Taylor Marsh: Trying To Prove That Like Cures Like

Another gem from the self-proclaimed "Antidote to Right-Wing Talk," wherein The Antidote demonstrates that the answer to the classic Right-Wing Talk technique of using hyped-up charges that a political opponent is Unpatriotic and has Deeply Offended Real Americans to portray them as Unserious and otherwise damage their credibility is to...use hyped-up charges that Michelle Obama is Unpatriotic and has Deeply Offended Real Americans:

When it comes to talking about your country, especially when representing someone who wants to be president, you shouldn't have to have an interpreter put out a press release to explain what you actually meant, when what you really said was an insult. Why do Republicans always get this stuff, but Democrats come across like amateurs? Point to McCain.

Excuse me? I suppose Republicans "got this stuff" when they Swiftboated John Kerry, or when they portrayed Max Cleland as a Freedom-Hating Terrorist Lover. This type of bullshit is a classic wingnut ploy, and as The Antidote clearly demonstrates, it is not a ploy that is limited to the right wing. I expect that The Antidote will update the rather odd photo on the top of her page shortly to make sure we can see the flag pin on her lapel.

Whether or not you agree with Michelle Obama's statement (and most Americans probably don't agree, but hey, it was a free country until recently, so you're still somewhat entitled to your own opinion), if you really are sincerely and deeply offended that someone publicly said that they haven't been "really proud" of their country their entire adult life, until recent political events raised their spirits, you have some serious growing up to do. For my part, I'm just sick of mock indignation as a political tool.

Taylor Marsh's Commenters Strike a Blow For Feminism

You know what's really great about the comments over on Taylor's "Michelle Obama is an America-hating traitor" post? All the comments comparing Michelle Obama (unfavorably) to dogs. Wow, way to go, ladies! I'll be so thankful if Hillary wins - what a victory for feminists everywhere! Huzzah!

As for the post itself, well, it's chock full of Malkinesque gems. Here's a good one:

The love I have for my country does not include following yet another political huckster down a path where he gets the glory he craves, while my blue collar family gets the shaft... again.

Oh well said, Taylor. All hail, your blue collar family, and their American pride...how dare some nouveau riche social climber (whose not-so-distant ancestors may well have arrived in this country wearing actual iron collars) show any disrespect to The Homeland?

FFS, this drivel is from a site that describes itself (right up there at the top of the page, no less!) as "The Antidote to Right-Wing Talk."

It gets even better: The quote from Michelle Obama was this: "For the first time in my adult lifetime I am really proud of my country. And not just because Barack has done well, but because I think people are hungry for change." Not "For the first time in my adult lifetime I really love my country." Of course, Taylor's entire post is a list of things that her More-Patriotic-Than-Thou love of the Homeland does not depend on. Like this: "The love I have for this country does not depend on ignorance of what patriotism requires to serve a personal goal." Riiiiiiiiiiiiiigt. Listen, Taylor, honey, I hate to break this to you, but it's possible to love something, and not be proud of it. Ask just about any parent out there - there are times in nearly every child's life when his or her behavior is nothing for a parent to be proud of, yet parents keep loving their children all the same. Pride and love are not the same thing.

And as for this: "My uncle Dick certainly didn't serve his country and get battle fatigue in WWII so people could pick and choose pride in this nation based on personal association to some politician, forgetting the greater glory we all serve through our country's ideals."

I hate to break it to you...that's exactly what your uncle Dick served his country for - to preserve for those of us who came later the right to express their disappointment in their country when they see it veering off track. Not so that future generations could be forced into public expressions of "pride" when the Commander-in-Chief orders the torture of prisoners and the destruction of the evidence of that torture, or the illegal surveillance of citizens, and so on and so forth.

I haven't been proud of a lot of things our country has done these past seven years. Got a problem with that? Well, that's your right. But accuse me of not loving America, just because I'm, you know, ashamed of little things like war crimes, and you can fuck off along with all the other authoritarian nutjobs.

(h/t: John Cole)