Our own side, sounding strange: What follows isn’t exactly about the press. It’s about the way the liberal world can perhaps sometimes sound strange to pretty much everyone else.
(To ponder the general principle, read this report about declining ratings at MSNBC. For better or worse, we the dogs don’t seem to be gulping the dog food at this time.)
This isn’t about what approach would be best in some particular situation—in this case, with respect to early voting in the state of Ohio. It’s about the way certain kinds of “liberal thinking” can possibly seem quite strange.
In yesterday's New York Times, Adam Liptak reported about new voting rules in Ohio. More specifically, he reported that the Supreme Court has allowed Ohio to proceed with fewer early voting days—with 28 early voting days as opposed to 35.
We’re not saying that Liptak provides a perfect account of the situation. But we were struck by the oddness, and the condescension, coming from a liberal player cited in this passage:
LIPTAK (9/30/14): The ruling, which reflected a partisan breakdown in many court decisions nationwide on voting issues, saw the five Republican-appointed justices uphold the voting restrictions enacted by the state’s Republican-controlled Legislature in February. The new limits removed the first week of Ohio’s 35-day early voting period, in the process eliminating the only week that permitted same-day registration, a feature most often used by minorities.Under the new arrangement, Ohio will have 28 days of early voting, instead of the previous 35. Ohio voters will be able to vote by mail throughout this entire period.
Last Wednesday, a three-judge panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, in Cincinnati, ordered officials in Ohio to let voters start casting ballots on Tuesday. The panel reasoned that cutting back on early voting at polling places placed a disproportionate burden on poor and black voters.
The panel said it was mindful that Ohio allows voting by mail throughout the contested period. “The presence of vote by mail undoubtedly ameliorates some of the burdens on voting,” Judge Karen Nelson Moore wrote for the panel. But she added that “African-Americans, lower-income individuals and the homeless are distrustful of the mail” or “would prefer to vote in person for unrelated reasons.”
You might feel that 35 days would be better than 28. It’s also true that Ohio’s one week of same-day registration has been eliminated under the new procedures. Beyond that, there will only be one day of Sunday voting.
Still, did we mention the fact that there will be 28 days of early voting? That voting-by-mail will be in effect the whole time?
To many people, that will sound like a whole lot of early voting! Meanwhile, what did Judge Moore write when she ruled that this plan was constitutionally unacceptable? According to Liptak, she wrote this:
“African-Americans...are distrustful of the mail.” For that reason, such voters need 35 early voting days, not a mere 28.
Judge Moore may be working from some narrow understanding of her legal responsibility here. At one point, Liptak semi-explains.
Still: As liberals, do we have any idea how absurd that quoted statement will sound to the vast bulk of American voters? Do we have any idea how absurd (and paternalistic) that statement actually is?
People like Moore have always been masters at making the public believe that liberals are a bunch of ludicrous kooks. MSNBC’s ratings are down. Might we possibly maybe give this a name?
Might we call it The Judge Moore Effect?
I'm more concerned about the fact that the fewer people vote the better it is for Republicans. The Republicans should be ashamed of that inverse relationship and of their efforts to prevent their fellow citizens from voting. The guiding Republican principle is that if you can't win by playing it straight, cheat.
ReplyDeleteLets note lose sight of the issue -- the failure to explain why those extra days are important. You don't have to be liberal or conservative to feel that the importance of the change has not been fully described. We don't have this early voting in my state and we have plenty of homeless, poor and minority voters. There is a big gap in my understanding of why this is a big deal instead of a triviality being justified by histrionics.
ReplyDelete*Any* restriction on voting should be backed up by lots of good factual and well documented reasons. In general, any restrictions on voting should be prevented or removed. The ability to vote is the cornerstone of what we call "democracy" and is the primary reason that makes our nation worth defending. The issue Bob is focusing on in his comments is how well liberals explain how important this issue is.
DeleteI don't read that as racist or paternalistic. If you live in a very large city, chances are you've heard a news story about a mail carrier dumping huge quantities of mail rather than delivering it. In my city we had one carrier dump mail under a viaduct and set it on fire. Another carrier had thousands of pieces of undelivered mail in his trunk. This would make many people suspicious, but especially people in those neighborhoods affected by the lazy mail carriers. I'm not poor or minority but personally I always feel better voting in person than by mail.
ReplyDeleteSo a federal judge appointed by Clinton 20 years ago writes an opinion Bob doesn't like, and it's somehow representative of "our side," and explains -- I'm sorry, "might explain" -- why ratings at MSNBC are down. Fucking Bob. Fuck. ing. Bob.
ReplyDeleteHow many average voters read the opinions of relatively obscure federal judges again? I'm sure they're all out there, anxiously awaiting each new opinion so they can debate them in their smoking rooms. Fucking Bob.
On the bright side, it's been one day since the last Maddow sighting on the Howler.
It must be frustrating to go through life without being able to read, but that is not Somerby's fault. Your local library probably has a program to help you with your problem.
DeleteWell, it would be frustrating if your post actually contained anything specifically showing I overlooked something. But I went through all of Bob's posts today, and could find no, as in ZERO, references to Rachel Maddow. So I don't think it's me who has trouble in the reading department. You, on the other hand...
DeleteThe court decision doesn't explain why MSNBC's ratings are down, for starters. You. Cannot. Read. In any meaningful sense of the word read.
DeleteWelp, it would seem that every. person. but. you. "reads" Bob's disaster exactly. as. I. do. Perhaps you could give reading lessons to us all. Or maybe take some. Do they have libraries near you? With books written in English, with lots of one syllable words? For your sake, I hope so. And pictures. Lots and lots of pictures, in the likely event that reading stuff doesn't take.
DeleteAnon@12:39 - I, for one, do not agree with you.
Delete@ 12:55 (and the other guy, for that matter)
DeleteStep one: Look for this symbol:
http://www.ala.org/tools/sites/ala.org.tools/files/content/libfactsheets/large-librarysymbol.jpg
Step two: try to find your way there, and then beg for help.
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/george-zimmerman-life-after-shooting
ReplyDeleteWith all due respect, Ahiza Garcia is barely old enough to know what an editorial is. And she shouldn't be dissing a brother.
Delete"She holds a B.A. in psychology from Columbia University and an M.S. in digital journalism from Syracuse University."
DeleteAs for what she does and does not know, facts is facts, and she actually left out some that were less than flattering for poor, persecuted George, and his dead-end supporters. But then, who cares about that. George must be defended, even if the "defense" involves puking out puerile tripe about the age of someone writing a piece of reporting. For a dangerous, crazed, gun-toting piece of shit, he sure has attracted some fanatical defenders.
“African-Americans...are distrustful of the mail.” For that reason, such voters need 35 early voting days, not a mere 28. Judge Moore may be working from some narrow understanding of her legal responsibility here.... Still: As liberals, do we have any idea how absurd that quoted statement will sound to the vast bulk of American voters? Do we have any idea how absurd (and paternalistic) that statement actually is?
ReplyDeleteAs someone who often defends TDH against the onslaught of this blog's trollariat, I have to note that this entry is an embarrassment to the blogger. It is TDH, and not Judge Moore, who is working from "some narrow understanding" of legal responsibilities. Judge Moore correctly understands her duty, which is to examine the appellants' claim that the district court acted in clear error in interpreting the evidence submitted at trial.
It is not the Circuit Court's job to retry the facts, which were presented at trial by the appellees, the Ohio Conference of the NAACP, and which went pretty much unrebutted by the appellants, the Ohio Secretary of State and the Ohio AG. It is not Judge Moore's assertion that African-Americans distrust the US mail (enough to make the mail insufficient as a replacement for early voting in person). It is the assertion of the Ohio NAACP through their expert witnesses, an assertion accepted by the lower court, apparently unaware that that the plaintiff is "absurd (and paternalistic)."
Did I mention that Judge Moore is a judge on a federal Circuit Court of Appeals and not a "liberal player"?
Here's what's strange and absurd about this news story. There is a majority on the Supreme Court willing to side with the Republican program of vote suppression in a three-sentence ruling that overrules a Circuit Court without giving any reason or reasoning. No, I'm wrong about strange. The word I was looking for is appalling.
Might you call 'it "The Judge Moore Effect?
No, you may not.
Sorry, this entry of his, while certainly below average, is hardly alone in being an embarrassment to the Bobster. "Taking a walk," "Went for a ride," the Maddow and Gore obsessions: there are some real doozies in there, and his hit (good post) to miss (bad post, sometimes horrifically bad) ratio is well below the Mendoza Line. Bob needs to step away and recharge, perhaps reconsider why he blogs, and decide if he should continue, but he just keeps churning out shit. It amazes me that there are people who defend him.
DeleteMight you suggest other commenters have mental disorders, deadrat? "As someone who often defends TDH against the onslaught of this blog's trollariat," you do that from time to time.
DeleteGiven that this post not only misrepresents facts and makes ludicrous connections between this case, the opinion of the judge, and a very "fuzzy" article about television ratings, might I suggest you rethink who you suggest is disordered in the future?
Regardless of your future train of thought you seem, like the proverbial blind pig, to have found an acorn this time around.
It is totally amazing that even when someone makes a well reasoned response to Bob's musings (which you would think they would applaud), that the troll types still use the opportunity to heap abuse on the commenter, Bob and anyone else they can think of without having anything useful to add to the dialogue.
DeleteWell 1:03 it goes to show why the tribal bunch of dummies known as liberals have become so regarded by the public as ludicrous kooks. And don't get me started about the abuse heaping those troll types engage in. Thanks for the useful addition to the dialogue.
DeleteI thought crediting deadrat for having the acorn discovery skills of a blind pig was a step in a positive direction for members of the trolletariat. Or are they trollarians? Who knows? Deep down they are probably East Coast Irish Catholics from the mid 20th century, but I won't say that because it would be patronizing. Or is it paternalistic?
DeleteSo many trolls, so little time.
DeleteLet's see if we all can find a teachable moment from their latest, shall we? TDH has a framework that explains the world, and he has been obsessively constructing that frame and explaining things since 1998. This is in no way particularly unusual, and in fact, it's pretty much the human condition, although most of us don't write a daily blog and most of us can let things go after fifteen years. The problem with such frameworks is the tendency to force fit events into them, which can lead to unsupportable opinions based on erroneous claims of fact.
Again, this is nothing particularly unusual, and something I take into account when I read TDH. Just because he sometimes leads himself egregiously astray doesn't mean he's always wrong. Because I can keep these two thoughts in my head at the same time, I can be critical of the former and learn from the latter. It is the essence of the troll that he is unable (or claims to be unable) to do that.
Let's take the framework of Anonymous at noon: TDH is crazy. deadrat, who is always suggesting that other commenters are crazy and who always defends TDH, should diagnose TDH on the occasion of criticism that could only have come about by random blundering. Of course this makes sense only in trollworld. If fact, there is exactly one commenter here whom I call crazy, and to be fair, his conceit is that he is a visitor from another galaxy, a classic symptom of schizophrenia. And how is it even possible for someone to root around like a blind pig in a federal appellate court opinion, and point out someone's misunderstanding of the appeals process in general and that opinion in particular?
Then there's Anonymous @4:51A, apparently on a first-name basis with the blogger, who disagrees with TDH's views, has thereby figured out that TDH needs to "recharge" and "reconsider why he blogs" because he "just keeps churning out shit." At the risk of being told to mind my own business, I'll ask again: what are you doing standing in what you consider a pile of shit day after day? That's would be like my spending time at redstate or freerepublic. And who are you to tell other people what they need to do with their blogs? It amazes me that there are people who attack what they find so irredeemably worthless.
Wow, this deadrat guy is really, really smart. Just ask him. He'll tell you, AND tell you what a dumbfuck YOU are in the process!
DeleteSo, deadrat, first of all, people who find the OVERALL content of Bob's posting to be shit don't necessarily find ALL of it to be shit. I know, for someone of your vast intellect, this concept isn't worth considering, but you might want to descend from the Olympian heights, to use one of Bob's -- Mr. Somerby's, TDH, whatever won't injure your lofty sense of internet etiquette -- pet phrases and consider the basic concept: MOST is not ALL. I find the majority of Bob's output to be shit. I point out why. Occasionally -- all too rarely these days -- I find Bob (take your "TDH" bullshit, by the way and return it up your ass where it belongs. It's so stupid I'm not even going to make fun of it anymore. Seriously, are you THAT big of a dimwitted prick?) writes a good post. When it happens, I say that, too. Remember the idea: MOST is not ALL. It's a basic concept in logic and mathematics. Perhaps too basic for you, but still, one can try.
"It amazes me that there are people who attack what they find so irredeemably worthless."
This, after typing out not one, but SEVERAL posts, attacking Bob, attacking Bob's attackers -- attacking everything. Apparently criticizing Bob is terrible and a waste of time -- for everyone but deadrat. Criticizing the criticizers of Bob -- and this isn't really even proper criticism, but more like namecalling with some confused attempts at logic thrown in -- isn't. And this is one of Bob's BETTER defenders talking. He's pompous, not very bright, but he's probably the BEST Bob has going for him. As I said, Bob should really look at what he's trying to accomplish -- if he's trying to accomplish anything here anymore besides crankily venting -- and decide if he can't find something more useful to do with his life. For his sake, I hope so. In the meantime, I'll continue pointing out how OVERALL awful he has become, while praising the times he does well, hoping the latter starts outnumbering the former -- and hoping like hell I piss off pompous pricks like deadrat, while I'm at it. Nobody deserves it more.
Sorry, misplaced my reply below
Deletedr
DeleteAm I really, really smart? Compared to the anonymous trolls who post here. And DAinCA. And Hieronymous Braintree. And KZ (or whatever he's calling himself these days). Why, yes I am. But before you start ranting at my arrogance, let me point out that the bar is pretty low.
DeleteNow as smart as I am, I find no difference between constant contentless whining a la 4:51A that the blog "just keeps churning out shit" and your assessment that the overall (sorry, OVERALL) content of the blog is shit. If you're different anonymi, then you're both voluntarily standing around neck deep in shit and complaining about the smell. I guess the difference is that you're just happy that the shit hasn't reached your nostrils. I still don't get it.
But let's see if I've got your basic line of argument straight: I'm stupid, a dim-witted prick; basic concepts are too difficult for me; I'm pompous and not very bright. So nothing substantive, then? Perhaps a quick gloss on my explication of Judge Moore's opinion? No? Imagine my surprise.
Well, I hope the venting made you feel better. I'm sorry to disappoint, but no, you don' t piss me off. There are people whose bad opinion can make me upset, but trust me, none of them posts anonymously on blog commentary.
And just to satisfy my curiosity, tell me what's up with the venom about my use of the initials TDH? What about that in particular makes me dimwitted and a prick? I'm not telling you or anyone else how to address Somerby. After all, you don't need my permission to write what you want. It doesn't offend me whatever form of address you use. Not least because I'm not offended by anything in a comment you make about a blog entry. (con't)
(con't)
DeleteHere are a couple of important points. And I'm gonna make an effort to type verrrry slowly so you can follow. I'm not "attacking Bob." If I wanted to do that, I would call him a stupid, dim-witted, pompous prick for whom basic concepts are too difficult. Instead, I'm criticizing Bob's (is that better?) conclusion based on his misunderstanding of what happens during a federal appeal. In other words, I'm criticizing his argument and not his person. See the difference?
There are plenty of "proper" "criticizers of Bob," some of whom make points I agree with and some who don't. People have noted that "Bob" is practically hopeless when it comes to understanding science and mathematics (oddly, excepting some basic statistics). He gets carried away with his personal disgust with people like Rachel Maddow; he's fixated on certain segments of the media that might not be that important to progressives or to anyone at all; he fails to acknowledge and correct errors when he should. And so on.
Whether I agree with these folks or not, I have no beef with them. Trolls are a different matter. The latter are easy to spot. Do you need me to give you a primer on how to do so? After all, I'm pretty smart. Comparatively speaking, anyway.
I'm trying to imagine something as small as "Bob's" likely concern for your advice that he "should really look at what he's trying to accomplish," but I'm having some trouble. Perhaps that's because I'm too dim witted. But do you really suppose that Bob reads his commentary? Why would he do that? For your incomparable opinion that overall he's full of shit?
deadrat I think you are smart, even if you called yourself anonymous in this two part comment. I am not sure you are as smart as KZ. Sometimes, when he is the other guy, he is a lot smarter than you. But at other times you might be right about him.
DeleteAnonymous @12:02, Sorry, I had trouble publishing comments last night, so I dropped my nym and split my comment, and that seemed to work. I didn't figure anyone would have trouble figuring out who wrote the comment(s).
DeleteI don't know what you mean by "when he [KZ] is the other guy." As far as I can tell, he's always the same guy, with one eye on the mirror as he gives his performance art as the extragalactic Ahab in pursuit of Somerby's hypocrisy. I actually find him amusing in small doses, but I've quit reading his longer screeds. I find reading about Somerby's personal shortcomings pointless and boring.
I shouldn't have said I was smarter than others here. I have no real way to measure that. It wouldn't be that hard for various Anonymi, KZ, HB, and even DAinCA to have an IQ higher than mine. They just post a lotta dumb comments.
Sometimes KZ drops his nym too.
DeleteA similar argument is made to oppose requiring a picture ID to vote. The claim is that such a requirement unfairly burdens blacks. That argument implicitly assumes that blacks too shiftless and lazy to procure a picture ID.
ReplyDeleteIt's nice to know that no matter how early it is in the wee hours of the morning, DAinCA is ready and willing to weigh in with his (perhaps) disingenuous racism.
DeleteI've posted this before, but I'll do it again in the vain hope that DAinCA will get a flicker of a clue. I was born in a hospital, so my birth was recorded in my state's Bureau of Vital Statistics. If I need a certified copy of my birth certificate, it's available to me via several convenient methods -- phone, internet, mail. Since I'm plugged into the system, I have all three reliably available. The first two require a credit card; the last a check. But I've got those. Sure, I'll have to provide other identification -- say, a current drivers license (!) or passport. But there are also non-Catch-22 possibilities -- utility bill, car registration, bank statement. But I own a house, a car, and a couple of bank accounts, so none of these presents an obstacle.
Armed with my certified copy, I can walk to a DMV office with convenient hours and get a state ID.
And I'm sure DAinCA can do all of these, although he might have to drive to his nearest DMV office. Here's the difference between us. I realize that not everybody is like me. Older people and those born in rural areas might not have had their births automatically recorded. Homeless people don't pay utility bills or own cars. And in certain urban areas not at all like my neighborhood, it's a long way to an open DMV office, especially if you have to rely on public transportation and you're working a couple of jobs.
The requirement for state ID to vote purports to solve a problem that doesn't exist, in-person voting fraud, but does address a problem for the vote suppressors, poor people actually voting. That you see (or pretend to see) an implicit argument about lazy and shiftless black people speaks more about you than anybody else.
It isn't the decision that is being questioned but the reporting of it, which fails to explain why 28 days of early voting is so much different than 35 days. Both seem like plenty of days. Liberals should be explaining why there is a problem with the change, for those who do not find it obvious. It is fine if the judge doesn't revisit the facts, but neither did the journalists.
ReplyDeleteIt is the decision that is being questioned by using one quote from the Judge who wrote the opinion.
Delete"People like Moore have always been masters at making the public believe that liberals are a bunch of ludicrous kooks...."
Then, after taking that one sentence regarding one argument in a complex case involving far more than the length of absentee voting, misrepresenting the actual length of the period, and ignoring much more substantive changes affecting African American voting made by the challenged law, Bob writes this:
MSNBC’s ratings are down. Might we possibly maybe give this a name?
Might we call it The Judge Moore Effect?"
After that ludicrous connection of unrelated topics Somerby dares suggest a Federal Appeals Court Judge makes anyone but himself look like a kook?
OK, maybe Bob "jumped the shark" on this one, but his point is still valid. You have to be careful about how you bring race into an issue to avoid making claims that are at best paternalistic or worse, not true. Look at poor DAinCA above trying to talk about race. Bob may be a "kook", but he has a point. What is yours?
Delete
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