Tammy Bruce was on Dennis Prager's show this morning in the second hour. One caller, identifying himself as a member of the Left, told Tammy that if she was so critical of the Democrats, she should leave the party and become a Republican.
Aside from being the exact opposite of the "big tent" philosophy, comments like this leave many with the belief that if they have any traditional values at all, they're not welcome in the Democratic party.
It's also an ad hominem fallacy: the arguer attacks the person making the argument rather than addressing the argument being made. Tammy Bruce was subjected to the classic line, "'Shut up!' he explained."
The post at the other end of the link above is one of Jason Van Steenwyk's posts where he links to the Washington Monthly. Here, the weighty response to Jason's argument is, "Jason's an idiot".
One comment:
Yeah--Jason Van Steenwyck has loads of credibility. I think that a violinist who writes financial stuff and serves as a National Guardsman is eminently qualified to comment on the operations of our Special Forces Command. I'm sure that if he walked into SOC, they'd embrace this guy like one of their Band of Brothers. Or laugh his ass out of the building.
In another post, I linked to his comments on the logistics involved in delivering aid in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. The response: "He's an idiot. Maybe that's why he's an ex logistics officer." (Paraphrased – I don't feel like hunting it down right now.)
I suppose both of these people could explain, in detail, why Jason was factually wrong, or why his comparisons were inapt. I'm sure all the folks who called him a name or impugned his credentials can explain in great, cogent detail exactly what the right answer is.
Perhaps, from their Olympean heights, they can't be bothered to clarify things to the Unwashed Masses.
Or maybe their brains have suffered the effects of oxygen deprivation at those high altitudes.
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