The Internet’s most notorious sock-puppeteer left everybody some shiny new strawmen for Christmas:
Mike Huckabee’s Christmas ad — like everything Huckabee does — provoked all sorts of vehement, angry, un-Christmas-like attacks from Republican pundits. The GOP establishment almost uniformly claimed that the edges of the bookshelf behind Huckabee formed the shape of a cross, which — along with Huckabee’s mention of the word “Christ” — rendered Huckabee guilty of making a highly inappropriate, overt religious appeal for votes.
Gleen(s) gives you three links. At the first, there is criticism from Catholic League president Bill Donahue — and no one else. At the second Byron York touts “Huckabee’s astonishing ability to hit the target”and links to York’s article about the making of the ad, which also contains no criticism.  At the third, a Peggy Noonan piece that begins with the sentence, “I didn’t see the famous floating cross,” though she then criticizes it.
Do Bill Donahue and Peggy Noonan constitute almost uniform criticism of the ad? What about NRO’s Jim Geraghty, who thought it was “brilliant. Absolutely brilliant.” What about Michael Reagan, who called it “one of the most brilliantly conceived and executed commercials ever seen?” What about Allahpundit, who called it “darned shrewd  above the fray, oozing sincerity as only Huck can,” and later had two posts joking about the ensuing contoversy? Captain Ed also had a bit of fun riffing on the theme. Bob Owens urged people to “get a grip.”
In fact, what was remarkable was how few conservative pundits pop up if you search Technorati or Google News for reax to the Huckmas ad. It was easier to find commentary like that of NRO’s John J. Pitney Jr., on the New York Times coverage of the ad:
Let’s consider these claims, starting with the ad itself. The Times piece notes “what looks like a giant white cross†in the background. Even though the “cross†is just shelving, liberal commentators have breathlessly accused him of working a subliminal message into his ad. They sound a little like the crazies who used to inspect children’s books for Communist propaganda. Nowadays, every right angle is a potential breach of the Establishment Clause.
Or Mike Gallagher at TownHall:
First off, let’s all agree how fun it was to see TV blowhards like Chris Matthews and Meredith Vieira come unhinged over the possibility that the infamous bookshelf in the background of Gov. Huckabee’s Christmas TV message was a sinister attempt to subliminally brainwash dopey Americans into seeing a (gasp!) cross.
Or even John Ridley at the HuffPo:
Huckabee runs a Christmas-themed ad. The liberals see a floating cross, and believe that alone make the man unfit to be president. Instead, I think that makes some on the far left too paranoid to trust with a vote.
The above suggests that there are people — left and right — who take their cues for political discourse from the Drudge Report. And that Ellers McEllerson seems to be one of them.
Thus, when Ellers pivots to try to claim some kind of hypocrisy in the Right’s reax to a McCain ad telling the story of how one of his Vietnamese guards drew a cross in the sand on Christmas while McCain was a POW, it falls apart from the outset. And that’s before considering that Allahpundit was mildly critical of that ad. (As an aside, there would not be any hypocrisy in any event, if one accepts the notion that subliminal advertising is deemed unethical in a way overt advertising — even pandering – is not. Moreover, the notion that someone was putting a subliminal Christian message in an ad wishing people a Merry Christmas and specifically mentioning the birth of Christ amuses me greatly, but I digress.)
The final act of this bit of holiday sock-puppet theater is an attack on Michelle Malkin for putting a video wishing everyone a Merry Christmas on the same page as various political items with which Ellers disagrees (and mischaracterizes). The most recent of those political posts was December 20th. Apparently, four or five days is not sufficient breathing space between political commentary and a holiday message. Who knew ol’ Socky took Christmas so seriously?
Update: Do you think it occurred to McEllerson that attacking people on the Internet while they are likely to be celebrating Christmas in the real world makes him look like an underhanded schmuck?
Update x2: Insta-lanche!
I usually like getting tools for Christmas, but this one is ridiculous.
Greenwald groupies don’t do links! Why risk the cognitive dissonance?
The source material cited by the puppeteer seldom matches his synopsis — the links just allow him to claim good faith no matter how flagrantly he abuses the putative evidence at his disposal.
I am pretty sure that it isn’t the cross-thing that the man with Empty Sock Drawers is pointing to… it is that Gov. Huckabee basically enacted an entire liberal agenda of ‘entitlements’ in his State and using the moralistic stance from the right is attracting more folks than the moralistic stance from the left on same. That led to the Cato institute giving him a very low grade, even lower than Romney. Because, to get all of the money to *pay* for such things, Mr. Huckabee got a chance to put a ‘surcharge’ of 3% on everyone’s taxes. Would you like some taxes to go with those taxes? So if you can play up the religious angle and distract from the money angle, you can folks all in a lather about the religion and overlook the actual cost to even the *poor* in Arkansas. Even if you paid no regular taxes, you paid the ‘surcharge’.
So sock puppet at something frivolous to both the left and the right, and try to ignore that the cost of ‘entitlements’ is on display with Gov. Huckabee. And that is something the left doesn’t want seen and many on the right are questioning. One dare not point out the cost of ‘entitlements’ by the other side because those on yours are just as bad in terms of cost…
“Do you think it occurred to McEllerson that attacking people on the Internet while they are likely to be celebrating Christmas in the real world makes him look like an underhanded schmuck?”
Taking into consideration underhanded schmuck would be a major step up in most folks opinion of him, I would answer that Yes.
Karl – You are just too damned nice. You must have been feeling all Christmas-y when you called him an underhanded schmuck.
I will give one of the Gleens credit, towards the end of that ridiculous article, he notes that the commentary that preceeded were not really Christmas appropriate. Unfortunately, he then proceeds to continue in the same vein. They must not have been celebrating Christmas in Sau Paulo.
You Christo-fascists are always out looking for people to savage.
Ellers @ #7 – You could not be more correct. Maybe we could get a Senator to read that into the record. That would make a great topic for a NY Times best-seller.
I am most certainly not Glenn, for the record, but he is clearly the most brilliant and insightful political analyst of our generation.
They celebrate Christmas in Brazil, JD. Rather enthusiastically.
I suspect that Barefoot got something in his sock(s). This is unusually breathless, even for him.
Regards,
Ric
Not Glenn @ #9 – I could not agree with you more. As a true conservative libertarian, his writings have been embraced by both sides of the political spectrum, with his work becoming a NY Times best-seller, and portions of his writing were even read into the Senate record. His analysis is spot-on.
Simply the greatest political mind of our lifetimes. He has been right on every issue, and will continue to be right on every issue. We need more people like him in public service.
I suspect that he found some amyl nitrate in his, uh, stocking.
Sure, Mona, but enough about Karl. What do you think of Socky missing the facts, the point, the target…?
I hope you had a wonderful Christmas, and that the rest of the holiday season is great too. I wanted to thank you, again, for teaching me so damn many things over the course of this year. Maybe some of it will start sinking in. Actually, I think that your last comment is proof that some of your wisdom must have started to take root, since I did not have to google anything!
The Brazilians may celebrate Christmas, but Grenn and the sock-puppets must have boycotted it.
That was intended to be addressed to Ric, but I appear to have typed his name in the wrong place. You see, I still have much learning left to be done.
How many sock puppet intruders does a site have before it’s considered a sock pile? Sock stack?
Inquiring minds want to know.
Well, I would attack Gleens, but since I’ve never written a book, I don’t feel I’m qualified to criticize.
Carin: Criticise him under another name. The irony cancels the lack of gravitas.
Proof that the universe bends such that its ends eventually meet. Just imagine the spittle flying at a meeting of those minds.
Mock all you like, Pablo, but “Socky” was right on target. Right on the facts, and right on the point. Your inability to understand his thinking, which is on a higher plane than you could be expected to understand, should be pitied. Someday you may be fortunate enough to become enlightened. I doubt it, but you can always have a goal ;-)
When we become enlightened, Mona, will there be appetizers? I likes me those pastry wrapped mini-dogs!
Hit you on the clitty, did he? I didn’t think he went that way.
You unenlightened rubes must resort to gutter language when confronted with the greatness of Grenn.
– To the visiting footware. Have a wonderful christmas. The Alka Selzer is in the medicine cabinet, right next to the mercurachrome. Be careful, and good day to you Sir!
– So one of the political aspirents does a simple christmas message, in effect leaving all his opponents gathered at the trough of vote pandering, a total end run, and they’er all sorely pissed. Kudo’s to his staff.
– Concerning the not-ctoss. I am sure before the new year dawns, some group somewhere will see it as a “sign” from heaven, placed there by heaven;y decree, to show all the non-believers the error of their ways. In time, this ad may even take on the religious fervor of a Fatima miracle, and becime a cult classic in the annuls of political TV. That should make the sales of Alka Seltzer and Bacardi rum sky-rocket among the Libturd set.
– Overall the entire kerfluffle is more a commentary on the absolute absurd, vacuous nature, of politics in the new mellenium. Merry fucking christmas everyone.
Oh stewardess, I speak jive.
That’s Gleens, Missy. (Nice parody, btw.)
Thanks, Pablo. I do my best.
I am not very excercized, as I always expect Ellers Sandalson to be about some imaginary observation, and to be schmucky every day of the year. It’s as inevitable as who-hash in whoville.
Mmmm. Who-hash.
Huckabee? Who cares?
“Glenn Greenwald makes a great stocking stuffer”
Who-hash puts the fahoo in your foray and the dahoo in your doray. IYKWIM. AITYD.
JD: does this mean I’m not getting those mini-weiners? ;-(
Re: Pablo’s link at #20…Gleen[s] attack on Giuliani almost would bring me to Giuliani’s camp. If he wins the nomination. But, I would have to renounce my NRA membership. Ditto, for supporting Romney.
I’ve reviewed all the candidate’s holiday videos. Could even one of the Gleen[s] find a way to attack Fred Thompson’s?
You would not be so quick to criticize heem if you ever gazed upon the magnificence that is Mango.
Looked like a plus sign to me?
Gleens hating on him in Pat Buchanan’s rag has me thinking about being his 4th wife. If that’s wrong, I don’t want to be right.
Wait, who is this “Glenn Greenwald”?
Just imagine the spittle flying at a meeting of those minds.
Pablo,
First, I’m trying to imagine what possible objection the “sides” of the spectrum represented by those minds would have to authoritarianism. I think it gives them chubbies.
Cordially…
Huckabee still makes me feel dirty. Someone please make him stop.
Sometimes a bookshelf is just a bookshelf.
Wow. I can’t tell if the “Mona” above is a parody or the real one.
BTW — Gleen has been immortalized in pewter.
Rick, I don’t think the objection is to authoritarianism as much as it is that they don’t get to be the authoritarians. If they saw themselves holding the levers of power, they’d be down with it.
Hah hah! Brilliant, Pablo.
I think, though, that this shows a basic truism of left/right discourse. The left does everything it can to ignore what the right actually says – so they can get away with saying whatever the fuck they want, since their loyal minions are never able to pick out the dishonest argument. As long as it fits with the left’s stereotype it has of the right, it’s fine.
While the right certainly enjoys poking fun at the left, there are very few among us who don’t actually know their arguments. With the MSM, NPR, Hollywood, etc … it is impossible to avoid knowing their POV. I don’t think the same can be said for your average left of center person. I’ve debated with libs, only to be flabbergasted at the basic facts of which they are unaware.
It’s not that they don’t know anything, it’s that everything they know is wrong (THANK YOU, RR!0
One last good one, from a book I’m reading. It reminds me of when I was a liberal:
Indignation is the soul’s defense against the wound of doubt about its own; it reorders the cosmos to support the justice of its cause. “Closing of the American Mind”, by Allen Bloom.
[…] how grossly Herr Sockmeister mischaracterized the various statements as well as who said them, but Karl at Protein Wisdom has already completed that task, so […]
You say that like there’s ever been a difference that, you know, mattered.
Hidden Message found in Fred Thompson’s Christmas
Lo and behold! I’ve found evidence that Fred Thompson has a conservative, religious message hidden away in his ad! Evidenced, here, at the sign of the ‘cross’…
If they saw themselves holding the levers of power, they’d be down with it.
Pablo,
And my point is they manifestly do see themselves doing the levering. Sometimes, when it’s a metrosexual like Kos acting out the dream, the image can be precious, if not hysterically funny.
Cordially…
That’s not a lever in Glenn’s hand it just kinda looks like that.
But not in a Giuliani administration…which just pisses them both off.
They all saw what they wanted to see.
(All the ‘critics’ must be closet Christians, I suppose.)
By the way, Dave Kopel recently eviscerated an earlier Gleen scribble on the Volokh Conspiracy.
Hmmmm…a certain online “encyclopedia” has a notable lack of a certain person in its entry on sockpuppets. Somebody really should fix that.
I confess that “Mona” was just my interpretation of the infamous Mona. I apologize for any confusion.