Sep 9th, 2008 at 11:29 am
Andrew Sullivan
People keep asking me why Andrew Sullivan hasn’t had any posts up today. I have no special insight into this, but note that none of the Atlantic’s blogs seem to have been updated since around 8AM this morning. Thus, I conclude that whatever’s keeping Andrew from posting is a system-wide problem and not anything that’s gone wrong with him or his site in particular.
UPDATE: Hm, no, that’s not right. Marc Ambinder writes:
Lots of e-mails asking about Andrew’s whereabouts. I checked in with him; he’s fine. He’s taking a few days off. Worry not, fans.
There you have it.
173 Responses to “Andrew Sullivan”
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September 9th, 2008 at 11:32 am
Ambinder is posting, though.
September 9th, 2008 at 11:32 am
Ambinder sez Sullivan’s taking a few days off.
Weird… doesn’t Sullivan usually have hilzoy, et al fill in for him when he’s not around?
September 9th, 2008 at 11:33 am
“Lots of e-mails asking about Andrew’s whereabouts. I checked in with him; he’s fine. He’s taking a few days off. Worry not, fans.” –Marc Ambinder 09 Sep 2008 10:57 am
Confirmed by Atlantic PR. My guess is he’s chilling over the Palin fiasco.
September 9th, 2008 at 11:35 am
Sullivan is to the Atlantic what Olbermann is to NBC. They’ve turned two venerable institutions turned into purveyors of malicious rumor and propaganda.
September 9th, 2008 at 11:39 am
Nah, his head just exploded from all the Palin scandals. They got a new one shipped from Surrey, but it’s being held up in customs.
http://thesebastards.blogspot.com/
September 9th, 2008 at 11:40 am
Tell us more about Andrew, Matthew. I want to know everything!
Do you two and a Markos and Duncan all live in a big house like on the Real World?
September 9th, 2008 at 11:40 am
Isn’t this the time of year he and his husband & dog return from Provincetown to DC?
It is unprecedented for him to disappear without any notice though.
September 9th, 2008 at 11:42 am
There’s NO WAY Sully takes a few days off and doesn’t tell his readers. I don’t think that’s in his DNA.
Ambinder’s been posting, as has Coates. Sully had ONE post yesterday, and has NONE today.
Atlantic probably told him to chill out for a few days over Palin. That’s much more plausible.
September 9th, 2008 at 11:43 am
Andrew Sullivan. Fifteen years of smearing the left through bared teeth.
- Published smears that helped destroy universal healthcare in the early 90’s,
- Published The Bell Curve saying blacks were genetically stupid in the mid-90’s
- Published smears against Hillary Clinton to get a weaker and more conservative Democratic nominee in the ’00’s.
September 9th, 2008 at 11:43 am
hopeless pedant:
Yeah, he usually gives a heads up if he is going to be away, even if he doesn’t have any fill-ins.
September 9th, 2008 at 11:45 am
Told the truth about Hillary Clinton to get the best Democratic nominee in the ’00’s.-Petey
Fixed.
September 9th, 2008 at 11:46 am
Perhaps he’s just trying to get a good look at what’s in front of his nose.
September 9th, 2008 at 11:47 am
“Atlantic probably told him to chill out for a few days over Palin. That’s much more plausible.”
Not too likely when Sullivan is their star blogger. Sullivan can go anywhere and is readership will follow. What’s the Atlantic left with to attract eyeballs without Sullivan? Megan McArdle, Ambinder, Douhat, and Fallows aren’t going to do it.
September 9th, 2008 at 11:48 am
The only thing we know for sure is that Sarah Palin did not abort him. And this is why she should be Vice President of the United States.
September 9th, 2008 at 11:49 am
I doubt Atlantic did anything but encourage him – he said his traffic had never been higher.
On the other hand, his last two posts were very cryptic – the “your move, McCain” link to the NYTimes fluff piece about Trig’s birth, then the “View from my window” picture of foliage blocking any outside view from the LA house, so maybe there is something going on.
September 9th, 2008 at 11:54 am
So everyone is just going to ignore that Ambinder said he’s fine and taking a few days off in favor of their own theories.
September 9th, 2008 at 11:55 am
So that’s why my RSS reader is so empty today…
September 9th, 2008 at 11:55 am
“I doubt Atlantic did anything but encourage him – he said his traffic had never been higher.”
Do you think The Atlantic is going to hire Ann Coulter to double-down on the Sullivan approach of getting traffic?
September 9th, 2008 at 11:56 am
“The only thing we know for sure is that Sarah Palin did not abort him. And this is why she should be Vice President of the United States.”
Ok, that was hilarious.
September 9th, 2008 at 11:58 am
Sullivan isn’t perfect but in the intellectual honesty dept. he and Coulter aren’t in the same solar system.
September 9th, 2008 at 11:58 am
“Do you think The Atlantic is going to hire Ann Coulter to double-down on the Sullivan approach of getting traffic?”
This is basically what the NYT did with Kristol, no?
September 9th, 2008 at 11:58 am
Something odd seems to be going on pace Ambinder.
Ross Douthat posted “Because everyone could use a hug right about now” about a lion hugging youtube at 3pm yesterday. And nothing since.
September 9th, 2008 at 12:02 pm
So everyone is just going to ignore that Ambinder said he’s fine and taking a few days off in favor of their own theories.
Yes. Ambinder’s story doesn’t make a whole lot of sense.
September 9th, 2008 at 12:02 pm
How much credibility does Ambinder have on this? I say remarkably little.
I know I held him and his family in my prayers last night because after however many years of reading him pretty much daily, this is completely different than other absences.
I hope it is just that he was canned and not something more serious.
September 9th, 2008 at 12:05 pm
Why would Ambinder tell an outright lie though?
September 9th, 2008 at 12:11 pm
Given that he never takes leave without announcing it and getting substitute bloggers, it IS strange, but the likeliest explanations, in light of Ambinder’s assurances, are that he’s “fine” but possibly upset about something (and no one knows what that could be) or that he’s pursuing some lead and wants to be secretive about it. I doubt he was fired because there would be news about it by now. If they’re deliberating firing him I doubt Ambinder would’ve phrased his blog post the way he did. Plus it’s unclear what Andrew might have done to deserve getting fired – as far as I recall his “speculations” about the Palin baby were of the passing a rumor along variety, not the I think this is probably what happened variety.
September 9th, 2008 at 12:11 pm
It’s more likely a half or partial-truth than a lie Bill.
Imagine Sullivan’s taking a few days off because the Atlantic suspended him. Marc may not actually be able to provide the second part of that picture, because he works for the Atlantic.
September 9th, 2008 at 12:12 pm
Well, there is no doubt that Sullivan’s had some questionable positions on important issues and candidates in the past, but I think he has made up for that in the last couple of years, by constantly providing the most passionate and well-written defense for Barack Obama and against the deteriorating morals of the cadaver that is the modern GOP.
That is atonement for all previous sins. This election is so much more important than many of the previous ones, and he seems to get that.
September 9th, 2008 at 12:13 pm
Ross Douthat posted “Because everyone could use a hug right about now” about a lion hugging youtube at 3pm yesterday. And nothing since.
Ross often goes a day or so without posting. Andrew basically never does.
So everyone is just going to ignore that Ambinder said he’s fine and taking a few days off in favor of their own theories.
As noted before, Andrew has taken time off many times and always posts to let his readers know.
Why would Ambinder tell an outright lie though?
I’m assuming this was a joke.
September 9th, 2008 at 12:13 pm
Can someone fill me in on the precedent for a blogger being sent to Time Out for a few days?
September 9th, 2008 at 12:14 pm
I’m assuming this was a joke.
Oh fuck off.
September 9th, 2008 at 12:16 pm
This thread is awesome. It is like one of the Palin rumours on Sullivan’s blog.
September 9th, 2008 at 12:18 pm
I blame Ned Lamont’s minions.
September 9th, 2008 at 12:18 pm
Or maybe he did have words with Atlantic, no action taken by the corporate masters, but he decided to show them what happened to their traffic when he stopped posting…
September 9th, 2008 at 12:20 pm
Why are people asking you this?
September 9th, 2008 at 12:22 pm
Not quite the same, but (classic Yglesias blog sports crossover) Bill Simmons – ESPN’s Sports Guy and ESPN.com’s biggest draw – took a self-imposed time out for a few weeks this spring after getting PO’d at some editorial decisions.
September 9th, 2008 at 12:25 pm
Bill how dumb are you seriously. you believe Ambinder? Not much of a critical thinker are you?
September 9th, 2008 at 12:33 pm
Bill how dumb are you seriously. you believe Ambinder? Not much of a critical thinker are you?
I’m not aware of why exactly I shouldn’t believe him in this case. Does that make me an uncritical thinker, or just excusably ignorant about something? Maybe it’s just that you’re ever so clever…
September 9th, 2008 at 12:34 pm
It is odd that the view from the window is blocked and I looked forward to the views that always seemed to show the horizon. That view is symbolic, but hard to know if it is his view or directed to others.
September 9th, 2008 at 12:34 pm
I have reason to believe that Andrew has been “disappeared” to a secret prison in Poland.
September 9th, 2008 at 12:35 pm
My hope is that Andrew, due to the unfathomable deluge of support for Saint Sarah (“That there book is the work of the Debil!”), has realized the dangerous lack of intelligence possessed by the American populace and hightailed in back to jolly old England. I know I’ve starting exploring Canadian citizenship, as the prospect of living in an American theocracy is almost too depressing to stomach.
September 9th, 2008 at 12:36 pm
Sullivan has been a pretty big driver of this unofficial, pro-Obama anti-Palin stuff, so I’m guessing as the official critique of Palin by Obama gets underway, Sullivan may have been told by someone to back off.
September 9th, 2008 at 12:36 pm
I don’t buy Ambinder’s assurances. I think Sullivan was getting too close to the truth, and they sent him to some sort of reeducation camp for out of line conservatives (sort of like what they did to Zoolander).
The elephant in the room here is his HIV status. But I think his health is good based on his own reports.
Wherever he is, I am sure he’s having a laugh over all of this speculation about his whereabouts. I wonder how many days he would have to be missing before Anderson Cooper would report it.
September 9th, 2008 at 12:37 pm
Oh no you got it: it’s because you are ever so ignorant…excusable? Not really.
September 9th, 2008 at 12:38 pm
It is odd that he didn’t say anything before disappearing from the internets. Hoping he is okay. Even when I don’t agree with him, I find him to be thought-provoking and honest, and I very much enjoy his blog.
September 9th, 2008 at 12:38 pm
He’s just been hyperventilating too much.
September 9th, 2008 at 12:38 pm
The only thing we know for sure is that Sarah Palin did not abort him. And this is why she should be Vice President of the United States.
This wins the Comment of the Month award. Matthew, I really think you should send this guy an autographed copy of your book. I’d send him my book, but I died in 1996.
September 9th, 2008 at 12:40 pm
Maybe we missed the rapture…
September 9th, 2008 at 12:43 pm
He’s resting comfortably at his dacha.
September 9th, 2008 at 12:44 pm
I miss Andrew…
September 9th, 2008 at 12:45 pm
I realize that short, bald gay British men aren’t as photogenic as young white women in bikinis, but maybe Nancy Grace will do a special report anyway.
September 9th, 2008 at 12:45 pm
Oh no you got it: it’s because you are ever so ignorant…excusable? Not really.
Well, that takes care of me! Sorry for taking up any of your time.
September 9th, 2008 at 12:51 pm
Andrew Sullivan is refusing to take questions from the press! We need to see his medical records, immediately. What is he hiding?
What a scandal! Where’s Andrew Sullivan when you need him? He’d get to the bottom of this, I bet.
September 9th, 2008 at 12:51 pm
It is a fact that Sullivan doesn’t take a break without letting his readers know that he’ll be away. If the Atlantic officially asked him to take a breather, it’s very bad policy to hit the brakes like that without letting readers fasten their seatbelts.
While I’ll avoid getting into the rightness or wrongness of a corporate decision, if that’s what this was, Sullivan should have been allowed a statement to the readers. There is a relational component to a blog — and Atlantic has benefited from this phenomenon — and sudden dead air (where there is not usually dead air — Sullivan is nothing if not prolific & communicative & very process-oriented) is a breach of the form and its implicit promise.
September 9th, 2008 at 12:53 pm
Yeah, what was up with that “Your move, McCain” post? Was he challenging McCain to give a speech with amniotic fluid leaking or something?
September 9th, 2008 at 12:55 pm
WWSD?
What would Sullivan do if he were here? A strange, unprecedented event (his vanishing) under bizarre circumastances (near-universal, unhinged, out-of-touch with reality vitriol against him across the Internets and beyond, accusing him of being unhinged and out-of-touch with reality).
Sullivan would cut to the chase and ask some key questions, very publically, of the right people:
Atlantic Editors/Bigwigs: What gives? Why is he not producing? Is he AWOL, or did you cut him loose?
Atlantic Peons/Dish Interns: Why isn’t the space being filled with off-the-shelf boilerplate, etc. What’s the real story? Are you afraid of losing your little jobs too? Today’s the day to make names for yourselves by telling all. If there’s fire, tell all now. If not, just repeat Ambinder’s party line officially on the Dish, and get on with business (we all know that Patrick Appel does much of the Dish research anyway and has carried the blog for days before).
Ambinder: Please. Are you serious? Would Sullivan ever accept such a silly side-step on its face?
Husband of Andrew? Is he OK? Please pass a word.
This is serious. Sullivan could very well be in physical jeopardy, or maybe he’s just a victim of the corporate “Man.” Either way, this is weird. Matt I., you know this.
I don’t believe that Sullivan is just in a tizzy over the flames and taking a “break” to spend “time with his family.” He has the thickest of skin; he’s one of “Maggie’s” boys.
What’s the real scoop? Sullivan wouldn’t settle for bullshit or silence. Why should we?
September 9th, 2008 at 12:56 pm
He’s chasing down a rumor that Sarah Palin has three overdue library books. Developing …
September 9th, 2008 at 12:56 pm
Mike Francesca is a d-bag, but he’s “reporting” a tinfoil rumor that Sullivan’s either been cowed or fired.
http://www.mikefrancesa.com/wordpress/?p=1054
Andrew could do us all a favor by just setting this thing straight. But his last two blog posts were cryptic as hell.
September 9th, 2008 at 1:05 pm
Wherever he is, I am sure he’s having a laugh over all of this speculation about his whereabouts. I wonder how many days he would have to be missing before Anderson Cooper would report it.
Either Cooper or Nancy Grace.
September 9th, 2008 at 1:05 pm
I would bet that Ambinder really did contact him and then posted what Andrew asked him to post. But that doesn’t tell us what’s really going on. My guess is that he’s off on what’s sometimes called “stress leave” and will post some sort of explanation when he returns. If I’m right, it’s hard to know whether he took the time off on his own or at the urging (or insistence) of Atlantic management. But as a loyal reader I hope that he’s ok.
September 9th, 2008 at 1:06 pm
JenJen:
Kinda funny that the guy has the same name as that blowhard NY sports talk show host. Francesa is a right-wing nutjob. Just look at this website.
September 9th, 2008 at 1:06 pm
Andrew posted. We’ll see if the site returns to normal…
September 9th, 2008 at 1:07 pm
Sullivan has a post up.
I guess he didn’t think his undeclared absence, in the middle of a media storm, would be noteworthy? Or that some of us might have even started worrying about his health? Grrrrrr.
September 9th, 2008 at 1:09 pm
And now he’s just posted the following: “Thank you for your many emails of concern. For the record, I’m absolutely fine, nothing has changed with this blog, no one is pressuring me to write or not write anything, and I spent part of the day yesterday with my husband soaking up the last moments of summer together.” Still have my doubts though…
September 9th, 2008 at 1:10 pm
The only thing keeping me sane recently was knowing that there was someone else out there hyperventilating as much as me over the Palin pick.
Time to go crazy.
September 9th, 2008 at 1:11 pm
Yeah I saw the post Sully put up as well. It’d be a first for him but maybe he did indeed simply decide to chill out for a bit with his husband.
Life is short, after all.
September 9th, 2008 at 1:13 pm
Well, that was fun.
Glad everything’s ok and that nobody’s being cowed. Taking off the tinfoil hat and putting my joker hat back on.
September 9th, 2008 at 1:14 pm
He speaks:
Thank you, Mr. Sullivan, for reminding us that the people we read about and write about are actual human beings, with lives and loved ones. Perhaps his next post (as he reads the tinfoil-hat wearers’ blogs) will admonish them for idle speculation and irresponsible rumor-mongering?
Heh.
September 9th, 2008 at 1:17 pm
Yes, unless there really is a “nasty conspiracy” Sullivan’s new post is enough to allow me to lighten up. If he follows up with more, we’ll know that all is well. If not, the questions remain…
September 9th, 2008 at 1:18 pm
Tim A,
Very well put.
September 9th, 2008 at 1:20 pm
In other words…Ambinder wasn’t lying…
September 9th, 2008 at 1:21 pm
But if we continue to question Sullivan’s personal life and post baseless rumors sourced only to anonymous hearsay, won’t we be seen as “attacking” him, thereby damaging our credibility?
(Gosh, it’s been a while since I found true irony. Everything’s been all surreal parody instead.)
September 9th, 2008 at 1:26 pm
Oh Please – I read the dish everyday, and this is hogwash. Andrew, taking a day off to be with Hubby. Out of the blue! Pleaseeee, he blogged right until his wedding and always leaves sub par but decent interlocuitors. Something is going on. But Andrew simply needs to know his readers are behind him and will follow him from the Atlantic to whereever he goes – kinda like we did with you
btw Andrew introduced me to your blog…and I am sure I’m not the only fan of yours via Andrew.
September 9th, 2008 at 1:28 pm
Yup, before the Yglesias Award I had no idea who Yglesias was.
September 9th, 2008 at 1:32 pm
It does seem sensible for him to take a day off — he’s been at it nearly around the clock since who knows when.
(But a quick — “hey, I’m on the beach on the cape” would have been nice.)
I’ll be waiting as will a fair number of others (I was pleased that Andrew was up to a million hits a day…).
September 9th, 2008 at 1:36 pm
Sullivan stops posting, BalloonJuice.com doesn’t work at all. If this website goes down then I’ll know someone doesn’t want me knowing things.
Seriously can someone help out John Cole. Balloon Juice is one of the best blogs on the intertubes but it’s as reliable as FEMA lately.
September 9th, 2008 at 1:36 pm
Sullivan wrote: “no one is pressuring me to write or not write anything”
I don’t buy this. Something is going on. I will continue to monitor Sullivan’s blog for coded messages. He might need our help.
Oh, and I too discovered Yglesias through the Yglesias Award. At first I thought it had to do with the musical family of the same name.
And who is Mike Franscesca. Not Mike from Mike and the Mad Dog surely? That’s the only Mike Fransesca I know.
September 9th, 2008 at 1:37 pm
Re JenJen’s comment “Glad everything’s ok and that nobody’s being cowed. Taking off the tinfoil hat and putting my joker hat back on ”
————-
Er..we REAL tinfoil hat wearers note that there’s no way to know if IT IS ACTUALLY ANDREW POSTING NOW!!!!!
Could be an imposter.
Anyone here know any questions that only a gay, British Republican could answer? Uh..and if you’re not a gay, British Republican, how do you know if the answer is correct?
September 9th, 2008 at 1:39 pm
He probably read some of those vicious personal attacks on him by the closet case over at Ace of Spades and needed some time to cool down.
September 9th, 2008 at 1:41 pm
lalorlibert says:
The same.
September 9th, 2008 at 1:41 pm
Someone quiz him on Oakeshott, quick!
September 9th, 2008 at 1:45 pm
The “Your move, McCain” post was a bit cryptic. I believe McCain’s response was:
“Out west, where you vacation, the aspens will already be turning. They turn in clusters, because their roots connect them. Come back to work — to life.”
September 9th, 2008 at 1:47 pm
Oh, and I too discovered Yglesias through the Yglesias Award. At first I thought it had to do with the musical family of the same name.
Yglesises with a “Y” are writers, and Iglesiases with a “I” are sexy crooners.
September 9th, 2008 at 1:51 pm
Sullivan is lying. Can anyone point to a single example ever when Sullivan took a few days off of blogging without notice? He’s got post after post confessing he’s addicted to blogging. He’s a more obsessive poster than practically anyone out there and he just got back from his yearly summer vacation. He should be rested. Sullivan got into a fight with his editors and he’s taking a day off to consider his options and punish the magazine, by reminding them how much traffic he drives to the Web site. He’s being diplomatic now because he doesn’t want to burn any bridges before he’s sure he needs to.
Or that’s my guess, anyway.
N.
September 9th, 2008 at 1:57 pm
Nate W. sez:
Maybe Sully’s considering taking his readership over to The Nation? Or, if we’re really lucky, ThinkProgress.
September 9th, 2008 at 2:15 pm
I have to admit, Nate’s speculations are no worse than what Sullivan himself might indulge in, and he may be onto something.
September 9th, 2008 at 2:15 pm
Re SGEW’s comment “Someone quiz him [Sully] on Oakeshott, quick!”
————-
Er.. I emailed him and asked him if a Spanish “Grand Espee” has a rounded tip, but I think he misunderstood me.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oakeshott_typology
September 9th, 2008 at 2:20 pm
For all the negative comments, what is obvious is we all miss him and many of us care enough to worry. There is nothing more frightening than a world where everybody agrees. Whether I agree or disagree (and I do both regularly) his is a voice of reason. Glad he back.
September 9th, 2008 at 2:49 pm
Anyone who thinks Mr. Sullivan is a “progressive” or a “liberal,” I recommend that you read his (much hyped, but warranted) book.
He loathes much of the Democratic party’s platform (from a Tory p.o.v., natch), but it’s really the only criticism of much of my political ideology that I can dig my teeth into, and see his side of it.
In other words: he’s what a “conservative” should be, as an oppositional party in the so-called “liberal”/”conservative” divide, in a better world. Where we can all agree on things such as torture, honesty, the rule of law, personal freedoms, and links to neat photography slideshows (and, I admit it, gossip: who doesn’t appreciate a little juicy gossip?).
September 9th, 2008 at 3:12 pm
re Richard…
You have no Idea how many times I read Andrew and start a cussing match with the computer screen.
I love reading his blog even when I completely disagree with him, because his point of view is always intellectually sound and consistent – including the ability to be swayed by unfolding events.
The breath of his readership is huge, I am not the least bit surprised we’d not find alot to agree on – yet I do think we’d all have quite alot in common. I might not share Andrew’s ideology (I’m a liberal) but I share a similar thought process. — oh and just as often as he’ll come around to your view point(eventually!) — you are as likely to end up agreeing with statements that can across as warped initially.
I like Mattew for the same reason – you can see him thinking in his posts – as oppossed to spouting talking points. Ofcourse Andrew is on a whole different level because he is the only one I know capable of such debit flow of opinion single handedly.
September 9th, 2008 at 4:12 pm
There’s another post up now, but it’s just a “View from Your Window”. I assume the help posts those?
September 9th, 2008 at 4:24 pm
Part of me was thinking that Andrew had gone incognito to an Alaskan tribal village to undertake a visionquest or something.
September 9th, 2008 at 5:30 pm
Sullivan’s at home recovering from the surgery required to extract Yglesias from far up his ass. I was really surprised Matt could get a wifi signal in there.
September 9th, 2008 at 6:04 pm
Ooh. The plot thickens. Andrew posts a Wittgenstein quote that (translated) says “Whereof one cannot speak, therefore one must remain silent.”
September 9th, 2008 at 6:05 pm
Hmmmm. Quote of the day (translated)…. “Whereof one cannot speak, thereof one must be silent”
Why can he not speak? Very interesting.
September 9th, 2008 at 6:24 pm
Wovon man nicht sprechen kann, daruber muss man schweigen
About which one cannot speak, over it one must be silent.
Yglesias, do you still believe there’s nothing going on here?
I’m intrigued, a little scared, and would like to think that I’d have more cajones than Yglesias if I had his connections. What gives? Don’t take any Ambinder bullshit seriously.
September 9th, 2008 at 6:31 pm
I saw that post – and converged at Andrew Central for the day. Sorry Matthew!
“About which one cannot speak, over it one must be silent” I can almost feel the pain – I mean really – this is Andrew Sullivan – who has blogged pretty much every thought he’s had this decade. (OK! Maybe not quite ‘every’ single one
)
September 9th, 2008 at 6:34 pm
And then he posts a video of a sullen little boy being called on the carpet. Doesn’t seem like his usual mental health break material, but maybe I’m reading too much into it.
September 9th, 2008 at 6:38 pm
When will we inspect his countertops? It would be irresponsible not to.
[Perhaps Mr. Sullivan is simply making an ironic comment through his absence? If so, kudos for modern internet performance art! A whole new genre.]
September 9th, 2008 at 6:42 pm
Better yet – read the Wikipedia article on Ludwig Wittgenstein
Ludwig Wittgenstein
Enough Said.
September 9th, 2008 at 6:44 pm
Unbelievable. The silence from Andrew Sullivan the past two days has been down right eerie. And now we are getting, to my eyes as a regular reader for years, cryptic communications. A setting sun for the “View From Your Window” photo series (symbolic of a goodbye? and replacing a window blocked from any view!!), the mysterious “Quote for the Day” in German requiring, for me at least, translation that suggests that Sullivan is being muzzled (by himself or others is to be determined), and now a “Mental Health Break” video clip from the Desperate Housewives series introducing the wierd mother Bree – am I wrong to think that this scene evokes Sarah Palin? I don’t have the slightest clue what to make of all of this. Without doubt this is great drama.
September 9th, 2008 at 6:55 pm
Thanks to Matt for playing host to those of us seeking to unravel the mysteries behind Sullivan’s Pendulum. It somehow seems appropriate to congregate here for the time being, given that Matt is a former colleague but operating off of theatlantic.com’s server.
It is curious that “blogger doesn’t post his daily thoughts” is an actual news event, and not something from The Onion. But then here I am, having rushed here after seeing the latest clue.
September 9th, 2008 at 6:57 pm
Hmmm, the picture posted at 4 pm was Beirut, Lebanon. Obama was in Lebanon, Virginia, and McCain was in Lebanon, Ohio today.
September 9th, 2008 at 7:04 pm
Andrew is a man after my own heart by posting the final prop. from Wittgenstein’s Tractatus.
September 9th, 2008 at 7:09 pm
He’s posting and he has us all in a tizzy trying to figure out what he’s about. Wittgenstein, no less. A subtle reference to a poker? And if so, what kind? More, Andrew, more!
September 9th, 2008 at 7:09 pm
Just another Sully reader here re-emphasizing earlier points that all of his absences in the past were announced, and covered by interns/guest writers. This is strange and disturbing to this political news junkie who consumes Sullivan blog posts like crack!!!
September 9th, 2008 at 7:12 pm
I think the Wittgenstein is very troubling as well.
My take is he’s being muzzled.
September 9th, 2008 at 7:15 pm
By the way, those of us familiar with Wittgenstein’s work probably interpret the quote differently than those who are unfamiliar with Wittgenstein. I don’t think that it means he’s being told to keep silent or not go after Palin.
September 9th, 2008 at 7:18 pm
Here’s what his fellow Atlantic blogger Ta-Nehisi Coates says: “All rumor-mongering on Sullivan will be deleted from here on out. Frankly, I have no clue what the situation is–and neither do you…If you want to talk about Sullivan you have two options. 1.) E-mail him 2.) Go to http://www.typepad.com and start your own blog where you will be free to muse on the job prospects of people who you don’t know.” and “I resent people coming here to discuss various rumors about Sullivan’s fate after I’ve stated that I have no idea what’s going on.”
There’s definitely something going on. I hope that Sullivan’s blog resurfaces, somewhere.
September 9th, 2008 at 7:23 pm
McGeorge Bundy:
Interesting. Please elaborate, as I am not familiar with Wittgenstein and am having trouble making sense of his seven propositions after a cursory reading of Tractatus on Wikipedia. (Could the quote possibly reference Sarah Palin’s “silence” – that is, her refusal to grant interviews?) Thanks
September 9th, 2008 at 7:24 pm
RE: McGeorge Bundy
Andrew? Keep silent? Please. People telling Andrew to keep silent would only make Andrew speak out more. I don’t think Andrew will suddenly stop being Andrew over the Palin issue. Whatever it is has been brewing for quite a while…Since Matthew left the Atlantic perhaps?
September 9th, 2008 at 7:25 pm
Maybe I’m missing something, but most of what I’m reading is being posted in good fun. Yeah, we’re a bit worried, still, most of the “rumor-mongering” has been with tongue planted firmly in cheek. I admire Mr. Coates as a writer, but I would suggest he chill just a bit.
September 9th, 2008 at 7:27 pm
Here’s an interesting quote, from http://notverybright.wordpress.com/2008/09/09/where-is-andrew-sullivan : “Sullivan is not taking a few days off. He was asked to lay off the Palin stuff and he has responded by refusing to post to his site. Staff are meeting now to decided what to do.
I work at The Atlantic.”
September 9th, 2008 at 7:28 pm
Sullivan posted a quote of the day:
“”Wovon man nicht sprechen kann, darüber muß man schweigen” – Ludwig Wittgenstein.
Translation:
“Whereof one cannot speak, thereof one must be silent.”
Something’s up…
September 9th, 2008 at 7:35 pm
And here’s another, perhaps from the same poster, from http://www.fattriplets.com/?p=896 :”I work at The Atlantic and Sullivan is NOT taking a few days off on his own. Bennett spoke with him in-person and asked him to lay off some of the seedier things he’s written in the past 2 weeks. He refused. Bennett asked him to at a bare minimum acknowledge he was wrong regarding the Trig Palin story. Sullivan is responding by refusing to post to the site.
Execs are now meeting to decided what to do.” “Bennett” is presumably Atlantic Editor James Bennet, whose name is at the top of the staff page in the paper version.
September 9th, 2008 at 7:37 pm
Could his fellow Atlantic blogger Ta-Nehisi Coates possibly be more wrong. If there is one person who puts himself out there in the way that one can actually get to understand him – it’s Andrew. If there’s a blogger who has cultivated a relationship with his online readership – it’s Andrew. That’s why he is arguably the best blogger out there. Senior Editor of the Atlantic might be a job – churning out the daily dish is a passion.
How many real life friends have shared their daily existence and thoughts with each other, the way Andrew does with his readers? So Coates, Andrew might not know a single one of us, but we actually know him quite well.
September 9th, 2008 at 7:41 pm
For what it’s worth, the weather here in Provincetown has been fantastic the last two days – but it’s been pouring rain all day today.
September 9th, 2008 at 7:42 pm
Now that I think about it, Andrew may be hinting that he’s been told to tone it down or keep quiet. It makes sense, because I doubt most of his readers are familiar with Wittgenstein’s thought, and that Andrew was being fit for a muzzle would probably be the initial conclusion drawn by his readers. Regardless, in light of what Wittgenstein was really saying (and not saying), I thought Andrew might be trying to let us know that the more scandalous personal issues surrounding Palin were political nonsense, and that he had got all wound up over nonsense and was maybe taking a few days off to cool down. But I now see I probably read too much into it, and I think the initial reaction to the quote — that he’s been told to knock it off — are likely closer to the truth.
September 9th, 2008 at 7:59 pm
Thanks for the reply McGeorge. It is interesting to me that you interpreted Andrew Sullivan’s quote “might be trying to let us know that the more scandalous personal issues surrounding Palin were political nonsense, and that he had got all wound up over nonsense and was maybe taking a few days off to cool down.” Not being familiar with Wittgenstein – and what he was really saying (and not saying) – I cannot smartly assess whether you were reading too much into the quote. However, my initial reactions on Monday morning when no posts came up were: (1) the Palin phenomenon has gotten to Andrew, he cannot believe that people (and the media) are responding to her this way, and he is taking some time to calm down and wrap his brain around the last 10 days (something blogging does not afford, particularly for the prolific posting schedule maintained by Andrew day after day); and (2) Uh-oh. Something is seriously wrong between Andrew and The Atlantic.
I hope we get answers soon. I miss Andrew Sullivan.
P.S. A big harumph to everything Alice AN has said.
September 9th, 2008 at 8:17 pm
I have to say — it is a comfort to find these comments. I have felt like the country is going crazy in the last few weeks. And Andrew’s blog has been the only breath of fresh air amidst a media that seems to have bent over and taken it just like they did in the lead up to Iraq. Like all of you — I have felt at a loss over the last two days without his grounded, much-needed political analysis.
I seriously fear for our country. First Campbell Brown, then Olbermann and Matthews get axed from election coverage, and now Sullivan. Help us. The censorship is killing us. But what can we expect from a ticket whose VP wants to
BAN BOOKS like “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings”????!!! I’m sorry — did I miss the sexy bits? Or does she not like that book because she’s racist — because honestly I can think of no other reason. Why is that not a story? Or is everything she does forgiven because she has a baby with downs syndrome.
September 9th, 2008 at 8:46 pm
Debunked internet rumor.
See here for details.
Otherwise, carry on.
September 9th, 2008 at 8:48 pm
Well, this makes the meaning of the Desperate Housewives clip pretty plain. Andrew’s been asked to apologize etc.
September 9th, 2008 at 8:48 pm
Penny,
That’s a fairly widely discredited lie at this point…not that an Andrew reader from the past couple weeks would know that. Hope Andrew resumes posting soon, though. He’s normally quite good if excitable.
September 9th, 2008 at 8:50 pm
Campbell Brown has been axed from election coverage? I hadn’t heard that one. True?
September 9th, 2008 at 9:12 pm
Andrew’s famous excitability often comes from being rightly terrified about the big picture, which then bleeds over into reading, at times, too much into the little picture. His criticisms and genuine fear of today’s “conservatives” are 1000% correct.
This evening, the McCain campaign is actually loudly accusing Obama of calling Sarah Palin a pig. This is Animal Farm stuff. These people have no shame.
September 9th, 2008 at 9:19 pm
Re: Andy
A big harumph? To everything?
Oh Well…
September 9th, 2008 at 9:21 pm
I’m hopeful that Andrew will be back soon, but I can’t help but wonder if the conspiracy theorists are onto something. There’s a fierceness in the critique of him lately that’s getting down-right nasty.
I’ve noticed a few right-wing bloggers have been digging up and rehashing some old dirt and I wonder if that’s part of what’s in play. As an example, check out the history page for recent changes to his wikipedia entry…
September 9th, 2008 at 9:22 pm
I wonder how Andrew’s traffic has been today. If it goes up because of his absence, something truly genius has occurred. Or very stupid. One or the other.
September 9th, 2008 at 9:23 pm
I’m getting creeped out. That’s not a usual reaction from me. But look at the whole big picture. The people who were set to testify in Troopergate started to back out. The general of the Alaskan national guard had comments unfavorable to Palin; then he reverses course and is promoted a few days after. The McCain campaign can openly say that they are looking for ‘deference’ in journalists without drawing down a sh*tstorm. They have this candidate for V.P, who was unknown two weeks ago, completely under wraps — giving one speech over and over again — and again, no sh*tstorm. They feel comfortable enough with their situation to lie repeatedly…
September 9th, 2008 at 9:30 pm
No Campbell Brown wasn’t axed — but she was censured and the media noticeably backed down from posing hard questions to the McCain camp after McCain cancelled an interview with CNN following an innocent exchange between Campell Brown and Tucker Bounds where she pushed him about Palin’s “foreign policy experience.”
Oh and Rab — why the bad blood, man? What is discredited– that she tried to fire the Library director after she refused to get rid of the list of books Palin wanted out of the library? Oh and direct your passive aggression somewhere productive. I’m not the bad guy.
September 9th, 2008 at 9:31 pm
And they have something called a Palin Truth Squad whose job it is to spread deliberate falsehoods.
September 9th, 2008 at 9:32 pm
Penny,
I agree with all the emotions you described (#120). At first I was concerned about Sully’s well-being, but after seeing his (& other) postings today, I recalled being puzzled by his post defending Palin & Trig on Sunday (For The Record Again, 9/7, 8:25 pm), but now it makes sense that that posting was prompted by someone in authority at The Atlantic.
The McCain/Bush/Rove ability to squelch & manipulate MSM by their hissy fits is truly astonishing & frightening; 4 more years of executive unaccountability!?! That’s why we need bloggers of Andrew’s influence to continue to probe, ask questions & entertain us.
September 9th, 2008 at 9:35 pm
Sullivan in now posting, in full:
Sort of suggests there is something more going on. Or he just got called out by some power he cares about on the Palin’ pregnancy rumors.
September 9th, 2008 at 9:36 pm
sorry, I see now that’s been covered…come on, fess up to whatever it is.
September 9th, 2008 at 9:53 pm
Sullivan must have set some kind of record today for unconsummated blog hits.
Because some people above have wondered: I think that Sullivan has posted every day for almost 10 years now. So yes, taking a few dayts off would be unprecedented, as much as his traffic from the past few days.
September 9th, 2008 at 10:03 pm
This is really freaking me out… He may have gone overboard in a few of the rumors that he put out there, but it wasn’t anything that wasn’t already being asked by every single sentient political geek with access to the Internet. It’s simply inexcusable for Atlantic to censure Andrew at this point, especially when the rest of the MSM appear to be under enormous pressure to pull their punches regarding Palin et al…
So, what do we do? Trust that Andrew can handle himself? I’ve already sent an e-mail voicing my support, but now is definitely not the time for one of the political world’s most independent spirits to be muzzled.
September 9th, 2008 at 10:14 pm
The Desperate Housewives clip is such a clever clue. An insincere apology being coerced by the authority. AND the little kid’s name is Andrew. Too perfect.
September 9th, 2008 at 10:26 pm
I’m depressed. The Andrew stuff is weird. Beyond that, I’m appalled at the crap the McCain camp is pulling, i.e. Obama and sex ed for kindergartners. It’s disgusting. I can’t believe there was a time last year when I thought I’d be glad if McCain was the Repub nominee. I foolishly thought that might mean the election wouldn’t be this slimy. And the fundie fervor for Palin, the culture war resurrected, etc….ugh. Can’t Obama just keep saying, “The Republicans did this to you 4 years ago and look where that got you. Don’t fall for it again!”?
I know it’s early yet and the polls will change plenty before Nov., but I don’t know what I’ll do if Obama loses. I’m afraid we won’t have a candidate of this caliber for a long time. I haven’t been this into politics before…and I’m starting to remember what a sore loser I am. I hope it’s a non-issue.
September 9th, 2008 at 10:36 pm
How about I take a SWAG (Scientific Wild Ass Guess) on this?
One must gird one’s loins to take on the Great Mother archetype.
She has powers that are quite formidable, including being able to confuse you and make your mind go blank. She can shut you up.
My SWAG is that Andrew is taking the time to get the right words to describe what it is that is so incredibly disturbing about Sarah Palin.
September 9th, 2008 at 10:38 pm
If this is about his being asked to make an apology, why does Andrew say in one of today’s posts:
I don’t think Andrew would say that if it weren’t true.
Puzzling.
September 9th, 2008 at 10:58 pm
Have to say I’m impressed at his knowledge of Desperate Housewives, to be able to pull out the perfect clip like that. In fact, he must have made it himself, no? It’s too apt to have just stumbled upon.
Who owns The Atlantic, anybody know?
September 9th, 2008 at 11:20 pm
If they shut up Andrew, they shut up me. I very often disagree with Andrew and was not happy that he took up the Palin baby swap thing and then his quasi-one off demanding Bidens’ medical records was a bit ‘too’. Still, this is that eerie feeling one gets when big brother/hall monitor/class snitch gets you in trouble for being precisely who they are not. If this is a chess move, Andrew wins. I want him to win.
September 9th, 2008 at 11:22 pm
Interesting that Ambinder posts all the “Palin” words that are “banned from his site.” Wonder if there’s some hidden meaning there.
September 9th, 2008 at 11:38 pm
Uh, Penny, you are the bad guy…lying about people, even if you don’t like them, is bad. There’s nothing passive aggresive about it.
You wrote:
“But what can we expect from a ticket whose VP wants to
BAN BOOKS like “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings”????!!! I’m sorry — did I miss the sexy bits? Or does she not like that book because she’s racist — because honestly I can think of no other reason. Why is that not a story?”
This is a widely discredited lie. The list is a fake, and includes books published after the period in question. She inquired about banning books, but never took any action to do so.
This is false for all of the reasons enumerated by
September 9th, 2008 at 11:48 pm
Here’s Factcheck.org via Newsweek http://www.newsweek.com/id/157986/page/2
“One accusation claims then-Mayor Palin threatened to fire Wasilla’s librarian for refusing to ban books from the town library. Some versions of the rumor come complete with a list of the books that Palin allegedly attempted to ban. Actually, Palin never asked that books be banned; no
books were actually banned; and many of the books on the list that Palin supposedly wanted to censor weren’t even in print at the time, proving that the list is a fabrication. The librarian was fired, but was told only that Palin felt she didn’t support her. She was re-hired the next
day. The librarian never claimed that Palin threatened outright to fire her for refusing to ban books….As we’ve noted, Palin did not attempt to ban any library books.”
September 9th, 2008 at 11:48 pm
A boy named Andrew being forced to apologize. A mother named Bree, who raises her daughter’s baby as her own to avoid scandal. As a gay man, this is one of those times that I love how my people can so deliciously and cleverly communicate through cultural references. Absolutely brilliant.
September 10th, 2008 at 12:01 am
And more: In the show, Andrew grows up to be a surly, mouthy gay guy. And Bree’s a Christian Republican with an annoying voice. Cheers to Andrew!
September 10th, 2008 at 12:43 am
Sullivan spread highly defamatory rumors about Sarah Palin and her family that have been conclusively disproved. An honorable man would apologize. A slimy little twit would not. We’ll see which Andrew is. My money is on slimy little twit.
Also, if Sullivan were honorable, he would reveal who fed him this garbage — the Obama campaign? Sullivan writes for a once-great magazine. That they tolerate such a low-life is appalling.
September 10th, 2008 at 1:23 am
Actually Sullivan only spread the rumors in the sense that he said they were out there and he called for the McCain campaign to release medical records that would readily refute the allegations and will likely be made available eventually anyway. He has done this before and since calling for the release of various politicians medical, financial, and tax records to either quell a rumor or because it is standard practice. He has always been a “get all the information into the public sphere and lets hash it out” kind of guy.
He did NOT spread the rumors in the sense that he said “hey, guess what I just heard. I bet it’s true.”
He never claimed any special information, just advocated quickly clearing it up so we can move on. No one fed him info, or at least I never saw him put anything on his web that I didn’t already read other places first. Days first in some cases.
All he had to do was read Alaska blogs like Mudflats to get the gist of the story (they had dubbed it “babygate” long before a Kos blogger or Sullivan brought it up) and even the newspaper accounts in the more MSM had the basic facts, it was just a couple of bloggers who connected some dots and said, “hey, that’s weird, I wonder if…..”
So give Sullivan his share of the blame if you think he’s earned it, but only his share.
September 10th, 2008 at 1:50 am
Adolphus, that seems to me a distinction without a difference. Spreading salacious unfounded rumors is spreading salacious unfounded rumors. The rest doesn’t matter. No doubt you’d feel that way if it were you Sullivan were sliming.
The function of Sullivan in this attempted smear was to help move the stories up the food chain from the local blogs to the high-traffic blogs and then into the mainstream media. The Atlantic’s name lent these lies a respectability they couldn’t have gained on the rancid Daily Kos or the slightly less putrid Huffington Post.
If there were an honest MSM in this country, there would be a Pulitzer opportunity for the journalist who could untangle how the Obama campaign worked with these new media to smear a family that did nothing wrong except get in their way.
September 10th, 2008 at 1:55 am
@ E. O’Neal
Oh . . . quit your whining and get off your high horse about spreading “highly defamatory rumors.” Glenn Beck, Sean Hannity, Rush Limbaugh, Hugh Hewitt, Michael Savage, to name a few, along with countless others on the right – including John McCain’s campaign (see latest ad re: sex ed.) – have repeatedly spread rumors, false inneundo, shameless distortions, and outright lies Obama’s way for 8+ months now. My guess is that you cheer on, or at the very least, turn a blind eye towards such “low-lives” and their bile.
You should also turn the mirror on yourself, hypocrite. I love how you attack Andrew for spreading rumors and then turn around and gleefully imply that the Obama campaign is somehow responsible for Andrew Sullivan’s actions: “Also, if Sullivan were honorable, he would reveal who fed him this garbage — the Obama campaign?”
I would happily defend Andrew’s questions about Trig (the circumstances around his birth were a little weird), but I admit to being disappointed that they were raised. Why? Because they distracted (and continue to distract) so greatly from the core issue of the Palin pick – namely that McCain displayed reckless judgment by selecting someone that he had only met once, new precious little about, who obviously had no foreign policy experience or even interest beyond a rudimentary level, and whom his own chief VP vetter did not sit down with until the day before her selection.
September 10th, 2008 at 2:08 am
@ Sean
Thanks for the enlightening decoding of the Desperate Housewives clip. Love it! Now, if only someone could help me truly understand the Wittgenstein proposition post, (translated) “Where (or of what) one cannot speak, one must remain silent.” Is Andrew being censored by the Atlantic? Is Andrew censoring himself, realizing that the controversy surrounding his passionate questioning of Palin and criticisms of McCain is distorting the troubling questions surrounding McCain and Palin? Or is Andrew in trouble with his husband for being a workaholic and ruining the last days of their summer vacation with his excitable anti-Palin campaign? (I suspect scenario 1.) Oh, the drama.
September 10th, 2008 at 2:16 am
Hey, this whole fall-mysteriously-silent-while-posting-the-occasional-cryptic-clue thing is most delicious and (thank you, Sean) totally gay. Go Andrew!!
Two things I didn’t see in the thread yet:
1. A couple of nights ago, an item called “Introducing Bree Van de Kamp” appeared in Sullivan’s RSS feed. The post itself was deleted before I got to read it. I remember this because, not having a clue who she was, I googled the name.
2. Anybody else notice that Sullivan’s repeated calls for *Biden* to release his medical records were really a way of signalling that he wasn’t backing down on the babygate thing?
As an aside, I can understand why someone might think that Sullivan was a sleazy rumor-monger if all they read were a couple of those posts. But longtime followers of his particular combination of messy openness and intellectual honesty are justified in not seeing it that way. And frankly, I still think he had a point. Why would Palin have thrown her daughter to the media hounds if she could easily have disproven the rumors by means of medical records, which the public is justified in expecting from a VP nominee anyway? Has anybody given that a credible answer?
September 10th, 2008 at 3:57 am
Why would Palin have thrown her daughter to the media hounds if she could easily have disproven the rumors by means of medical records, which the public is justified in expecting from a VP nominee anyway? Has anybody given that a credible answer?
Let’s think about that. Bristol’s five months pregnant, right? The election’s in two months. By October, it would become very obvious that the Republican vice-presidential nominee’s teenage daughter was pregnant and everybody would be going crazy as to why we weren’t all told about this sooner. So it had to be done, rumors or no rumors.
Besides that, I hope Sullivan’s been axed.
September 10th, 2008 at 4:28 am
asher, darling . . . sullivan will long outlast the organization that can’t handle some rethug heat. bank on it. you can’t axe sullivan; you can only lose his affiliation with your site, lose yourself a bazillion hits a month plus those tasty ad rates, and lose your reputation for championing the provocations that come with actual, real-time thought and struggle with that thought, and the irrepressible “dreadful funkiness of passion.”
September 10th, 2008 at 9:36 am
I suspect that with the Wittgenstein quote it is better not to know what Wittgenstein meant and to take it at face value.
Wittgenstein, at the time he wrote the Tractatus, had a reductive notion of the way that language works, so that every sentence that could be uttered made very specific, ultimately empirical claims. Most of the truly important things about the world, like religious beliefs, do not (on his view) reduce to these kinds of empirical claims, and so philosophers who tried to talk about them were wasting their time, or making fools of themselves.
In the first 6 parts of the Tractatus Wittgenstein had sketched what could be talked about, and the last part (which is just the one sentence) tells us that we should not bother trying to talk about the rest. (Although unlike for the logical positivists who thought the rest was meaningless and therefore useless. Wittgenstein was of the view that while senseless, the unspeakable contained the most important stuff. This is a view he gets from Kant via Schopenhauer).
In his later work he abandons the idea that language is reductive in the manner of the Tractatus, but he never abandoned the idea that the most important issues could not be talked about. And some people read even the Tractatus as a reducio ad absurdum on the view of language that is presented most clearly in the Tractatus.
While this fits somewhat with Sullivan’s view of religion in hid debate with Sam Harris, my guess is that the quote from Wittgenstein is just meant to say that his reasons for not posting are best not talked about. I doubt he is indicating that we have reached a subject that is transcendental and so any discussion would be senseless.
September 10th, 2008 at 9:44 am
Andrew has put up a series of posts following the Wittgenstein quote. None have anything to do with the Presidential race. Yes, something is DEFINITELY up.
But what I don’t get is that Andrew knows very well that his audience will follow him anywhere. He doesn’t need the Atlantic; the Atlantic needs him. I would guess that well more than 70% of any traffic any of the other Atlantic bloggers get is there because Andrew is there. Knowing that, I would think Andrew would give a big F-U to anyone who even suggested that he should say anything other than what’s on his mind.
Very strange.
September 10th, 2008 at 9:45 am
E. O’Neal,
I agree with Andy. There must be a political axiom somewhere that if you want to minimize a sleazy political tactic being used against you, you probably shouldn’t do it first yourself. This type of smear and innuendo has been the tool of the right since Clinton’s presidency. Does no one else recall some chuckleheaded congressman shooting pumpkins to prove, JUST PROVE that Vince Foster was murdered? How refreshing it would have been for that guy (I can’t find his name) had said (qua Sullivan) lets get all the official records out there, let the THREE different investigations take their course and move on with the country’s business. In that light, I find Sullivan’s route refreshingly straight forward and honest.
September 10th, 2008 at 3:16 pm
Andy, I’m hardly a whiner. Pointing out Sullivan’s slimy tactics is hardly whining. Look up the word “denounce”.
Your posts make clear that all you care about is destroying the other side, and that no tactics are off the table. Imagine your own outrage if Rush Limbaugh were spreading lies, not opinions you disagree with, about Obama. To the win-at-any-cost ‘rats, a woman and her entire family must be destroyed because real Americans like her better than your faux Messiah. Average folks think that “We are the ones we’ve been waiting for” and styrofoam Greek columns are fag stuff. They prefer a woman who kills her own food.
September 10th, 2008 at 4:15 pm
In any case, Sullivan seems to be back in his rhythm now. Who knows what happened–though I suspect something did. I’m wondering his heartfelt post on Treg this a.m. served as a kind of compromise “apology.”
September 10th, 2008 at 4:20 pm
E O’Neal
Whoa! Chafe much? First of all, where, exactly, do my posts “make clear that all you care about is destroying the other side, and that no tactics are off the table.” Example please. I suggest that you look up the word “project.”
For the second time I suggest that you turn the mirror on yourself. I love how you, falsely, attack me for my personal destroyer mentality and then, not even two sentences later proceed to call me a “win-at-any-cost ‘rat” who worships at the alter of a “faux Messiah” and then, most glib of all, proceeds to vainly take the mantle for “average folks” and claim that I like “fag stuff.” Can you even hear yourself? It is embarassing.
September 10th, 2008 at 4:49 pm
Andy, I should have said “prissy” instead of “fag stuff”. It has nothing to do with sexual orientation but rather a comical grandiosity that most men and women don’t consider very masculine. Can you imagine Harry Truman or JFK carrying on like that? They were combat veterans, not candy-asses.
Obama’s sly “lipstick on a pig” attack is also in this vein. A man should say what he thinks, not make cute passive-aggressive sneak attacks, and then feign innocence. He knew his crowd wasn’t cheering a tired cliche but rather his play off of Palin’s big line at the Republican convention. Like the time he gave the finger to Hillary, the crowd went wild, and later he said he was just scratching his face. It’s on YouTube.
Americans want a tough commander-in-chief who can protect them in a dangerous world, not a weak little self-satisfied twit.
September 10th, 2008 at 5:41 pm
E O’Neal
One more thing, it is interesting, I say charitably, that you attempt to get me to empathize with Palin fans upset with Andrew Sullivan with this example: “Imagine your own outrage if Rush Limbaugh were spreading lies, not opinions you disagree with, about Obama.” Ummm. Words fail at a time like this. I’ll do you one better (seeing as how Limbaugh, Hannity, Coulter, and the Republican smear machine makes its living through distortion and lies) and offer up John McCain himself. How about, for starters, his bald-faced lie that Obama would rather “win an election than win a war.” What a load of b.s. If Sullivan had said such nonsense you would have whined about, no, excuse me, “denounced” his lie with all sorts of passive-aggressive ad hominem attacks toward Obama supporters, but imagine if Obama had made such a salacious, pernicious claim/lie…
September 10th, 2008 at 6:30 pm
Andy, I’ve heard Barry talk about his determination to win this election, but I must have missed his speeches about how much he wants to win in Iraq. Maybe you can provide links. All I’ve heard him talk about is “getting out”, never winning. He denied the success of the surge longer than was reasonable, and then he told O’Reilly that it succeeded beyond “anyone’s wildest dreams”. Er, no. It succeeded according to General Petraeus’s plan.
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