Peggy Noonan Can't Pin the Tail on a Donkey
By Rogers Cadenhead
Friday, November 30, 2007 at 01:26 PM
Right-wingers have gone ballistic since Wednesday's Republican YouTube debate because four of the questioners appear to be Democrats, including the retired "do ask, do tell" soldier who hogged not one but two microphones, and it's apparently GOP policy to avoid speaking to outsiders until the general election. But when Wall Street Journal columnist Peggy Noonan went hunting for Democrats today in that debate's target-rich environment, she still came up empty-handed.
Check out this huge blunder in Noonan's column:I thought of this the other night when citizens who turned out to be partisans for Mrs. Clinton, Mr. Obama and Mr. Edwards asked the Republicans, in debate, would Jesus support the death penalty, do you believe every word of the Bible, and what does the Confederate flag mean to you?
None of those three questions was asked by a partisan for a Democratic candidate.
Tyler Overman, who asked if Jesus would support the death penalty, is a 23-year-old from Memphis, Tennessee, with no stated political affiliations on his YouTube profile or MySpace page. I could find no blogger or media report linking him to Democrats.
Joseph Dearing, who asked whether candidates believe every single word in his Bible, describes himself on YouTube as a "saved Bible-believing Christian" and has posted 24 videos over the past six months on the Book. He's a 24-year-old from Grand Prairie, Texas, who has a GodTube profile that states, "I've grown a lot spiritually, thanks to the influence of the infallible word of God, which today is found in the Authorized (King James) Bible." He told the Dallas Morning News that he was disappointed in the answers he got and is a Ron Paul supporter.
Leroy Brooks, who asked the flag question, is a self-described "kid" from Houston, Texas who declares on his YouTube profile that he's a Paul supporter. This ought to be no surprise, considering the Guy Fawkes bust in the background of his video. Paul backers have adopted that literal revolutionary as a symbol of their metaphorical goal to blow up big government.
In comments he posted on YouTube, Brooks said the purpose of the question was "to get a major candidate to attack me or blow me off and therefore hurting their southern base." (I think it may have succeeded where Mitt Romney is concerned, because his slam against the flag will burn some South Carolinans.)
Brooks also explained what the Confederate flag means to him:
for me it is a image that represents the first and only time in american history when a large group of people, who disapproved of government policies (slavery being just one of many), stood up and said "We're not going to take it anymore!".
So he's hanging that big-ass Confederate flag on his wall as a symbol of opposition to slavery. YouTube grades on a curve.
There's something unseemly about fisking people because they asked questions at a debate, as if you can't ask a good question because you already picked a horse in this race. Many political bloggers have pledged their troth to a specific candidate; does that mean they should also drink a glass of shut the hell up?
My favorite response to the debate is the bloggers like Malkin who have outed Log Cabin Republican David Cercone because he's supporting Barack Obama. The fact he's been left to vote Democrat, because all of the Republicans on that stage are allergic to his support, was the point of his question!
As a yellow-dog Democrat who watched the entire debate, I thought most of the questions were fair, aside from the gay soldier who should've been excluded by virtue of being too closely affiliated with Clinton. The fact some people asked questions for less than genuine reasons is less important to me than the substance of the answers -- watching Mike Huckabee, Mitt Romney and Rudy Giuliani wrestle with Biblical literalism is just deserts for a GOP that's come to believe it has cornered the market on faith.
As Peggy Noonan should know, that question came from a God-fearing Republican.
Comments
A thousand points of dumb fer the Pegster!
One, two, three strikes. Yer outta there. Aside from her inexplicable lack of research into her column (Just phonin' it in these days, PN?) Peggy has never been high on Spud's reading list and this does nothing to alter that fact. Spud also watched the debate and agrees that the vast majority of the questions were fair. Spud thinks that Anderson Cooper wasn't given enuff credit for trying to keep the pols from avoiding answering the actual question asked. The bible thumper is a Ron Paul guy? Spud missed the Guy Falkes bust fer some reason. Good eye there, Rcade. Spud also agrees that the point to the quetion by the outed Log Cabin Republican (who now supports Obama) was that there is apparently no room in the "Big Tent" of the GOP. Spud has an alternate theory why the GOP fails to embrace the conservative gays and their equal rights agenda. Spud thinks that if they allow them into the Big Tent that their gaydar will go off every third step. Just a theory, of course.
Be Well.
Maybe not, but she got pretty close. Or did you miss the fact that in addition to his generalship, there was: A declared John Edwards supporter asked about abortion; the "concerned Log Cabin Republican" seems to be on the side of a Democrat- Barak Obama; an the gal worrying about lead in her children's toys is an activist for John Edwards.
Maybe not, but she got pretty close. Or did you miss the fact that in addition to his generalship, there was: A declared John Edwards supporter asked about abortion; the "concerned Log Cabin Republican" seems to be on the side of a Democrat- Barak Obama; an the gal worrying about lead in her children's toys is an activist for John Edwards.
Maybe not, but she got pretty close. Or did you miss the fact that in addition to his generalship, there was: A declared John Edwards supporter asked about abortion; the "concerned Log Cabin Republican" seems to be on the side of a Democrat- Barak Obama; an the gal worrying about lead in her children's toys is an activist for John Edwards.
Apparently, the very idea that a Republican might be asked a question by somebody who may actually disagree with him is outraging the wackaloon right. Why, Dubya never exposed himself to anybody but carefully vetted party loyalists when he campaigned!
Isn't the entire point of a debate to show your ability to defend your beliefs and positions against opposing views?
Apparently, the Republicans have run out of sympathetic gay male prostitutes masquerading as newsmen and tossing them meatballs, and had to actually address the concerns of real people.
Just how do these weasels expect to run the country and deal with the Chinese, Russians, Iranians, and the rest of the world if they are so spooked at having to deal with questions from real live Democrats?
It tells you something very ugly about the GOP that, having gotten all flustered over questions not served up by simpering, sympathetic Faux News hacks, the wingnut pundits don't blame the candidates for not having the answers, but the questioners for asking questions that forced them out of their well-rehearsed sound-bite talking points. As if it were treason for anybody to the left of Atilla the Hun to open his mouth in this country any more...
Not to sidebar, but notice what doesn't get asked?
In a strange, Serling-esque way, (at which point I channel Andy Rooney...), you ever notice that the media grabs up these Weekly World News kinds of stuff to ask the candidates?
Has Hillary seen Bat Boy, and if so, is she afraid of him?
Does Ghoulie know where Elvis is?
Did Dennis marry Dennis Rodman by mistake?
This UFO he saw, are they part of the New World Order to steal our planet's supply of Preparation H?
Does Chris Dodd know Angelina Jolie?
And why are we pontificating on such silliness?
A) It's an attempt by Noonan, et al, to do a subliminal deal and remind us that there are, sadly, way too many folks with way too much time on their hands. "See, this is why we should be in charge, these suckers are such morons, y'see? Y'see? Y'see?"
B) It's needle and thread to keep the curtain intact, so, questions that dance at us...Shlub's Hitler imitation, rising gas prices, and as of late, the Fed and wall street playing their version of Abbott and Costello, mmm?
"Recession!"
"The guy playing first!"
"Recession!"
"Okay, what's on second?"
"No, Depression's playing second, Recession's on first!"
I got an idea. Spud, Lee, Rogers? Let us all make our own little videos and submit them each, see who gets their toss at this.
But, I'm doing the Dead Parrot deal, got it?
In a strange, Serling-esque way, (at which point I channel Andy Rooney...), you ever notice that the media grabs up these Weekly World News kinds of stuff to ask the candidates?
Yep. Every goofball chosen by CNN to ask a YouTube debate question, and the person who asked the "diamonds or pearls" question of Hillary Clinton in Las Vegas, furthers the mainstream media's contention that bloggers and YouTubers and other regular people are all goofballs. They want to keep the monopoly on seriousness, so that the Wolf Blitzers and Tim Russerts are still the stars of the debates.
I got an idea. Spud, Lee, Rogers? Let us all make our own little videos and submit them each, see who gets their toss at this.
Deth is Canuckistani Spud and thus ineligible fer the privilege of asking a u-tube question and is also so freakishly ugly that a camera lens has not yet been invented that doesn't instantly shatter once it's pointed directly at Spud horrifically ugly mug but Spud does haff a couple of dumb questions he's like to ask.
Hillary: Bowers or briefs?
Rudy: G string or french cut panties?
Inquiring minds wanna know!
They want to keep the monopoly on seriousness, so that the Wolf Blitzers and Tim Russerts are still the stars of the debates.
These debate like much in the MSM are always more interesting fer wot is not sed and asked than fer wot is.
Rogers thinks the MSM are deliberately using silly assed questions in order to make their own inane questions seem more serious and professional? There is resonance there fer Spud.
One more spuddish question fer Dennis Kucinich...
Can Spud get yer wife's phone number?
Sorry Dennis, she makes Spud one hot potato!
Arooooooooo! Hubba Hubba! * wolf whistle *
Be Well.
Maybe not, but she got pretty close. Or did you miss the fact that in addition to his generalship, there was: A declared John Edwards supporter asked about abortion; the "concerned Log Cabin Republican" seems to be on the side of a Democrat- Barak Obama; an the gal worrying about lead in her children's toys is an activist for John Edwards.
There's that focus problem again. The point of the post is what Noonan said. Nonan said none of the things you're saying, Visitor, so, yeah, Noonan couldn't pin the tail on the donkey.
I really wish that Republican apologists would at least restrict their apologetics to the point for which they are apologizing.