The Daily Howler on Gates/Crowley/Obama: Pseudo-libs and class condescension

[Karmadillo]

http://www.dailyhowler.com/dh072409.shtml

THIS IS YOUR PROGRESSIVE MOVEMENT ON DRUGS! No, it isn’t Obama’s fault. But good lord! What a strange goal!
FRIDAY, JULY 24, 2009

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Unfortunately, the situation may be worse than the well-scripted pundit pair said. Many voters are now being told, on talk radio, that Barack Obama thinks cops are stupid—that he went after the cop on Wednesday night, just as his side went after the firefighter (Frank Ricci) a week before. As voters are told these things, some will trust Obama less—and some support will erode for his health care proposal. This is very bad for progressive interests. But in hackish preserves like the Maddow Show, no one will dream that Gates, or Obama, or any known liberal could be less than completely correct.

Was Obama perhaps unfair to Crowley in his remarks Wednesday night? We’d have to say it’s a possibility; if other liberals could imagine such things, progressive interests might sometimes be served. But lordly liberals rose up this week, telling us that Professor Gates is wealthy, affluent, famous, influential—and that working-class Crowley just isn’t (see THE DAILY HOWLER, 7/23/09). But then, such acts of class condescension have a long history in pseudo-lib circles. We pseudo-liberals have hurt our interests in such ways for years.

As we told you yesterday: Upper-class people often have a hard time respecting working-class people. When upper-class “liberals” behave this way, it can cost Democrats votes. And this sort of thing is common among us—though many liberals simply can’t see it, even when it’s right under our noses. For a somewhat comical minor example, consider Lord O’Donnell’s outing on Countdown last Thursday night.

O’Donnell is modern High Liberal Royalty—and we have the defeats to prove it. In October 2000, he was still aggressively trashing Gore on The McLaughlin Group, dreaming up “lies” Gore plainly hadn’t told. (He did this from the “liberal” chair.) Four years later, he melted down on MSNBC as he tried to debate John O’Neill, head of the Swift Boat Vets. It was clear that O’Donnell wasn’t prepared to argue the facts of the case with O’Neill; members of his lordly class simply don’t prepare. As his high class typically does, he tried to compensate by shouting insults. O’Neill looked sane by comparison—and MSNBC pretty much booted O’Donnell off the air.

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[TayTay]

1. There is no teachable moment if no one is listening

Nothing will ever advance or change if the parties involved don't get off their high horses and talk to each other. This threatening and dangerous "Conversation" involves acknowledging the possibility that one's own opinion might be wrong or faulty or incomplete or capable of change. It also involves the possibility for respecting the opinion and good faith of others. Apparently, this is the most difficult thing to do on this earth, have a little respect for others before the hate names are flung around at will.

The alleged "discussion" of this issue on DU this past week was less than stellar. Liberals courageously complimented each other on their courageous stands in agreeing with other liberals on liberal boards on liberal stands. Wow! With courageous action like that, I bet no one's mind was even challenged, never mind changed.

It has been said that liberals want to be right more than they want to change anything. Too bad. We need change in this country and that is not a one-sided conversation based on demonizing other people and calling them names. It involves hard work, diplomacy, respect for others and the need for real conversation in which sides have at least a tiny bit of respect for each other.

Otherwise, what is the point?

I am so proud of my President today. He backed off from the brink, acknowledged the fundamental good-faith in others, recognized that genuine talk involves listening to the grievances of others and didn't take it as a slur on his being when someone expressed a different opinion. Thank God we have someone of that caliber, intelligence, grace and compassion in office right now. I wish we had more of it in our discussions on the various liberal chat boards.