# The Decline of the Angry Left **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [February 3, 2008, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-decline-of-the-angry-left/436128 "2008-02-03T20:20:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2008, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-decline-of-the-angry-left/436128/61 "2008-02-06T00:26:51Z")
[QUOTE=Sam Stone] Are you blind? In the VERY NEXT SENTENCE I said, {ignorant partisan nonsense} Jesus. At least read my messages before you fly off the handle, will you? [/QUOTE] Did it ever occur to you that you thereby did exactly the same thing you claim to deplore _twice_? :rolleyes: No? A question for the group: We all know what the _tu quoque_ fallacy is. What is the term for accusing “them” of something, then trying to keep it from looking like simple bashing by hastily (and patently insincerely) adding “we do it ourselves sometimes too”? Would that be a _me quoque_? Or will “bullshit” do? ---
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2008, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-decline-of-the-angry-left/436128/62 "2008-02-06T01:18:39Z")
They haven’t declined. Anger just isn’t the strategy any more. My own speculation is the Dems whipped up incredible anger and despair in the rank and file so their next candidate could come along and vague promises of “hope” and “change” would seem like a chance at deliverance from their self-created hell. I thought that would be Hillary. It’s Obama instead. If anger is seen as a more effective strategy under whatever circumstances might arise, it’ll be back. [QUOTE=vibrotronica] The Right: You’re a bunch of traitors. The Left: Fuck you! The Right: When will the left learn to get over their anger and just go along with everything we say? [/QUOTE] Allow me to correct your dialog, including one tiny thing you forgot that preceded your first line. The Left: Bush wasn’t elected! He stole the election! He’s not OUR president! Vote fraud! 9/11 was our fault! 9/11 was Bush’s fault! Non-ratification of Kyoto was Bush’s fault! Why’d the 9/11 hijackers hit a liberal city? They should have killed conservatives instead! The Right: We’ve all been attacked! This is unprecedented! Support your country! The Left: We’re the TRUE patriots, Jefferson said so! Even if Jefferson didn’t say so, it’s still true! You’re warmongers, you want to shed blood of soldiers and brown people for oil, Bush is a Nazi! Bush is a chimp, a dry drunk, paying Saddam back for trying to kill his daddy! Bush lied, people died! Abu Ghraib is the reinstatement of Saddam’s torture chambers, a Koran in a toilet is what the Nazis would do, even if “Koran in a toilet” is fake, it’s accurate, etc., etc., ad nauseam. The Right: You’re a bunch of traitors! The Left: Fuck you! The Right: (little further response due to disgust at insane ranting) ---
**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2008, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-decline-of-the-angry-left/436128/63 "2008-02-06T01:19:43Z")
[QUOTE=jayjay] Yeah, that was a little over the top. I was pushing back against someone actually calling a progressive blog a hatemonger, though, so a bit of irrational exuberance was called for. [/QUOTE] Hey, I’m collateral damage here. I was just paraphrasing the article in the OP, the one that continually refers to that blog as ‘Kossacks’. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2008, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-decline-of-the-angry-left/436128/64 "2008-02-06T02:03:29Z")
[QUOTE=ElvisL1ves] …Would that be a _me quoque_? Or will “bullshit” do? [/QUOTE] New _Quoque_ ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2008, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-decline-of-the-angry-left/436128/65 "2008-02-06T02:57:43Z")
[QUOTE=rowrrbazzle] They haven’t declined. Anger just isn’t the strategy any more. My own speculation is the Dems whipped up incredible anger and despair in the rank and file so their next candidate could come along and vague promises of “hope” and “change” would seem like a chance at deliverance from their self-created hell. I thought that would be Hillary. It’s Obama instead. If anger is seen as a more effective strategy under whatever circumstances might arise, it’ll be back. Allow me to correct your dialog, including one tiny thing you forgot that preceded your first line. The Left: Bush wasn’t elected! He stole the election! He’s not OUR president! Vote fraud! 9/11 was our fault! 9/11 was Bush’s fault! Non-ratification of Kyoto was Bush’s fault! Why’d the 9/11 hijackers hit a liberal city? They should have killed conservatives instead! The Right: We’ve all been attacked! This is unprecedented! Support your country! The Left: We’re the TRUE patriots, Jefferson said so! Even if Jefferson didn’t say so, it’s still true! You’re warmongers, you want to shed blood of soldiers and brown people for oil, Bush is a Nazi! Bush is a chimp, a dry drunk, paying Saddam back for trying to kill his daddy! Bush lied, people died! Abu Ghraib is the reinstatement of Saddam’s torture chambers, a Koran in a toilet is what the Nazis would do, even if “Koran in a toilet” is fake, it’s accurate, etc., etc., ad nauseam. The Right: You’re a bunch of traitors! The Left: Fuck you! The Right: (little further response due to disgust at insane ranting) [/QUOTE] The lovely thing about this post is either side of the debate can take it as proof that they are correct. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2008, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-decline-of-the-angry-left/436128/66 "2008-02-06T02:59:24Z")
[QUOTE=elucidator] New _Quoque_ [/QUOTE] Two quoque. ---
**Author:** ![Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8edcca/32.png) [@Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hentor_the_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2008, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-decline-of-the-angry-left/436128/67 "2008-02-06T03:18:11Z")
[QUOTE=rowrrbazzle] The Right: (little further response due to disgust at insane ranting) [/QUOTE] :rolleyes: Yeah, conservatives just hate insane ranting. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2008, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-decline-of-the-angry-left/436128/68 "2008-02-06T03:19:30Z")
[QUOTE=Hentor the Barbarian] :rolleyes: Yeah, conservatives just hate insane ranting. [/QUOTE] Well, that’s why they so completely reject Ann Coulter and Michael Savage… ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2008, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-decline-of-the-angry-left/436128/69 "2008-02-06T03:26:15Z")
Ann Coulter is merely twisted, Savage is as crazy as a duck on acid. ---
**Author:** ![Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8edcca/32.png) [@Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hentor_the_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2008, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-decline-of-the-angry-left/436128/70 "2008-02-06T14:06:28Z")
[QUOTE=jayjay] Well, that’s why they so completely reject Ann Coulter and Michael Savage… [/QUOTE] They’ve made an entire industry out of insane ranting. Talk radio became cluttered with insane ranting. Book after book parades across the bookstore shelves filled with insane ranting. They’ve created a news network based on insane ranting. It has come to appear that insane ranting is the conservative’s raison d’etre. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-decline-of-the-angry-left/436128.md?page=3)