natural selections XXIII: iraq elections; on leftist haters
It seems as though turnout was quite high for the Iraqi elections. Much has been written on the topic by others more talented than I am; I direct you to them.
- Dean Esmay has a very simple message for those (and there are many) who do not want this to succeed.
- INDC Journal has a wide-ranging piece.
- Powerline has a photo collection from polling sites.
- Protein Wisdom delves into the morass of far-left hatred. More in a bit on that.
- Roger L. Simon followed the television coverage from the beginning.
In addition, I have wondered about something. Why do many bloggers (see the Protein Wisdom piece above) feel the need to dig up the opinions of leftist hatred, which are nearly worthless? After all, you know what you are going to get: nonsensical ranting, puerile name-calling, and “Screw them.” (See here.)
No, screw you.
The right has its fair share of hate-filled ranters as well. Maybe the reasonable and civilized among us — whether Republicans, Democrats, or neither (like me) — have more in common with each other than with the fringes in our respective parties. Maybe it’s time for something different.
UPDATE [19:31]: Iowahawk: History is a river, the left is a ‘67 Oldsmobile Delta 88, and Ted Kennedy’s driving.
UPDATE [19:35]: Driving after 13 gin-and-tonics, that is.
Jo on
01.30.2005 @ 15:24
Well, I don’t do a lot of scanning of the lefty blogs, but for today, I just wanted to get a few reactions down for the record.
Is why.
01.30.2005 @ 15:33
I suppose it is helpful for us to remind ourselves who’s really out there.
By the way, you’re one of my favorites. Good job.
01.30.2005 @ 20:39
I’ve come to the conclusion that there are several markets that the republicans need to infiltrate in order to even things out.
1) The Daily Show demographic. Where’s the farcical look at leftist America? Or maybe republicans just don’t know how to have fun.
2) Poetry. It seems to me that poetry is often used to express leftist angst and whatnot, so let’s get the righties involved. I would certainly shell out $20 for a collection of conservative values - inspired poetry (maybe for a good laugh more than anything).
3) Hip-hop/Indie rock. There are hip young republicans, I’ve met them. Why aren’t they making music?
These are just a few examples.
Anyways, there may be so much ranting and derision on the left because so many members of the left are in a position culturally to do so. And everyone likes to rant when in that position.
01.30.2005 @ 20:49
You know what, Neil: you’re three-for-three.
I encourage you to check out the work of the first commenter on this post, one Jeff Goldstein. He’s one of the original heavyweight bloggers out there, and I dare say you will find all three of those things there.