As a newcomer to this blogging business, I've been interested in the Edwards dust-up. As readers know, I've been critical of the tone of the left-wing blogosphere in the past. But I think that Yglesias raises an important point here and anyone reading the comments section of any Swampland post knows that troglyditic right-wing cavedwellers fester there, in a vomitously vile manner, too.
And I'd add this: Radio. I was driving into Springfield, Ill last night for the Obama festivities and caught the ever-vile Sean Hannity "interviewing" the even-more-vile Dick Morris about Hillary. Just disgraceful...and they were mild compared to the crap I've heard from Rush and others over the years.
It's obvious that the current level of vitriol on the left is a reaction to nearly twenty years of sewage emanating from Rush et al. It's also a product of the times: There's a whole generation of people who believe that serious political discourse consists of Pat Buchanan and Eleanor Clift screaming at each other. The intemperance on the left has three other sources (1) justifiable fury over the Bush adminstration (2) justifiable fury over the way the media treated Clinton and, to a certain extent, Bush and (3) ideologues of any sort tend to be obnoxious.
OK, it's a step. Yes, Joe. There are mean people on the Right. Well spotted.
Klein is only now making the left-blog/wingnut radio connection...? Freakshow. It's kinda like how my grandma never got the plots of the Star Wars movies. "So he's a Wookie? Who's a Wookie?" I remember her asking as she bemusedly stirred her Manhattan. That's Joe Klein.
And who the fuck is Elanor Clift?
Feck.
Dhrink! Ghirls!
Of course, he's *still* saying that they're all equivalently virulent and vile. But I suppose that's still an improvement over the usual narrative that the right has a monopoly on civility.
Posted by: Eli | February 11, 2007 at 02:49 AM
Haha, nice one.
You've just c&p'ed an onion article haven't you :P
No?
Oh, OK I get it, someone has hacked into swampland and put up a joke post.
What's that?
Blimey.
Posted by: Adam | February 11, 2007 at 07:06 AM
Baby steps, but positive ones.
Posted by: Raenelle | February 11, 2007 at 10:33 AM
Joe Klein is the warmest, kindest, most wonderful pundit.
Joe Klein is the warmest, kindest, most wonderful pundit.
Joe Klein is the warmest, kindest, most wonderful pundit.
no wait, I meant some other Joke Line.
Posted by: mrs. ibrahim al-jafaari | February 11, 2007 at 03:19 PM
And who the fuck is Elanor Clift?
¿¿Eleanor Clift??
"Somebody should've belted that chinless bitch a long time ago."
Lee Rodgers, señoras y caballerros, the height of weengnutbar civility.
Posted by: ¡El Gato Negro! | February 11, 2007 at 05:14 PM
Hey, I pointed out this very possibility on a post of yours the other day. I asked if Joe was perhaps getting some insight into our world from his swampland gig. I really did. No one listens to me.
Posted by: Danny Guam | February 11, 2007 at 08:13 PM
Holly crap, the body snachers have gotten to Joe Klein.
Although it is kind of fun watching an old dog learn new tricks. But really, it's 2007 and just now he's finding out that conservative talk radio - which reaches millions of listeners everyday - is full of hateful rants? My life sure must be good in pundit-land
Posted by: Fledermaus | February 11, 2007 at 09:09 PM
I don't know why, but this post make me laugh out loud.
Joe must be wincing in awful pain emerging from Plato's cave.
Damn Gestalt theory of Joke Line punditry. He screams "aha!" and we're like, welcome to the party, dickhead.
Posted by: Oilfieldguy | February 12, 2007 at 01:55 PM
Who is Eleanor Clift? She is actually Montgomery Clift's sister-in -law
Posted by: Coitdeck | February 13, 2007 at 12:29 AM