Jonah Goldberg On Liberal Fascism

The bestselling book Liberal Fascism is now out in paperback.

Jonah discusses the ongoing necessity to push back against the Left's intentional misuse of the term for political purposes to bash conservatives and libertarians.

Online "Bill" Pay: Colorado Media Matters And The Colorado Model

I come to praise Bill Menezes, not bury him.

This really isn't about him in particular anyway. Back in November I squared off against Menezes on CBS4's election night webcast. We started off by discussing "how we got started" (first 5 minutes of the webcast)--and I made it clear to distinguish what for me is essentially a serious hobby from Menezes' professional and well-paid outfit at Colorado Media Matters.

He described the function of the "non-profit" "research organization" as a tool to "correct conservative misinformation" in the MSM by employing a "staff of researchers" using a "proprietary archive system" that enabled the organization to track, document, and expose what they perceived as a conservative bias. Agree with them or not, they have a clearly defined role, and have been aggressive in pursuing their objectives.

CMM, formally or informally, formed a large part of the online arm of the vaunted "Colorado Model"--now partially reduced due to the incredible success seen over the past three election cycles.

It is no secret that the GOP and conservatives and libertarians in general have been forced, at the very least, to play catch-up with their liberal/Democrat opponents. But what about benchmarks? In order to know where you want to concentrate your precious time, energy, and resources in any attempt to bring about parity with the other side (let alone any thought of leapfrogging them), it would be helpful to know what greased the wheels of the rather large and multi-faceted left-leaning apparatus employed here in Colorado.

And in politics the golden rule applies--he who has the gold, rules.

Or in this instance, he who has the gold and employs it wisely in a concerted, coordinated effort to spread a particular political message--wins elections.

Which brings me back to Menezes.

Here is a jpeg of the 2007 filing for Media Matters for America (click to enlarge):



Menezes' actual pay is almost beside the point. We already know that the director of CMM receives compensation, and that CMM was the first state-level division of the overall Media Matters operation.

As I said, Menezes is to be praised (and that is not a backhanded compliment either)--he has earned his keep, and the successes on the left in this state provides the clearest evidence that the "Colorado Model" and the implementation of organizations like CMM can produce immediate results.

So here's a note to the powers that be on the center-right, both here in Colorado and across the country--in case you were wondering how we got our a&$#*! kicked these past few election cycles, here is at least one reason. It's because there were some 100%-dedicated, full-time positions like this made available by the deepest of pockets on the left.

Just a thought.

Liberal Talk Show Host Jay Marvin Unloads On Senator-Elect Mark Udall

**Update 3: (via TS) If Marvin's screed had been published by a conservative radio talk show host, Colorado Media Matters' Bill Menezes would be all over him. Bill?

**Update 2: CompleteColorado.com managed to save Marvin's entire blog post for posterity. He dropped by last night to argue that his post wasn't "rambling" and then promptly removed it today. Let's see if he responds.

**Update: That was fast--Marvin pulls both Udall-focused blog posts after being called out on them, first at CompleteColorado.com, and then here. Nothing like a little display of progressive backbone.

"Let’s just say Udall is a phony"--AM760 Radio Talk Show Host Jay Marvin

Via Complete Colorado--"The Trouble With Udall":

Even before the election I dropped hints on the air I wasn’t happy with Congressman, now Senator elect Mark Udall.

So what’s the beef?

When I first got to AM760 most progressive pols ignored my show. The only two who would give of their time were Mark Udall and Bill Ritter, who later went on to be Governor.

In return I started to give Mark Udall money for his run for the Senate, and when the race got underway my wife Mary went to work full time on his campaign. What she found in the campaign HQ was not pretty site. Interns–for many of them it was their first job–were treated with disrespect and arrogance. Several times Mary was told to out and out lie to people on the phones.

But it didn’t stop there.

And Jay Marvin doesn't, in a rambling, misspelled diatribe against Udall and his "minions."

There appears to be even more to rant about, but Marvin begins his summary:

I’m not going to go into the rest here. Let’s just say Udall is a phony. He is cold, and has a well crafted image that covers who he really is. And let me also say I will never have this man on my show again as long as I’m on the air in this market.

Now you know. Judge for your self about Udall and his actions. In doing so ask yourself how you would feel if this happened to you or a member of your family.

Some comments support Marvin, others chastise him. Still others mention that this sort of behavior is nothing new for politicians, and hope that their Obamessiah doesn't turn out the same way.

Perhaps a little outside pressure was applied on Marvin, whose follow-up post reveals this interesting political philosophy:

I had many people who understood my feelings towards Mark Udall and a few who didn’t. Thanks for the comments both here and in email. The one very big lesson I’ve come away with is this:

It doesn’t matter what kind of person you put in office– meaning their personality doesn’t matter– it’s the votes they cast that counts. So what if Mark Udall is a prick, the only things that’s going to count is the votes he will cast in the Senate.

Subject now closed.

So what if Udall is a prick?

Progressive policies require reliable votes. For liberals/progressives/Democrats that's all that matters.

Oh, and don't question them either.

So much for dissent . . .

Anti-Palin Instructor Andrew Hallam Cleared By Metro State

**Update--Hallam needs "mentoring":

"The investigation concluded that Hallam must learn to curb the use of vulgar language in class, and that the introduction of controversal topics must have a substantial relationship with the subject of the class," according to a news bulletin released by the college Tuesday.

"While discipline is not warranted, appropriate mentoring is recommended."

The findings of the investigation was announced by Metro State College president Stephen Jordan on Tuesday.

Hallam, 36, will be assigned a faculty member to serve as his mentor for the rest of this semester, according to Cathy Lucas, spokeswoman for the college. He could not be reached for comment Tuesday.

Lucas said the college will also add an all-day session on how to maintain political balance in classes to orientations given to part-time as well as tenure track faculty members.

Wow. More diversity training at a college/university.

Didn't see that one coming.

---

Not even a slap on the wrist or a strongly worded letter.

Shock--Metro State found no wrongdoing:

A college English instructor's assignment to write an essay on whether Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin is living a fairy tale has been cleared of wrongdoing.

Metropolitan State College of Denver probed the assignment by Andrew Hallam after some students complained it was politically biased.

Hallam's class was reading "Sleeping Beauty" and the assignment was to consider Palin's speech at the Republican National Convention. The speech was based on Palin's life and the assignment was to discuss whether the nominee is living a fairy tale.

An internal investigation found the assignment didn't require students to undermine Palin. The inquiry concluded students didn't feel personally belittled or insulted by Hallam.

Oh really?

Matt Barber told WND his sister is one of five students who have been belittled by the teacher, and "bullied and harassed" by other students "because they support McCain-Palin."

The students had documented a series of incidents in which Hallam reportedly told his class, "Bush-bashing is one of my favorite things to do."

In another class, the students report, Hallam said he loved swearing and the f-word was his favorite word.

"He used the f-word a few more times that day," they reported.

When Hallam handed out the Palin writing assignment, the students reported "he said he would give the Republicans a chance to speak about it and asked who in the class was a Republican. Five of us raised our hands. When we did, [one other student] … said 'F*** you!' Mr. Hallam did nothing about this. At the end of the class period, after a lot of the Republicans had voiced their side of the issue, another kid said, 'They're full of s***, but we let them talk anyway.'"

Not even enough backbone to criticize or punish an instructor whose political derangement created an undoubtedly hostile atmosphere to those who disagreed with his views. Since those students who complained obviously held the wrong point of view, nothing could or would be done by Metro State.

I hear there is still an opening for deranged, leftist, academic hacks--perhaps Mr. Hallam should contact the CU Ethnic Studies department once his Metro State appointment has run out.

Educate The Idiots--Colorado Democracy Alliance Memos Expose Liberal Agenda For Colorado

Yep--you're reading it right.

Face the State has the damning evidence (might be a little slow at the moment)--internal memos not intended for publication--that outline the Colorado Democracy Alliance's plan to push the liberal agenda through a vast alliance of related organizations at the state level.

Earlier reports from FTS on the Colorado Democracy Alliance--Part 1 and Part 2.

The Rocky blogger is outraged:

Let's read between the lines of this fair campaign:

* Is it really for the welfare of the worker, as the union elite claim with every campaign, or "increasing CO union power"?

* How powerful is your campaign message if you feel the smart people just won't vote for you?

* And -- this is as obvious as pie -- you're calling minorities "idiots"?????????? Who, they apparently believe, can be hoodwinked to serve any cause just by appealing to said alleged idiocy????

YIKES!

As more of the evidence is revealed, let's see how much the local MSM does in hiding the story--and how much the liberals and Democrats avoid the questions raised.

If you're a minority or high school drop-out in Colorado and you don't vote for the Democrats, you are an idiot.

Yep, change we can believe in.

NutRoots Camp!

My three words for this year's NutRoots' Camp--koolaid drinking moonbats!

Join us for another successful RootsCamp. RootsCamp is a progressive conference that's actually FUN: there's no preset schedule, everyone can (and should) participate, and you only discuss topics that are interesting to you. So, come and share your innovative ideas and wisdom.

Host orgs include--"ProgressNow, Democracy for Colorado, Drinking Liberally, NARAL, ACLU Colorado, The Bell Policy Center, Latina Initiative, White House Project, SEIU, and many other great groups."

Video from the previous camp in February--part I, part II.

Diane Carman's Parting Shot--Love A Democrat, Because They Are More Diverse

Liberal Denver Post columnist Diane Carman has some parting words for her fellow Coloradans as she moves to a position at CU-Denver's School of Public Affairs, and can't help but take a swipe at the state's conservative majority:

Next, learn to love a Democrat.

This is easier than it looks because unlike Republicans, they come in an array of colors, sizes, net worths, sexual orientations and attitudes. There's got to be one among the thousands who will be visiting Denver next summer whom you can tolerate, even if you've been living in Delta all your life and have never seen one before.

Here's a tip for those of you in El Paso County: Don't approach them with your handguns drawn. It leaves the wrong impression.

Not unlike the rest of liberal elites in the MSM, Carman paints in uninformed, broad strokes of stereotypical generalizations--all Republicans must be WASPs, male, heterosexual and wealthy. If anything, Colorado's GOP/conservative constituency is anything but ideologically unified, and no, not all Republicans own guns or have conceal-carry permits.

Note to Carman--you get real (and do some factchecking, fer chrissakes!). Transferring from the rarefied confines of the MSM to the ivory tower of academia doesn't exactly represent much of a stretch ideologically or professionally, does it Diane?

Pat Schroeder: Conservatives Want Slogans, Read Less Than Liberals

Liberal Congresswoman Pat Schroeder of Denver. Remember her? Well, according to her liberals read more than conservatives--'cuz all they want is "slogans". What is the margin? Liberals read 9 books/year, conservatives . . . 8! Those stupid moderates only read 5!:

Liberals read more books than conservatives. The head of the book publishing industry's trade group says she knows why—and there's little flattering about conservative readers in her explanation.

"The Karl Roves of the world have built a generation that just wants a couple slogans: 'No, don't raise my taxes, no new taxes,'" Pat Schroeder, president of the American Association of Publishers, said in a recent interview. "It's pretty hard to write a book saying, 'No new taxes, no new taxes, no new taxes' on every page."

Schroeder, who as a Colorado Democrat was once one of Congress' most liberal House members, was responding to an Associated Press-Ipsos poll that found people who consider themselves liberals are more prodigious book readers than conservatives.

She said liberals tend to be policy wonks who "can't say anything in less than paragraphs. We really want the whole picture, want to peel the onion."

What about "no war for oil", "bush lied, people died", and "health care is a human right". If you did a comparison, the platitudinous left draws on more cliches and slogans than a Hollywood movie and marketing campaign combined.

Rove, President Bush's departing political adviser, is known as a prodigious reader. White House spokesman Tony Fratto said Schroeder was "confusing volume with quality" with her remarks.

"Obfuscation usually requires a lot more words than if you simply focus on fundamental principles, so I'm not at all surprised by the loquaciousness of liberals," he said.

Ever heard a liberal wax poetic on their pet cause? Or a moonbat pontificate on their soapbox for five minutes or more while promising that they do really have a point or question?

An economy of words isn't a sign of ignorance any more than verbal diarrhea is an indication of intelligence.

Jonah Goldberg has more on Schroeder's moonbat statement. Newsbusters takes apart the AP-Ipsos poll.

Progressive Bloggers Aim To Destroy Journalistic Objectivity, Replace With "Fairness"

"Fairness" to left-leaning moonbattery, other "progressive" causes:

From one of the panels at YearlyKos, Colorado Confidential's Cara DeGette and Minnesota Monitor's Abdi Aynte declared traditional media's "obsession with objectivity" a thing of the past.

"The model of mainstream journalists is and should be dead," DeGette told the audience. "There is a right and there is a wrong, and the new journalism needs to address that."

"Should we be obsessed with objectivity?" Aynte asked. "We should be obsessed with fairness."

New Journalism--code word for old journalism without the pretense to "objectivity" which the new leftist bloggers deem inadequate, outmoded, and frankly, dishonest (insofar as the MSM states it as a goal and never actually bothers trying to achieve it). Why lie? Advocacy ranting is so much more preferable to reporting the facts and letting a discerning public decide for themselves. Can't have the unwashed masses thinking for themselves, now, can we?

A mild chastisement of the new journalistic ethic seems to have no deterrent effect on the moonbats:

But reporting from an activist perspective, particularly when the reporter also engages in political activity, can bring credibility problems, said journalism ethics expert Robert Steele of the Poynter Institute, an educational organization revered by mainstream media.

Journalists who report with a clear bias "undermine the principle of independence," Steele said in a phone interview. And if the reporting crosses over into activism, he said, the result "can easily lead to competing loyalties, and competing loyalties lead to compromised reporting."

Norris said it is the mainstream media that often report from a bias and, in doing so, are missing important stories outside their normal areas of coverage. From her perspective, groups like Colorado Confidential can force traditional journalists to look at some of these issues.

"There are things you can do to actually move the media to cover things in your local area," she said from a panel titled "Blogs and Journalism: The New News?"

"You can make such an impact on what's going on in your community," she said. "It's amazing what you can do as a local blogger."

Masquerading as the new breed of journalist/blogger, these "progressives" are so far to the left that the MSM appears too conservative. Any quote from a Republican or right-winger sends them into a fit of apoplectic rage that induces yet another claim of conservative bias in the already too-far-left MSM.

Nice to see the fellows at Colorado Confidential--supported by mad blog money from liberal "foundations" (labeled as a "small stipend from the Center for Independent Media")--featured so prominently at the YearlyKook YearlyKos convention.

Schaffer’s Fundraising Figures “Inconvenient Truth” For Left

I'm stealing Ben's title, 'cuz I couldn't have said it better myself.

He deconstructs Jason Bane's ColoradoPols entries characterizing Bob Schaffer's fundraising numbers ($717,000) as disappointing in relation to Mark Udall's Q2 $1.1 million.

Read the rest of the analysis.

Blog Sweep 6-26-07

Ben DeGrow--GOP: Tempering Confidence with Patience in '08 and '10

The Drunkablog--Paul Campos considers blogging, trashes Ann Althouse

XDA--Drawing a Moral Line over Stem Cells

PPH--On Not Being GOP Cheerleaders--as we say here, "Supporting party above principle does a disservice to both"

Colorado Confidential--Journalists are mostly liberal[!], but the critics' bias is worse, and besides, journalists are more informed (conservatives are stupid and uninformed) and simply moved by the stories they cover

And if you care, there will be an impeachment rally Wednesday in Denver

"Liberal" Removed From Yearbook

Not that big a deal in terms of potential censorship, but perhaps really indicative of the current state of politics in America:

Altman and her husband submitted this message: "So proud of you Remy for achieving fantastic grades, participating in so many wonderful after school activities and surviving so many of the Belleview teachers' liberal teachings. You are what you believe you can be. Aim high, always. Love, Mom & Dad."

"What was taken out was surviving the liberal teachings," Altman said.

She wanted her daughter, years from now, to appreciate how well she did in school even though Altman felt teachers were biased.

"Despite all the liberal teachings and so forth, she's come out with a good education," said Altman.

Yearbook committee member Blair Mellon says they took out the "liberal teachings" part because it was a political statement and not appropriate for the yearbook. School leaders agreed.

"It is a keepsake for children," said Tustin Amole, Cherry Creek Schools spokesperson. "It's something that they are going to be looking at years and years from now and just not an appropriate forum for political statements."

Altman says it was not political.

"The word liberal means loose. We have to take what the definition of liberal means. I didn't say Democrats," she said.

It is difficult to tell if the administrators were indeed even-handed, and if any other potentially "political" messages were omitted.

With the type of teachers emerging from education schools across the country--liberal in outlook, moonbat in style--it is no wonder Altman felt the need to take a swipe at her daughter's teachers.