Posted on 08/02/2004 10:54:18 AM PDT by dead
After participating in desultory debating sessions over his articles posted on FreeRepublic over the last few months, Village Voice writer Rick Perlstein announced his desire to have a one-vs-many, free-for-all concerning his articles and positions.
What I'd love to do is set aside an entire day after that to take on all comers: just set up a thread where people have at me, and I type away in defense, all alone, like one of those, kung fu movies.
Well, tomorrow (August 3rd) is the day.
Many Freepers have expressed reservations about the debate. Some feel he’s trolling for dumb quotes. I have an idea to combat that sinister master plan – don’t post dumb quotes. Besides, it’s kinda of easy to find some dumb quotes around here from amongst the thousands each day. They are certainly a minority, but they’re out there.
Perlstein, who I do not know personally, has also promised that this is not his intent. From a Freepmail he sent me, regarding the debate:
I pledge that this discussion is "off the record": I won't quote anybody anywhere in print or online at any time.
He says he just enjoys the ideological sparring, and gullible little me, I buy it.
Anyway, there will be no rules (beyond Jim Robinson’s well-established forum rules). If you’re interested in joining the fun, I will likely post the thread around 2 pm tomorrow. It will start with a statement from Perlstein about why he chooses to engage in the debate.
Anyway, here is a list of his articles over the last few months. He says he will discuss any of his points in any of his articles:
09/16/03 - Come Out Fighting (George Bush is dangerous and it’s patriotic to destroy him)
12/02/03 - Attention, Wal-Mart Voters: Lost Jobs and Military Funerals Haunt Bush in the Heartland
01/13/04 - Last Copter Out of Baghdad: Bush Flees Iraq Mess On The Campaign Express
05/03/04 - The Divine Calm of George W. Bush: Iraq's a mess, half the country hates you - just keep praying!
05/18/04 - The Jesus Landing Pad: Bush White House checked with rapture Christians before latest Israel move
07/21/04 - Church of Bush: What liberal infidels will never understand about president
And here’s a link to his book (“Before the Storm”) on Barry Goldwater and his failed presidential campaign’s legacy within the conservative movement:
Lots of very positive reviews at that link, including this one in The National Review:
Anyone who has read Perlstein's wonderfully colorful account of the Goldwater nomination and his subsequent defeat in November 1964 will be sorry that the book stops there. There is obviously so much more to be told — about the conservative movement that rose, phoenix — like, from that defeat; about the astonishing man, Ronald Reagan, who led it to national victory; and even about Barry Goldwater himself, who returned to the Senate and became for years a favorite of the liberals who had once feared and despised him.
Let us hope that Perlstein is already at work on another book about it all. He certainly knows the significance of the story. "Here," he says, "is one time, at least, in which history was written by the losers."
He didn’t even ask me to plug his book. I’m just a nice guy.
Anyway, I hope to see a bunch of you on the thread tomorrow.
2 words against all his quotes, columns, essays, beliefs:
"My Profile".
"I pledge that this discussion is "off the record": I won't quote anybody anywhere in print or online at any time."
He's a liberal, therefore he's lying. His intent is to use the quotes in a fatboy moore way.
I'll try and be here. I enjoy good give-and-take, done intelligently and without malice.
Good luck with the keyboard cowboys.
His intent is to use the quotes in a fatboy moore way.
Thanks for the clarification, Kreskin.
" don’t post dumb quotes."
That will be taken care of by a legion of newbie trolls.
ZOT is an Equal Opportunity Offender, without respect to a person's station.
You realise you are asking quite a lot.
This may fall on deaf ears but... Have you ever pissed in the wind?
No, but I have tugged on Superman's cape.
thanks for the heads-up...I'll be there...
Why waste a picobyte of bandwidth on this nobody, other than to ask: "Why waste a picobyte of bandwidth on this lightweight?"
don’t post dumb quotes
You realise you are asking quite a lot.
Yeah, I know.
I’m also quite proud that I posted this with a typo in the title, breaking my own rule right out of the box.
Somebody should police the thread ruthlessly, culling out all the loon and bircher posts and the illiterates.
D., old FRiend, I ahve no intention of giving this Leftist anything to talk about.
You want to fight him? Ignore him. Shut him down with silence. Treat him like we would any other DU troll - ban his account, and lock out his IP address.
The time for talk is over.
BUMP for a spirited give-and-take!
Having read your profile, I have confidence that you will be able to blow him out of the water!
I can't believe he is still arguing with you....I would have caved along time ago against the great DEAD : )
Sounds like a good sport. Please ping me.
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