When A Friend Is Maligned
When I was little, my grandparents used the word, "stock" an awful lot as in, "I don't put much stock in people that steal." I've become somewhat of a broker myself lately, as I find myself adding or subtracting stock in all kinds of subjects and people. One of the things I don't put much stock in is incivility. Something I do put a lot of stock in? Meeting people and gauging their character in person, which is why I am so utterly flabbergasted by the remarks of the Washington Post's Jennifer Rubin, who today referred to David Limbaugh and James Taranto as "Neandertahl Jerks," [her spelling].
The exchange happened on Twitter, for all the world to see, and I gather it centered on Senator Santorum in some fashion. I'll get to that in a moment, but first let me tell you a story that I haven't told on Ricochet. A little over a year ago, I had the pleasure of meeting David Limbaugh and spending some time getting to know him. My freight schedule took me right through Cape Girardeau, Missouri, and I had a few hours to spare.
As luck would have it, it was David's birthday. Nevertheless, he took time away from his family and drove out to a local truck stop (I'm limited in where I can bring a semi, so visitors typically have to come to me instead) to meet me. I found him to be a consummate gentleman. We sat there in the Huddle House, and he wanted to hear all about my story. And when the topic turned to politics, he was every bit as passionate and resolute as his brother is each day on the radio. Not belligerent, mind you, but truly engaging. And when he got wound up on the topic of Nancy Pelosi and her merry band of demolitionists in Congress, you could have heard a pin drop in Huddle House. I don't know if he was aware that we had a bit of an audience, so focused was he on the topic. And when the conversation turned to matters or morality, David Limbaugh was equally passionate and profoundly concerned with the direction in which the country is heading.
From the time we first shook hands to the time he humored me by climbing up in my truck to have a look-see at my house on wheels, my impression of him was consistent. Which is to say that I found him to be a conservative unafraid, possessing strong convictions, formidable in his ability to articulate core conservative beliefs, genuinely concerned about the country he loves, and as engaging and truly friendly a gentleman as I've ever met.
Oh yes,..and as regards Rick Santorum? Quoth Jennifer Rubin, "….His social views r unacceptable." One can almost hear Yul Brynner saying, "So let it be written. So let it be done."
Quoth me: I take up for my friends, and I don't put much stock in people that trash them. Jennifer Rubin's unfortunate characterizations say more about her than about the objects of her scorn.
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Comments:
May '10
Re: When A Friend Is Maligned
Someone should tell Mrs. Rubin not to Twitter while angry.
Sep '10
Re: When A Friend Is Maligned
Kennedy Smith
Franco
Save your chivalry for someone who deserves it. · 5 minutes ago
I'll be the judge of that, thanks. I've also deployed my chivalry in defense of Ace of Spades, who apparently resembles an Ewok more than anything human. For this very reason.
Also, in defense of Ann Coulter, who also doesn't need it. But it takes a lot more courage for a conservative to reject the flavor of the month and catch all holy hell from former allies than it does to meekly submit to the intertube crowd. · 12 minutes ago
I don't really understand what you are saying . It seems you are acting like a champion for victims while you make nasty comments yourself. innertube crowd "we must purge all the RINO's set"
Yeah, real sober measured and fair characterizations and only you and yours can be victims. You go ahead and be the judge of everything, bud, I can't take that away from you.....
Sep '10
Re: When A Friend Is Maligned
Rubin publicly called two guys I like Neanderthal jerks. I said she looks like a modern hominid and not at all like the WaPo charactature. How is that a personal attack?
Sep '10
Re: When A Friend Is Maligned
I'm somewhat confused by this debate. A few years back, a political philosopher -- perhaps it was Dr John von Heyking -- made the very simple point that Aquinas said over 700 years ago that its not prudent in the political and legal sphere to outlaw every vice.
That's a simple distinction that I think even the most clueless talk show host can understand.
Dec '10
Re: When A Friend Is Maligned
Lots of mad here, folks, when the only pertinent point, it seems to me, is that we are still in the preseason and everybody is trying to pick the contenders going into the Super Bowl.
None of these candidates has even played in a regular season game, yet, except for Obama. We know how he plays.
Why are we assuming, now, that we are playing playing home games in his stadium? Why do we need to allow his team to script this?
This is all reaction and no principle. If we play on that field, the defending champion will win.
Santorum needs to get out of this social-issues reaction-mode. Nobody really cares what the rest of them do, including Romney. Nobody, (not even RINOs) believes a word that Romney says, as he has been running for years and still not yet settled on a playbook.
In my world, people ask me what Repubs are doing and I do my best to explain. That's real and represents many people.
Ben can posit a "how best can the GOP lose this" discussion, but that is for engaged people. What about the vast, unengaged population?.
(continued)
Sep '10
Re: When A Friend Is Maligned
I suppose this should be redacted as well? Editors?
Sorry Anon, but ya gotta spell fourth grader right if yer gonna call someone a "forth grader". Maybe that's why they leave it up, to discredit you...
May '10
Re: When A Friend Is Maligned
Mmmmm, Hell Hath No Fury Like a Rico-teer Scorned...
Do any two people bring out the scorn of the faithful more than these?
Apr '11
Re: When A Friend Is Maligned
EJHill: Mmmmm, Hell Hath No Fury Like a Rico-teer Scorned...
Do any two people bring out the scorn of the faithful more than these? · 2 minutes ago
This may be a violation of the CoC, but it is my opinion that they both come off as a bit pretentious when they speak about their preferences and see the rest of us as less evolved.
Edited on February 17, 2012 at 2:35amMay '10
Re: When A Friend Is Maligned
Frozen Chosen
Stuart Creque
Kennedy Smith
But Jen's (and my) overriding goal is beating Obama. Nothing else matters. He's not passively decadent; he's actively destructive. Not entirely sure all this focus on birth control helps us, when we should be hammering him on jobs and gas prices. I mean, sure, it should be addressed, but it's been going on for weeks. · 3 minutes ago
C'mon, the guy's a millionaire and he can't cough up more than 3% of his money to charity? Tithing or no tithing that's pretty sad. Even Obama gave more than that. · 31 minutes ago
Is he really a millionaire? I'd be surprised.
Regardless, a couple points to keep in mind.
1) He paid double the tax rate Romney paid on his income last year. Close to 30% is a big chuck of what comes in.
2) Add to that Catholic school tuition (I'm guessing) for 7 children and care for a severely disabled daughter, and there's probably not a lot to spare.
Edited on February 17, 2012 at 2:38amDec '10
Re: When A Friend Is Maligned
This back-biting process is exactly what is being served by the opposition and too many people are just lapping it up.
Please stop this. Stop listening to people saying Romney is inevitable and stop listening to people that are forcing this towards the farther-left's focus on the social issues.
We're still in the preseason here, folks. Sports-talk radio and ESPN must fill hours with prognostication. Lift weights. Run. Quarterbacks will work on their throwing motion and the playbook.
Come November, nobody will care about this silly off-season trash-talk. Unless it destroys the locker room with bad vibes for a team that should have done well.
Believe me, the opposition is collecting every tid-bit of dissent for amplification. That's how they win, by rallying their troops and getting us to tear each other down.
May '11
Re: When A Friend Is Maligned
Can someone point me to a site that has more negative to say about Obama than about Jen Rubin. Because, like, you know -- priorities...
Sep '10
Re: When A Friend Is Maligned
Who is this Jennifer Rubin of whom you speak?
Re: When A Friend Is Maligned
Frozen Chosen
Stuart Creque
Kennedy Smith
Nothing else matters. He's not passively decadent; he's actively destructive. Not entirely sure all this focus on birth control helps us, when we should be hammering him on jobs and gas prices. I mean, sure, it should be addressed, but it's been going on for weeks. · 3 minutes ago
It may be that Jennifer Rubin's overarching goal was once the defeat of Barack Obama. However, it's clear that her goal has morphed into getting Romney the nomination at all costs, attempting to damage the other GOP candidates with specious arguments (for example, attempting to smear Santorum for not tithing 10 percent to the Catholic Church, when no such obligation to tithe exists in Catholic doctrine). Of course, if Romney isn't the nominee, she'll have ended up working against the goal of unseating Obama. · 10 minutes ago
C'mon, the guy's a millionaire and he can't cough up more than 3% of his money to charity? Tithing or no tithing that's pretty sad. Even Obama gave more than that. · 31 minutes ago
You seem to forget that Santorum has seven children.
May '10
Re: When A Friend Is Maligned
And a special needs child to boot!
Dec '10
Re: When A Friend Is Maligned
Frozen Chosen
Stuart Creque
It may be that Jennifer Rubin's overarching goal was once the defeat of Barack Obama. However, it's clear that her goal has morphed into getting Romney the nomination at all costs, attempting to damage the other GOP candidates with specious arguments (for example, attempting to smear Santorum for not tithing 10 percent to the Catholic Church, when no such obligation to tithe exists in Catholic doctrine). Of course, if Romney isn't the nominee, she'll have ended up working against the goal of unseating Obama. · 10 minutes ago
C'mon, the guy's a millionaire and he can't cough up more than 3% of his money to charity? Tithing or no tithing that's pretty sad. Even Obama gave more than that. · 38 minutes ago
How many severely disabled children do you have, and how much of your income goes to their care?
(Setting aside, of course, the class-warfare aspect of that line of criticism against Santorum.)
Edited on February 17, 2012 at 2:43amAug '10
Re: When A Friend Is Maligned
EJ & Rahe poureth the oil on the waters ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~thnx
Sep '10
Re: When A Friend Is Maligned
Give Me Liberty
EJHill: Mmmmm, Hell Hath No Fury Like a Rico-teer Scorned...
Do any two people bring out the scorn of the faithful more than these? · 2 minutes ago
This may be a violation of the CoC, but it is my opinion that they both come off as a bit pretentious when they speak about their preferences and see the rest of us as less evolved. · 0 minutes ago
See, you have to know how to insult people without violating the code. Publicly call a fellow Ricochet contributor a neanderthal, that's okay, you'll be on the next podcast with Mikey. Maybe we could have a leftcoast right coast with Rubin and Limbaugh and they can hash it out. Limbaugh gets the right coast though, Jen can represent the left.
May '10
Re: When A Friend Is Maligned
Franco
I don't really understand what you are saying . It seems you are acting like a champion for victims while you make nasty comments yourself. innertube crowd "we must purge all the RINO's set"
Yeah, real sober measured and fair characterizations and only you and yours can be victims. You go ahead and be the judge of everything, bud, I can't take that away from you..... · 25 minutes ago
We're all the judge of everything, else we wouldn't have opinions. There is a "purge all the RINOs!" set, to the extent that RINO! has become a punchline, like Racist! The meaning changes from week to week. There's also a stark division between Voters, the more conservative Bloggers and the True Believer Blog Commenters. I'm considered a fire-breathing conservative in real life in the reddest part of the country. Among blog commenters, I'm an Establican squish. All relative.
But we (including those I mentioned) do get a trifle weary about being lacerated constantly as Not True Conservatives. It's wearing; it's very wearing...
Re: When A Friend Is Maligned
I suspect that this whole thing -- Gingrich, Romney, Santorum -- will get sorted out in a couple of weeks. One of them is going to find his groove and we do not know which one it will be. Santorum was fabulous (to my shock) in the Florida debates, and Romney was genuinely good. The heat is now on, and we will see what they are made of. If Santorum returns to whining, he will go down. If Romney lapses back into CEO-speak, repeating poll-tested memes ad nauseam, he will go down. And only if they go down can Gingrich come back -- and he will not come back if he melts down again.
None of these guys is ideal, but one of them will emerge --- and, I suspect, soon. In the meantime, we all have front seats at a prize fight.
Edited on February 17, 2012 at 2:48amMay '10
Re: When A Friend Is Maligned
Well, let's not turn this into a pile-on, either. Rubin was out of line with the name calling, but there are many right-leaning women who wince at Santorum's views. I think most people know that as president he can't prevent women from having access to contraception, but he can impede it. Look no further than the current White House occupant to find examples of forcing opinions on people. Santorum's pro-big gov't actions don't help me feel much better. And if he's bought and paid for by the conservative Catholic establishment, I've got real concerns. Sure there are millions of Catholics that share his view, but millions more (who are also educated) that think it's ridiculous.
The concern with a politician that's not afraid of showing "the courage of his convictions" is that he's not making a lot of room for people who disagree with him. Great if you wear tights and a cape to work, but not a winning strategy for running for national office. I personally think his foreign policy views are of greater concern.