In today’s (8/5/15) New York Times opinion section popular columnist and noted author Thomas Friedman wrote My Question for the Republican Presidential Debate

a few excerpts:

But can they (the GOP candidates) run, win and govern from the center-right when the base of their party and so many of its billionaire donors reflect the angry anti-science, anti-tax, anti-government, anti-minorities, anti-gay rights and anti-immigration views of the Tea Party and its media enforcer, Fox News?

Bernie Sanders notwithstanding, the Democratic Party is still dominated by its center-left — Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. In today’s G.O.P., the far-right base is setting the agenda.

HKO

Allow me to retort:

Friedman is considered a stellar thinking intellectual by the left. To me and to so many of the right he is typical of the arrogant, smug, elitists whose comments are anything but intellectual, informative, or even accurate.  It reflects a bias so deeply held it is blinding. It appears so shallow that it seems he is quoting A Liberal Playbook written by some left wing party hack.  He seems void of any intellectual insight or original opinion.

This attitude is repeated in the pages of the New York Times by Paul Krugman and Maureen Dowd.  Snarky sarcasm and demonization replace insight or wit.  They repeat these trite and juvenile lines to the sycophants of the left.

The mindless left reads this and cheers, “Yeah. That is speaking truth to power!”

Bullshit, they are just speaking truth to morons. And truth means whatever they want to believe that justifies their shallow view of the world.

Now there are blocks of the GOP that I strongly disagree with.  And there are some pretty stupid things often said by some of the politicians and pundits on the right. But if I were to paint the entire left with a similarly stereotyping brush it would read like this:

  • The Democrats are the party of corruption. Hillary’s exploits are legendary and even addressed in the New York Times. Her use of their foundation should cost them their tax exemption. It is morally repulsive.
  • The left is anti-math; they deploy policies that do not add up and think that every problem can be solved by increasing the taxes on the rich.  But taxing the rich at 100% would not support their expenditures.
  • They are anti-free speech. They are so politically correct that any objectionable opinions are banned whenever possible.  Their stance on Citizens United would have allowed the government to ban books. Hillary was perfectly willing to jail a film maker on trumped up charges to perpetuate an absolute lie about the events in Benghazi.
  • They are anti-ethics. They have no reluctance to lie and cross ethical boundaries because the ends justify the means. They deserve to get rich in government because they help so many people with their power. (spelled t-a-x-e-s)
  • They are anti progress. It is more important to maintain regulations that protect entrenched  cronies than to allow a new company like Uber to offer a better experience to customers and opportunities for drivers to operate independently.
  • They are anti accountability. “They have to pass a law to see what is in it.”  Now the GOP can say some pretty stupid things but it is hard to find anything to top Pelosi.  And in Tom’s opinion she is a centrist.
  • They are anti-individual. Hillary Clinton said, “It’s time to put the common good, the national interest, ahead of individuals.”  This quote is identical to statements by some of history’s most despicable tyrants.
  • They are anti-capitalist. They are pro crony capitalist, but a more accurate name for that stance would be fascism.
  • They are anti-Semitic.  Jew hating has found a much more receptive home on the left.
  • They are anti-success.  Successful people are deemed to have exploited others in their “you didn’t build that” attitude.

In my example I am not describing some fringe group,  but in most of these examples I am describing the thinking of the leading Democratic candidate.  That would concern me far more than the disenchanted who support Trump. Twenty precent of the people are perpetually pissed off about everything.

Demonizing Fox is standard unthinking Liberal playbook masturbation.  Yet the rest of the media barely and reluctantly hold Hillary accountable for her egregious actions. If any GOP contender had a fraction of her ethical baggage it would  dominate every publication and lead every broadcast.

Friedman wastes valuable space to perpetuate juvenile stereotypes and avoid original thought. There is no insight, illumination, understanding, or depth.   Such a prestigious paper as The New York Times deserves better than this. They ought to demand it.

 

 

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