Rick Moran Interviews Rick Moran
Rick Moran is noticing an odd pattern in political discourse.
Rick Moran is mad as hell and isn’t going to take it any more. Well, at least not for a few days.
Why’s he so mad? Well, apparently, he’s been reading on the Internets and the Twitters:
Jesus lord God I get nauseated reading this crap. And in my two jobs, I have to read it all the time. Comments, articles, emails – it never stops. Conspiracies, falsehoods, batshit crazy observations, wildly off base dot connecting, Cloward-Piven, Rules for Radicals — a never ending flood of idiocy, illogic, unreasoning hatred, and just plain ignorance from people who tell me I am insufficiently passionate in my opposition to Obama and the liberals and am therefore on their side.
It’s like the previous 8 years of putting up with the exact same crap from liberals about George Bush never happened.
The. Exact. Same. Crap.
Thankfully, my reaction to this is bemusement rather than nausea.
I disagree with Rick a hell of a lot more than I agree, but I read his site because it’s obvious he’s not a hack. To bad that there isn’t much of a place for that on the Right these days. Instead we will we hear more insightful columns from the “thought” leaders on the Right on how Obama is just like Hitler…just without the whole taking over the world ambitions and genocide things.
Rick is spot-on here.
Obama Derangement Syndrome is the Republican step-child of Bush Derangement Syndrome, which was arguably fathered by Clinton Derangement Syndrome.
I’ve lived through two Presidents whose opponents were telling me were going to “destroy America” and “take away my freedom” and, while I have strong opinions about many things that both Bush and Clinton did wrong, I think America came out of their Presidencies in relatively fine shape.
I suspect it will be the same in 2013 or 2017 when Obama leaves office.
“I think America came out of their Presidencies in relatively fine shape.” Relative to what? A train wreck?
@Grampagravy…why don’t you tell us what’s so wrong with America? I’m 32 and I am always infuriated when older generations bash what is going on in the world today or trends that they believe they see occurring. I think you’ll find that statistically things have gotten better for the country as a whole since the dark days of the 60’s and 70’s. Want to know a few peaks for the benchmarks of a crap society? Drug use – peaked in the late 70’s, abortion – late 70’s, divorce – early 80’s, murder rates – early 90’s, crime – 80’s, smoking – 70’s… and on and on it goes. http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/index.htm
It seems to me that if we were to look at the data the US was “teh suck” (http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=teh+suck) about 30 years ago. We are fatter now, but it is thanks to Generation “Teh Suck” and the fantastic processed foods, corn syrups, and subsidizing started in the 60’s and 70’s.
And if you are a little older – part of “America’s Greatest Generation” – thanks for nothing for raising this collection of poptart making, non-filter loving, divorce-solves-my-problems, marijuana dabbling, Shag carpet, gold chain, “abortion is my right”, multipurpose stadium, astroturf AssHats.
In fact, it is a tribute to America that we were able to shake this generation off and move forward.
Rick,
Is this a desperate attempt to apply for the job of “faux conservative” at the Washington Post?
Perhaps you should submit the last two or three (hundred) articles you’ve written that reinforce the left wing’s views so that you will stand out among the Obama-voting conservatives.
We’re all rooting for you. No one wants to see a liberal get the job.
John P.,
“why don’t you tell us what’s so wrong with America? ”
Try millions losing their jobs, millions losing their homes, sky rocketing national debt, millions lacking health care from a broken system that costs more and produces less than the health care systems in any other industrialized country, a disappearing middle class, and an over abundance of 32 year-olds who think rants and name-calling are preferable to civil discourse.
Although I suspect he has mis-interpreted Grandpagravy’s comment, I want to identify myself with the thrust of Tupelo’s crazy rant.
He’s right: my generation (b. 1954) moved the ball forward on a lot of fronts, and obviously the preceding “greatest” generation saved the world from Naziism, but in the process we jointly bankrupted our kids and grand-kids, and possibly their grand-kids. We’re also handing off a stupid political environment where it seems no one can solve any serious problem.
All of which is really pretty uncool of the “Greatest Generation” and “The Cool Generation.”
Hey kids, here’s your debt, here’s my medical bills for you to pay, here’s a bottomless well of partisan imbecility, and by the way: your music sucks!
The world is always full of trends that if left unabated will destroy us. They tend to be abated though (or at least diluted), leaving us to worry about the next trend.
@Michael – The rant was certainly out of character for me and yes, I was overly dramatic, but the notion that Grandpa is pushing is really not backed up by facts. All generations are marked by various problems, some are better than others. You’re going to have a hard time convincing me that our country is not better off now than we were in 1979 or 1965.
@Grampa – really? You’re going to pull out unemployment in 2010? http://www.miseryindex.us/urbyyear.asp. See 1983, 1984, 1975, 1976, 1977.
And if you’d like to play the respect card I suggest you learn to give a little before you begin firing off opening salvos of “our country is crap”.
@Michael – re music: “mainstream music sucks”. I agree without exception, but the great thing about the internet is that you don’t have to be mainstream to get your talent out there. May I suggest the following for your downloading pleasure:
The Black Keys
Ryan Adams
Josh Rouse
Ray Lamontagne
The Foo Fighters
Radiohead
The Avett Brothers
Jack Johnson
Wilco
David Gray
Gaslight Anthem
Weezer
The Killers
My Morning Jacket
Kings of Leon
I’m out of breath. Youtube them all and have a ball.
Tupelo:
Dude, I was kidding about the music.
In addition to absolutely endorsing Jack Johnson, Weezer, Foo Fighters (out there fighting Foo) and the Black Keys, I would add Green Day, Eminem, Lady Gaga, Pink, Hollywood Undead, NIN, White Stripes and the entire Rancid universe.
I write for teenagers. I do what I can to save from Bieberhood.
Mr. Moran appears to have supreme confidence that his logic, his positions, and his insights best everyone elses wherever posted, for instance:
1) The Constitution is outdated and does not reflect what the nation should have today. There is, however, no proposal for changes available for inspection, and the whole idea is terribly flawed by some hazy references to a “different America”. Are we to enshrine the moral degredations and political corruptions of late in a new Constitution, or is it merely that we need to rewrite some sections using modern idiom, yet retaining the thrust of the original?
2) The way forward is through greater secularism or secular humanism or humanism–it gets vague about here. A major tenet of the Humanist movement is that of internationalism, somehow discovering how to transform the UN into a respectable thing, or creating a new one, all of which is Utopian thinking. One might just as well believe in God.
To put one’s faith in true Internationalism has several flaws: it speaks of a higher political allegiance than to the US; it requires an atheistic outlook, and it boosts the erosion of our sovereignty, as well as being highly tinged with Utopianism and hubris, not to exclude the negative impact that some 200 ammoral and immoral nations, their cultures, and their leaders have and would continue to have on a possible and sensible world government.
3) One must be mad to give Rush or Glenn credit for anything, says Moran, save an entertaining show or two, yet those two “entertainers” have put forth far more cogent conservative ideas and opinions that make sense than has Moran, in my opinion, of course.
4) We now find Moran posting mostly on other blogs while copying the posts to his own blog. But, of course, his comments section has been closed for some time now. This is not a stand-up act, since he is avoiding being taken to task for his opinions by some fairly smart people in his readership, which he seems to hate with a passion. Then, too, it is quite noticeable that his posting style is far different when on PJM, OTB or AT, or his newest “home” The Moderate Voice, than when he posts on RWN in his own manner. So, there are at least two rather different Morans, one that is more sober on big blogs and the other on his own, more freewheeling personal blog.
5) Another hot button of Moran’s is the rightist tendency to create litmus tests for inclusion in the ranks, such as for anti-abortion or pro life, and for anti same-sex marriage, both of which are driven by the religious beliefs of the Christian majority. These issues wil not simply die out from inattention, but I can agree that there must be a bigger tent for the right to succeed to office. One of the first issues the next conservative administration and congress will take up, I suggest, is repeal of RvW.
6) Two final things: Moran is a fine writer and has a wide range of interests, which has kept me reading him; and, as a filip, he long ago decided that my opinions were not worth responding to, which is his right, and it didn’t deter me from commenting anyway!
I do what I can to save from Bieberhood.
Amen to that, brother.