Tea Partier Says Jane Hamsher Talking About “Union Thuggery”
Tweet
Remember, they’re the real liberals, right?
I spoke to Kathryn A. Serkes of the Doctor Patient Medical Association at this morning’s rally against the health care bill, after Serkes had addressed the smallish crowd.
‘I’m in contact with folks on the progressive side,’ said Serkes. ‘They’re saying right now that Pelosi’s almost there with the votes. What they’re saying is that there’s some serious arm-twisting — their words were ‘union thuggery.’ One progressive source told me that there was serious union thuggery this weekend, targeting Rep. Jason Altmire (D-Pa.).’
If this is true, it sure jibes with palling around with Grover Norquist.
UPDATE: Hamsher responds with what is her now typical distortions and smears.
18 Responses to “Tea Partier Says Jane Hamsher Talking About “Union Thuggery””
GOP Rep. Spencer Bachus Facing House Ethics Probe For Insider Trading
Jennifer Aniston Reportedly Pregnant With Twins
PHOTOS: Tamara Ecclestone At The Langham Hotel
Red Front? “Center For American Freedom” Logo Echoes Communist Style
Romney Calls For Defunding Planned Parenthood, Wife Was A Donor
GOP Fundraising Email Asks Supporters To “Knock Out” Obama
Romney Comes Up Limp In Nevada
Obama Opens Lead On Romney In New Poll
Latest Entries
Why Do Liberals Support Drone Strikes?
Weekly Standard Rolls Out The Iraq Argument For Iran
Equal Polarization, My Ass
Some Crazy Stuff That Happened In World War II
Maryland Republican Campaign Funds Used To Defend Voter Suppression
The Obama Jobs Record In One Graph
Martin O’Malley All In For Marriage Equality
Newt Gingrich, Filled With More Excrement Than Your Average Politician
New Year, Powerline Still Stupid
Thanks Again
Meta
Blogroll
Disclaimer
The views on this site are mine and mine alone, and do not reflect the views of my employer, Media Matters for America
© 2000-2011 Oliver Willis
You know, I actually think a lot of this reaching out to the TeaTards on Hamsher’s part stemmed from a way too coarse and unthought-through take-off on points made by Glenn Greenwald that occasionally on specific regulation or issues — such as civil liberties or government oversight or financial industry regulation — progressives / liberals could work directly on those particular points.
It’s not like that had never been done before, I just never thought anyone would run like this could be a close-working strategic alliance with people who basically wanted you and your movement and even the nation-state traditions you’re familiar with dead, like Norquist.
Donna Edwards is feeling the love from the producer of Natural Born Killers
In regards to this particular report, Hamsher says that Weigel is wrong and claimed his interview subject said things that he himself actually said.
Old PUMA’s don’t die; they just fade away…eventually.
From Weigel’s twitter..I’m disappointed that @JaneHamsher would make up quotes from a conversation I have on audiotape.
I’m not surprised that he would interview with a tape. Jane’s followers won’t care though.
Jesus, this again? For fuck’s sake Oliver, the original poster even recanted on the “union thuggery” thing.
For starters, you’ve got a strange boner for Jane Hamsther. Secondly, what a shitty post — this is basically the exact same thing Matt Drudge trades in.
BREAKING NEWS — OLIVER WILLIS FELLATES GOATS.
BREAKING UPDATE — ORIGINAL ACCUSATION FOUND TO BE FALSE, BUT NO FURTHER EVIDENCE FOUND THAT OLIVER WILLIS DOESN’T INDEED SUCK GOAT-COCKS.
BTW, here’s a journalistic hint for you: linking “Hamsher responds” to the freaking source of the original attack that has been recanted, as opposed to linking to FDL itself, is weasel-y beyond words.
Like I’ve said before, you’ve got some strange blind-spot when it comes to her. And no, I’m not defending her because of her position on HCR, but because it’s just a shitty (and obssesive) thing to do.
I mean what, are you butthurt that you never got an invite to be hosted with the funnier and more talented writers over at FDL or something? The ones who have clearly come out in support of passing the current bill?
Yeesh.
Heh, I’ve never been interested in writing for FDL. I’ve got my hands full here and occasionally on Media Matters and Huffpo.
For starters, you’ve got a strange boner for Jane Hamsther.
Tell that to the people who keep pushing her as the real left. If someone’s work ends up undermining the progressive movement, I’m not gonna be quiet about it.
“Tell that to the people who keep pushing her as the real left.”
In all honesty, I have no idea who you’re talking about. Granted, my media intake is limited to the web but I’ve never read of anyone who considers JH to be the queen of the left or what have you.
And I’m sure you can find me some linkage, but I’m telling you — I read a lot of blogs (too many, to be honest) and I can’t grok this bizarro-world strawman you’ve made her into.
I’m probably not the first person to note this, but…if Norquist is buddying up with Jane Hamsher, doesn’t that, by his definition, make him a date rapist?
Frankly Jaim, Hamsher’s post isn’t worthy of a link, it’s a disorganized, angry, personal attack. She denies that her friend (the teabagger) said any of the things Weigel claimed. Unfortunately for her, the audio is up and Weigel’s statements were completely correct. Now her friend is recanting. Fine, but that doesn’t mean she didn’t say it in the first place..
FWIW, I suspect it’s a whole lot of nothing, but Hamsher isn’t going to win a lot of support from progressives by working with Grover Norquist or teabaggers while calling for the heads of Bernie Sanders, Dennis Kucinich, Barbara Boxer, and Lynn Woolsey.
“Hamsher’s post isn’t worthy of a link”
Spoken like a Matt Drudge fan.
“FWIW, I suspect it’s a whole lot of nothing, but Hamsher isn’t going to win a lot of support from progressives by working with Grover Norquist or teabaggers while calling for the heads of Bernie Sanders, Dennis Kucinich, Barbara Boxer, and Lynn Woolsey.”
Again, I genuinely don’t understand the power you and Oliver seem to think she wields. FDL gets decent traffic, but she obviously isn’t forcing her hosted bloggers to toe her own line on this. As for the progressives who genuinely think the current bill is nothing more than a giveaway to Big Insurance, well, that’s their right. And the dirty truth is that they may well be correct, and all of this useless drama will make it all the sweeter for them when they tell us “We told you so.”
To draw a parallel to 2004, I really don’t like Ralph Nader either. But I never blamed him and his progressive fans for Kerry’s loss. Nader’s votes wouldn’t have mattered if Kerry’s campaign hadn’t a) sucked so hard and b) been so unwilling to fight back against the GOP.
If this bill fails it will be convenient to blame Jane Hamsher, demon witch of the internets. Me? I’ll realistically lay it at the feet of Obama, Reid, and to a smaller extent Pelosi. (Or Obama’s operation if you prefer. Same thing IMO.)
Spoken like a mindless firebaggin’ git.
Did you read what she wrote? Was it based in reality?
The reason FDL is demonized is not because of fear of their power (you sound like Dennis talking about Palin), it’s because they claim to be progressives while working against progressives, using the worst conceivable tactics. Hamsher has become a rage machine, lashing out at anyone and everyone over every slight, real or imagined. If pointing that out gives Oliver a “boner for Hamsher”, then most of the left blogosphere is suffering from priapism.
From my point of view, and I suspect Jane’s, the progressive movement is undermined every time it compromises on core principles in the name of “getting things done” or “getting the President a win.”
And you are not the arbiter of what a “progressive” is, either. You are instead indicative of a factional fault-line within the progressive movement. You are as much a purist for your own definition of progressivism as Jane is for hers. Which unfortunately means both factions will be weaker.
Funny, I was reading FDL yesterday. At least two different bloggers there again stated “hold your nose and pass the bill.”
Serious logical disconnect you’ve got goin’ on there.
And really, what we could use right now is more intra-party warfare attempting to demonize anyone who has a genuine problem with this very pro-Big Insurance bill.
Really? Link please. Looking at the front page right now, there are 4 articles, all anti-health reform. And of course, you didn’t respond to the “substance” of Jane’s post.
The fury at Jane is not because she’s against the health care reform bill. It’s not a great bill, it’s just far better than the alternative (and there is only one alternative, nothing); I appreciate and support application of pressure on democrats to produce a better bill, but working with republicans and teabaggers to squash the bill is stupid.
[...] Oliver Willis: Remember, they’re the real liberals, right? [...]