I actually tried to refine the Google search and found that most of my comments on this blog don’t show up, nor do many of my posts on other blogs. I have no idea why, as some hits are rather old and yet relatively new comments are completely missing. I’d need a deeper understanding of Google’s methodology and how blog comment archives are indexed and referenced to increase the hit rate. Of course, I could just go boolean crazy and hope that works.

You mean like the comment you just posted, dozens of your other comments, and a good 75% of all liberal comments on this blog?

and seemingly crafted soley to insult or denegrate [conservatives / Republicans]

See alexcorrigan, JK, frameone, and roni for details

It’s a liberal blog.

That means that those who leave comments, often unsubstantiated by any outside source and seemingly crafted soley to insult or denegrate the general audience, naturally provoke varying degrees of hostility. It also makes it nearly impossible to distinguish between a post meant for actual debate and one meant only to incense (though an ongoing resistance to any outside sourcing is usually a good clue). Still, I’ve rarely seen the conversations stoop much lower than grade school insults and taunts.

I’ve seen plenty of the same on conservative blogs, simply with the positions reversed. I’ve also seen much worse, at least in my opinion.

As for the comment cited over at C&L, it was meant to be an example of what kind of bile gets sent their way, in volume, on a daily basis. More to the point, it is the kind of bile that is often whisked away into internet oblivion by the moderators trying to keep threads and discussions on track. That being the case, posters often have little idea of just how far either side can go, particularly when a particular party creates an atmosphere conducive to the more volatile fringe. That, by the way, is what I see going on in the immigration debate and the unnerving mainstraming of bigotry masquerading as patriotism.

As for OW’s contention that such comments are typical of the Right, well, it seems to me he is merely taking past lessons to heart. If liberal’s are easily demonized as unpatriotic, tax gouging elitist phonys with little more effort than simply tossing the meme out into the mainstream press (Coulter, Limbaugh, Hewitt, Savage, etc…. and while they may attempt to deflect criticism of their influence with the “pundit” label, I think there is little arguing that that is just a semantic game, especially when they are so ubiquitous), it has to be tempting to tar conservatives in the same fashion. I don’t think Oliver has made much of a secret of his frustration with liberal’s playing nice and trying to be too inclusive when all it seems to do is dilute their arguments and leave them open to attack. Certainly the notion of shutting down an argument with a simple “cons are at it again” argument is very tempting, especially if you have watched massively sourced articles dismissed as being “liberal ranting” worthy only of contempt. I personally have a hard time with the idea that two wrongs make a right, though it is hard to resist. Still, with some conservatives finally starting to question if Bush isn’t pushing things way too far, even for them (i.e. trampling the Constitution), trotting out the “you all suck…ALL of you” arguments seem counter productive.

This being an election year, I guess we’ll see how many conservatives have really jumped the fence and how many talk nice but get back in line come the Fall.

Adapted from Bye, Bye, Birdie

Why can’t they be like we are,
Perfect in every way?
Oh, what’s the matter with.
What’s the matter with.
What’s the matter with,
Cons tooodaay!

Wow. You got an email from an insensitive jerk. Can’t imagine your pain. Ever read your comments sections? Democratic Underground?

Please excuse me for being underwhelmed. If it’s real, then that person is an idiot.
Just like the idiots who make racist slurs at Malkin. Just like the idiots who applauded Laura Ingraham’s breast cancer.

Idiots. Both sides have ‘em.

Conservatives have to demonize the Wrong People when they speak up. They’re just following Conservative Principles when they do that.