually a liberal’ meme is going to be pushed hard in the coming year I’m sure.

    Oh, definitely. It will quickly become a Known Truth(tm).

    In the meantime, this whole thing is teh aw3som3. Welcome to the Hate America First crowd, moonbats!

  34. 34.

    Rome Again

    June 1, 2007 at 3:23 pm

    This guy must have been asleep the last 6 years.

    I understand right-wing Koolaid machines include a heavy sedative.

  35. 35.

    Gold Star for Robot Boy

    June 1, 2007 at 3:24 pm

    Captain’s Quarters Post
    To be fair, the Morrissey maintaining intellectual consistency:

    Welcome to the hardball of the Bush administration. We loved it when they used it on Democrats and the war, and it seems just a little hypocritical to start whining about it now that we’re getting a taste of it ourselves.

  36. 36.

    Jack H.

    June 1, 2007 at 3:39 pm

    I’m now taking bets on when we’ll first see the caption ‘George W. Bush (D)’ on the Fox.

  37. 37.

    Zifnab

    June 1, 2007 at 3:48 pm

    The Republican party looks increasingly absurd to huge % of people but can’t really afford to break with their base without sustaining huge, short-term losses. They’ve let their base force them into a decision of lose now or lose later. That’s not the signature of a genius.

    It was a power play, though. Rove was banking on the idea that Republicans would be in power long enough to completely cement their position and wall out competition. Hence all the Attorney firings and investigations into Dems for corruption. Unfortunately, he was so busy going after innocent or near-innocent Dems, he forgot to keep his own house in order. It’s really hard to say you’re cracking down on corruption when your own party is sending a Congressman a year to the slammer for various criminal enterprises.

    Rove’s plan was sound. His party just sucked.

  38. 38.

    Rome Again

    June 1, 2007 at 3:51 pm

    Rove’s plan was sound. His party just sucked.

    Does this mean he was sucking soundly?

  39. 39.

    Dreggas

    June 1, 2007 at 4:06 pm

    Rome Again Says:

    Rove’s plan was sound. His party just sucked.

    Does this mean he was sucking soundly?

    With his mug probably sloppily too…

  40. 40.

    Dreggas

    June 1, 2007 at 4:11 pm

    Oh and WRT Peggy Noonan all I can say is “Savor”

  41. 41.

    Otto Man

    June 1, 2007 at 4:17 pm

    I’m now taking bets on when we’ll first see the caption ‘George W. Bush (D)’ on the Fox.

    Apparently, we’re already there.

    I just happened to pass by a TV and on Tucker Carlson’s show the chyron read “Just how liberal is President Bush?”

  42. 42.

    Rome Again

    June 1, 2007 at 4:19 pm

    I just happened to pass by a TV and on Tucker Carlson’s show the chyron read “Just how liberal is President Bush?”

    Tucker is now on MSNBC, that’s not Fox News.

  43. 43.

    Otto Man

    June 1, 2007 at 4:23 pm

    Tucker is now on MSNBC, that’s not Fox News.

    Right, but I didn’t think we were looking for a literal match.

  44. 44.

    BFR

    June 1, 2007 at 5:13 pm

    I’m now taking bets on when we’ll first see the caption ‘George W. Bush (D)’ on the Fox.

    In all seriousness, the R party is in a bind with Bush – just look at the R primary for crying out loud. As long as Bush & ilk control party fundraising/funding, the primary contenders are limited in the amound they can throw him under the bus. To take the immigration example, the party $$ interests cannot be reconciled with the base interests.

    It’ll be interesting to see how it plays out. It’ll be a tricky tap-dance.

  45. 45.

    Zombie Santa Claus

    June 1, 2007 at 5:45 pm

    This comment to that Morrisey post is spoofer gold:

    While you are right about the method of going for positive rather than negative and that general train of thought, your wrong about how Bush jr has handled or rather mishandled immigration.

    For most Americans they don’t understand his grand plan of uniting Mexico, Canada and these United States.

    He has been deadly serious about it for years, and he has not kept it a secret as some on the left say. Anyone who has a lick of sense knows how Bush jr feels about it.

    The trouble is, not many others feel the same way, just ask Texans how they feel about their state politicians throwing them under the bus for this new Mexico/Canada toll road through America.

    But it is a seperate, most hurting deal when he says that anyone who doesn’t want to agree with this latest abortion of an immigration bill ….doesn’t have America’s best interests at heart.

    Not only is that a boldface lie and misrepresentaton of everything involved, it is an indication of how stupid and narrowminded he thinks the average American is. He might as well called us all racists and unAmerican.

    He can’t do that and get away with it. Many think that its not only stupid but mean spirited what he said and how he said it.

    That was the last straw…mark my words.

    That guy probably writes for Blogs4Brownback.

  46. 46.

    jake

    June 1, 2007 at 8:37 pm

    Quick! We’ll need 800 sterilized bottles and 300 gallons of formula to shut up all the WATBs.

    He can’t do that and get away with it.

    Oh gods, please don’t let there be an anti-immigration rally here. Or at least let me have enough notice so I can GtF out of town.

    Many think that its not only stupid but mean spirited what he said and how he said it.

    What she said,
    Was sad,
    but then all the rejection she had,
    to pretend to be happy
    could only be idiocy.

    Sorry.
    Morrisey. The Smiths. Whining. It all makes sense. Trust me.

  47. 47.

    mclaren

    June 2, 2007 at 1:04 am

    Even shorter Peggy Noonan:
    “Conservatives love inept thieving tyrants, but hate anyone of the…shall we say…darker persuasion.”

  48. 48.

    numbskull

    June 4, 2007 at 7:48 am

    BFR said “…playing to base politics forces whichever party is doing into playing to increasingly irrational emotions within their base.”

    Absolutely not true. Change “base” to “fringe” and you have it correctly on a more general level. Sadly for the country, Rove et al. decided to make the fringe their base because their fringe were the ones willing to lie down in traffic for whoever promised them a Xtian nation.

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