Kneejerk Capitulation

The comments below Scarborough’s post are even more bewildering than the post itself. Without any information to the contrary, many of the comments appear to have been submitted by a wide variety of liberal readers who agree — or at least sympathize with Scarborough that liberal bloggers are hurtful smear-merchants who are successfully preventing Scarborough from contributing to the site.

This is how the Republicans manage to constantly dominate the debate. As soon as a liberal voice takes a forceful or sometimes angry approach, Republicans like Scarborough act all hurt and dismayed while laying down a well-crafted guilt trip about “hope” and “change” and “bipartisanship.” The liberal quickly backs off — even apologizes — and then, after the dust settles, the Republican in question reverts back to red-baiting, fear-mongering, and calling people “dainty.”

Adding… I just checked Scarborough’s comments again and it’s remarkable. Comment after comment with the general format:

“I’m a proud [liberal] [progressive] [Democrat] and I [love your show] [think you're exactly right] [appreciate your thoughtfulness]… I’m sorry that you have to endure [anonymous comments] [mean Huffington Post bloggers] because [you're not like Hannity or Limbaugh] [you wrote nice things about Obama last month].”

I wonder how Olbermann or Maddow or Hartmann would be greeted over at Free Republic or Hot Air.

(Incidentally, this isn’t about Huffington Post comment mod policies or anything like that. Literally thousands of comments flood into that site every second, and they genuinely do their best to keep up.)


UPDATE: Case study. This comment:

Thanks for this column Joe, please continue “The Loyal Opposition” in the future.I’m a proud progressive, and I value respectful, intelligent and goal-oriented debate that includes everyone.Please don’t judge those of us with progressive ideals by the responses from antagonistic readers, or by the sarcastic and sensationalist writings of some liberal columnists.Likewise, I won’t lump you in with entertainers-cum-journalists like Bill O’Reilly or Rush Limbaugh. They favor self-serving hypocrisy, ignorance, and arrogance, because they need to attract listeners and sell advertising time, more than they need to help the national discussion.

That last part first. Joe Scarborough is on television for three hours every day and he just started hosting a new syndicated radio show. Yet he’s not an “entertainer-cum-journalist?” Yeah okay. Furthermore, if you look at this commenter’s profile, he’s chosen to be a “fan” of bloggers Chris Kelly, Jason Linkins and me — arguably three of the most sarcastic bloggers on the Huffington Post.

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  • GIthePotato

    Bob,People like Joe and other rich guys of the GOP are masters of this name calling game. They have been doing it since they were children. Just because the were rich they felt like they could say whatever they wanted on the playground to anyone and get away with it. If they did(I am sure they didn’t) get their asses beat their rich parents would sue the school or run the PDA/SGA or whoever out of office.

  • ElMystico

    >>>People like Joe and other rich guys of the GOP are masters of this name calling game. They have been doing it since they were children.Yeah but they haven’t learned any new ones since then. No you’re gay! No you’re gay! My dad said FDR ruined the country, and that your dad is probably a commie like him!No, you’re gay!

  • GIthePotato

    El, in no way shape or form am I defending Joe. He is a GIANT tool. I barely watch MSNBC in the morning because of his Michelle Bachmann mentality and support of the GOP message of crazy.

  • Kyle W.

    Man… fuck Joe Scarborough, that two-faced partisan hack.I calls ‘em like I see ‘em.

  • ceu

    >>Just because the were rich…I don’t think their attitude is about their being rich. They would tell you that they aren’t and probably have stories about walking barefoot thru snow to get to school.No, they think they can get away with it because they think they are brilliant. At some point, they started to believe it when people told them that they were the most intelligent people around – they’re being benevolent by sharing their thoughts with the unwashed masses. They use that attitude like a battering ram – they believe they have money because they’re smart; they know it all and ain’t no one gonna tell ‘em different.

  • http://annette-justmylittlepieceoftheworld.blogspot.com/ Annette

    I commented under it and it certainly wasn’t in Joe’s favor.. I called him a liar… and posted many of them… in fact had to take out some of the text because I was over…lol

  • GIthePotato

    ceu,Great point. It is the “Manifest Destiny” theory. God has so blessed them with this “intelligence” or divine information that the “unwashed masses” couldn’t possibly understand. I didn’t go to a Catholic School so I never had the chance to beat the shit out of the holier than now douchebags. GODDAMN PUBLIC SCHOOLS!!!

  • sammyscooge

    Oh Bob…you are so right.I sent a comment in that was, quite honestly fair. It was free of foul language and wasn’t nasty at all. It just so happened to not be showering Joe with praise and so forth.It didn’t get posted. It won’t be either. I sent that comment in HOURS ago. Soemtimes HuffPo really completely sucks.

  • lib4

    Scarborugh is one of those guys who can dish it out but not take it. Call his bluff Bob so you can go on his TeeVEE show and really whupp his ass back to next week.He can do a regular “Loyal Opposition” segment with you playing the ANGRY LIBERAL part.Now that is TV I would watch!!!!

  • Jim

    My response at Huffington, made over one hour ago, still hasn’t posted. Yes, it was critical of JS, but there was nothing at all vulgar in my post. I’m truly tired of the Stasi-like attitude of that site. I’m done with it.

  • sammyscooge

    Hi Jim,I’m in total agreement with you. I decided to send the moderators a new comment about a half an hour ago, thanking them for not posting my original comment. I’d rather spend my time writing to blogs that don’t censor their readers.I mean, what a load of total shit. Prtecting Scarboroughs ego! Give me a fucking break!I’m fed up with HuffPo. The ONLY reason to visit is to read Bob’s posts. Everything else blows.

  • Packy

    My comment, made at Huffpo, hasn’t shown up, and it was hours ago.There was nothing nasty, nor was any foul language involved (unless the HuffPo review thinks that Zbigniew Brzezinski is something dirty).I think that if a comment doesn’t start off with “Gee, you’re SWELL, Joe,” then it gets set aside.

  • GIthePotato

    CHRIS MATTHEWS JUST STOPPED ARGUING WITH RICK SANTELLI AND CALLED HIM CRAZY!!!This flaming douchebag is a financial analysis and voted for McCain!SWGILM are fucking up the market because they are pissed Obama won and want him to fail.MASSIVE GOVERNMENT REGULATION TONIGHT WOULD RAISE DOW UP 1000 PTS!!!!

  • Jim

    I’ll have to catch that when it’s repeated later. One last thing about the Huffpo Speech Guardians, In my denied post, I did call Pat Buchanan a “proud bigot” and Mike Barnicle a “known lying journalist”, but that was as bad as it got. Look, I know Huffington is not Truth Dig, but goddamn! Truth, anyone?

  • Lexaburn

    Bob, I know you recall that moment on the 1600 show whhen Maddow embarrassed Scarborough, and he turned around and accused her of Crossfire-like conduct, when it was he who began shouting over her to begin with.The dude is an oblivious hypocrite. Hypocrisy is Scarborough’s steeze. MSNBC seems to believe it makes him charming or some shit like that.I’ll admit that it’s entertaining to watch clips of cats like him getting caught reveling in their own litter box. The show itself is a three-hour long orgy of inane musings delivered by pseudo-elite hobnobbers. It is completely unwatchable, even with the occasional good guest. It’s like The Bonfire of the Vanities: The Series.

  • GIthePotato

    Lexaburn, can you please post the link to that video? I can’t find it. I believe it has been removed.

  • Lexaburn
  • GIthePotato

    Lexaburn,I am going to watch that every morning before Morning Joe to offset the insanity. What a crybaby bitch that he left after getting handled RESPECTFULLY by Rachel Maddow.

  • AdyLeigh

    What’s this shit on 1600 with Bill Clinton saying President Obama is not being hopeful enough?Damn, I’m never napping again.

  • Lexaburn

    Bob, the vast majority of those self-professed “liberal Democrats” are wolves from the GOP sect, lying like usual. The fakes flood the perceived “liberal” messageboards attempting to confuse the issues, believing that an impressionable few, prone to jumping on the psychological bandwagon, will doubt their own stance on any particular issue. To understand the mentality that goes into this act, one must understand the rules of engagement in a battle. It’s a basic infiltration tactic. They’re quite adapted to it. They usually fill their initial messages with saccharine-filled musings about seeing both sides of an issue, being the level-headed “Obama supporter, liberal Democrat etc.” But once you engage them (if you can get that far with some of these frauds), they devolve into labeling each and every individual disagreeing with them a “lib” and spout the most inane ditto-head nonsense that ever bored a critical thinker hip to the scam.Do not be dismayed. Some of those folks are frauds.Test the waters by engaging them – it won’t hurt to do that, and it’ll only befuddle you if you don’t, thus your being perplexed by what you’re witnessing at the Huffpo.

  • Lexaburn

    Oh, and another thing…They may be corporate shills incognito, protecting NBC’s televised asset, the great hypocrite, Joe Scarborough.Think on it.

  • Lexaburn

    “What’s this shit on 1600 with Bill Clinton saying President Obama is not being hopeful enough?”Notice that Bill & Hill are always up to something when the cameras are focused on one or the other. Hillary makes her trip to Asia and Bill gleefully sticking a knife in his nemesis, President Barack Hussein Obama in the same week.Funny that right there.I no longer dignify to the Clintons’ shenanigans with ire. They’re both quite amusing with all their desperate media-hogging and glory-seeking.

  • idreamofskiba

    Holy shit! You weren’t kidding. I just read the first page of comments and there was only one that was non ass-kissing. Barf.

  • http://www.windonwater.net QueenTiye

    Bob… keep up the pressure. Your next three posts should be about Joe Scarborough, and the incivility/lying that he’s perpetuated. Be as forceful as ever, but stay classy and above the fray.Among other things – you deserve to defend your honor, and for another – the true liberals in that crowd might recognize that the argument isn’t quite as Joe lays it out if you stay at it.And of course – I’m hoping that the continued argument raises your profile. :) QT

  • grip84

    Hey glad to see some sane people. Bob I came over to your blog because I couldn’t believe the comments on HuffPo. Does anyone watch this guy? I would rather watch the fox morning idiots then that conventional wisdom setting show. The beltway watches it and Joe uses that to his great advantage in directing that show. Plain and simple Scarborough is agenda driven tool who bullies and gets personal at least once a morning.

  • SillyGit

    I’ll bet that 2 out of those 3 of those posts from ‘liberals’ are really from the normal cast of right wing trolls armed with fresh new liberal nyms. This is a ‘false flag’ psyop for which they are well known.

  • SillyGit

    I see Lexaburn beat me to it. I didn’t think of possible NBC shills, but I agree.Good to see someone else that thinks like I do.

  • Dan in DE

    I managed to get in a good comment- cross posting here from the Huffpo:

    Mr Scarborough, your show embodies that side of the establishment media in the US, no longer resembling news or honest discourse but some kind of twisted political entertainment, which Jon Stewart so aptly declared to be “hurting America”. And as a representative for Conservatism on the so-called liberal channel, you bear a great degree of responsibility for the shameful treatment of the same issues that, you claim, you so yearn to debate.To Huffpost readers, please read the linked article from Bob Cesca before you join the Scarborough pity party here.

    Then I tried a couple of times to call out the utter asshatitude of suggesting that Arianna deserves better from us, and got censored. That’s bullshit. I wasn’t insulting in the least bit, just trying to point out that we all deserve better from that Assclown!