I almost didn’t blog about this, and for petty reasons. Basically I don’t want to appear to be giving equal time just because Glasnost has spewed links all over my comment section showing Republicans are just as bad (good?) as Democrats in using sex as an issue;^)
It is a bad argument that the other side does it too unless there has been some claim that someone or group is innocent in such matters. I also reject the idea that outing gay Republicans is okay because some other Republicans have done awful things or supposedly are bigots. I certainly don’t think Democrats are fair game because many in their camp are bigots or in some other morally questionable category.That being said, this crap has got to stop. It all makes me sick. I have a few more posts on related aspects of this kind of thing, but the viciousness of many is depressing. It doesn’t mater if it is Ken Blackwell, Jesse Helms, Glenn Greenwald, Ann Coulter, Sean Hannity or Rogers and Avarosis.
[tags] Ken Blackwell, Ted Strickland[/tags]
About Lance
I want to thank everybody who has encouraged me over the past few years to do this. I doubt it will hold but a few people's interest, but that is okay with me. Special thanks go to Peter over at http://www.liberalcapitalist.com.
I value my privacy a great deal, so I will guess you will have to get to know me over time to find out much. I am in the financial services, wealth management, investing or whatever you want to call it business. I have children, my oldest is entering college.
I have no great or imposing academic background, my grades varied from high enough to get invited to an honors program at my university to frustrating enough to cause my father great grief. My major was history, with a minor in ethics. My main interest towards the end was in the history of economic ideas before life took a turn and I ended up never going on to graduate school. However, I have a fair knowledge of history, economics, investing and would probably be considered well read. My tastes are eclectic and I pretty much find the entire world interesting.
I have an enduring interest in how people learn about and analyze the world; my posts here will examine this topic in detail over time. I make no claims to be above the very biases and errors I see in others, in fact it is my belief that we are incapable of escaping them, only moderating their control over us.
I am a member of no political party, but I would broadly consider myself a man of the right. I am inclined to free market economics, limited government and a fairly narrow view of the role of the state. A small L libertarian if you will. However, if you are looking for broad based "the left believes..." or "wingers are so...." types of attacks on liberals, conservatives, neo-cons or whatever enemy you want to slam, look elsewhere.
Lance
We (the voting public) are just gonna have to grow up and not let this stuff bother us (or even better, punish the people who make it an issue by not voting for them). When it stops working, they’ll stop doing it.
Fortunately, I think we’ve been growing up for awhile, and we are probably in the twilight years of such tactics’ effectiveness. I don’t think homosexuality bothers most people as much as it used to, even among those who think it’s inherently sinful.
Well said. Bravo. I appreciate your taking this matter up and also appreciate how the insistance of others that you must take it up might have made it more difficult. So bravo again.
Also what Robby says. When this stuff stops working, it will stop.
As I said, it was petty. I have only been blogging for three months now, in fact today or tomorrow is our anniversary, and it gets a little irritating (though as a reader I understand the desire) to feel like if you don’t even out the debate personally, right now, your points are can be ignored or are in service to a particular agenda which needs to be balanced.
Then glasnost brings up something that I wanted to blog about anyway. Now while I don’t blog to get any one persons approval, if someone has been slagging on you about something you kind of feel like when you do something when you have been nagged by your wife(husband.) You get no credit because they had to nag you, but if you don’t do it it proves their point. No win.
In fact I think glasnost gives me more credit than that, but the urge not to blog about the specific issue that he brought up was there, my ;^) tag at the end not withstanding.
Still, this really stinks and so I sucked it up. I am not a single issue voter, and I cannot say who I would vote for, but this kind of think would definitely make me consider at the very least not voting for him, if not for his opponent. I guess I have been writing about this stuff because I want it to stop working, whatever the rationale, whether it is to advance a left or right (however unsatisfying I find those terms) wing agenda or candidate.
Like you said and I meant, it does take a bigger man (or woman) to go ahead and do it even once the nagging has taken the fun out of it. It is a rare pleasure to come across someone that mature on the blogosphere.
I am trying to work through my issues. It is a long list. Next up is my problem with those little spinning tea cup rides at amusement parks.
Lance, now you why I hang out on this blog so much.. the unusual level of success I’ve had in getting inside the proprietor’s head
Just kidding. Seriously, all I can say is, I appreciate the gesture. I didn’t make any demands, though. It’s the natural function of your blog to present its own point of view and my function to argue and dissent. Just cause I disagree with you doesn’t mean I have to “win” just because I’m loud…
I get the implied message that I’m being a real pain in the butt, but, what can I say, I view argument as a positive state of affairs!
glasnost,
I was saying it tongue in cheek, but it is also true. Not a big issue, but things nag, and you are a nagger;^)
Oh, and it wasn’t a gesture. I had read Greenwald’s post before you posted it and had been following the Ohio developments for some time. I had planned to work it into a long post I am planning on this kind of thing which might seem a bit less partisan to your ears, though that isn’t the intention. It just isn’t about partisan politics, though who knows when I am finished what it will look like. You may hate it. However, that last news article caused me to just go ahead and put it out there, because who knows when I’ll finish. I am worried we may be in for some tit for tat on this kind of thing for awhile.
I will challenge you on making demands. When you post lots of evidence of right wing depravity and make complaints about the one sided nature of a particular discussion (in the sense that with all the right wing targets out there why are we focusing on this) as opposed to restricting the discussion to the particular issue, you are making an implied accusation that we are not really concerned about those other targets. Sometimes you make it explicitly.
That being said our blog is much better for having you as a reader, and I understand that you often do what I and Pogue do, which is take the contrary argument just to see it through. I did say you will note that I think you give me a fair amount of credit for someone you disagree with as often as you do (though you could give me an occasional kudo as well;}
Of course sometimes you just pop off which Pogue and I never do!
and I understand that you often do what I and Pogue do,
it’s addictive. consensus is boring. What can I say. There’s never a good reason to stretch an agreement past about eight words.
Of course sometimes you just pop off which Pogue and I never do!
Yeah. Well, every delicate mesh of creative ideological tension furthering intellectual non-partisan advancement must deal with the occasional wild-eyed zealot, dancing on the line of propriety
Seriously though, I’m grateful for everyone being reasonable people and not hostile to me personally, I think it furthers good debate and I hopefully reciprocate, but – maybe different then a lot of the blogosphere – I don’t put getting along first. I put the argument first.
Nasty names and such are bad arguments, and hostility is poor thinking, but it’s fundamentally about the knowledge and the debate, not about getting along. (Although there’s no reason why the two can’t coexist.. right?)
I don’t know glasnost, I prefer getting along if it is in any way possible. Life is too short for seething resentments. I find I am pretty good at being happy, so it works for me.
That being said, good debate can be a great way to get along, which means taking peoples arguments in the best way possible until they give you know choice.
Look, at least with me, you have been pretty good about that. And when you haven’t you generally come back and try and re-establish dialogue. I try to do the same, I think that is fair enough. If you are ever in southern Louisiana I would love to take you out for a drink. I wouldn’t even expect you to pay for all of them. Most, but not all;^)