Schadenfreude

Even though so much of the time, Tucker Carlson is a total jackass, there are times I really like him. This is one of them. Slate has a back and forth between many Republicans about the future of the GOP, and in one of them, Doug Kmiec, an Obama supporter and Republican, suggested that for the most part the GOP should ditch abortion as an issue. This appalled Ross Douthat, who launched a rather snippy response Kmiec’s way, which then led to this sort of whimpering response from Kmiec.

Tucker watched the entire thing unfold, and then offered his contribution:

Hey, Doug. Toughen up. Seriously. I’ve read suicide notes that were less passive-aggressive than this. Let’s review what actually happened: You argued that Obama is not a pro-choice extremist. Ross disagreed. Rather than respond with a counterpoint, you got hysterical, dismissing Ross as a hater, even fretting about the future of his soul.

Come on. Get some perspective. And for God’s sake, stop whining. For a moment there, you reminded me of the McCain campaign, bitching about “sexism” when people started to ask tough questions of Sarah Palin. Republicans didn’t used to talk this way. Let’s stop the trend now, starting with you.

I understand it must have hurt when Ross accused you of shilling for Obama. On the other hand, he’s right. You did shill for Obama. That’s not Ross’ fault. Don’t blame him.

But if you are going to blame him, do it directly, like a man, without all the encounter-group talk and Pope quotes. People often attack the religious right, sometimes with justification. But as you just reminded us, there is nothing in the world more annoying than the religious left.

Now, granted- I think Kmiec is right about the abortion issue, and I do think Douthat was being kind of a dick in his over-the-top response to him, but you gotta love the Carlson reponse.

On the whole, the best piece in the whole series so far is this Kathleen Parker broadside against the Palin wing:

Palin covered her inadequacies with folksy charm and by drumming up a class war, turning her audiences not just against elites but against the party’s own educated members. The movement created by that superelite, but never elitist, William F. Buckley Jr. was handed over to Joe Six-Pack. Know-nothingness was no longer a stigma, but a badge of honor.

The Republican Party’s Baghdad Bobism with regard to Palin, a denial so pernicious that party operatives were willing to let her sit a heartbeat away from the presidency in a time of war and financial collapse, revealed what really ails the party. The “P Factor” isn’t a single person but a sickness that will have to be acknowledged and cured—Republicans will be reciting their newly tailored principles only to themselves.

First, raise the bar.

Can a brother get a “Heh, indeedy?”

Why I Sometimes Still Like Tucker CarlsonPost + Comments (60)

CNN reporting that Republican Senator Ted Stevens was found guilty on every count. This election just got better.

Links when they become available.

*** Update ***

CNN:

A jury found U.S. Sen. Ted Stevens of Alaska guilty Monday of all seven counts in his federal corruption trial.

The jury found Stevens guilty of “knowingly and willfully” scheming to conceal on Senate disclosure forms more than $250,000 in home renovations and other gifts from an Alaska-based oil industry contractor.

Stevens faces a maximum sentence of up to to 35 years in prison — five years for each of the seven counts.

Legal experts note the judge has the discretion to give Stevens as little as no jail time and probation when he is sentenced.

Of course, it goes without saying that this is excellent news for John McCain.

Stevens Guilty On All Seven CountsPost + Comments (99)