Thank you Jon Stewart and The Daily Show for trying to set the record straight while facing an unalloyed hypocrite and fabricator like Jonah Goldberg. I had never heard of this fellow or his "book" but as soon as I heard the gushing torrent of disjointed gibberish posing as "history" pour out of his mouth I thought to myself: "This must be Lucianne Goldberg's kid." Sure enough, a quick Google search and my suspicion was confirmed. Only from the loins of a reactionary thug could such acidic progeny spring.
Although Stewart's interview segment was heavily edited for obvious reasons, it was made clear quite quickly that Mr. Goldberg's professors at Goucher College had done a piss poor job giving him even the most basic understanding of American history or politics.
I'm sure on the right-wing talk radio circuit and on Fox News Goldberg is a star -- but let's get real. Anyone who tried to write a "serious" scholarly work that made these kinds of insane and unsupportable claims about the ideological pedigree of fascism would be laughed out of the academy faster than you could say "Linda Tripp."
I think the interview was more horrifying than "entertaining." This bitter, privileged young man knows exactly what he's doing. The producers at The Daily Show should have thought twice before giving him a forum. But at least Mr. Stewart was willing to challenge Goldberg on mainstream television about his preposterous contentions.
Historians toil in archives and send out manuscripts to peers for review. We work hard to try to keep the record straight. We're lucky if any of our books cross over into the trade market at all and our cash-strapped University Press publishers spend next to nothing on promotion and more often than not run off only a few thousand copies. And then we're subjected to the likes of Goldberg's blathering diatribe against straw-man "liberals" pretending to be a book?
I had assumed that Regnery Publishers produced Goldberg's monstrosity, Richard Mellon Scaife's outfit that brought us "Swift Boat Veterans for Truth" and Michell Malkin's ranting about how wonderful it was to intern Japanese Americans during World War Two. But I was saddened to see that a reputable publishing house produced Goldberg's "Cleveland Steamer."
I don't usually go in for book burning, being a good "liberal" and all. But with Goldberg's book I'll make an exception. (Call me a "liberal fascist.")
Goldberg, whom I rank with Michelle Malkin, as one of the worst people with book deals in this nation. It's the let's make some claims to fit our view of the world and let someone else find our mistakes kind of journalism (I actually started feeling ill when typing journalism).
It's idiots like this that have done so much damage to our country now as it is, with no one to shut them up, correct them, or even let the masses see them for the fools they are. El Rushbo is a prime example. This idiot has influenced millions at the very detriment of our nation and its rights, and now as well as its economy...
The rich elite don't want people to be educated and smart. They want to keep them stupid and easy to control. Misinformed and vitriolic so they can get them stirred up to manipulate the airwaves and masses. Very much of this is subliminal; so much so, that we cannot see this great transfer of wealth from the middle class to the rich that is happening right now, right before our eyes.
Thanks again for a great post. Please keep it coming.
His book would have made much more sense if he had tried to compare modern "progressivism" with communistic ideals. The argument would have just been laughable instead of infuriating.
By the way thedailyshow.com has a link to this article.
Goldberg is a fucking fool.
And yet he has a regular forum not only in the nation's largest newspaper - his column is picked up in other rags throughout the country (sadly, our own KC Star regularly wastes space on Goldberg editorials).
Thousands upon thousands of Goldberg thoughts committed to paper for posterity. Like a permanent stain that we'll never get out, no matter how many rinse and soaks we do.
Imagine what historians will think of us when they read this stuff. Will they think it represents pervading thought?
There are surely many quotes from genuine nazis one could cite that would eliminate any confusion.
see Kennedy: Fascist America
by Russell Mokhiber and Robert Weissman
http://www.commondreams.org/views05/0122-10.htm
I worked for a guy, a Libertarian attorney. "My friends and I" (you know who) "call Liberals 'the New Fascists'". A quick quiz by me on what he knew about fascism stopped that talk. Counseling by a member of the city council stopped his talk about me as "the only communist in the city". Those people.