Village Voice Runs Down Dubious Achievements Of The Conservative Blogosphere

The Village Voice's Roy Edroso has one of those end-of-the-year listicles up, recapping a year spent monitoring the right wing of the political blogosphere, culminating in an accounting of their most dubious pronouncements of 2008. The big hits are there: The Dark Knight as stealthy proof of the wisdom of the Bush Doctrine, the "Whitey tape" (look for Rick Warren to finally reveal this at Inauguration!), the Campaign To Save America By Never Tipping Waiters ... it's truly a cavalcade of whimsy.

Naturally, I have some issues. As the New York Times' Chris Suellentrop points out, the notion that Fred Thompson would emerge as a dynamic savior of the Republican Party was promoted by "plenty of mainstream pundits." Michelle Malkin's campaign against Dunkin Donuts was a riveting example of stupidity, but largely lacking in impact. But the strangest inclusion, by far, is this complaint against Megan McArdle:

#3: A Megan McArdle Christmas. The Atlantic's Megan McArdle saw one upside to the financial crisis: "It may break the rat race of constantly ratcheting consumption, which has surrounded most Americans with nice things that don't really make them happy." Later she provided readers with a "Holiday Video Game Guide ("[Mario Kart for Wii] comes with one Wii wheel, but I recommend getting at least one more for multiplayer; we have four") and a "Holiday Gift Guide: Electronics Edition" ("You don't want [the Sony Blu-Ray] player if your television is smaller than 40 inches"). Well, she didn't say these things made her happy.

My point of view on this is perhaps skewed, seeing as I'm acquainted with McArdle, but I'm not terribly comfortable in lumping her in as a member of the monolithic right-wing blogosphere. In the first place, it seems to me that inveighing against "constantly ratcheting consumption" and the race to procure "nice things that don't really make [us] happy," is apostasy to dyed-in-the-wool free-marketeers. But more to the point, I fail to see how making this suggestion in November and then, three weeks later, providing a "holiday Gift Guide" (at a time when we strive to relearn how giving gifts to others can bring happiness) constitutes a significant gaffe. If that's a "Top Ten"-worthy mistake, I'd have to conclude that, on balance, the righty blogosphere had a pretty good year!

Of course, I got this funny feeling that I was repeating myself! And sure enough, it turns out that I've defended McArdle from these sorts of associations before! Well, maybe McMegan has somehow ensnared me with her Siren-like libertarian charms. Or maybe, Roy Edroso has himself a little crush to which he's not copping!

Comments

[scrzbill]

We start now the second great Republican depression. What do the neo cons want to talk about? The bush legacy. I think we should talk abut the bush legacy also. Failed international diplomacy. Failed rescue of Katrina. Fail protection of the constitution. Failed economics. But he did protect us from a second attack even though he ignored the warnings about the first attack.

[manan01]

Jason, I love you! But this piece is so stunningly inane that it is embarassing to read - to paraphase the now famous Zbig's comment. The contradiction in your acquintance's (Megan McArdle) piece is quite apparent. To inveigh against the "rat race of constantly ratcheting consumption, which has surrounded most Americans with nice things that don't really make them happy" in one breadth, and in another ( albeit three weeks later) provide us a shopping guide for the same nice things that...is a glaring example of self-contradiction

As for "In the first place, it seems to me that inveighing against "constantly ratcheting consumption" and the race to procure "nice things that don't really make [us] happy," is apostasy to dyed-in-the-wool free-marketeers,

[cantstopme2019]

wow

http://www.flickr.com/photos/coyote2012/3152154369/

[dannydonovan]

If I may put on my fanboy hat for a second. The Dark Knight was not a celebration of the Bush doctrine. If anyone actually watched the film noticed he did his "illegal wire-tap thing" at a moment when Batman had gone too far, so much so his most faithful friends Lucius Fox and Alfred had almost all but walked away from someone they once believed was a force for good.

In fact the film had an undertone that was blatantly put into the dialogue "You either die a hero, or live long enough to become the villain yourself". It wasn't a celebration of anything, it was a warning of what happens when you trade your humanity for an ideology.

At the end of the film Batman is hunted like a criminal.

He also realized he went to far and after he caught The Joker he destroyed his spy array.

Stupid GOP, do you get ANYTHING right?

[scooperss]

I just watched Batman last night and I saw it a little differently. Sure it had the whole "You either die a hero, or live long enough to become the villain yourself" but it also had the undertone "It's all in who you know".

Harvey Dent, the good guy turned bad, became in the end the hero for *because the people need to believe in something*. Obviously, the people are children to be shielded from the truth.

Batman, the good guy turned bad with his illegal wiretapping, was indeed hunted at the end by all but one who was in a powerful position. Did you doubt at the end that if Batman had been captured, Dent would have helped him escape?

The real heroes of Batman were the people on the 2 ships. Given a choice to save themselves by killing people they didn't know, both groups chose to die rather than sacrifice their integrity, morality, dignity and honor.

Batman ,Dent, and the Chief had all sacrificed those things.

And frankly, the only GOP I saw was The Joker with his greed and lust for more, be it power or wealth . HE is the Bush Doctrine and his minions, the base.

[coscorpio]

Exactly the two differences are he CAUGHT the Joker, and then destroyed the spy network

[incognito-ergo-sum]

The conservative idea of not tipping servers is such a good idea because that will just drive more people into the Democratic party. Every low wage server now knows which party cares for them.

[Kynn]

It's also a good idea, because the GOP needs much more urine in their food.

[realitychecks]

BUCKETS O URINE FOR OUR FRIENDS!

[SparkyDash]

LOL....snort ;-)

[SparkyDash]

I know a couple wait staff who obliged Stunsitfel a couple times...at least.

They admitted it was a better experience than receiving a tip.

[flossophy]

recent studies show that conservatives give to charity twice as much as liberals... go figure.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/21/opinion/21kristof.html?em

[Seetheforest]

Yeah they probably feel guilty about stealing from the people they made poor in the first place; so they figure they should give a little bit of it back. They won't give it to their Chinese slaves so they give it to the people their Chinese slaves put out of work.

[Scarabus]

Maybe McCardle (and others) should follow your example in skimming her own past public utterances before launching into a new one.

Yes, I know. Emerson said that "A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds." And Whitman blustered, "Do I contradict myself? Very well, then I contradict myself, I am large, I contain multitudes."

But the point is that both guys did at least acknowledge their respective inconsistency and self-contradiction.

[motoGpifupleez]

There's a conservative blogasphere?

[Furby]

Maybe Megan had no choice. The boss gave her a list of advertiser products that she had to mention in her write-up, and that's what she did. Jobs are hard to come by these days.

[moda31]

it's not the act of putting out a gift guide after criticizing excessive consumption that's hypocritical necessarily, but rather it's the underlying explanations for her choices on that list and her conceptions about what is and isn't "basic" or "standard" to have in terms of electronics/products, that is what's amusing (to me at least).

[QuietAmerican]

Have to admit, the irony of McArdle's postings hits me right away: on the one hand, she writes a brief lament about "ratcheting consumption," on the other, she compiles a holiday gift-giving guide that includes items that are the very definition of "ratcheting consumption."

It's as though someone had written about the ill effects of the country's addiction to oil, then suggested adding a Hummer or two to your driveway.

Maybe she included this sort of idea in her list as well, but if she is really making a point about giving to others, why not continue the "down with conspicuous consumption" theme and instead suggest that one take the Wii money and donate it to your favorite charity, or something similar?

[GeorgeP922]

The Conservative blogosphere sucks.

Obama wins, and Dems stick to their blogs, the members are still there and the writers are getting better and better.

Obama wins, and Republicans FLOOD "open sites" like Huffington with reckless abandon.

So either we are doing something right, or the repub blogs are doing something wrong.

[stunsitfel]

No honestly I spend a little time here just watching and trying to understand. It's great entertainment. I have turned a couple of other folks on this site.

Truthfully, I have never been witness to such a band of know it alls in my life.

On behalf of my conservative friends we are truly sorry for invading your domain. It's just we can't find this kind of humor on cable.

[Rocks]

Wow, you mean we out-know-it-all the great know-it-alls like O'Really, Inanity, Colder, and Ruuuush? No small achievement. But we accept your kudos with our usual grace. If anybody would know a know-it-all, it's you, dude.

[shaggyct]

You turned a couple of other folks on this site? Really? Would you be willing to provide their names? I'm sorry, but in all my years, I've yet to come across anybody, conservative or liberal, who has changed their political persuasion based on posts by an anonymous poster on a message board. But if you've changed a couple of them on HuffPo, then good for you. Your talents are clearly wasted on a message board; you should be working for the RNC, because they will need to change about twenty million minds before the GOP becomes relevant again.

[arvada]

In contrast, you would be a know nothing

[Shieldmaiden]

It's just we can't find this kind of humor on cable.

We can. It's called Fox News.

[soapington]

You wouldn't recognize humor if it severed your carotid artery.

[lynettema]

I am glad to see that someone has pointed out the influx of RWers on HuffPo. Too bad. It was so nice without them. We could even have real discussion.

[flossophy]

yeah, it's a shame to have differing points of view represented... I'd rather stay in my safe and cozy worldview cocoon.

[x004Ronin]

The most recent U.S. recessions include 1982-1983 (under Republican President Reagan), 1991 (under Republican President Bush Sr.), 2001 (under (under Republican President Bush Jr.) and 2008 (under Republican President Bush Jr.).

You conservatives are awesome. Keep it up.

[flossophy]

don't forget the prolonging of the Depression by the fearless FDR...
don't forget the stagflation of our dear friend Jimmy Carter...
don't forget the recession Billy Clinton handed to Bush...

x004Ronin... in all of your examples - the economic problems were a result of Democrat policies... '82-'83 was leftover from Carter stagflation / regulation, '91 was a blip... due to too restrictive monetary policy and 2001 thanks, Bill + 911 + dotcom burst.

You can thank the conservatives for 25 straight years of robust economic expansion starting in 1983... due to conservative economic policy. If Jimmy Carter had won in 1980... the world would look very different today. It's a very good thing (for you & I) that he lost in a landsliiiide...

since conservative policies work quite well... you can expect them to keep it up.

cheers.

[propitiousmoment]

Occasionally I read conservative blogs, but the venom of the comments is totally offputting. Nasty cynicism and name-calling in the name of their failed ideology are partly what drove me away from conservatism in the first place, and I find it simply appalling that people will so openly express such dark impulses. Also, one of the comments here on HuffPost a while back said that some of those sites track your IP address and follow back to your computer to do real harm. I will never post there again, that's for sure. And I hate it when they show up here on a perfectly innocent thread, repeatedly doing their nyah-nyah bit, just to ruin it for the rest of us.

[marignymitch]

McCardle's first idea was un-American. Mercifully she made amends by sharing her shopping guide.