Sunday, February 27, 2005
Far right, far left, and Jeff Jarvis
In a post a couple days ago, blogger Jeff Jarvis lays out his credentials as a Democrat and questions "all-or-nothing" liberals who have bashed him and called him a GOP mouthpiece.
Jarvis thinks for himself, or at least appears to. His stuff is often interesting and he raises important questions. But his complaint has a couple of glaring flaws: 1) he acts like the liberals' anger came out of nowhere and can't be understood; and 2) he doesn't see it as a two-way street.
Jeff says, "I hope the Clinton wing re-takes the party from the spitting fringe."
Problem is, Jeff, you're acting like the Republicans are justified in criticizing the Dems now because the Dems have gone too far left. But the mutual hatred we see today started with a centrist President in office -- a centrist you voted for, and whose wife you can't wait to vote for. The way Bill Clinton and the Democrats were treated from 1993 to 2001, you'd think the nation was being run by Ward Churchill and Noam Chomsky. And what about the identical "purging-of-the-moderates" that's taking place on the right?
So it's hard, Jeff. It's hard not to be angry. But I'm trying. And the bottom line is, your post would have resonated with many more Dems had you given similar advice to the Republicans. When you fail to criticize the other side, it just gives more credence to those who think you're secretly on it.
UPDATE: I e-mailed my thoughts to Jeff, and he responded right away and added my comments to one of his posts. Thanks to Jeff -- and welcome to all BuzzMachine readers!
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Jarvis thinks for himself, or at least appears to. His stuff is often interesting and he raises important questions. But his complaint has a couple of glaring flaws: 1) he acts like the liberals' anger came out of nowhere and can't be understood; and 2) he doesn't see it as a two-way street.
Jeff says, "I hope the Clinton wing re-takes the party from the spitting fringe."
Problem is, Jeff, you're acting like the Republicans are justified in criticizing the Dems now because the Dems have gone too far left. But the mutual hatred we see today started with a centrist President in office -- a centrist you voted for, and whose wife you can't wait to vote for. The way Bill Clinton and the Democrats were treated from 1993 to 2001, you'd think the nation was being run by Ward Churchill and Noam Chomsky. And what about the identical "purging-of-the-moderates" that's taking place on the right?
So it's hard, Jeff. It's hard not to be angry. But I'm trying. And the bottom line is, your post would have resonated with many more Dems had you given similar advice to the Republicans. When you fail to criticize the other side, it just gives more credence to those who think you're secretly on it.
UPDATE: I e-mailed my thoughts to Jeff, and he responded right away and added my comments to one of his posts. Thanks to Jeff -- and welcome to all BuzzMachine readers!
0 comments. Leave one!
