Observations and inanities by a second-shift assistant supervisor in the Puppy-Grinding division of the Evil Atheist Conspiracy® (our motto: "Sure it's cruel, but think of the jobs!"), your host, Brent Rasmussen.
Liberals aren't monolithic
Politburo Diktat has a dystopian teaser into 2034, when Kos rules the US and is busy persecuting Republicans, and retroactively aborting the children of enemies of the state. Now, I think the Commissar's writing style is horrible, and the story seems more like a hack job than an honest warning of a bleak future. But what's telling is his take on the left-wing blogosphere.
Every fanatic considers The Enemy to be monolithic, ruthless, and out to destroy everything. Mark Rosenfelder has an article bashing this tendency and a host of other pathologies common to the extreme right and the extreme left. In the Commissar's world, the liberal blogosphere is united in radical liberalism; hence it makes sense that the person who's in charge of retroactive abortions is Amanda.
Of course in the real world, Amanda hates Kos's guts, and with good reason. To her, he's the prime example of a moderate sellout, who'll sacrifice the entire liberal agenda on the altar of power. In the developing division of the American liberal blogosphere, she's perhaps the largest anti-Kos liberal blogger, although it's unlikely that if it becomes a full-scale schism, she'll end up the leader of the liberal wing (whereas Kos leads the Democratic wing).
In the interest of fairness, I should ask all of our conservative readers to explain whether they consider the right-wing blogosphere to be monolithic, or whether there's an ongoing schism there, too - for example, between the libertarians and the social conservatives.
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Monolithic
Yes, that was a pretty godawful piece of wingnut projection. As for who is more monolithic, the "left" or the extreme right, there's no question in my mind. The right-wing blogs are always erupting in synchronized outrage over the latest talking point from the RNC and Fox Noise, always telling the same lies and making the same specious arguments in lockstep, always creating fake scandals out of nothing by citing each other as sources. It's very much a top-down, command and control system where Fox gets a memo from Karl Rove or Ken Mehlman, and they in turn pass it on to Malkin, Hewitt etc. who mindlessly regurgitate it for the extreme-right masses who in turn... You never see original content emanating from the wingnutosphere, you can always trace the content up the hierarchy to the top. There is much more of a free market of ideas among the progressive blogs, which is kind of ironic.
- No More Mr. Nice Guy!
I'm not so sure...
I mean, I don't read any right-wing blogs, except for Andrew Sullivan and Politburo Diktat, who I check once in a blue moon. So I don't know if there's a schism about science, or social policy; after all, right-wing blogs are split between social conservatives, like Powerline and LGF, and pro-war libertarians, like Instapundit and Andrew Sullivan. Alternatively, there might be a split between conservatives and Republicans, although it's unlikely since the Republicans are much more conservative than the Democrats are liberal.
That's why I'm looking for input from conservatives: they know right-wing blogs a lot better than you or I do.
Not so sure
Okay, Alon, I'll respond, as this comment of yours seems sincere.
I am an agnostic, secular, and a vocal anti-Creationist blogger. I have also organized the Raging RINOs, group of about 100 Rep/Ind. (but generally conservtive) bloggers who differ with Bush on issues like the Schiavo case, the famous judge appointment/filibuster "Gang of 14," budget-busting, the Miers nomination, his tilt towards Creationism, cronyism, etc. I have castigated Captain Ed and Malkin in the past. (I have links on all this.)
So, as for the thought expressed in the post, "it is a pathology of fanatic extremists, that they view those on the other side of the aisle as monolithic and ruthless," well ... keep those mirrors taped over, okay?
I'd like to write more on this, but I have to go collect from my Rovian paymasters now. (You can ask DarkSyde.) Toeing the Party Line may be ugly, but it sure is profitable. *evil, maniacal cackle*
I always do...
...that's why I made sure to get a rightist perspective about the right-wing blogosphere's landscape. I already know about one blogger who seems to typify the conservative-vs.-Republican mentality, in the sense that he often attacks Bush for being a conservative of convenience.
Don't tell me, tell them
Tell me about it. At work I recently had to explain how someone they call a "liberal" could also be a libertarian as well.
I hope they never ask me about school vouchers.
Eh, it was projection
I saw the Commissar's little tale as nothing but Republican wingnut projection.
I know...
The original title of my post was "a secular wingnut." I changed it because I felt the post segued to how people view the other side as monolithic too early.