21 Responses to “If A Liberal Republican Falls In The Woods…”

1. john h Says:
   March 24th, 2007 at 3:15 pm

   uh, just for the record, and Kat can most likely speak for herself, but I’d say she ain’t no Democrat, and is rather conservative/libertarian. The rest of us commenters on that post are godless heathens who wish to destroy the moral fabric of this great country.

2. Smantix Says:
   March 24th, 2007 at 4:14 pm

   Well I did say you were Democrats. I thought that was implied.

3. smantix Says:
   March 24th, 2007 at 5:23 pm

   Your comment at Terry Frank’s place intrigues me though. Just who are these bloggers who don’t see the world “in black and white” that you’re referring to? Who carefully weigh each issue on its merits before arriving at their opinions.

   Which liberal TN bloggers are you putting in that hallowed category?

4. Sean Braisted Says:
   March 24th, 2007 at 9:06 pm

   Who else…Egalia

5. Smantix Says:
   March 24th, 2007 at 10:22 pm

   You don’t seem to have read the question correctly Mrs. Braisted-Kleinfelter.

6. Sean Braisted Says:
   March 24th, 2007 at 11:24 pm

   It’s about time Adam made an honest she-male out of me.

7. john h Says:
   March 25th, 2007 at 12:25 am

   Smantix- I think the question is posed to me, but I’ll answer it even if it isn’t. i was actually speaking more of folks on the conservative side, but I’ll try to go ‘both ways’. I apologize to anyone I leave out here..not trying to be definitive..

   On the left-ward side: Braisted, Sharon Cobb, Sam Davidson, Chris Wage, Joe Powell, R Neal up Knoxville way, Newscoma…I try, but I will leave myself out because I’m obviously biased on that point..

   On the conservative type side: Abramson, Krumm, Sarah Moore, Ned Willams, Say Uncle, Glen Dean, Silence (even tho he probably belongs in the lonely ‘moderate’ category)…

   I’m sure I’ve left folks out, and some of those people on either side of the ‘divide’ don’t always weigh every issue perfectly. One of my criteria is: Could I write their column before I knew what they had to say on pretty much every issue?

8. smantix Says:
   March 25th, 2007 at 10:43 am

   It would be safe to say that you could write a column for everyone of those people because they are all known quantities at this point.

   But on your conservative side, I do notice a pattern. What I term “doormat conservatism”. The people who don’t really respond to the rabid attacks or try to appeal to the “cooler heads” audience.

   You include Sarah Moore but not her husband? You’re trying to tell me that Sean is the head of the Davidson County Young Democrats but that you don’t know that he is going to reliably come down on every single issue according to the party line or further to the left of it? Or that newscoma can relay the Hooterville Ag Report without noting that the cornstalks are leaning to the left or that the porkbellies fell after heavy trading like Karl Rove will in front a Grand Jury?

   That does sound like an interesting project though, john. A conceptual series. Write a column a week imitating someone else’s style.

   I’ll start us off:

   *ahem*

   Cute baby alert!

9. brittney Says:
   March 25th, 2007 at 10:57 am

   *That does sound like an interesting project though, john. A conceptual series. Write a column a week imitating someone else’s style.*

   It’s an idea I’ve had for months. I’d do it better than anyone, I think, but I’d also make some more enemies. And, I’ve got plenty, thanks.

10. Smantix Says:
    March 25th, 2007 at 11:07 am

    Anyone I know?

11. Sean Braisted Says:
    March 25th, 2007 at 11:34 am

    I’m not even on the executive board of the DCYDs…I’m just a lowly member, and the communications chair.

    I usually come down on the liberal side of issues, but I’ve gone after plenty of Democrats. For instance, Haynes and Turner for sponsoring anti-immigrant legislation. I’ve also criticized the Democrats (or the Left) for their opposition to Nuclear power, economic liberalization in the form of removing subsidies and tariffs, and the lack of action on the abortion issue.

    But yeah, am I a partisan Democrat? Absolutely. I can’t say that I wouldn’t vote for a Republican, but I’ve never been given the choice between a liberal Republican and a Conservative Democrats…until that happens, I’ll vote Democrat.

12. john h Says:
    March 25th, 2007 at 12:44 pm

    I’m not saying that you can’t generally predict where people will land..my thesis is the people I mention don’t just knee-jerk their reactions based on the fact that they are supposed to be conservative or liberal or libertarian. The shills are pretty much reflexive. I won’t bother to mention the shill’s names, but most of them are pretty obvious.

    I do take issue with calling Glen Dean or Say Uncle ‘doormat’ types or people who always respond coolly. Glen can get pretty feisty there.

    I’ve seen Braisted come out on a different side of an issue that I would have predicted.

    It’s the folks who don’t always say: GOP good, Dems bad, or vice versa that interest me a bit more. Like I said..I”m sure I’ve left people out who aren’t ‘kneejerk’ types..the ones I listed are the ones I tend to read more.

13. newscoma Says:
    March 25th, 2007 at 4:58 pm

    Hooterville Ag Report?
    That tickles the crap out of me. Although, as I live here I can assure you the corn leans both ways outside of my little place on the web in the northwest Tennessee blogosphere.
    Although I can honestly say I’ve never done an Ag Report or one on Porkbellies, maybe I should start one, on your advice, of course.

14. Donna Locke Says:
    March 25th, 2007 at 10:16 pm

    Yes, Brittney, you do go way out of your way to make enemies. Whereas I can do that by simply calling for law enforcement. Just call me radical.

    Smantix, don’t you think that political labels are sort of like the particle-wave duality in physics? It’s whatever you think it is or want it, or yourself, to be at any moment. Situational.

15. Smantix Says:
    March 25th, 2007 at 10:41 pm

    Donna – that is exactly what I was thinking or not.

16. Donna Locke Says:
    March 25th, 2007 at 10:44 pm

    Yeah, whatever.

17. Smantix Says:
    March 25th, 2007 at 10:59 pm

    Be a little more sensitive why don’tcha?

    Yes, labels are shortcuts to thinking. Completely subjective and necessary. And there are differences still between someone who will judge each issue individually and fall on an opposing side to their prevailing ideology.

    And then there are annoying contrarians who will play devil’s advocate for the indefensible just to be different.

    But by that same token, you shouldn’t have to reinvent the wheel every time you have a conversation.

18. Sean Braisted Says:
    March 25th, 2007 at 11:36 pm

    So Smantix…what’s your label? Bush-Conservative, Neo-Conservative, Republican-Conservative? Just curious.

19. Donna Locke Says:
    March 25th, 2007 at 11:47 pm

    But … the universe is reinvented from moment to moment. A couple of physicists committed suicide when they realized that.

    You have to be a mystic to be a physicist now.

    Strawberry Fields forever.

20. Smantix Says:
    March 26th, 2007 at 12:02 am

    Donna’s comment in conjunction with about 4 other things are prompting the post at the top of the frontpage.

    And I’m paraphrasing here. Sometimes when you yell into the abyss, the abyss yells back “that you suck”. Sometimes I am that abyss. For a limited time only, 6MB readers and casual observers get to be the abyss.

    Or maybe they are the ones looking in. I can’t tell. It’s madness I say. Madness.

21. Bob Krumm » I Think This Is Farewell Says:
    March 26th, 2007 at 1:44 am

    [...] UPDATE II: Smantix has been one of my favorite local Internet reads since the old Pith days. I confess, though: all this time I had no idea he was a Democrat. [...]