I respect the fact that the Courier Times prints opinions from all over the political spectrum, which is commendable actually and important to foster ideas and formulate opinion. But while I would never harm the right of someone to make known a point of view that could be inflammatory to others, I still have to wonder why they did this.
The excuse for Malkin’s written regurgitation was an attack on Michelle Obama, the wife of one of the Democratic candidates for president. And what exactly was it that Obama had done wrong, in Malkin’s view? She had said, “For the first time in my adult lifetime, I am really proud of my country, and not just because (her husband) Barack has done well, but because I think people are hungry for change.”
And that was all Malkin needed to begin a harangue of Mrs. Obama, calling her part of “a sad, empty, narcissistic, ungrateful, unthinking lot,” among other choice adjectives, in the most patronizing manner at her disposal. And in so doing, Malkin managed to extol herself, recounting her experiences witnessing the soaring of The Blue Angels Navy flight team, the launching of the space shuttle, and partaking in respectful remembrance of those entombed in the U.S.S. Arizona at Pearl Harbor.
It’s hard to communicate the peculiar dementia of Malkin’s universe, but I will attempt to do so here. She propagates innuendo and personal attacks on anyone who dares to speak up against her, and judging from the popularity of her web site, her success is a sad commentary on the state of our political discourse.
Consider Graeme Frost, for example, the 12-year-old boy who had suffered head trauma and spoke out against the failure of the Republican Party to support SCHIP funding last fall, which he needed due to actual financial hardship. In response, Malkin and her legion of like-minded right wing bloggers encouraged their minions to harass the Frost family by calling them personally to get information about their private lives.
Malkin also claimed that Air Force Senior Airman Jonathan Schrieken of Willingboro, NJ was shot by an Iraq war “peacenik” last July 4th, though Willingboro police categorically stated that that was not true. Malkin was also one of the Iraq war bloggers who alleged that the Associated Press manufactured a police source in Iraq to generate “insurgent friendly propaganda,” though the source was later identified as a real-life Iraqi police captain.
Another “golden oldie” from Malkin is her reference to the Democrats as “the white feather party” for attempting to include troop withdrawal timelines in Iraq supplemental war funding. Malkin also accused those who opposed the Iraq war of staging a “party” to mark the 2,000th casualty suffered by our service people, when in fact what was staged was a candlelight vigil by the American Friends Society for this infamous milestone (here).
Malkin has also been vocal against Barack Obama’s opponent for the Democratic nomination, in case you’d wondered, encouraging “ethnic profiling” of Asian-American donors to Hillary Clinton, described by Malkin as “smellier than stinky tofu” (here). She also misrepresented a Pew Research study that showed Muslim Americans as largely repudiating Islamic extremism, telling her audience just the opposite (here).
And finally, no discussion of Michelle Malkin should exclude the sad story of Denice Denton, the former UC Santa Cruz chancellor who, in Malkin’s eye, failed to expel or punish students who angrily protested and kicked military recruiters off campus (here). Malkin encouraged her audience to “take a stand” against this “capitulationist chancellor” and contact Denton, who subsequently took her own life. And while no one has said that Malkin was responsible for the death of this troubled woman (and I do not do so here), the absence of any remorse from Malkin subsequent to the Denton tragedy is telling.
I sincerely hope that the Courier Times gives us advanced notice when it decides to publish any future screeds from Malkin (who, it should be noted, approved of Japanese internment by President Roosevelt during World War II). That way, if I happen to come across her bilious rants by accident over breakfast, at least I will do so on an empty stomach.
6 comments:
Sad to say they also publish the rubbish of Jonah Goldberg. I spoke to Guy Petroziello about printing 4columnists on the same day and having them all be right wing and he told me he tries to get "good writers". I told him my favorite page was Op Ed but its ruined when all 4 columnists are right wingers.
It was the printing 4 right wigners on the same day that prompted my 30 day survey of daily columnists appearing in the Courier. This survey was done with the agreement of Petroziello and it showed the page as heavy with Conservatives.
The double standard of not just the Courier Times but many other “liberal media” outlets is breathtaking to me. Conservatives can get away with practically anything in their commentary, while liberals are vetted every way possible so as not to be offensive to that small but vocal group of wingnuts who will never come around to our way of thinking anyway.
Never underestimate the influence of a wife who bitch-slaps her husband in public. Early in Obama's campaign, Michelle Obama could not restrain herself from belittling the senator. "I have some difficulty reconciling the two images I have of Barack Obama. There's Barack Obama the phenomenon. He's an amazing orator, Harvard Law Review, or whatever it was, law professor, best-selling author, Grammy winner. Pretty amazing, right? And then there's the Barack Obama that lives with me in my house, and that guy's a little less impressive," she told a fundraiser in February 2007.
"For some reason this guy still can't manage to put the butter up when he makes toast, secure the bread so that it doesn't get stale, and his five-year-old is still better at making the bed than he is." New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd reported at the time, "She added that the TV version of Barack Obama sounded really interesting and that she'd like to meet him sometime." Her handlers have convinced her to be more tactful since then.
"Frustration" and "disappointment" have dogged Michelle Obama these past 20 years, despite her US$300,000 a year salary and corporate board memberships. It is hard for the descendants of slaves not to resent America. They were not voluntary immigrants but kidnap victims, subjected to a century of second-class citizenship even after the Civil War ended slavery. Blackness is not the issue; General Colin Powell, whose parents chose to immigrate to America from the West Indies, saw America just as other immigrants do, as a land of opportunity. Obama's choice of wife is a failsafe indicator of his own sentiments. Spouses do not necessarily share their likes, but they must have their hatreds in common.
Interesting thoughts, though I should note that I don't care about what may be going on with Obama and anything from a psychological point of view (the husband, I mean). I can see where she might be the one "wearing the pants," but I don't know that and it isn't any of my business. I'll judge him based on other factors.
And by the way, I think you're reading way, waaay too much Maureen Dowd.
Thanks for the comment.
"For some reason this guy still can't manage to put the butter up when he makes toast, secure the bread so that it doesn't get stale, and his five-year-old is still better at making the bed than he is."
My wife could say the same about me.
:-)
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