The issue with the "Professional Left" label

[zipplewrath]

One can try to claim that Gibbs was making some important distinction between the media talking heads and columnists, and the average liberal/lefist/progressive. The problem is that these people have jobs specifically because they reflect the ideas and ideals of the people that patronize their shows/columns/blogs. Rush doesn't create the ideas and concepts about which he talks, he parrots them. So when you complain about these folks, you complain about the folks that have similar points of view.

So trying to split hairs and suggest that Gibbs "didn't insult you if you aren't a professional" is absurd. It was a broad brush attack on a whole group of people that probably voted for Obama.

[whathehell]

1. You are correct, sir....K & R. n/t

[cliffordu]

2. Oh, FFS. Victim, much?

He specified people who equate Obama with that fuckwad Bush.

[tkmorris]

8. Except no one does that

Sure comparisons are made, and there are times that Obama's policies are reminiscent of Bush's policies. In some cases Obama's actions seem to be little or no improvement on Bush's within the narrow framework of a particular issue. This criticism of Obama is legitimate whether you agree with it or not.

I don't blame Gibbs for trying to defuse such criticism. It's his job after all. I personally am disappointed by it because instead of trying to ridicule such criticisms they could instead address them in a more positive way. Gibbs comments reflect an intention of the White House to ignore criticism from the Left and continue straddling the double yellow line down the center of American politics.

[RaleighNCDUer]

9. Except they're not straddling any yellow line.

If you are walking down the road, pretending the left lane isn't there, then walking down the middle means you are walking middle of the right lane and that light out there is not the end of the tunnel - it's an oncoming truck.

Nothing less than suicidal.

[WhiteTara]

12. yep. n/t

[RaleighNCDUer]

10. delete - double post

[Sapphocrat]

11. He also said...

...the same people wouldn't be happy until the Pentagon was eliminated.

Who ever called for eliminating the Pentagon?

That, like the imagined "Obama = Bush" meme, is just more hyperbole from Mr. Gibbs' diseased imagination.

[Winterblues]

13. Or people that want decent Health Care as in Canadian style

And then he went way overboard and suggested Liberals want to do away with the Pentagon completely. He was way out of line IMO

[LooseWilly]

3. I notice you used the past tense.

"... probably voted for ..."
Funny how each new day can influence perspective... and what one notices, or misses.

[BrklynLiberal]

4. Not too sure about that Limpballs statement. I think there are some talking heads

out there that plant seeds as well as harvest the crop.

The ideas they spout came from a few extreme and influential people..and then were vomited up over and over again for the "enjoyment" of the masses.
I do not believe that any of those RWingnut talking heads started out reflecting the ideas of the public at large. I think they used fear and hate to create a wider audience for what they were spewing to only a few when they started out.

Perhaps this can be a chicken/egg argument...but I think the talking heads created more anger than they truly reflected.

[BrklynLiberal]

5. oops. system burp

out there that plant seeds as well as harvest the crop.

The ideas they spout came from a few extreme and influential people..and then were vomited up over and over again for the enjoyment of the masses.
I do not believe that any of those RWingnut talking heads started out reflecting the ideas of the public at large. I think they used fear and hate to create a wider audience for what they were spewing to only a few when they started out.

Perhaps this can be a chicken/egg argument...but I think the talking heads creat more anger than they truly reflect.

[Beetwasher]

6. Interesting That NOW You Are All Hung Up On Unfair Labeling After The Constant Vitriolic Spew That

I see in abundance around these parts. "Corporate whore/stooge/sellout" etc. Any of these labels ring a bell? Those are okey dokey with you though, huh? So when you are labeling Obama with these slurs, by your reasoning, you are labeling everyone who supports him or that has similar points of view. Right?

[gulliver]

7. The problem I have with it is that it might be taken as ...

... an attack on the Rachel Maddows and Keith Olbermanns of the world rather than the Glenn Greenwalds. If you read what Gibbs said, he narrowed it way down to "Obama is like Bush" and folks who wouldn't be happy even if Kucinich were president. Intersect those sets with "professional" in your Venn diagram and you end up with a sparse population of targets for the insult.

I think it might have even been an attempt to be sneaky. He might have been "making an example" of a group that is small to non-existent in order to win people over to his side. That's a common trick used by a lot of people. Steve Martin used it comedically, for example, when he deplored "cat juggling." Bush used it with his "Some people don't care about the safety of Americans" theme.

[FrenchieCat]

14. I'm amazed how some on the left distort what someone said,

so that they can complain about it,
just like Fox news might!

It was a comment aimed specifically
at a particular criticism from a particular sub-group,
and yet you conveniently ignore those fact,
and then just get to decide what the comment "really" mean; a broad brush attack...
which it wasn't and you fucking know it.

Your tired and relentless agenda is showing.

[zipplewrath]

15. I didn't ignore it

I pointed out that it isn't as narrow as is being suggested. Just because it might be some handful of professionals, they views they express represent the point of view of alot of "amateurs" that voted for Obama. I'm not sure what part of that you're disputing.