Confessions of a Former Dittohead

[CatWoman]

Hi everyone. I'm the new guy here, and I figured I should probably introduce myself. My name's Jim, and I'm a former dittohead.

...

This is the part where you all go "Hi Jim!"

I guess that means I'm at about step 8 in the 12-step recovery process. I made a list of all the persons I had harmed, and I became willing to make amends to them all.

Needless to say it's a long list -- 59,028,109 registered voters at last count.

I started blogging almost exactly one year ago. On February 1, 2005, I wrote my first diary entitled "Confessions of a Former Dittohead." In 2004 I had voted for my first Democrat -- ever. In my post-election funk, I had decided it was high time I confronted the chubby, drug-addicted, maritally challenged elephant in the living room of my political past. For the first 13 years of my politically active life I was a dittohead. I know how the other side thinks. I was the other side.

Now, when I say I was the other side I don't mean I was a Christine Todd Whitman-type Republican who just didn't want to face reality. I was all-in. I was the ruthless little snot you today see scrawling graffiti on the bathroom walls of Power Line or Free Republic. I have met the enemy, and he was me.

I voted Republican from the ages of 18 to 32. I was a Young Republican. I thought feminists were just ugly chicks who couldn't get dates. I believed in the sanctity of marriage, the flag, the fetus, and supply-side economics. In short, I was what Rush would describe as a "young skull-full of mush." And he would shape that mush into something hard, cold, and kinda evil.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jim-derych/confessions-of-a-former-d_b_15272.html

[SmokingJacket]

1. Wow -- excellent!

I hope his book goes into what the *appeal* of Limbaugh is to his followers. I don't get it at all. The man makes my skin crawl, and that's before he opens his mouth and lets forth the stream of bile and nonsense.

Still, I blame him -- and pretty much only him -- for the knee-jerk hatred of liberals that seems so pervasive...

[Old and In the Way]

2. I read that last night.

A little too much self-promotion, methinks.

[pretzel4gore]

3. wonderful.....

all dittoheads must also go through this, so it's interesting to see how the thinking works....and consider how many of them remain in the tweelight zone. Meanwhile too, there's busheviks like scaife and bennet and robertson, ralphreed, the kristols etc....what the hell do they think?

[sinkingfeeling]

4. Excellent, I might even read his book.

[Somawas]

5. Dear former dittohead

If you want to make amends, follow the example of the guy in "My Name is Earl" on NBC. Don't try to sell me your freakin' book. Or go evangelize at Freeperland and Powerline and all your old haunts. See how good you can evangelize among dittoheads. But don't blow sunshine up my ass to get me to spend $24.95 on your book. That ain't making any amends.

[yellowdogmi]

6. ditto

Donate all of your profits to the progressive patriot fund or some other worthy cause on the left then we can talk. I might listen to you if you shove a few facts in limpballs face or if you rat out Ken Mehlman for illicit activities til then don't expect me to support you.

[Just Me]

7. If this guy is truly "converted", he will accept that, he owes a LOT,...

,...for his participation in the worst influence EVER upon this nation. Forgiveness is simple. Trust takes a helluva lot of work.

[AspenRose]

8. Ooooh I am SO getting this book for my husband!

Yeppers, you betcha!