Goldberg Piles On With An Update

I see Goldberg piles on with an update but doesn't, like some others, acknowledge or address my reply himself. I'm starting to think he actually is a jerk, ... or maybe just an insulated coward at heart.

People can ignore the disconnected Inside the Beltway elitism of some pundits at NRO and elsewhere on the Right if they want, but it will only serve to leave the Right in the minority over the longer haul. As a leading outlet for allegedly conservative thought, most of them sat by for eight years while Bush spent and grew government like a good Democrat and mainly cheered him on. 

Two defenses have emerged for Goldberg's swipe at me. Both are intellectually inconsistent and indicative of problems on the Right which make it hard to cobble together a majority to govern in America.

Blagojevich is a tragedy on two levels and a jaded mindset that can't appreciate that only results in America getting the bad government it deserves, and or, an emotionally vapid Right that doesn't really value "Life" at all.

Is the Blagojevich story a political tragedy? How anyone who believes in an oath of office, or good government can say it isn't is indicative of a jaded mindset only too willing to accept the bad government we usually get from elected officials. Contrast it with the ideals Senator Coburn outlined for government service in a conference call yesterday and it most certainly is tragic.

And one of the two reasons for finding humor in it, which I do, also speaks to how tragic it is. The humor is dark, or sardonic. As I wrote in a comment:

As for getting amusement out of it - read around. I did in my previous post. I'm not judging that. It's dark or actually sardonic humor. And I like it myself. It laughs because there is tragedy involved, not due to the lack of it. And that's precisely what Goldberg wrote - that there is no tragedy, (were) no victims.

The second defense commenters made for Goldberg is that he was referring to Blagojevich on a personal level, so it isn't tragic. But look at what Goldberg, who is pro-Life, wrote:

It's just good stuff. There's no tragedy here. No wasted potential.

Ah, so I guess because it's politically expedient to be "pro-Life" as a right-side pundit, Goldberg's down with that. But apparently " a life" is only important enough for concern when it remains in the womb? So what if someone with the energy, determination and at least enough intellect to be elected governor of a large state squanders said "life" in greed, dishonesty and corruption - no tragedy, no lost potential there?

Give me a break. The reason that tracks to political problems for the Right is because for years they have been all about preserving "a life" while it's in the womb, but have shown too little policy concern for those who, for whatever reasons, get broken or busted along the way and end up unable to make it alone.

Like it or not, there is a level of society that requires at least some level of government support. And the Right has come up short on offering solutions for them over the years, allowing the Democrats to hold power for a long time and then sweep right back in as soon as issues turned to domestic concerns.

I can laugh at Blagojevich with the best of them and intend to keep on. Perhaps the difference between Goldberg, some others and me is that I'm not ignorant of, nor afraid to acknowledge why I'm laughing and as a conservative remain determined to fight for principles that should matter at least enough to inform a joke.

Comments

[LOL]

mcg, for all his faults, I think (hope?) Dan has a real job. Unlike Goldflab, or many of your other heroes, who are unable to stray far from their mothers' teats. To paraphrase Goldflub: "Never mind when the last time a hack conservative writer got a job with Union Carbide"

[keith]

what Brian Garst said above. Dan, you have got to chill out. just wow.