Right-Wing Blogosphere Schism (Little Green Footballs "Parts Ways" With Right)

A sign of just how determined the hard-core right is to drive everyone else into the wilderness – Charles Johnson, head honcho of one of the major conservative blog sites, Little Green Footballs, has declared “Why I Parted Ways With The Right”:

Bets on how long before it’s just two of them trying to beat the other to the draw with a charge of “Heretic!”?

Put me down for twenty on “not soon enough.”

It had been my impression that LGF had already split with a lot of the Freeper-type crowd, so this doesn’t come as much of a surprise. I think it was really the WoT that spurred a lot of the LGF growth.

Or I could be completely wrong.

The comments are interesting as most of the ones using reason are making the point that they agree with most of what Charles Johnson wrote, however they claim also that opposing the items mentioned does not make one a leftist.
:dubious:

I must be a right winger then! :slight_smile:

Never read LGF before. It strikes me as a lot more moderate than Free Republic.

I do see a lot of comments boiling down to “The crazies have taken over the Right, but the Left is just as bad,” which I find a little disingenuous. Mind you, if Nancy Pelosi fell off a cliff, I wouldn’t weep for more than two seconds, but really, how many *ultra-*liberals do we have in positions of real power. Hint: the Al Sharptons and the Cindy Sheehans don’t count: they’re not elected and nobody in power listens to them. Can’t say the same for the Repub side of the aisle.

Four, five years back it was pretty wild. It slowly became more moderate.

Bernie Sanders, Dennis Kucinich, and . . . that’s about it, really. Not even most of the Congressional Progressive Caucus can fairly be described as “ultra-liberal.”

What does the blog title refer to?

Will there be a follow-up piece explaining “Why I waited until December 2009 to part ways with the right”?

-Joe

I see that a lot on a lot of sites, such as Digg. I guess they’ve realized they can’t defend their party’s actions, so the only thing left is to make the opposition look just as bad. That’s what bugs me so much about the Right, currently- doing the right thing isn’t as important as making the other side look wrong.

Really? I see it a lot on other sites, too. Like, um, this one.

-Joe

Except, of course, when the Republicans are in power, when anti-government protests become TREASON!

I’d cut the guy a little slack. Ideas can be like trench warfare sometimes. Every time you’re questioned, you want to be a little safer, dig in a little deeper. And it’s hard to examine your beliefs and the resulting company you keep when everyone is telling you to keep fighting.

To come out and admit it publicly is something I can respect. And if he can stand up for principled conservatism without the excesses he lists, I can respect that, too.

it would be really nice if the US had more than 2 parties. (and I mean viable parties that actually have enough of a following to be able to get into office). It seems like both parties are moving further away from the middle, which is a bummer to me. (opinion only, no cites)

Yeah, cause “both parties suck” is totally not a valid opinion to hold.

The falling out has been ongoing for some time now:

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2009_09/020047.php

The GOP is moving away from the middle but the Dems are moving towards it – or, at least, Obama is. That’s the view from the left, at any rate. See this interview.

“Both parties suck” may be a valid opinion to hold, but grousing about it on blogs and message boards is not a valid response. If you think that both parties suck, then you should pick whichever one you think sucks less, and try to reshape it into something that doesn’t suck.

Sorry, I’m not much of a joiner. I have my principles and ideas, and I vote accordingly. Generally speaking, I side with the conservatives more than liberals; but I’m not going to join the Republican party and I’m sure as hell not going to refrain from saying that Bush sucks just because I think Obama sucks more. That’s not being constructive, it’s being dishonest.

It’s almost always just an excuse to distract people from the issue at hand, as though one for one flaws cancel each other out. And I could buy it maybe 15 years ago that “both parties do it” or something, but there is such a ridiculous divide between the republicans and democrats currently in batshit craziness that it’s just flat out reality denial to follow up widespread right wing craziness with “uh, well, one guy on the left in 1978 said the same thing, so … gotcha! criticism averted!”