For me, the strangest and most off-putting element of the day was the disjuncture between the anti-authority dimension of the rally – our leaders have disappointed us and must be called to account! – and the whole-hog deference to militarism – we need to thank our soldiers for following orders so honorably and self-sacrificingly. While there were plenty of wounded soldiers on the stage, there was absolutely zero discussion of why these guys were being sent overseas and whether we should expect the same pols who lie to us on domestic policy to be any better on foreign policy.
They’re Republicans, you clown. How many polls do you need to see before you finally realize that the tea party/Glenn Beck movement is nothing more than Republicans. They’re the same people who were calling everyone traitors and wearing purple heart stickers to mock John Kerry.
Nick and the others at Reason have spent the last year running rhetorical cover for the angry fringe of the GOP, repackaged as a grass roots movement of patriots, hoping upon hope that the libertarian movement they dream of is finally gaining momentum. And even here, Gillespie isn’t really sure of what he is witnessing. They aren’t anti-authority. They’re anti-Democrat. Does he honestly think this would be taking place if McCain/Palin were in charge? The moment Republicans are running things again, that “anti-authority dimension” will cease to exist- as if it really exists now in the first place.
Maybe Nick can bring this up for discussion at his next Fox news appearance.
And I won’t even bother going into the “Obama is Bush on steroids” nonsense Gillespie barfed up earlier in the piece.
The Light Flickers Briefly, And Then Just as Quickly, Dies OutPost + Comments (27)