Comments on: Atrios employing wingnut logic? http://punkassblog.com/2006/08/19/atrios-employing-wingnut-logic/ Sun, 20 Nov 2011 04:59:27 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.3 By: Bertie http://punkassblog.com/2006/08/19/atrios-employing-wingnut-logic/comment-page-1/#comment-6493 Bertie Sun, 20 Aug 2006 13:26:26 +0000 http://punkassblog.com/2006/08/19/atrios-employing-wingnut-logic/#comment-6493 There's a third reason Atrios is wrong -- the TPM guest poster was specifically addressing <i>Progressive</i> support for the Lamont campaign, making the indisputable point that the blogosphere portion of the progressive movement has basically shot its entire wad on the Lamont campaign. The fact that <i>big-money/corporate/union</i> donors have chosen to give to Hillary means nothing -- that big money was never available for use by progressives, anyway. I have decidedly mixed feelings on Lamont. I mean, control of Congress is <i>right there</i> for the taking (save for an October Surprise); the left blogosphere is powerful enough at this point that its energy, properly directed, could really make a difference in some of these close races. Two more points -- -- There is concern over Lamont out there in the left blogosphere; you can read it in the (non-frontpaged) diaries on the Scoop sites; you can read it between the lines on the journalistic half of the 'sphere (TAPPED, Drum, TPM), and sometimes overtly as with the TPM guest poster recently. But human nature being what it is, don't expect much soul-searching from the leaders of the activist wing of the 'sphere (Kos/MyDD/Atrios/Firedoglake) even if things go wrong in November; they've gone all-in on Lamont, he's their creation to a very real extent, deny it as they might with endless praises for the CT grassroots. -- The best result of all this would have been something similar to what the Club for Growth, etc. did with Specter -- they ran a wingnut against him in the primary, forcing him to the right, where he's been ever since on things like Alito and wiretapping. That's what progressives wanted out of Lamont at the start -- scare Lieberman out of those Fox News appearances and get him to show some contrition on the war, and that probably would have been enough. There’s a third reason Atrios is wrong — the TPM guest poster was specifically addressing Progressive support for the Lamont campaign, making the indisputable point that the blogosphere portion of the progressive movement has basically shot its entire wad on the Lamont campaign. The fact that big-money/corporate/union donors have chosen to give to Hillary means nothing — that big money was never available for use by progressives, anyway.

I have decidedly mixed feelings on Lamont. I mean, control of Congress is right there for the taking (save for an October Surprise); the left blogosphere is powerful enough at this point that its energy, properly directed, could really make a difference in some of these close races.

Two more points –

– There is concern over Lamont out there in the left blogosphere; you can read it in the (non-frontpaged) diaries on the Scoop sites; you can read it between the lines on the journalistic half of the ‘sphere (TAPPED, Drum, TPM), and sometimes overtly as with the TPM guest poster recently. But human nature being what it is, don’t expect much soul-searching from the leaders of the activist wing of the ‘sphere (Kos/MyDD/Atrios/Firedoglake) even if things go wrong in November; they’ve gone all-in on Lamont, he’s their creation to a very real extent, deny it as they might with endless praises for the CT grassroots.

– The best result of all this would have been something similar to what the Club for Growth, etc. did with Specter — they ran a wingnut against him in the primary, forcing him to the right, where he’s been ever since on things like Alito and wiretapping. That’s what progressives wanted out of Lamont at the start — scare Lieberman out of those Fox News appearances and get him to show some contrition on the war, and that probably would have been enough.

]]> By: Incertus http://punkassblog.com/2006/08/19/atrios-employing-wingnut-logic/comment-page-1/#comment-6360 Incertus Sat, 19 Aug 2006 17:39:09 +0000 http://punkassblog.com/2006/08/19/atrios-employing-wingnut-logic/#comment-6360 Maybe I just read it differently than you did, but I didn't get the sense that Atrios was really disagreeing with what Marshall was saying, just wishing that Marshall had had a better focus, namely, toward those people who are consistently giving to incumbents who don't need the dough. I mean, I live in Florida, but I haven't given to Nelson for precisely that reason--he doesn't need it, and there are other places where my meager resources can be better used. Maybe I just read it differently than you did, but I didn’t get the sense that Atrios was really disagreeing with what Marshall was saying, just wishing that Marshall had had a better focus, namely, toward those people who are consistently giving to incumbents who don’t need the dough. I mean, I live in Florida, but I haven’t given to Nelson for precisely that reason–he doesn’t need it, and there are other places where my meager resources can be better used.

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