Ready to rumble? Village Voice Author, Rick Perlstein, Here to Debate the Freeper Horde

08/03/2004 | Rick Perlstein

[dead]

Opening Statement

Dear FRiends:

I once suffered two great frustrations in being a freelance political writer. First, the loneliness: you put an article out there, and you might as well have thrown it down a black hole for all the response you get. Second, the ghettoization: when you do get response, it would be from folks you agree with. Not fun for folks like me who reliish--no, crave and need--political argument.

Then came the Internet, the blogs--and: problem solved.

I have especially enjoyed having my articles in the Village Voice posted on Free Republic by "dead," and arguing about them here. The only frustration is that I never have enough time--and sometimes no time--to respond as the threads are going on. That is why I arranged for an entire afternoon--this afternoon--to argue on Free Republic. Check out my articles and have at me.

A little background: I am a proud leftist who specializes in writing about conservatives. I have always admired conservatives for their political idealism, acumen, stalwartness, and devotion. I have also admired some of their ideas--especially the commitment to distrusting grand social schemes, and the deep sense of the inherent flaws in human nature. (To my mind the best minds in the liberal tradition have encompassed these ideals, while still maintaining that robust social reform is still possible and desirable. My favorite example is the Protestant theologian Reinhold Niebuhr, author of the Serenity Prayer and a great liberal Democrat.)

Lately, however, I've become mad at the right, and have written about it with an anger not been present in my previous writings. It began with the ascension of George Bush, when I detected many conservatives beginning to care more about power than principles. The right began to seem less interesting to me--more whiny, more shallow--and, what's more, in what I saw as an uncritical devotion to President Bush, often in retreat from its best insights about human nature.

I made my strongest such claim in a Village Voice article two weeks ago in which I, after much thought, chose to say conservatism was "verging on becoming an un-American creed" for the widespread way conservatives are ignoring the lessons of James Madison's great insights in Federalist 51 that in America we are supposed to place our ultimate trust in laws, not men.

Finally, in what I see as the errors of the Iraq campaign, I recognize the worst aspects of arrogant left-wing utopianism: the idea that you can remake a whole society and region through sheer force of will. I think Iraq is a tragic disaster (though for the time being the country is probably better off than it was when Saddam was around--but only, I fear, for the time being).

I am also, by the way, a pretty strong critic of my own side, as can be seen in my latest Village Voice piece.

So: I'm yours for the day--until 7:10 pm CST, when I'm off to compete in my weekly trivia contest at the University of Chicago Pub. Until then: Are you ready to rumble?

Respectfully,
Rick Perlstein

[WOSG]

3. Colin Powell says there is no evidence. In January, Colin Powell said there was no "concrete evidence" of a connection between Hussein and al-Qaeda.

Colin Powell is contradicted by the 9/11 Commission and the Senate Intelligence Committee."

Actually on this one I think Perlstein is simply repeating the media lie about what Colin Powell said, not what he *actually* said, which was fairly non-commital (ie "no smoking-gun evidence ") in to no evidence at all.

What Powell said, which Perlstein has spun into "no evidence":

"I have not seen smoking-gun, concrete evidence about the connection," Mr. Powell said, in response to a question at a news conference. "But I think the possibility of such connections did exist, and it was prudent to consider them at the time that we did."

The 9/11 Commission and the various addition links cited in sources indicate that Saddam's Regime and Al Qaeda had links and contacts. Whether you want to call it 'smoking-gun' or merely 'the smoke around a fire'.

This was Powell in more full testimony in 2003: Absolutely. Absolutely. And you can look at Zarkawi, (Abu Mussab) al-Zarkawi, who is still out there operating today, who was an al-Qaida associate, who was wounded in Afghanistan, took refuge in Baghdad, working out of Baghdad, worked with the Ansar al Islam group up in northeastern Iraq, that produced a so-called poison factory, a group that we hit when we went into Iraq. They were involved in trying to smuggle things, manufacture and smuggle things like ricin into Europe to attack various targets in Europe with. He also, Zarkawi, was responsible for the assassination of a man named Foley, who worked for A.I.D. in Amman, Jordan, an American assigned over there. ... We haven't really had the time yet to pore through all those records in Baghdad. We'll find ample evidence confirming the link--that is the connection, if you will, between al Qaida and the Iraqi intelligence services. They have worked together on a number of occasions.

[HHFi]

Moore was first barred from the Convention, then when he threatened to raise a big stink (something he does everywhere he goes, I'd wager), they gave him credentials to allow him in. Once inside, he was treated like visiting royalty. He might not have been allowed on the podium, but he was one of the most visible presences in the media during that week, and not a single Democrat publicly repudiated his anti-Americanism, slanders and falsehoods. If they didn't really want to embrace Moore and his odious demogoguery, they had every opportunity to make it clear, and they did not. Instead, they cheered him, invited him to speak to meetings, and applauded his every idiotic and incendiary word.

As for "sneaking into Jimmy Carter's box," I work in the media and I heard a firsthand account from someone who was frankly stunned to see Carter, a former president, walk up to this unwashed propagandist and smilingly shake his hand. That was an overture from Carter to Moore, not the other way around.

If Moore had walked up to shake Carter's hand and Carter had turned his back on him, then my respect for Carter and the Democrats would have skyrocketed. But instead, just like their candidate, they wanted to have it both ways: they wanted to take advantage of the celebrity and the anti-Bush hatred that the Tokyo Rose of the war on terror gins up without being seen to embrace him in public. At least when the Republicans had a slimeball like David Duke in their midst, they had the cajones to tell him to get lost.

[jwalsh07]

I was rushing. LOL

[cake_crumb]

Excellent post. I'd like to point out the fairly regular use of the term "paleocon" didn't have the usual effect of the various "cons" calling one another names like it usually seems to here. Divide and conquer. Oldest trick in the book. Good job not rising to the bait, FReepers.

[cake_crumb]

"JimRob says this isn't a debating society for liberals to come and defend their points of view. I think this is why. There really isn't much value in this, and the writer is frankly so far behind the curve on what conservatism is and isn't, that it would take him months to catch up with even a newbie."

LOL...you're right. We sure didn't learn anything or even satisfy the morbid curiosity which brought at least some of us to this thread to begin with.

[BSunday]

Well I didn't get it in Australia "bozo". Gday or whatever.

[lavrenti]

Nothing wrong with us appropriating Gramschi for our own uses. His tactics are sound politics.

[Trteamer]

"though for the time being the country is probably better off than it was when Saddam was around"

Mr. Prrlstein, did you write this just to pi** us off? "probably"?

That my leftist author, is such a unbelievable statement, that is shows to all your true colors. You may have the right to say such things, but you will get no credibility here with your propoganda.

Your disregard for the truth, and complete wilingness to undermine the courage and committment of our brave troops, leaves you with blood on your hands.

[WOSG]

now Bush and Hitler, that is *so* Godwin's Law unfunny - *yawn* - so are the idiotic chump ones ... but the "Dalai Lama" one kind of is, in a Kerry-in-a-bunny-suit kind of way...

[cake_crumb]

An email is a GREAT idea! I know just the people! In fact, this list is a genuine keeper...just switch "Perlstein" for any Democrat of your choice.

[Brad’s Gramma]

He mentioned it more than once...so? Take him at his word!

[Victoria Delsoul]

Your disregard for the truth, and complete willingness to undermine the courage and commitment of our brave troops, leaves you with blood on your hands.

Something we are accustomed to see when it comes to the Left, unfortunately.

[Uncle Miltie]

"Supported by John Kerry, John Edwards, most of the Senate, and the intelligences estimates of which were agreed by every country on record." ----

I disagreed with them, too. Why do you people behave as if all liberals read from some sheet of talking points?

Here's my savaging of the Democrats who were taken in on the Iraq vote...

So your record reflects that John Kerry, John Edwards et al (GWB) are not "nice guy(s)" due to their votes in favor of the Iraq war.

Glad we cleared that up. Anyone who supported the Iraq War is not "a nice guy." So long as you savage Kerry next time you meet him...

[mvpel]

So, is anyone feeling up to forming a team to review, summarize, synopsize, and score this thread?

[Twinkie]

Isn't this just what the liberal left wingers want to
do in America while the rest of us uneducated, ignorant
conservatives are made to shut up by liberal screams and
rants of outrage? Socialism doesn't work, the emaciated
sow finally dies when too many able-bodied piglets are
attached.

[Uncle Miltie]

"Brad, I'd love to see your accounting of how 9/11 made up for the surplus plus a defecit that in its latest estimate is $639 billion. That's a lot of airport scanners."

Since tax receipts are based on economic activity, which fell off a bit after 9/11, and defense against terrorism (Afghanistan, Iraq, Homeland Security) can be expensive, deficits can be driven by terrorist events.

Your response was willingly blind to federal receipts and expenditures (a knowing lie) or ignorant. Which was it?

[af_vet_1981]

I note you did not answer my question.

Did you ever serve in the Armed Forces of any nation ?

[Uncle Miltie]

So far, Mr. Perlstein has been unable to support his contention that the Bush Administration has "proposed budget cuts for veterans," (see post), which leaves Mr. Perstein either a liar or incompetent.

Hang loose!

[Darnright]

Have you seen this link on Gramsci?

Who is Antonio Gramsci? You Better Learn!!!

[Nam Vet]

May I second your closing statement to Mr. Perstein. Too few people are aware of these and take the time to think about them.

"As a liberal ideologue, you can no more convince me than I can you. I recognize this. But, I will be interested in your answers, but not before you go read the communist goals that were read into the Congressional Record in the 60s, if you haven't already. Un-American? You called it sir. You."

As a side note, my recently graduated son from Oregon State just told me yesterday how very many of his peers are openly socialists now. They have no real idea what true freedom means nor do they realize what it costs to maintain that freedom.

Nam Vet