We are surprised that the ACLU hasn’t stepped in to defend Mark Foley, they’d do something sick like that. Mark Foley has quit his job because he was sending sexually explicit email to teenagers. Foley, a congressman from Florida, abruptly …

Don’t like what I quoted? Don’t read it.

I never quite understand those statements. If I don’t read it, how do I know I won’t like it. Only after a pattern of consistant stupid statements would I just pass over what someone on these blogs write, and usually they (the writers) end up banned sooner than later. The HOt Air contributors have some of the most classic comments I have ever read. Some of the greatest one-liners. I don’t mind what you wrote, just impressed or amazed that someone actually knows how or has the ability or time to accumulate so many quotes..and then actually tries to use them in an argument. Still ends up being an opinion.
AP and others have great instincts, when a real “ball-busting” nugget comes across they will jump on it and ride it hard. This story has 24-48 hour legs, any more and it looks like we are piling on. Hillary knew how to handle it, she is formidable.

I’m talking about the average person who reads the cover of the NYT as they walk past the little machine or who lingers on CNN Headline News for a few seconds at the top of the hour.. MAYBE watches Colbert or the Daily Show…

The average conservative leaning American doesn’t skim the NYT, watch CNN or enjoy Colbert or the Daily Show. The Right will never reach that crowd directly and trying to please people who will never be your customers is dumb business.

Be very careful of what’s often called “belly button marketing,” (assuming you personally are representative of most people.) It is often dangerous and wrong.

It would be equally wrong to assume what you read here is representative of anything except maybe the educated, right leaning 20 somethings.

Talk radio is much older and much broader than Rush. It has been alive and well here in Boston for at least the last 40 years. WRKO, a large all talk radio station in Boston, just turned 25 last week. On local talk, you hear from a lot more people with a broader diversity of opinions.

As for the apology, that’s really up to the active military and their families to accept or reject (after all, they are the ones insulted). From what I’ve been seeing and hearing, many of them have rejected it completely and are insulted by it. That may change today as things cool down. Time will tell. To assume we have any control over it, or that some Republican politico has control over it, or that MM has any control over it, is pure hubris.

just because YOU have complaints with his apology doesn’t mean that the general public has so carefully parsed it looking for problems

DaveS on November 2, 2006 at 12:57 AM

No shit, Sherlock. The General Public haven’t read his blog, have they?

WHO?? WHERE??

Once again, just because YOU have complaints with his apology doesn’t mean that the general public has so carefully parsed it looking for problems or that you will come across as reasonable if you continue to complain about it.

Ugly, I am impressed with all of those quotes. You looked up each one and copied them onto a comment. You actually recorded these or filed these, what is your system? I have been reading Hot Air for a while and did not realize AP is a closet Democrat. Your research is amazing, so detailed, so thorough.

right2bright on November 2, 2006 at 12:16 AM

I love sarcasm.

=’)

Now that he has apologized

DaveS on November 2, 2006 at 12:23 AM

WHO?? WHERE??

That doesn’t mean it can’t still be offensive.

my gosh what a lot of work. One suggestion…GET A LIFE, UGLY

right2bright on November 2, 2006 at 12:16 AM

It took all of twenty minutes.

Maybe 25.

Don’t like what I quoted? Don’t read it.

I disagree with how the average American took it. I’ve been listening to talk radio for 2 days and there were very few defenders.

Are you seriously equating the ~20M Limbaugh/Hannity/other listeners with “the general public”?

I’m talking about the average person who reads the cover of the NYT as they walk past the little machine or who lingers on CNN Headline News for a few seconds at the top of the hour.. MAYBE watches Colbert or the Daily Show…

Then you have a number of Dems, like Hillary, who had to come out today and condemn the remarks and call for an apology.

Of course they did. It became the politically correct thing to do. That doesn’t mean that they think Kerry said anything wrong (in their opinion). Do you think Bush really doesn’t believe that there were WMDs simply because he came out and talked about how crappy our intel was? Or do you think that maybe he actually thinks they were there but were moved? Can you really make a determination from the fact that he “admitted” the intel was bad? Don’t get off on a tangent about that… my point is simply that sometimes politicians cut their losses and concede things so they can move on.

As for Laura, that’s not what she said tonight… What I heard from Rush was more along these lines…

That’s what she said when she heard the tape. Rush never said he thought it was a Bush joke… he couched it in less commital language, like “I predict that they will say he meant to attack Bush”. But he recognized the obvious Bush-joke sound of it, in any case.

Let’s get to the pith of it…

I think the issue is you fundamentally don’t view it as an insult to the troops.

Superficially and as he intended it, no, I personally don’t think it was meant to directly insult the troops. HOWEVER, given Kerry’s elitist personality and his history of disparaging the military–coupled with the well documented liberal contempt for service men and women, or, at the least, child-like view of them–I don’t blame people for being offended by what actually came out of his mouth and I don’t blame the Republicans one bit for going after him on it.

Now that he has apologized, though, I think it would be incredibly stupid to press the issue. If you think that advocating smart political strategy for the Republicans is somehow equal to “being on the other side”… well, there isn’t much I can do for you.

Gosh. Not very evident which side you’re on, eh?

Good grief. Everything I said was an objective assessment of the situation as I saw it, and has nothing to do with “which side I’m on”.

As for Laura, that’s not what she said tonight on the Factor. I guess she had to think about it.

What I heard from Rush was more along these lines:

This is nothing new from Kerry, and it’s nothing new from the Democrats. So why in the world are they running away from it? I did note that they did send Jack Murtha out there today. They’re doing everything they can to keep this alive. Kerry is making radio appearances today. The Democrats say, “Just shut up. Just go away,” but that’s what they believe. Why in the world are they running away from John Kerry? This is what they say they believe. They must not want you to know this is what they believe, which is I guess the answer to my question.

Maybe he changed his mind too?

The picture from Iraq today pretty much sums up how the troops felt about it. Then you have the American Legion and AMVets weighing in.

Then you have a number of Dems, like Hillary, who had to come out today and condemn the remarks and call for an apology.

I disagree with how the average American took it. I’ve been listening to talk radio for 2 days and there were very few defenders. Kerry’s attempts at explaining it simply confirmed their initial reaction. Bryan’s recent post pretty much shows the Left’s track record when it comes to the militray and the American people are “plenty smart.” They know Kerry said what he meant and meant what he said.

Are we or are we not discussing quotes that I quoted?

What, the monster quote dump you dropped at 10:28? The ones that are telling you to STFU with subtlety?

Sure go ahead.

Discuss.

Subtlety. Nuance. Yeah, that stuff really worked out well for Kerry.

EFG on November 1, 2006 at 11:42 PM

Mkay.

Are we or are we not discussing quotes that I quoted?

Kerry, the main point, is indeed sans nuance. Any subtlety lost is yours to find.

EFG, if you think I thought those were literal ‘STFU’s, then you need to grow a sense of subtlety

Subtlety. Nuance. Yeah, that stuff really worked out well for Kerry.

The Republicans have been very clever about getting this out there as an insult to the troops…

DaveS on November 1, 2006 at 11:36 PM

Spin, spin sugar

We already got dirty. We took a quote which was probably a joke gone awry, and promoted it in the worst possible light (which, granted, he probably actually believes)… eventually forcing an apology.

DaveS on November 1, 2006 at 11:29 PM

Gosh.

Not very evident which side you’re on, eh?

Well…

a) The media. The Whitehouse threw its weight behind it, though, giving it more traction. This seems to me to be a risky move, though (see: Allen’s attacking Webb novels), because…

b) the casual, non-partisan observer probably assumes that he couldn’t POSSIBLY have meant to insult the troops given the less insulting anti-Bush meaning that it could have. Even many rightwing bloggers and even Rush Limbaugh saw the anti-Bush meaning there. Laura Ingraham, early yesterday, heard the clip for the first time while on the air and said that it was “definately” a Bush-is-stupid remark.

The Republicans have been very clever about getting this out there as an insult to the troops… I’m simply surprised that they were able to give it that much traction in a hostile media environment.

So by paying close attention to what Kerry says & following up, we’re (as a conservative collection) somehow distancing the GP.

We’ve already followed up. This has been a big story now for 2 days. That point aside, the answer to your question is “yes”… if Republicans continue to talk about this after he has apologized they will look like complete jackasses. Sort of like they did with the Webb novel stuff.

Don’t like getting dirty? Stay out of politics.

We already got dirty. We took a quote which was probably a joke gone awry, and promoted it in the worst possible light (which, granted, he probably actually believes)… eventually forcing an apology.

To be honest, I’m SHOCKED that it got as much play as it did

Really? why is that (honest question). We have 150,000+ soldiers and their families who were insulted by a sitting US Senator and 04 standard bearer for the Democrats and you’re shocked to became a big issue?

Being perpetually outraged at the idiocy of something like Kerry is very emotionally demanding, and the general public will get tired of it really quickly. Throw in the fact that many will perceive this as a cheap shot aimed at a guy who made a very unfortunate mistake in his speech, and the problem gets worse because you appear to be unnecessarily piling on.

DaveS on November 1, 2006 at 11:02 PM

Interesting.

So by paying close attention to what Kerry says & following up, we’re (as a conservative collection) somehow distancing the GP. Hmm. Hmm. HMMMMM.

I say BS.

Emotionally demanding. Do you want to know about emotionally demanding? Put them in charge.

Can you imagine a world where every move you make is recorded? Of course you can’t. As Conservatives, we have to ‘rise above it’ and forget. What a joke. But 2008 is right around the corner, folks. Don’t like getting dirty? Stay out of politics.

Being perpetually outraged at the idiocy of something like Kerry is very emotionally demanding, and the general public will get tired of it really quickly. Throw in the fact that many will perceive this as a cheap shot aimed at a guy who made a very unfortunate mistake in his speech, and the problem gets worse because you appear to be unnecessarily piling on.