Discussion: Left Caught Totally Off Guard By Quick Politicization of Scalia Death

TPM Article Topics
41

Thank you! You expressed my feelings far better than my foul-mouthed self could ever do.

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42

And your comment is a perfect example of why I love coming here. I learn. The fact you are a teacher–of writing, no less–gives me reason to pause and examine my initial reaction(s) and the way forward. Thank you!

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43

I hope is was intentional and not just unconscious bias.

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44

It has taken be a long time on the internet to realize that the most devastating arguments are delivered in a calm tone. A very long time, alas.

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45

Reading TPM and its comments section is my favorite activity, but, seriously, guys, some of your comments are so mean-spirited. It’s okay to point out differences of opinion, but must we subject the articles’ writers to personal criticism?

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46

Mr. Yertle"

We HAVE spoken. Shut up and listen, already

Signed:

The American People

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47

If she takes it to heart, she’ll be a better writer and clearer thinker.

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48

That would at least give the author credit for a certain amount of self-awareness. I vote for intentional, given that Ms. Fox’s previous employers were US News & World Report and National Journal, the latter being a subsidiary of the Atlantic Monthly, a once-proud journal of opinion & the arts that has been colonized by hipster conservatives.

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49

Me thinks Mr. McConnell has what my Mom calls “selective hearing.”

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50

What specific personal criticism are you referring to? I have attempted to avoid ad hominem arguments.

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51

After reading the last 3 articles by Lauren Fox, including that masterpiece about how MICHELE FIORE SAVED THE FUCKING WORLD AS WE KNOW IT!, perhaps Ms. Fox should seriously think about investing in a case of hydrogen peroxide (H/T: FoxNews).
And yes, that is a very mean thing to say. And no, I am not apologizing, as I would also not apologize for saying anything similar about Andrea Mitchell, Chuck Todd, Joe Scarborough, Mark Halperin, David Brooks, Thomas Friedman, Maureen Dowd, Bill Kristol, and all of the rest of the non-journalistic journalists that I have every right to criticize when they are blatantly wrong.
But, of course, BOTH SIDES DO IT!

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52

I do like how many conservatives like to blame liberals for this sort of stuff initially. I am sure some people did say stuff on twitter but that is very different than all the conservatives that do that all the time and the ones in official office that say stuff. I do not remember any official Dems saying much of anything except maybe sympathy.

What it meant was clear but McConnel was first out of the gates.

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53

I was thinking that, too. Obama would be smiling from ear to ear, not at the death, but at the situation it would put these Teabagger idiot Senators in. He would have a 4-3 liberal majority, and could go to the Senate and say, “I don’t give a florid fart if you confirm ANY of my SCOTUS nominees. I’ve got your shriveled raisin balls in my hand. Now, go tell Bill O’Reilly to fetch me a glass of motherfucking iced tea!”

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54

Caught off guard? Caught off guard by Republican politicization, crassness, depraved incivility and sh*thouserat-craziness? Oh no! That would be like being ‘caught off guard’ by the …

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55

Actually, he is. I suggest that you listen to what he says, rather than making comments about his rural accent. Somewhat prejudicial comments, I’d say. Compared to Hatch, Rubio, Cruz, he makes relatively thoughtful statements. He’s a farmer, and is very knowledgeable about rural issues.

56

The Turtle’s pronouncement is just that. He made it impossible for some show of decency. The man just died. Why not give his family time to receive the body and mourn? The Turtle thinks he is clever. All he has done is to obliterate the attention which would have been given to sing’s the late man’s praises. The President is going to nominate someone. And then Turtle and his cohorts can decide if they want an open confrontation. By then the progressive legal types will show their hand. Nothing much is going to happen in the next few weeks while the WH reviews candidates.

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57

Well, this seemed pretty mean:

“Ms. Fox, on recent evidence, has a habit of deciding on her conclusion
first, then finding quotations and examples that can be distorted to
support her previously selected conclusions. The dishonesty of this
process is pretty transparent to readers who can apply even a modicum of
critical thinking.”

58

But my criticism is directed at Ms. Fox’s writing, not at her personally. My comment is critical, but I deny that it is “mean."

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59

Bullshit.

Farmer Grassley came out and said there would be no hearings on an Obama nominee.

Then, when the situation began to turn on the Republicans, he walked back his ludicrous remarks.

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60

I got on Google Earth to see if I could find Technicolor satellite imagery of the house that landed on him. It had to be that – he didn’t melt away, so a house must have landed on him.

Unfortunately, Google hasn’t updated that section of Texas yet.

So I had a dram of Macallan 12, instead.

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