Well, for one, he just made an NRO author look like a spoiled baby.
It looks like a PERSONAL ATTACK on Goldberg by someone who can't use reason to refute Goldberg's IDEAS. It isn't much different from what's happening to Sarah Palin, is it?
TomH-
What are Jonah's ideas? That liberalism=fascism? That Nazism was a left-wing movement?
This is ahistorical twaddle, and the fact that his dumb book is #1 doesn't say a whole lot for its intellectual integrity and soundness.
Sarah Palin has ideas?
Besides taking as much government money as possible while decrying government "socialism"?
Really?
It looks like a PERSONAL ATTACK on Goldberg
What's good for the goose, etc.
Haha, some years back someone on LiveJournal posted the entire "sting-op" he and accomplices staged with a Nigerian prince he'd been solicited by via email.
This guy (the Nigerian) wanted the usual, 150 million dollars blah blah blah, and so out of curiosity the dude (an English guy) wrote back, posing as a complete naif.
Long story short, after numerous emails, they had the Nigerian sending pics of himself stripped to the waist with a big orange "0" painted on his chest and belly, wearing a bizarre cobbled "hat" and holding a "staff" with weird symbols attached. They'd convinced him (the Nigerian) the "religion" he (the Englishman) was an adherent of required the observance of an elaborate little series of "ceremonies" before the money would be blessed enough to send.
Goldberg's the same type, the kind that keeps pushing til it breaks
This is ahistorical twaddle, and the fact that his dumb book is #1 doesn't say a whole lot for its intellectual integrity and soundness.
What #1 List? Under the right-wing religious fanatic section at Amazon? Using that as a baseline, a whole host of books could be said to hit number 1.
I've had a few back and forths with jonah after I've written to him about some stupid shit he's written. I've noticed that he will usually only respond back if you mention his mother, and then he gets very puerile and snotty and hurls some baby insult and belletrist-cally slams the door by saying something like "I'm through with you," which, interestingly, was exactly what Barabra Bush famously said to a reporter who asked her something she didn't like. Jonah is exquisitely sensitive about being seen as his mama's boy and frequently responds to those who bring it up by tearfully talking about his late father as if that was germane in any way to how he got his job.
Goldberg was an assistant to Ben Wattenberg for a part of the 1990s, so it seems inaccurate to say he had no background in writing or politics. He also wrote some PBS documentaries, including one with the memorably alliterative (if historically odd) title, "Gargoyles: Guardians of the Gate."
I like you Mr. Greenwald. But this thing of posting these emails when Mr. Goldberg clearly stated they were not for publication? Low. Very low.
It's when people start taking the low road that their credibility begins to slip.
I know my opinion doesn't matter a bit to you. But shame on you. Taking the low road to score a point and make people laugh.
This isn't a personal attack at all. When someone personally champions advancement on merit to attack any form of affirmative action, its perfectly legitimate to question whether that person advanced on merit or nepotism.
If someone makes a facially ridiculous assertion (Von Brunn's political views would be more at home at an ANSWER rally than a conservative rally), it is perfectly legitimate to say its ridiculous and put the burden on that person to justify their statement with some logical reasoning and/or evidence.
When that person responds with "its nonsense" then he has ceded the point in my mind.
Jonah never "answers his critics In Depth" because they don't merit an answer. Or he doesn't have the time. Or he hasn't actually studied the subject but his opinion is better than anyone elses'. Just Because.
What it all boils down to, The Hub of the Matter, when all is Said & Done:
He's really stupid, but he genuinely believes He is SMART. I bet he daydreams constantly about really impressing Plato and Aristotle, out-thinkingg Einstein, Brilliantly Persuading Thomas Jefferson, Churchill and of course Roosevelt to agree with his POV. No debates with someone who is actually *living*- we are beneath his notice.
All Hail the naked Emperor Doughy Loadpants!!
Nothing like starting a reply with the word "Yawn" to indicate the guy's insecure as hell. Which is one of the reasons I refer to his writing style as "passive-defensive."
The fact is, a dismally small proportion of adults in America buy books and fewer read books. So, for JG to have a "best selling" book is saying that even less than 100,000 books were sold. That's not a lot of people when you consider that there are 200 million Americans of reading age.
Personally, I know no one who has read that book, no one who owns that book and doubt that it will ever be used as a textbook or even assigned reading in a future college course.
Unlike my book. heh.
Kinda lame that this guy posted an e-mail intended for non-publication, apparently only for the purpose of demonstrating that Goldberg has a tool-ish writing style.
He also wrote some PBS documentaries, including one with the memorably alliterative (if historically odd) title, "Gargoyles: Guardians of the Gate."
I think I remember watching that one. I couldn't figure out why all the gargoyles had Hitler mustaches drawn on them with signs around their necks saying "LIBERAL".
Here's a review of Liberal Facism by conservative blogger Dennis the Peasant : http://dennisthepeasant.typepad....t/book_reviews/
Here's another review of Goldberg's book from American Conservative Magazine, entitled 'Goldberg's Trivial Pursuits':
http://amconmag.com/article/2008...8/jan/28/00028/
The short version: he thought Goldberg's book sucked, too.
As to the issue of Kurt publishing the email: saying your email is private doesn't mean anything. The desire for public figures to have off-the-record quotes is *granted* by the reporter, not dictated by the interviewee. Whether Kurt is a journalist or not, if Jonah Goldberg wants a private conversation then he should establish that and gain an agreement, not mouth off and a couple responses in toss a BTW.
frosh: "'I'm through with you,' which, interestingly, was exactly what Barabra Bush famously said to a reporter."
That was Al Franken on a commercial flight with Barbara Bush. He tells this very funny story in Lying Liars:
http://books.google.com/books?id...result&
resnum=7
I laughed a bit but I also got ticked off when I read this part:
"I'm one of the most widely syndicated columnists in America (some non-echo-chamber editors must take me seriously). And non-echo-chamber outlets like NPR and countless universities invite me to speak regularly."
The thing is, it's true, and by pointing it out G-berg lets us know that he's fully aware of the irony: a know-nothing propagandist still manages to make a career in punditry because the powers-that-be in the media are too craven to call him on his b.s. I stopped buying the NYTimes when they started publishing Bill Kristol (still haven't bought one til today) and I shure as schit wouldn't pay money for anything with Gberg's name on it.
Jonah underestimates the power of ghost writers or their influence in today's literature. Touting book sales, therefore, isn't an indication of how well one writes or holds to the views that appear in his/her name. We all know that, but Jonah probably thinks we don't which speaks even more to his intelligence, IMHO.
ann coulter is a best-selling author too, you know.
Im wondering if there is some international right-wing meme infection going on. I had almost the exact same exchange with a islamofobic Norwegian right wing guy a week ago. The same exact terms, and I was a good deal politer in my arguments.
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