Liberalism's latest exercise in self-parody (well, if you don't count the anti-fur crowd's death threats against gay icon Johnny Weir) sounds like a joke one might have heard at last week's Conservative Political Action Conference. A British woman--and the British are getting increasingly good at this sort of thing--was recently told that her Help Wanted ad for menial hospital workers was discriminatory because of its demand for . . . wait for it . . . "reliable" and "hard-working" applicants. We already knew that the stupid and lazy can be sneakily good at guarding their perceived interests. We didn't know that they had managed to form their own protected class.
Despite the temptation, though, let's not waste time debunking the "thinking" behind such a policy. It's long been clear that Great Britain's recovery from centuries of imperialism and class strife has, like all political movements, fallen under the weight of its own excesses. Self-loathing and bitterly secular, today's Britain can't bring itself to expel from its borders the hundreds of thousands of radical (and radicalizing) Muslims to whom "Londonistan" is not a dream but an achieved reality. How, then, can it be expected to practice reasonable discrimination against the stupid?
It's in disregarding the word "reasonable," of course, that Liberalism fails so badly. Certain, as animal "rights" activist Peter Singer wrote in 1973, that "one should always be wary of talking of the last remaining form of discrimination," liberals have spent the last six decades searching for yet more entities and groups for whom the reasonably intelligent white male has been too harsh a bully. Singer had laboratory mice in mind, but the leap to the lazy human is not too great. Haven't they, too, suffered? Mustn't they, too, find rest in the bosom of the State?
Yes, it seems. And the Smarter among us can take solace in the fact that England, like America, will get exactly the citizens, the workforce, and the culture that it's asking for.
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Friday, February 12, 2010
Audi and the Church of Green
Anyone requiring further evidence that Big Green has completely slipped its moorings needs look no further than Audi's recent Super Bowl commercial, in which enviro-fascism is celebrated by peppy music and the declaration that the A3 is the "Green Car of the Year" (according to Green Car Journal--let's subscribe now!). A summary of the ad's plot doesn't begin to do justice to its bizarre, convoluted message, but here goes:
In scene one, a hapless shopper is arrested after requesting plastic bags (from a young Minnie Driver, oddly). In scene two, an army of government hacks--exactly what Obama had in mind when he proposed the expansion of green-collar jobs, no doubt--pulls illicit batteries from a garbage can and storms the offender's house. The arrests continue as Green agents seize a tosser (rather than composter) of orange rinds, a user of incandescent lightbulbs, and a fellow in a too-hot hot tub. The loathsome power-pap of "rock" band Cheap Trick continues in the background as an Audi driver glides painlessly through a police checkpoint, and the commercial ends with the strange, cryptic reminder that "Green has never felt so right." Seriously, what the f--k is going on here?
What's not going on, let us assure you, is a harmless exercise in thematic dissonance--Kubrick's Strauss-and-monkey-violence for the age of eco-friendliness. At first glance, the advertisement seems to want us to laugh at the preposterousness of the circumstances it portrays ("Arrested for not recycling? Pish tosh!"), and the commercial's tone is indeed comic. Offenders run from the police like children playing tag. An unfortunate Speedo makes an appearance. The problem is that the world Audi anticipates is already happening. It's already here (and here and here and, most frighteningly, here), and pretending that it's an unlikely fantasy is like telling occupied Poland how silly a German invasion would be.
So what's Audi's game? It can't be that they're ignorant of the criminalization of the environmental debate. They have to know that the Green police is only ironic when sung as a jingle. The message has to be that, yes, environmentalists are turning into fascists, but it's too late to turn this train around.
In scene one, a hapless shopper is arrested after requesting plastic bags (from a young Minnie Driver, oddly). In scene two, an army of government hacks--exactly what Obama had in mind when he proposed the expansion of green-collar jobs, no doubt--pulls illicit batteries from a garbage can and storms the offender's house. The arrests continue as Green agents seize a tosser (rather than composter) of orange rinds, a user of incandescent lightbulbs, and a fellow in a too-hot hot tub. The loathsome power-pap of "rock" band Cheap Trick continues in the background as an Audi driver glides painlessly through a police checkpoint, and the commercial ends with the strange, cryptic reminder that "Green has never felt so right." Seriously, what the f--k is going on here?
What's not going on, let us assure you, is a harmless exercise in thematic dissonance--Kubrick's Strauss-and-monkey-violence for the age of eco-friendliness. At first glance, the advertisement seems to want us to laugh at the preposterousness of the circumstances it portrays ("Arrested for not recycling? Pish tosh!"), and the commercial's tone is indeed comic. Offenders run from the police like children playing tag. An unfortunate Speedo makes an appearance. The problem is that the world Audi anticipates is already happening. It's already here (and here and here and, most frighteningly, here), and pretending that it's an unlikely fantasy is like telling occupied Poland how silly a German invasion would be.
So what's Audi's game? It can't be that they're ignorant of the criminalization of the environmental debate. They have to know that the Green police is only ironic when sung as a jingle. The message has to be that, yes, environmentalists are turning into fascists, but it's too late to turn this train around.
We might as well have a laugh.
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Doing "As Best She Can": A Sarah Palin Piece
Here in the Smarter community, we sometimes have to scold our own. But in the Sarah Palin case, we need to disassociate ourselves from those who aren't ours at all.
First, let's compare her to a certain ex-president who spoke of "nucular" weapons and "ambilivence." George W. Bush, let's hope, was more of a political invention than an uninformed leader. His "good ol' boy" persona made him more likable to some (not surprising) and more electable to almost as many (astonishing). Don't get me wrong. I voted for the man, but only because of where he stood on the Left-Right spectrum. Basically, "Cowboy George" was a political device that worked--only to be replaced by "Savior Obama," an even more likeable character created by the democrats.
"Sarah the Sassy Soccer (Hockey) Mom" is a dreadful response by the republicans, and it will be a party killer if it gets the nomination in 2012. What's even more frightening is that I tend to assume Palin really is the dimwit displayed on the screen. Her 2008 political crucifixion, which ensured that Obama took the White House, would have been a gift were it not for her cluelessness that it happened. "Don't bring that weak sh-t in the lane," said Blue, but she came back like the white guy on the playground who didn't realize how embarrassing his blocked shot attempt actually was!
Deservedly so, the permanently undecided voters will lose all respect for the GOP if it decides that the hand scribbler is its strongest horse. The palm notes were so disturbing that I found myself watching Keith Olbermann and agreeing--that is until one of his correspondents uttered the new "it" phrase for those on a mission to dismantle the English language: "as best she can."
I reached for the remote as fastest I could.
First, let's compare her to a certain ex-president who spoke of "nucular" weapons and "ambilivence." George W. Bush, let's hope, was more of a political invention than an uninformed leader. His "good ol' boy" persona made him more likable to some (not surprising) and more electable to almost as many (astonishing). Don't get me wrong. I voted for the man, but only because of where he stood on the Left-Right spectrum. Basically, "Cowboy George" was a political device that worked--only to be replaced by "Savior Obama," an even more likeable character created by the democrats.
"Sarah the Sassy Soccer (Hockey) Mom" is a dreadful response by the republicans, and it will be a party killer if it gets the nomination in 2012. What's even more frightening is that I tend to assume Palin really is the dimwit displayed on the screen. Her 2008 political crucifixion, which ensured that Obama took the White House, would have been a gift were it not for her cluelessness that it happened. "Don't bring that weak sh-t in the lane," said Blue, but she came back like the white guy on the playground who didn't realize how embarrassing his blocked shot attempt actually was!
Deservedly so, the permanently undecided voters will lose all respect for the GOP if it decides that the hand scribbler is its strongest horse. The palm notes were so disturbing that I found myself watching Keith Olbermann and agreeing--that is until one of his correspondents uttered the new "it" phrase for those on a mission to dismantle the English language: "as best she can."
I reached for the remote as fastest I could.
Friday, February 5, 2010
Welcome to the S-per B-wl
Editor's Note: Things are slowing down as we get ready to launch a new site. (That's right, Blogger. We're leaving your bug-ridden ass behind!) In the meantime, enjoy this piece from last year's Super Bowl.
Driving around town last week, killing the seemingly endless span between conference championships and the real deal, I stumbled upon a series of bizarre radio spots that will have the savvier among you nodding along. Ad after ad seemed to be avoiding some rather obvious words—calling patrons to celebrations of such oddities as the “Pigskin World Championship,” the “Great Winter Athletic Tradition,” and (a particularly sad case) “Professional Football’s Culminating Event.” A quick search of “national football league” and “intangible property” revealed the reason. The NFL, terrified that its fans will assume league approval of Trailer Joe’s Dollar Beer Night, forbids the use in advertising of a whole list of football-related terms. Above all, I learned, the championship itself must never be named, and though I’m proceeding under the guise of journalism (though please check out our sponsors!), let’s not kid ourselves. For the likes of us, this is the S-per B-wl!
So why my fixation on marketing? Because, with Miller High Life’s decision to air a series of one-second ads throughout the Super Bowl (high lives apparently being short lives), advertising has officially reached rock bottom. After all, Miller’s decision can only be interpreted in one of two ways. Either they’ve decided that it only takes one second to convince football fans to drink beer or they’ve finally calculated the average American attention span. I don’t know whether to laugh, cry, or applaud the science!
Perversely, America’s obsession with commercials continues unabated. An informal poll of myself and several women I happened to be in the room with revealed that 80% of Americans are more excited about the ads than the game itself. Sobe, flush from marking up water, has seized the moment with one of the first ever 3-D advertisements. And while I’d like to cite the absurdity of the scheme, the aforementioned poll revealed also that many people purchased 3-D glasses just for the event. As with all cultural milestones, rumors abound. NBC, hapless to the end, is said to have rejected PETA’s naked-girls-with-vegetables spot before accepting a censored version (though I never saw it). 30-second rates are at their highest ever (3 million over last year’s 2.7) if press releases are to be believed, and though FedEx and General Motors opted out of the insanity, the evening passed with no dead air. As always, the commercials themselves were frighteningly, inexplicably loud. Timeouts had me scurrying for the volume button faster than you could say “Big Ben,” and in many cases, I’m still not sure exactly what I’m supposed to buy. It’s been said before, but this really is why the terrorists hate us.
Why, then, should the evening have passed without the composition of yet another American invention—the Top Ten list! What follows is the ten most obnoxious, most distracting commercials of the 2009 B-wl. Starting at ten and counting down, these are the year’s real champions.
10. The Ad Council’s “Disturbing Pimple”
You had to be paying attention for this one. A high school steroid user’s pimple morphs into a large red asterisk. Both physically revolting and ethically confused—steroids will affect your place in the high school record books!—this spot just beats The Scarlet Letter for best use of a physical deformity to suggest moral culpability.
9. State Farm’s “The LeBron Browns”
Yeah, it’s not new, but it kills me every time, if only because you know he’s got a Jets cap on underneath that helmet. Like you, I don’t know any Browns fans, but I’m pretty sure they’re tired of the tease. Between this and the pre-game chalk clouds (still not old?), LeBron is quickly becoming the most annoying NBA player alive. And friends, that’s saying something.
8. Columbia Pictures’ “Angels and Demons”
Until the very end, I was almost certain that this couldn’t be real. I mean, who saw The Da Vinci Code? What on earth could possibly justify a sequel? And what’s Tom Hanks done for me lately? Given the laughable dialogue and production values in the trailer, why shouldn’t this be a farce? We saw Scary Movie. We sat through Superhero Movie. I just assumed that Hanks was slumming in DaVinci Movie. A quick IMDB search of Hanks’ last few films suggests that this isn’t outside the realm of possibility.
A tough omission here was Jack Black’s The Year One. Though unworthy of its own slot, it gets serious props for looking equally ridiculous. Note to Michael Cera: Black’s career is probably not the one you want to emulate.
7. Doritos’ “Crystal Ball / Crotch”
What’s Doritos’ fascination with projectiles? A few years ago it was Ali Landry swallowing chips shot from a washing machine. Now it’s a crystal ball hurled at a vending machine (resulting, strangely, in the theft of Doritos) and later at some guy’s crotch. Of course, this is nothing compared to #6.
6. Doritos’ “Cop Killer”
That’s right. Doritos is dominating tonight. In this instant classic, Doritos are responsible for a woman’s clothes flying off, an ATM spewing money, and a cop getting murdered in cold blood. (All right, he turns into a squirrel or something, but he’s still in bad shape.) As if aware of our moral outrage, Doritos proceeds to run its hero over with a bus. I understand that asking commercials to make sense is like Xerxes whipping the ocean for disobeying him, but this is ridiculous.
On a separate note, Cheetos seems to be stealing the wish-fulfillment theme, so maybe it’s just a Frito-Lay thing. In their spot, eating chips also harms one’s enemies, this time presumably covering a snooty woman with pigeon crap.
5. GoDaddy.com’s “Shower Scene”
Lowest Common Denominator advertising at its finest, this ad consists almost entirely of girls showering. Unbelievably, GoDaddy concludes by directing us to their website, where—that’s right, boys—the content is unrated.
But here’s the thing. Since we’re dealing with the Internet here, aren’t the folks at GoDaddy.com concerned that potential customers will get distracted by actual porn on their way to the site? And is the promise of porn really supposed to make us purchase domain names? Furthermore (and I only watched it so you wouldn’t have to), the “unrated” content is no different than the original. Granted, I watched with the volume off, but still.
4. Castrol Edge’s “Bestiality”
I’ll admit to missing most of this one, but I looked up just in time to see a man kissing a monkey. Rather passionately. Perhaps you saw more and are now rushing out to buy motor oil. Good luck, and I salute you.
3. Hyundai’s “Yelling and Pronunciation”
Going into tonight, I was looking forward to hearing a Bruce Springsteen song from start to finish for the first time in my life. Unfortunately, this charming spot ruined my dream by deafening me, perhaps permanently. Made up largely of people of various nationalities screaming, this commercial concluded by reminding us that Hyundai rhymes with “Sunday.” Who was mispronouncing it? And what were they saying? Hoon-day? Hine-day? Folks, if your brand management guys are still working on pronunciation, you may not be ready to drop three mil on a commercial.
2. Dreamworks’ “Monsters vs. Aliens”; Sobe’s “Gay Fantasia”; & NBC’s “Chuck”
The 3-D spots count as one, and if there’s a more bankrupt device in entertainment, I don’t know about it. Seriously, what is so thrilling about the impression that things are being flung at you from the screen? Is it the hint of danger? The pleasure of ducking? And what are we supposed to do with our glasses once we’re finished? Store them until next year?
Misguided though they may be, at least the ads for Monsters vs. Aliens and “Chuck” have a built-in audience. Sadly, I can’t say the same thing for Sobe. I’m just not sure how I’m supposed to react to ballet dancers (please tell me those weren’t real NFL players) dancing around on a white stage, wearing white, and occasionally interacting with bizarrely white footballs. I lost track of the plot, but at some point a lizard was flung at the screen (and presumably at me, had I been wearing my goggles). I understand that flavored water is a tough sell, but let’s see what some new writers can do.
1. CareerBuilder.com’s “If You’ve Ever”
Another ear-buster, this may be the worst, most annoying commercial I’ve ever seen. Repetitive and seemingly endless, this spot subjects us to seven clips of a woman screaming, six clips of an inane insult, five clips of a woman riding a dolphin, four clips of a man crying loudly, three clips of a koala being punched, two clips of a truly hideous Speedo crotch-shot, and one clip of Mr. Eko from Lost drinking a glass of gold. Five seconds into it I was suffering. Fifteen in I was in hell. Twenty-five in I smashed my television with Doritos. CareerBuilder could offer me the presidency and I’m not taking it. A terrible, terrible ad!
So there it is. The worst of the worst, and I only missed the greatest S-per B-wl of my lifetime to chronicle it. Just remember that while you’re shopping.
Finally, and I know it’s not a commercial, but honorable mention goes to Faith Hill and the Post-Racial Gospel Choir, complete with sign language interpreter. Nothing says football like political symbolism, and folks, if I wasn’t sold on America before, I certainly am now!
Driving around town last week, killing the seemingly endless span between conference championships and the real deal, I stumbled upon a series of bizarre radio spots that will have the savvier among you nodding along. Ad after ad seemed to be avoiding some rather obvious words—calling patrons to celebrations of such oddities as the “Pigskin World Championship,” the “Great Winter Athletic Tradition,” and (a particularly sad case) “Professional Football’s Culminating Event.” A quick search of “national football league” and “intangible property” revealed the reason. The NFL, terrified that its fans will assume league approval of Trailer Joe’s Dollar Beer Night, forbids the use in advertising of a whole list of football-related terms. Above all, I learned, the championship itself must never be named, and though I’m proceeding under the guise of journalism (though please check out our sponsors!), let’s not kid ourselves. For the likes of us, this is the S-per B-wl!
So why my fixation on marketing? Because, with Miller High Life’s decision to air a series of one-second ads throughout the Super Bowl (high lives apparently being short lives), advertising has officially reached rock bottom. After all, Miller’s decision can only be interpreted in one of two ways. Either they’ve decided that it only takes one second to convince football fans to drink beer or they’ve finally calculated the average American attention span. I don’t know whether to laugh, cry, or applaud the science!
Perversely, America’s obsession with commercials continues unabated. An informal poll of myself and several women I happened to be in the room with revealed that 80% of Americans are more excited about the ads than the game itself. Sobe, flush from marking up water, has seized the moment with one of the first ever 3-D advertisements. And while I’d like to cite the absurdity of the scheme, the aforementioned poll revealed also that many people purchased 3-D glasses just for the event. As with all cultural milestones, rumors abound. NBC, hapless to the end, is said to have rejected PETA’s naked-girls-with-vegetables spot before accepting a censored version (though I never saw it). 30-second rates are at their highest ever (3 million over last year’s 2.7) if press releases are to be believed, and though FedEx and General Motors opted out of the insanity, the evening passed with no dead air. As always, the commercials themselves were frighteningly, inexplicably loud. Timeouts had me scurrying for the volume button faster than you could say “Big Ben,” and in many cases, I’m still not sure exactly what I’m supposed to buy. It’s been said before, but this really is why the terrorists hate us.
Why, then, should the evening have passed without the composition of yet another American invention—the Top Ten list! What follows is the ten most obnoxious, most distracting commercials of the 2009 B-wl. Starting at ten and counting down, these are the year’s real champions.
10. The Ad Council’s “Disturbing Pimple”
You had to be paying attention for this one. A high school steroid user’s pimple morphs into a large red asterisk. Both physically revolting and ethically confused—steroids will affect your place in the high school record books!—this spot just beats The Scarlet Letter for best use of a physical deformity to suggest moral culpability.
9. State Farm’s “The LeBron Browns”
Yeah, it’s not new, but it kills me every time, if only because you know he’s got a Jets cap on underneath that helmet. Like you, I don’t know any Browns fans, but I’m pretty sure they’re tired of the tease. Between this and the pre-game chalk clouds (still not old?), LeBron is quickly becoming the most annoying NBA player alive. And friends, that’s saying something.
8. Columbia Pictures’ “Angels and Demons”
Until the very end, I was almost certain that this couldn’t be real. I mean, who saw The Da Vinci Code? What on earth could possibly justify a sequel? And what’s Tom Hanks done for me lately? Given the laughable dialogue and production values in the trailer, why shouldn’t this be a farce? We saw Scary Movie. We sat through Superhero Movie. I just assumed that Hanks was slumming in DaVinci Movie. A quick IMDB search of Hanks’ last few films suggests that this isn’t outside the realm of possibility.
A tough omission here was Jack Black’s The Year One. Though unworthy of its own slot, it gets serious props for looking equally ridiculous. Note to Michael Cera: Black’s career is probably not the one you want to emulate.
7. Doritos’ “Crystal Ball / Crotch”
What’s Doritos’ fascination with projectiles? A few years ago it was Ali Landry swallowing chips shot from a washing machine. Now it’s a crystal ball hurled at a vending machine (resulting, strangely, in the theft of Doritos) and later at some guy’s crotch. Of course, this is nothing compared to #6.
6. Doritos’ “Cop Killer”
That’s right. Doritos is dominating tonight. In this instant classic, Doritos are responsible for a woman’s clothes flying off, an ATM spewing money, and a cop getting murdered in cold blood. (All right, he turns into a squirrel or something, but he’s still in bad shape.) As if aware of our moral outrage, Doritos proceeds to run its hero over with a bus. I understand that asking commercials to make sense is like Xerxes whipping the ocean for disobeying him, but this is ridiculous.
On a separate note, Cheetos seems to be stealing the wish-fulfillment theme, so maybe it’s just a Frito-Lay thing. In their spot, eating chips also harms one’s enemies, this time presumably covering a snooty woman with pigeon crap.
5. GoDaddy.com’s “Shower Scene”
Lowest Common Denominator advertising at its finest, this ad consists almost entirely of girls showering. Unbelievably, GoDaddy concludes by directing us to their website, where—that’s right, boys—the content is unrated.
But here’s the thing. Since we’re dealing with the Internet here, aren’t the folks at GoDaddy.com concerned that potential customers will get distracted by actual porn on their way to the site? And is the promise of porn really supposed to make us purchase domain names? Furthermore (and I only watched it so you wouldn’t have to), the “unrated” content is no different than the original. Granted, I watched with the volume off, but still.
4. Castrol Edge’s “Bestiality”
I’ll admit to missing most of this one, but I looked up just in time to see a man kissing a monkey. Rather passionately. Perhaps you saw more and are now rushing out to buy motor oil. Good luck, and I salute you.
3. Hyundai’s “Yelling and Pronunciation”
Going into tonight, I was looking forward to hearing a Bruce Springsteen song from start to finish for the first time in my life. Unfortunately, this charming spot ruined my dream by deafening me, perhaps permanently. Made up largely of people of various nationalities screaming, this commercial concluded by reminding us that Hyundai rhymes with “Sunday.” Who was mispronouncing it? And what were they saying? Hoon-day? Hine-day? Folks, if your brand management guys are still working on pronunciation, you may not be ready to drop three mil on a commercial.
2. Dreamworks’ “Monsters vs. Aliens”; Sobe’s “Gay Fantasia”; & NBC’s “Chuck”
The 3-D spots count as one, and if there’s a more bankrupt device in entertainment, I don’t know about it. Seriously, what is so thrilling about the impression that things are being flung at you from the screen? Is it the hint of danger? The pleasure of ducking? And what are we supposed to do with our glasses once we’re finished? Store them until next year?
Misguided though they may be, at least the ads for Monsters vs. Aliens and “Chuck” have a built-in audience. Sadly, I can’t say the same thing for Sobe. I’m just not sure how I’m supposed to react to ballet dancers (please tell me those weren’t real NFL players) dancing around on a white stage, wearing white, and occasionally interacting with bizarrely white footballs. I lost track of the plot, but at some point a lizard was flung at the screen (and presumably at me, had I been wearing my goggles). I understand that flavored water is a tough sell, but let’s see what some new writers can do.
1. CareerBuilder.com’s “If You’ve Ever”
Another ear-buster, this may be the worst, most annoying commercial I’ve ever seen. Repetitive and seemingly endless, this spot subjects us to seven clips of a woman screaming, six clips of an inane insult, five clips of a woman riding a dolphin, four clips of a man crying loudly, three clips of a koala being punched, two clips of a truly hideous Speedo crotch-shot, and one clip of Mr. Eko from Lost drinking a glass of gold. Five seconds into it I was suffering. Fifteen in I was in hell. Twenty-five in I smashed my television with Doritos. CareerBuilder could offer me the presidency and I’m not taking it. A terrible, terrible ad!
So there it is. The worst of the worst, and I only missed the greatest S-per B-wl of my lifetime to chronicle it. Just remember that while you’re shopping.
Finally, and I know it’s not a commercial, but honorable mention goes to Faith Hill and the Post-Racial Gospel Choir, complete with sign language interpreter. Nothing says football like political symbolism, and folks, if I wasn’t sold on America before, I certainly am now!
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Precedents and Bulls--t: A Fantasia on a Liberal Theme
When John McCain promised in 2008 to appoint judges like John Roberts and Samuel Alito, the Smarter among us had a hearty laugh with our morning toast and coffee. After all, McCain's identity as a "maverick" (helpfully defined by George Will as "the media encomium reserved for Republicans who reject important Republican principals") led him over the course of his career to such monstrosities as the Secure America and Orderly Immigration Act, the McCain-Edwards-Kennedy Patients' Bill of Rights, and, of course, McCain-Feingold, the campaign finance "reform" bill that did to the First Amendment what single-ply toilet paper does to our asses. The joke, we knew, was that McCain's model justices would be the first to strike down his signature achievements. McCain was so busy practicing his "strict constructionist" references in the mirror, he didn't stop to understand the phrase as anything but Conservative buzzwords. Too bad. He might have enjoyed the irony.
In any case, he can't have missed the blogosphere's (and the President's) response this past week to Citizens United vs. Federal Election Commission, a frenzy of liberal teeth-gnashing unheard since the darkest hours of the Bush administration. Writing in the New York Times, Linda Greenhouse wondered "what the Roberts majority’s next target will be . . . now that it has experienced the joy of overturning." (Her guess: the Civil Rights Act.) Back in Washington at the Post, E. J. Dionne suggested that "the Supreme Court is now dominated by a highly politicized conservative majority intent on working its will, even if that means ignoring precedents and the wishes of the elected branches of government." Even the President (or was that his chauffeur--we're never sure) joined in the hand-wringing with his State of the Union claim that the ruling had "open[ed] the floodgates for special interests, including foreign corporations, to spend without limit in our elections." (Note: He lies.) Like all disingenuous political spectacles, this one had its volume turned to "11." A week later and we're still covering our ears.
Perhaps the deepest irony here is that there is a legitimate argument to be made that the presence of television and direct-mail advertising has perverted beyond repair the political process in this country. Show us anyone who thinks that campaigns are too short, their budgets too small. Sadly, the liberal response to the recent ruling has focused not on that merited (though hopeless) argument but on two different points:
1) Alito shouldn't have made that face;
2) The Court shouldn't have overturned precedent.
Yes, that's right. The same political Left that rightly praises Brown vs. Board of Education (thousands of years of precedent overturned if we're just talking about culturally institutionalized racism) can't stop bitching now about the will of the people, judicial restraint, and stare decisis.
But here's our question. Is anyone even listening to them anymore?
In any case, he can't have missed the blogosphere's (and the President's) response this past week to Citizens United vs. Federal Election Commission, a frenzy of liberal teeth-gnashing unheard since the darkest hours of the Bush administration. Writing in the New York Times, Linda Greenhouse wondered "what the Roberts majority’s next target will be . . . now that it has experienced the joy of overturning." (Her guess: the Civil Rights Act.) Back in Washington at the Post, E. J. Dionne suggested that "the Supreme Court is now dominated by a highly politicized conservative majority intent on working its will, even if that means ignoring precedents and the wishes of the elected branches of government." Even the President (or was that his chauffeur--we're never sure) joined in the hand-wringing with his State of the Union claim that the ruling had "open[ed] the floodgates for special interests, including foreign corporations, to spend without limit in our elections." (Note: He lies.) Like all disingenuous political spectacles, this one had its volume turned to "11." A week later and we're still covering our ears.
Perhaps the deepest irony here is that there is a legitimate argument to be made that the presence of television and direct-mail advertising has perverted beyond repair the political process in this country. Show us anyone who thinks that campaigns are too short, their budgets too small. Sadly, the liberal response to the recent ruling has focused not on that merited (though hopeless) argument but on two different points:
1) Alito shouldn't have made that face;
2) The Court shouldn't have overturned precedent.
Yes, that's right. The same political Left that rightly praises Brown vs. Board of Education (thousands of years of precedent overturned if we're just talking about culturally institutionalized racism) can't stop bitching now about the will of the people, judicial restraint, and stare decisis.
But here's our question. Is anyone even listening to them anymore?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
