...while, on the other hand...

Hatemonger Keith Olbermann, it seems, manages to be obnoxious and offensive even when he's on the right side of an issue, as he is on the "mosque" affair.

It must be in his genes.

Comments

Unknown said…
Same to be said of Rush Limbaugh and Dr. Laura, which is why they irritate me so. Very often they have completely correct and valid information and/or viewpoints, but they use so much of their air time being obnoxious toward others and name-calling, that no one other than someone who already agrees with them hook, line and sinker will be convinced. We need folks on both sides of the discussion who will discuss the ideas and facts without being abusive and denigrating to others who see the same facts and come to different conclusions about what should be done about them.
I couldn't agree more. Whether on the Right or on the Left, we desperately need a rebirth of civility in this country.

The only encouraging thing is that, as my Democratic friend Mike (a fellow history major at River Forest) pointed out once, this kind of nonsense is as American as apple pie. Remember "Ma, Ma, where's my pa? Gone to the White House, ha, ha, ha!'versus "Blaine, Blaine, James G. Blaine, the continential liar from the State of Maine?" Andy Jackson was convinced that Whig abuse of his wife finally killed her.

I say "encouraging" because if we survived the abuse to which we subjected even Abe Lincoln, maybe we can survive this particular "era
of bad feeling" too. But people on both sides of the political divide, however passionate and however partisan, need to crack down on the haters. And although all too few on either side will admit it, both sides are equally guilty.