Easily breaking our old record of three Bill Kristol posts in one day, post #4 about Mr. Kristol is filled with awesome:
On Sunday afternoon Weekly Standard editor and New York Times columnist Bill Kristol — in an email exchange with Big Hollywood — agreed to debate Matt Damon on his Hollywood home turf after being informed the 38-year old actor ridiculed Kristol in an interview in the Miami Herald.
“He’s an idiot — he wrote that we should be grateful to George Bush because he won the Iraq war. We! Won! The! War!”
As the sponsor of the event, Big Hollywood is offering $100,000 to Damon (or to the charity or carbon credit of his choice) to publicly debate Kristol at a mutually agreed upon time, date and venue.
Certainly this must be the new low for the man the National Review calls “among the most intelligent, creative, and articulate conservative voices in America” is now reduced to proving his intellectual rigor debating the star of Stuck on You. Even better, it is even money he will lose the debate. For an encore, maybe he can challenge Tonya Harding on the Man Show.
Say it again to yourself- “Among the most intelligent, creative, and articulate conservative voices in America.”
*** Update ***
What Ken Layne said.
cmorenc
Matt Damon is a Harvard grad, and as a movie actor, has demonstrated proven ability to portray sharply intelligent characters in very convincing fashion without any trace of oozing snottishness (Good Will Hunting is the best example). The times I’ve heard him commenting publicly about things, he seems genuinely well-informed, and not just repeating progressive platitudes.
Bill Kristol may be in for a much rougher match than he initially realized, taking on a Hollywood type.
J.
I might just pay $100K to see Kristol jump on a trampoline in a cheerleader outfit. Not sure about debating Matt Damon. I heard Damon is actually pretty smart. He did co-write "Good Will Hunting," with Ben Affleck, lest we forget.
Laura W
(who is now reduced?)
Obsessive Compulsive Proofer
cmorenc
Not that being an Ivy league (or even Harvard) grad doesn’t mean you can’t turn out to be a complete intellectual twit. Laura Ingrahm is a Dartmouth grad, and as we all know, George W. Bush is a Yale grad, albeit back from the days when nothing more than elite family connections was required to get in.
The Other Steve
What Kristol is looking for here is to bait Damon by acting like an idiot and then have Damon actually call him an idiot.
At this point Bill Kristol will have won.
Then they’ll pat themselves on the back and say to each other… "See, liberals aren’t tolerant."
Laura W
@Laura W: Never mind. I get it now. For = As or Because. Can’t get in to edit 3…site is wonky.
Apologies.
ricky
Yeah, and when he took that degree an applied to the University of Texas School of Law, at a time when UT would let a stump get admitted to undergraduate school (if white), he was turned down. Following that he got into Harvard and got an MBA.
Zifnab
And, after seeing their later films, I don’t think there’s any mystery about which of them was carrying most of the water.
This could be relatively entertaining.
Alex
Kristol’s just mad because he just now heard that Matt Damon is fucking Sarah Silverman. . .
Joshua Norton
Matt got Sarah Palin down pretty good. I’m pretty sure he could wipe the smarm off of ole Kristol Balls puss without even breaking a sweat.
NonyNony
Damon may or may not be pretty smart (though from what I’ve seen, I think John’s right that it’s at least even money that Kristol might lose a debate to Damon. I might even give Damon slightly better than even odds against Kristol given William the Bloody’s track record), but that is completely beside the point.
The point is that William Kristol, son of conservative icon Irving Kristol, professional political pundit and conservative commentator, is apparently salivating to debate a guy who makes movies for a living. The analogy would be like having an NBA player who wants to go one-on-one with a guy who works on computers for a living but occasionally likes to play pick-up-games in the park down the street.
OTOH, if Kristol wants to have a real debate with someone on the opposite "side", I’d pay good money to watch him go one-on-one with Glenn Greenwald.
Elvis Elvisberg
Who the fuck gave Big Hollywood $100,000?
Damon is very well-informed, articulate, and comes across pretty well in interviews. He will wipe the floor with Kristol.
Punchy
Damon’s 38 years old? Holy shit.
I had him at about 30….
John Cole
My point, exactly.
ricky
@ Punchy
Big Hollywood doesn’t care as long as they get to hide the cameras in the dressing rooms.
JimPortlandOR
If it happens, I’d like to see Damon do some Jason Bourne on Kristol. Any guy who can do three exteme action movies in the Bourne character and make the CIA into even bigger incompetents deserves accolades.
I doubt Damon would be cowed by Kristol – in fact we might see Kristol crap his pants when confronted by someone knowledgable who doesn’t back down.
Bring it On!
The Moar You Know
You guys are forgetting the rules:
Conservative = Real American™
Liberal = filthy unwashed America-hating jerk
Damon cannot win, Kristol cannot lose. It’s the Real American™ way.
Paul L.
@cmorenc:
What is his degree in?
Wiki does not have anything.
So he will get the Daily Show writers to come up with some retorts/talking points?
That is how Jon Stewart does it.
Or will he use the Arianna Huffington technique when she debated Victor Davis Hanson?
Refute every point by calling him a misinformed mistaken lying neo-con and then get emotional and change the subject.
amorphous
Four posts in a day? This must be what it was like to see Bob Beamon in Mexico City.
Zifnab
If he’s smart. John Stewart gets to punk down Kristol on a year-in year-out basis. I don’t know too many other people more skilled at dealing with Bill’s personal breed of stupid.
Joshua Norton
Sorry Slick, but that’s the wingnut way. Are you forgetting that we all saw Sarah Palin "debate"?
Project much?
Bob In Pacifica
Screw Matt Damon. I want to see Kristol wrestle Mickey Rourke.
srv
I don’t think Kristol has demonstrated that he is in Damon’s weight class. Perhaps Damon’s manager should offer Pauly Shore first.
jvill
1. Damon never graduated from Harvard. Something about an acting career…
2. You MUST read the comments attached to the posting at Big Hollywood. Apparently you’re one tough-mo-fo when you pick fights with actors.
3. I volunteered John Cole in place of Damon.
srv
@Bob In Pacifica: Mickey is a wingnut.
amorphous
@Bob In Pacifica: He’ll be, um… busy.
Brian J
There’s way too much negativity directed towards Damon here. That said, it is a little ridiculous that one of the leading public intellectuals on the right is eager to debate a movie star. I’ll never understand why the right really gives a shit what those in Hollywood think. If their opinions are so ill-informed and worthless, and if they have little influence over the debate, why spend so much time trying to start fights with them? It’s far more productive and much, much easier to ignore them. Of course, the right doesn’t do this, which makes me think something deep down inside of their mentality is bothered by what they say because they may be on to something.
jenniebee
I don’t know why this should surprise you. Kristol, after all, isn’t a theorist or a policy wonk. He’s a part of the politics-entertainment industry. The punditocracy is, by and large, the WWE of governance.
Indylib
Damon has a serious advantage as a progressive voice, he is not part of the Village and has no cocktail party invitation list position to protect. He doesn’t give a shit how he is portrayed by the political media establishment because his livelihood is not dependant on the little trolls.
If (probably when) he kicks Kristol’s ass across the stage the Village will all whine about how Hollywood stars have no business expressing a political opinion (unless they’re conservatives of course),
but it will offer a platform for a progressive voice that doesn’t see the need to be "civil" or "bi-partisan" in Village-speak.
demkat620
Sadly, he got a new gig within hours of being fired from the old gig.
Pathetic.
Warren Terra
Great. Paul L. shows up in comments to indignantly question Matt Damon’s credentials as a debater and professional pundit. Which misapprehension (on the part of Dumb Hollywood, not Balloon Juice) was rather the point of the post here. I think that attempt at dissent counts as something of a FAIL for Paul.
By the way, is this the same Paul L who so fervently backed Hillary Clinton? Didn’t he then claim to be a Democrat?
The Moar You Know
@Paul L.: At least he’s not out raping black strippers like those guys from Duke did.
lovethebomb
Where is the f-ing snark people? You are defending Matt Damon? C’mon. Him and Affleck were the first signs of the end of cinema. Just because he puports to be progressive means you automatically come to his defense? The guy is vastly over-rated and not worthy of this blog. What happened to objective honesty around here? Kristol is pure lying scum, but that is like saying water is wet.
DougJ
What could having Bill Kristol debate Matt Damon possibly do for the cause of conservatism? Damon would almost certainly win, for one thing.
Just Some Fuckhead
The word is that Kristol was let go because, among other things, his columns were full of mistakes that lent the impression they were rushed to print without adequate fact-checking. So I think a once-monthly column in the Washington Post could be just the thing to turn around Kristol’s career. With that much time to put into each column, he’ll doubtless transform into a paragon of accuracy and well-researched insight.
Bordo
If I were either Matt Damon or William the Bloody, I would demand that Big Hollywood show me a $100,000 cashier’s check before I’d lift a finger.
I agree with a previous poster that it’s hard to imagine where that treehouse full of wankers will find $100K.
Generally, I enjoy a stroll through the rightwing funhouses, but those guys at Big Hollywood just aren’t very entertaining. They need to get a little nuttier. . .maybe reopen the Tinky Winky is gay meme or something.
TenguPhule
No. SATSQ.
TenguPhule
No. SATSQ.
DougJ
He didn’t graduate. He actually roomed with a friend of mine for a semester. People said he was pretty nice, normal person.
Joshua Norton
Or with only writing 12 columns a year, he’d just be wrong less often.
jake 4 that 1
Without clicking on the link I’m going to go waaaay out on a limb and say BH doesn’t have $100K, and they are encouraging their readers to give ’til it hurts so they can see William "The Blood Clot" Kristol bitch slap Matt "Pretty Boy Librulfacsist" Damon.
I will further predict that if Damon offers to do it gratis, BH will scream about that hypocrite Damon who cruelly kept the charity of his choice from getting the moola.
I will also predict that if/when BH can’t get the cash, it will start create all sorts of conditions for the debate until Damon says fuck it,* at which point BH will declare a resounding victory for WB.
*I’m assuming Damon knows anything about BH’s attempt to scrape up $100K.
Comrade Darkness
"back from the days when nothing more than elite family connections was required to get in."
Have they changed that? You can measure parental desperation by the rate at which things get naming gifts, and that hasn’t slowed down.
"Sadly, he got a new gig within hours of being fired from the old gig.
Pathetic."
Yeah, but he’s against Meritocracy, so he *must* have earned it.
These right wing wankers got where they are solely on the merits of their parents position (their parent’s elitism). To not rigorously defend and support Bush would be to admit they are losers and hypocrites, so amusing and pathetic mental gymnastics are required to stay on track. It’s sad really. And worst of all, we all pay for it because some whacked out idiot Media Outlet gives them a market. WTF is that still happening?
Litlebritdifrnt
@JimPortlandOR:
Speaking of the CIA, here in my local radio listening area the CIA are advertising heavily "be a part of the national clandestine service" isn’t ADVERTISING for help for the "CLANDESTINE" service akin to the old "fighting for peace = fucking for virginity" meme? This country is weird, its like all those ad for the Navy Seals a couple of years back, damn as far as I know the Brits don’t advertise their special forces on tee vee, they just show the news footage of men in black ski masks blowing shit up and shooting bad guys and recruiting is no problem. I mean how special can they be when you have to make cheesy ads?
Cris
The very first comment on the Big Hollywood post:
Sorry, Mark — no matter how well he does in this hypothetical "debate," Kristol’s very presence can only embarrass himself.
Tsulagi
Yeah, right. That’s pretty funny…even odds.
Have you ever seen Kristol defending his drivel with any one more intelligent and opposed than Fats Hannity? It’s always good for a laugh. Palin mugger Katie Couric could wipe the floor with him.
DFS
Litlebritdifrnt: Well, the goal there in re: the SEAL ads is to sign up all the dumb macho goofballs who see a SEAL ad and think, "Wow! I could be a SEAL!", so as to then use them to fill all the holes in the deck-mopping ranks. It’s kind of like how Honda used to build a handful of NSXes so as to convince lots of aspirational boy-racer types to buy Civics.
deadrody
Obsessed much ? John, what gives ? I thought the messiah had won, that liberalism had triumphed.
Why then is your front page an assortment of "look at the GOP" posts ? Get over it already.
You’re not a liberal, you’re not a conservative, nor Democrat, nor Republican, you’re just a pain in the ass complainer.
Where is the monster post exclaiming the virtues of the trillion dollar stimulus package ?
Trollhattan
What good can it possibly do to debate Kristol? He’s a self-satisfied compulsive liar and as such, is incapable of "debating" in any sense of the word.
He’s Palin in a suit and a smirk; John Bolton de-walrused.
Snowwy
@deadrody: It’s waiting on your nonexistent blog for you to write it, pal. Don’t presume to tell other people what they should or should not write in their own forum.
Litlebritdifrnt
@DFS:
I had often wondered about the Hondas, I could never quite see the attraction as a souped up street car, I mean it’s a Honda for gawds sake.
As for the Seals they are pussies. (ducks and laughs dammnit) I remember talking to a former US Army Ranger who as part of some sort of exchange program had to go to the UK and take the standard (not special forces) Royal Marines Commando Officers course (two years) he said it basically kicked his arse and he was on the point of giving up several times he could not believe that our basic course was tougher than his special forces training. Not bragging or anything here but I think (call me as politically incorrect as you choose) but allowing females into the traditionally male forces (Marines for instance) has watered down the system terribly. Girlies have no business being Marines. JMHO. (PS, for those who do not know I am a) a girlie, b) former military (Navy) so flame away.
Zifnab
@jenniebee:
Did you ever see the movie, "The Ringer"?
It would be like that, except the Republicans play the roles of both the the mentally handicapped and professional assholes.
Way back in the 50s, McCarthy figured out that he could get his face all over TV if he dove head first into the Hollywood scene and started calling out famous people as Communists. Since then, dozens of otherwise completely unknown political pundits, whine-o-s, and professional victims, have lined up to get their share of the lime-light by going on TV and saying bad things about famous people.
It’s not important that Matt Damon is a Hollywood Star and Bill Kristol is a magazine editor. More people recognize Matt Damon than Bill Kristol. So if Kristol can get his face on E! or The Soup, he’ll have won himself the eyeballs necessary to keep his career afloat. It’s all about the publicity. That’s all its ever been about.
Bubblegum Tate
@Bordo:
I’ve come to agree with this–and I really liked Big Hollywood at first. They were posting up some really funny shit, but it seems that after that initial outburt of The Crazy, they’re settling into garden-variety wingnuttery mixed with whines about how "[fill in area of entertainment] isn’t conservative enough for me!" Such a waste of potential.
different church-lady
Next stop: WWF!!!!
Just Some Fuckhead
Next stop: boxing Danny Bonaduce.
Litlebritdifrnt
@Zifnab:
You know that is another thing that has always baffled me about the US. (Merge this with a comment about "Mississippi Burning" a couple of weeks back) This is supposedly the "Land of the Free" and yet you cannot be a member of a political party that doesn’t quite gel with the national psyche. Why was it considered a crime to be a member of the Communist Party or in fact to have Communist Ideals? I mean I don’t agree with it but protect your right to say it even if I disagree with it sort of thing. What the hell went on back then? That is what always baffles me, the constitution espouses such wonderful freedoms and yet those who are charged with defending said constitution seem to completely disregard it for their own aims, and the general populace go along with it. I don’t get it. I really don’t, but then I am from a country which regularly fields candidates from the "Monster Crazy Looney Party" in each election and they get votes.
Paul L.
@The Moar You Know:
The Duke were found innocent as you believe this guy is.
EX-CON FOUND GUILTY IN COLUMBIA GRAD STUDENT’S RAPE, TORTURE
What a true victim. Black, poor, homeless and mentally ill.
He would have gone free If he had the Duke 3’s "attack dog unethical" lawyers.
Please find a comment where I claimed to be a Democrat.
Zifnab
@Litlebritdifrnt:
Communist Party Member = KGB Spy.
It’s the same reason people started flipping out on Mosques after 9/11. Or like saying you’re a member of the Neo-Nazis.
People weren’t thrown in jail. They were simply "blacklisted". And the logic was that if you kicked all the scary communists out of Hollywood then they wouldn’t be able to turn it into the New American Pravda. The east-west war was heavy with propaganda on both sides, so simply opening your mouth was – in some ways – an act of war.
They had book burnings in Russia over the same thing. Torching pro-capitalist manifestos and running businessmen out on rails because just saying, "I’m for privately owned merchandise" put you one step away from defecting to the CIA.
Shit was crazy back then. Just be glad we don’t live in the 50s.
Zifnab
@Paul L.:
Right here.
TR
Those comments over at Big Circlejerk are priceless. So much delusion.
What’s worse? The fact that they think Kristol should debate Matt Damon, or the fact that they think Kristol would win?
Just Some Fuckhead
@Zifnab: lol
jTh
I don’t know about even odds…
No matter how smart Damon (or anyone else) is, there’s a huge advantage for the side that lies, cheats, ignores reality, and damns those statistics far too frequently to be rebutted without an encyclopedic memory and ten times as much speaking time.
But then again, Kristol really am teh stupid. So it would at least be fun to watch.
But $100K to see him against Glenzilla? Now that would be money well-spent.
The Other Steve
Bill Kristol is a man’s man… like Ronald Reagan. Matt Damon is no match for someone of such vigor, strength, intelligence and sheer manliness.
Zuzu's Petals
I’d guess BigHo is taking its cue from Bill O.
Remember right after 9/11 when he was badgering Hollywood celebrities to come on his show to explain WHY THEY MADE ADS FOR THE RED FRIGGIN’ CROSS.
That’s right. It wasn’t good enough for the official reps of the Red Cross/United Way to come on and answer mostly legitimate questions about how they handled donations given for 9/11 relief. No, Bill was screaming night after night that the celebrities who appeared on the telethon must appear on his show or be branded cowards.
As I recall, Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell caved. George Clooney refused to be part of his ratings gimmick and quite publicly told him to F off.
Joshua James
Doesn’t anyone else find it amusing that bloggers at a website called BIG HOLLYWOOD are openly scornful of Hollywood types who have taken political stances?
I mean, have they looked at the name of their fracking website?
It reminds me of the sketch on the Chapelle Show wherein Dave played a blind (and obviously black) member of the KKK.
BTW, Damon is, according to some folks I’ve talked to, pretty down to earth and pretty dang smart. I predict on an even ground, he’d wipe the floor with Bill.
But of course, Bill doesn’t need to be right in order to win, he’s just gotta score cheap points at Hollywood.
grimc
NBA player v. pickup game player on YouTube
It’s surprising to find that so many think that Damon wouldn’t stand a chance against a ‘professional’ intellectual, yet people wouldn’t doubt that any number of part-time bloggers could take Kristol down in a debate?
Maybe it’s because Damon doesn’t have a long record of political columns–but then neither does Jon Stewart, yet he handles Kristol time and time again. Damon’s a Harvard-educated, Oscar winning screenwriter yet folks automatically consider him "nothing more" than an actor.
‘Course, considering the healthy number of NFL fans around here, this antipathy may come from his resemblance to Tom Brady, which is completely understandable.
Rosali
Last October when the FL volunteers were canvassing and trying to convince people to vote early, Matt Damon came to 4 neighborhood campaign offices to thank the volunteers for their efforts and to offer encouragement. He didn’t have to do that but he spent an entire Sunday doing so because his commitment and appreciation was genuine. It was a nice gesture. And, also, he’s very cute.
Some of the other campaign offices were visited by Jason Alexander, aka George Costanza.
Ash Can
Breitbart just wants to be in the same room as Matt Damon.
Axe Diesel Palin
Matt Damon is a Harvard graduate (which has been pointed out) and he is an Academy award winning screen writer. He’s very capable and proven his intellectual abilities before. Don’t underestimate him.
Zuzu's Petals
Re: my #64.
Upon re-reading Clooney’s letter, I take it back. O’Reilly’s questions to the Red Cross/United Way weren’t even close to being "mostly legitimate."
What a jerk.
JL
IMO, Matt Damon reads the paper, Kristol reads National Review. There is no comparison. I wonder who Matt is going to donate the money to?
burnspbesq
@Paul L.:
That is perhaps the dumbest thing you’ve ever written in these comments.
Refresh my recollection: who was it that got disbarred as a result of violations of the rules of professional conduct in the Duke lax case? Wasn’t any of the defense attorneys, was it? No. It was Nifong.
If you’re going to troll, at least make an effort to be marginally competent at it. Go over to Balkinization and let Bart show you how it’s done.
Joshua Norton
I just realized that with Kristol Meth gone, MoDo moved one step closer to being the worst op-ed writer on the NYT payroll – if in fact she’s not already there.
Surreal American
Nevermind the real Matt Damon. Bill Kristol wouldn’t prevail in an argument with the Matt Damon puppet from Team America World Police.
"Matt Damon"
Paul L.
@burnspbesq:
I was mocking The Moar You Know.
Which is why I put the quotes about "attack dog unethical"
Cute forgery Zifnab
You are as clever as Jon Stewart.
Ecks
@Litlebritdifrnt: This is something that Alexis de Tocqueville noticed about America when he visited it in the middle of the 1800’s. On the one hand a more outspoken dedication to freedom than you see ‘most anywhere else, and on the other hand, enormously strong social norms that demand all kinds of compliance from people over what to wear, say, think. It’s a weird country here.
Litlebritdifrnt
@ZifnabAnd again I ask you people what is wrong with you? Member of the communist party = KGB spy, muslim religion = al quaida terrorist. If I had considered every Irish person I ever met a member of the IRA back in the day, I would have been seriously smacking the shit out of some of my senior CPOs, which, as you can imagine would not have been a good thing. For those who have not yet got it muslim does not equal terrorist, black does not equal black panther, Irish does not equal IRA, Palastinian does not equal Hammas.
Wile E. Quixote
@Joshua Norton
Well considering that Megan McArdle’s name is being bruited about as a possible replacement for Bill "I’m a chickenshit draft dodger" Kristol, MoDo might have some stiff competition.
bayville
A conservative pundit wants to debate a Hollywood movie star on global affairs?
The only thing sillier would be a professional wrestler giving weekly financial advice on a cable news and business network.
bago
What DOES Jesse Ventura think about this, anyways?
randiego
as quoted from Team America…
.
MATT DAMON!!
Luddite
Paul L. throwing his monkey feces all over the board, getting owned (as usual), then running away.
So boring. So predictable. At least the Antana-whats-its-name Troll tried to be annoying/funny.
Ellid
The heck with Matt Damon. I nominate Viggo Mortensen, who’s smarter, better looking, and doesn’t have to collaborate with Ben Affleck.
Bootlegger
Wow. How far as the conservative movement fallen when they pin their hopes on a $100k cage match between one of their public intellectuals and a liberal actor.
Just how low is their morale right now?
Comrade Darkness
@Ecks, things have changed rather a lot on the social norms since then. After a few months in Germany, I’m suffocating under exactly what you describe and can’t wait to get home where I can dress in ratty faded jeans and an old t-shirt and access 99.9% of public spaces.
Zuzu's Petals
@Bootlegger:
My guess is it’s not "the conservative movement" as much as a loser little website trying to get some hits.
I’d bet it’ll work out about as well as "Joe" the "Plumber" has worked out for PJM TV.
skippy
i echo the sentiment of [email protected] and others here about the money…
mainly, the funniest thing i find about this whole concept is the idea that big hollywood has even $1,000, let alone $100,000.
if there is a god in heaven, matt will immediately accept and then demand to see the $100,000 guaranteed somehow, thus making big hollywood look small.
Bootlegger
@Zuzu’s Petals: Sure, it’s not the whole lock-step movement, but you gotta admit they are jumping an awful lot of sharks these days.
Mike
Damon’s buddy Ben Affleck is consistently one of the best guests on Bill Maher’s show. Many of his movies suck, but dude’s not dumb.
NickM
"Rock Bottom" – isn’t that Bill Kristol’s pr0n name? Or was it Irving’s?
Michael D.
Damon didn’t graduate from Harvard.
Chinn Romney
Damon may not have a Harvard degree but I have it on good authority that Danny Ainge bit Tree Rollins.
Mnemosyne
@Ellid:
Let me know when you write and direct an Academy Award-nominated movie.
Affleck isn’t a particularly good actor, but he has a lot of promise as a writer/director.