You know who else got more people to vote?… No doubt irked that mere bloggish upstarts like Megan McArdle threaten his longheld place on the Worst People in the Media World list, George F. Will goes there:
[Voting] turnout has not increased as the electorate has become more educated and affluent and as government has become more involved in Americans’ lives…. The stakes of politics are agreeably low because constitutional rights and other essential elements of happiness are not menaced by elections. Those who think high voter turnout indicates civic health should note that in three German elections, 1932-33, turnout averaged more than 86 percent, reflecting the terrible stakes: The elections decided which mobs would rule the streets and who would inhabit concentration camps….
Via Mr. Charles Pierce, who gets paid (not enought) to Read These Idiots.
Yutsano
Wow George. Wow. Way to let your freak flag fly.
Calouste
This obsession the American right has with the Nazis, you’d almost think they admire them or something.
SteveinSC
Hegel Si! AIPAC No!
Machine-Gun Preacher (formerly Ben Franklin)
“Glenn Beck in a bow-tie”
Ever since he blurred the media lens by helping RWR prep for debate, this cradle-robber has been attempting to over-arch the bona-fide conservatory of William F Buckley, with his small-penis world-view. He, like Cheney and Dubya, suffers from the verbose minutiae of hamster-hands and Clint Eastwood’s empty chair of accuracy, and certainly owns a bevy of Bushmaster .223’s.
? Martin
Actually, wasn’t the real damage done in 1935 when Germany passed their voter ID laws? Or are we not talking about voter ID laws any more?
dmsilev
A list of the worst columns of the year. Megan McArdle’s late bid for glory managed to come in before entries were closed, but the list is long.
Turgidson
Did I miss an announcement at some point this fall that there was to be a months-long competition to see which conservative nutjob could say the dumbest, most ignorant, most offensive thing possible?
I mean, this crowd of braindead dipshits has been saying ridiculous, awful things for a long, long time now. But it seems like there’s some sort of nuclear arms race of dickishly idiotic assholery underway on an even grander scale of stupid than we’re accustomed.
WereBear
@Calouste: I have long thought they really really envied the Communists for all that fanaticism and control. Why can’t they get the American Right to be all purgey and put people in dungeons?
Then I saw Jesus Camp, and discovered that they do envy the Muslims their fanatical suicide bombers…
CW in LA
I’m fond of pointing out that George Effing Will is as dishonest as the rug on top of his head. He’s also nowhere near as intellectual as he’s hyped up as being. But, man, can he push corporate fascism with a bow-tie, a thesaurus, and Bartlett’s Quotations.
Calouste
Btw, national elections in Western Europe tend to get 75-80% turnout. The most recent French presidential election had a 78% turnout for the first round and a 77% turnout for the second round for example.
Machine-Gun Preacher (formerly Ben Franklin)
“Glenn Beck in a bow-tie”
Ever since he blurred the media lens by helping RWR prep for debate, this cradle-robber has been attempting to over-arch the bona-fide conservatory of William F Buckley, with his small-p3nis world-view. He, like Cheney and Dubya, suffers from the verbose minutiae of hamster-hands and Clint Eastwood’s empty chair of accuracy, and certainly owns a bevy of Bushmaster .223′s.
Tonybrown74
*sigh*
These people are just … EXHAUSTING.
Narcissus
Would-be Oligarchs hate democracy?
You don’t say
Mnemosyne
Er, no, George, right-wing German elites decided which mobs would rule the streets and put the leader of a minority party that never got a majority of the vote in charge of a coalition government, and he consolidated his power from there. The power that he was undemocratically given by elites:
If anything, it sounds creepily like the Americans Elect “movement” sponsored by millionaires who felt like they didn’t have enough influence already.
? Martin
Oh good God. Not that I should be surprised, but Boehner asserts his dictatorial powers over legislation, scraps a plan that with a bit of extra work could pass both chambers and get signed by the President, punts to Plan B that was supposed to pass on a straight-up GOP vote in the House in order to shame Obama (which it wouldn’t), and then he brings it up to a vote and doesn’t have the votes even in his own caucus?
Will someone just pants this guy on CSPAN and put us out of our misery?
SteveinSC
Second. George Will’s intellectual “credentials” other than a bow tie, are based, at least in part, on the fact that he served as Ronald Raygun’s secret debate coach and Carter stand-in before the presidential debates. Afterwards, he then wrote glowing Reagan reviews. That should pretty much calibrate his intellectual stature.
Litlebritdifrnt
We all know that Joe Biden is a national treasure but his lady wife comes a close second. From a tweet
I love that woman.
Bob In Portland
@CW in LA: But doesn’t he like baseball? He’s like, you know, a real guy.
Roger Moore
@Turgidson:
I don’t remember an announcement, but I’m pretty sure that there’s been an informal competition to see who can say the dumbest thing for quite a while. There’s a reason for the “I read these morons so you don’t have to” tag.
dmsilev
@Litlebritdifrnt: Oh my, that’s great. What’s the betting like on how many conservatives will take that tweet seriously? All of them?
dmsilev
@? Martin:
You have to admit, it’s sort of amusing to watch. Or would be, if the stakes weren’t so important. When was the last time that we had a Speaker whom nobody respected?
jl
I have never before read an argument against citizen participation in democratic government made in such detail or with such care.
It is a slam dunk. Kaiser Wilhelm’s increasingly anachronistic authoritarian state turned out so well. And nothing in Germany happened between 1918 and 1933 except changes in voter turnout in elections. Everyone knows that.
On other hand, Jefferson thought everyone should participate in government in some way, from his hobby horse of precinct level local wards up to the national government. He cooked up a scheme to get everyone a little land, so he could couple his desire to give only property owners the franchise with his belief in democratic majority rule. Even he was not such a hypocrite to think that, given the bigotry of the day, majority (white) rule didn’t mean much of most (white) people didn’t vote. But say what you want about Jefferson, he was no George Will.
And Hamilton observed in the Constitutional Convention, with apparent approval, that if voter turnout dipped too low, compulsory voting laws might be necessary, if unappealing, measures.
But who are those crazy egghead radical nincompoop social engineers, anyway, compared to a George Will, and his glorious history of integrity and accuracy?
? Martin
@Litlebritdifrnt: You do realize that @JillBidenVeep is a parody account…
? Martin
@dmsilev: It would be more amusing if the whole nation came crashing down on the recognition that he’s utterly useless. And I don’t really blame him – he’s stuck in a parliamentary situation, representing two distinct parties, one of whom seems to be utterly detached from reality, and the other likely to sign onto the Dem proposal with minimal changes.
Can we just make the Tea Party a formal 3rd party and get this shit over with?
jl
Pierce is a little inaccurate, though. Will has been on this case for years. Just, like I said above, Will has never made his case in such detail or with such care before. Will joined the debate long ago, and has beat this drum, albeit softly and briefly, for years.
Maude
@? Martin:
The House is in recess. What a mess. They did pass the defense bill.
Litlebritdifrnt
@? Martin: No I didn’t, more fool me. Still think the tweet was cool though.
BruinKid
I don’t even… now the Ron Paul fans are claiming the entire Sandy Hook massacre was made up, and that the children aren’t really dead. I mean, how fucked up in the head……………..
Suffern ACE
I for one was always disappointed with the Nazi failure to put the concentration camps up for a referendum.
dmsilev
@? Martin: Well, he’s caught because of that “majority of the majority” thing that the GOP House imposes on itself. Passing a bill with a bunch of Democrats and a couple dozen Republicans, just a week or so before the elect-a-new-Speaker vote, he might as well cut his own throat. An actual strong leader would have found a different path, but that’s not John Boehner.
SatanicPanic
@jl: George Will is cribbing from Jonah Goldberg. That’s just pathetic.
Raven
Plan B vote postponed.
Comrade Jake
All these media folks in my Twitter feed are acting like it’s some major fucking coup for CNN to have stolen Jake Tapper from ABC. Why the heck do these people think Jake Tapper is any fucking good?
jl
Johnny Bones and House GOP caucus is the Mayan apocalypse?
The Inca are correct, this Mayan calendar thingee is second rate BS.
I didn’t even get a lousy T-shirt.
Litlebritdifrnt
Saw a cartoon today, it was one Mayan to another “hey the taquila is ready you want some” second Mayan “well I really have to finish this calendar but if I don’t it’s not going to be the end of the world”. I LOL’D
Omnes Omnibus
@Litlebritdifrnt: I had that on my FB page yesterday. Tres funny.
Patricia Kayden
If you can stand it, you should read Will’s entire article. Quite ridiculous. Pretty much equates Holder’s argument that registering to vote should be automatic to Nazism.
WOW.
But not surprising. I’m sure Will is still having nightmares about Romneybot’s loss on November 6th. Wasn’t he one of the Rightwing nutters who predicted a Romneybot landslide? Poor thing.
scottinnj
Plan B won’t come to a vote in the House.
And with that, who is the next Speaker?
http://www.businessinsider.com/boehner-plan-b-vote-fiscal-cliff-obama-taxes-cuts-2012-12
the Conster
@Raven:
Boehner’s so fucked now, he may as well start wearing his underpants on the outside.
dmsilev
@scottinnj: From that link, Boehner’s statement:
Temper tantrums are mildly cute coming from three year olds. From the Speaker of the House, not so much.
Mike in NC
@Patricia Kayden:
“The Odds Against Obama: Why History and Logic Make the President a Likely Loser” was an actual book published in August by wingnut imbecile Michael Medved. I don’t think he’s come out with an expression of embarrassment yet. He makes Jonah Goldberg look like an intellectual.
Fluke bucket
@Comrade Jake: nobody loves Jake Tapper as much as Jake Tapper.
Villago Delenda Est
@Fluke bucket:
Jake Tapper is an insect who needs to be stepped on. Repeatedly, to make sure.
Villago Delenda Est
Oh, this one is easy. Dipshits like George Fucking Will need to be in the KZs.
Uncle Cosmo
@Fluke bucket: Jock Shtupper drove his clown car from one whorehouse to another? Alert the media!…oh, wait…
JCT
@Villago Delenda Est: Great imagery!
The Republic of Stupidity
@Bob In Portland:
No… just the owners… probably can’t stand the actual game or the players…
And that’s got to be one of the worst comb overs imaginable in that picture over at Chas’ column… why do they ever bother? Just admit yer hair gone and get over it, George…