At the L.A. Times, Susan Jacoby condemns “the public’s increasing reluctance to give a fair hearing — or any hearing at all — to opposing points of view.” After noting that John Adams and Thomas Jefferson reconciled their friendship at the end of their lives, Jacoby writes:
It is doubtful that today’s politicians will spend much time trying to explain themselves to one another even after they leave office. They are, after all, creatures of a culture in which it is acceptable, on the Senate floor, for Vice President Dick Cheney to tell Vermont’s Democratic Sen. Patrick Leahy to “go [obscene verb] yourself”
There is a direct connection between the debasement of political discourse and the public’s tendency to tune out any voice that is not an echo. “Swift boating” can succeed in politics only because of the correct assumption that huge numbers of Americans lack the broad knowledge that would enable them to spot blatantly unfair attacks. If Barack Obama is the Democratic nominee, we will surely hear, from the slimier corners of the blogosphere, a renewal of the lie that he is a Muslim. John McCain got the same treatment from George W. Bush supporters in the 2000 campaign, when the rumor that his adopted child from Bangladesh was really his own illegitimate African American baby cost him votes in the Republican primary in South Carolina. Voters of any political persuasion who watch only cable news shows or consult only blogs that support their preconceptions are patsies for these kinds of lies.
Indeed, today’s politicians are creatures of a culture in which Sen. Leahy falsely accused Cheney of war profiteering.  A culture in which Vice President Al Gore made a stump speech about “the extra-chromosome right wing.”  A culture in which Martin Sheen called then-candidate George W. Bush a “white-knuckle drunk.”  And in which the New York Times recently peddled sexual innuendo about John McCain.  And in which Obama supporters claimed that McCain’s “biography tour” was somehow racist.  And in which Bill Clinton popped an Obama-backing heckler in the face.  And in which Obama compared his colleague, Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK), with an unrepentant former member of the Weather Underground.
For someone upset about people trapped in echo chambers, Ms. Jacoby might want to leave hers. It’s much easier to hear both sides that way. Plus, you avoid looking like a hypocritical partisan hack.
(h/t Tom Maguire.)
And things were so much more civil back in, say, the mid nineteenth century, when Charles Sumner was beaten half to death on the floor of the Senate by a South Carolinian congressman who didn’t like what he had been saying about slavery. Politics is, always has been, always will be a bare knuckle affair when you get right down to it. Even more so today, when government oversees the spending of so much money.
Cheney only told Leahy off, he didn’t near beat him to death as Rep. Brooks almost beat Sen. Stevens to death.
And Andrew jackson’s two regrets were that he never shot Sen. Henry Clay and never hanged John C. Calhoun – his own vice-president. Miss Jacoby needs to get out more.
Here’s the four word summary: “Democrats Good! Republicans Bad!”
But, you know, paid by the word.
Sen. Sumner – thanks for the correction, Stiv.
Oh, so Susan is a hater.
Susan Jacoby suffers from the solipsistic autism she rails against in the LAT. Simply breath-taking on how an elitist like herself has absolutely no self-knowledge, no perspective on how the 80% of Americans who say they are NOT liberals [In about two dozen polls over the last decade, according to Jeffrey Goldberg of The New Yorker] live quiet decent lives & do not spend their days in self-promotion as she does.
If there is anything such as a “public intellectual” left and a “marketplace of ideas,” people like Jacoby are not included in a serious consideration of serious issues affecting serious people, i.e., not people like her.
Wow. She got to tell those lucky people how stupid and lazy they were to their face. Please please please come to LA, Susan. Truth Uncorked … Hah! That’s so clever.
This is the proportion of Americans who say that they believe every word in the Bible is literally true.
Which, if true, I also find worrisome, but perhaps not quite as immediately dangerous as the percentage who believe that An Inconvenient Truth is literally true.
As someone who lacks the broad knowledge to spot a bad argument, though, what do I know?
The problem is much more fundamental than simply a failure to listen. It’s how a problem is approached. Conservatives tend to look at the problem and say, what’s the solution? Liberals look at their arsenal of theoretical solutions, and say, what problem can we create, or exaggerate, to use these?
Can we get Robert Bork and Clarence Thomas to weigh in on Ms. Jacoby’s thoughts?
Then again, there is always Aaron Burr, Jefferson’s sitting Vice President, who had a disagreement with Alexander Hamilton (former Secretary of the Treasury)over a number of things inclusive of Hamilton’s campaigning against him in the NY Governor’s (after Jefferson dropped him from the ticket in 1804).
How’d that end? They hugged it out…right?
It seems to me that a healthy, accurate historical perspective on the rough and tumble of politics is what seperates serious, critical political commentary and a condescending partisan hack job.
Feel free to call it truth uncorked, if you must.
“Voters of any political persuasion who watch only cable news shows or consult only blogs that support their preconceptions are patsies for these kinds of lies.”
As opposed to those enlightened souls who take their New York Times/NPR straight, no chaser. The Left doesn’t have so much an echo chamber as an entire alternate history/reality.
They are the Hollywood Stars who have come to believe that the stories put out by their paid flacks are the truth. Always reinventing themselves and their history to make whatever they are saying and doing now fit perfectly with their “past”.
They don’t like the blogs because the past never really disappears on the net. That is inconvenient. Truth always is to those who believe their own lies.
– “….a culture in which it is acceptable, on the Senate floor, for Vice President Dick Cheney to tell Vermont’s Democratic Sen. Patrick Leahy to “go [obscene verb] yourselfâ€Â
– Lets see, taking from the aggrigate of blogs, and implied meaning driving 100% of the Left adalpated MSM, that would bring it up to just about…Ummmmm…something like…
Lefturds 187,342,112 – Reps 1
in the “fuck you” contest. Yes, I can certainly understand her concern. Apparently, even when they go all out with pouty mouth, the moonbat gaggle still gets ignored. Damn shame.
– BTW, its Uber self-serving crap like this silly article that makes one feel the English language comes up short in wordage sometimes. Maybe this example of moon-battery delusion would be better characterized as “Hyper-hypocritical”, but even that doesn’t seem to do this level of delusional whining justice.
– I guess when you’re politically impotent, things like her and Bill Maher are inevitable.
So, Kos was complimenting those contractors, er “mercenaries” when he told their burned, hanged corpses to screw themselves?
Funniest thing you ever wrote. I assume you realized the irony while typing it? How can one seriously call anyone else a partisan hack when he’s writing on Protein Wisdom?
“Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?†(Jesus in Matthew 7:3, NIV)
“I know you are, but what am I” would have been more to the point, Lionel.
Yes, but it wouldn’t have allowed him to play the part of Jesus.
If my little brother had sawdust in his eye I’d help him first. I’m supposed to look after him, even if makes more money than I do.
And here I’d thought you weren’t supposed to wear a retired jersey.
oh. *he* … is this site acting funny or is it just the Internet here?
I’m not a Christian, so I don’t see what the Jesus quote is supposed to signify. Other than an attempt by Lionel to force his morality on me.
Bible thumping Godbag. That reminds me, I need to go cling to my gun.
Susan just mis-typed. It’s not “opposing” points of view that people are reluctant to listen to, it’s HER point of view.
And yes, the exclusive finger-pointing to the right does put an exclamation point on it.
Oh, and also, it’s because her ideas are stupid.
Though I’m guessing that when you’re stupid, it must seem like people unfairly dismiss you a LOT.
Tell us, Lionel, is that true?
This is a straw man. First, words aren’t true or false–they don’t have truth-value. Propositions have truth-value. Second, conservative Christians do not believe in the dictation theory of inspiration.
Like this:
Dear Lionel,
You are a partisan hack. Fuck you very much, and don’t let the door hit you in the ass on your way out. Thanks for stopping by, and be sure to come back when you can’t stay so long.
Love,
Pablo
By presenting the side the partisan hack left out. Probably too subtle for Lionel.
Methinks Lionel lacks historical perspective.
Or … he could just be a troll sniping partisan hack asshat.
Yeah, that one.
– So tell us Lionel. What was it, the “politically impotent” thing that wrinkled your ballsac, because I’d sure hate to think I put your nuts in a twist.
– Besides, people that actually have independent working minds, you know, the ones not “assimulated” into the hive, want to know.
I find your lack of historical perspective… disturbing.