In addition to being a Pulitzer-prize winning novelist, Jane Smiley is a Fulbright scholar and a professor. One would like to think such a highly credentialed American would be capable of clearer thinking and better research, but alas no. When it comes to politics Prof. Smiley is unhinged. After the Democrats’ loss in 2004 she published one of the ripest attacks on all Americans who failed to agree with her superior knowledge. In her view, any American who voted Republican is either immoral, greedy, or ignorant.I say forget introspection. It’s time to be honest about our antagonists. My predecessors in this conversation are thoughtful men, and I honor their ideas, but let’s try something else. I grew up in Missouri and most of my family voted for Bush,* so I am going to be the one to say it: The election results reflect the decision of the right wing to cultivate and exploit ignorance in the citizenry. I suppose the good news is that 55 million Americans have evaded the ignorance-inducing machine. But 58 million have not. (Well, almost 58 million—my relatives are not ignorant, they are just greedy and full of classic Republican feelings of superiority.)...
The reason the Democrats have lost five of the last seven presidential elections is simple: A generation ago, the big capitalists, who have no morals, as we know, decided to make use of the religious right in their class war against the middle class and against the regulations that were protecting those whom they considered to be their rightful prey—workers and consumers.
Why Americans Hate Democrats—A Dialogue: The unteachable ignorance of the red states. |
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Written By:
huxley
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Oh, and don’t forget the "bloodlust." Of course, if Ms Smiley were really worried about physical harm, say like she could expect for drawing a few Mohammed cartoons, then she would probably write fewer screeds like these. |
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Written By:
SDN
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liberals are not some monolithic presence anyone can take some small example and present the mainstream like so. should the westburo church and rush be representive of the entire right wing? |
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Written By:
SLNTAX
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Why? Because there in all its glory you can see the vacuous reasoning of the left proudly displayed. that, and Erb just gets boring after a while |
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Written By:
Joel C.
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SLNTAX — I don’t think liberals are a monolithic presence. (For that matter, I consider myself a liberal in the classic sense.) However, the left-progressive side, which I think is a better term for Smiley et al, does strike me overall as a good deal more immoderate these days than the right-conservative side.
As the saying goes, conservatives think liberals are wrong; liberals think conservatives are evil. I really don’t hear much of the sort of ad hominem ranting Smiley does here from conservatives. And Smiley is not atypical. From Daily Kos commenters on up to liberal congressmen ("get their heads blown off for Bush’s amusement"), you can find this stuff. I wish it were otherwise. |
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Written By:
huxley
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The reason the Democrats have lost five of the last seven presidential elections is simple: A generation ago, the big capitalists, who have no morals, as we know, decided to make use of the religious right in their class war against the middle class and against the regulations that were protecting those whom they considered to be their rightful prey—workers and consumers. Does the entire religious right consist of Dobson and Robertson now that Falwell died?
What class does she think most of the religious right belongs to?
Does she think that income showers down onto the religious right like manna?
Does she think that all their stuff just grows up out of the floor of their houses when they pray for it? |
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Written By:
Terry
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However, I am fairly sure in my own mind that Karl Rove paid him to write that post. Slightly off topic, but I hope the good folks at QandO don’t mind if I take the opportunity to point out: Rove.......STILL not indicted.
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Written By:
shark
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"In addition to being a Pulitzer-prize winning novelist, Jane Smiley is a Fulbright scholar and a professor."
Gee, it sounds like she is almost as unimpeachably well qualified as Juan Cole. A professor AND a Fulbright scholar. To quote Christopher Walken, "Wowee!".
"my relatives are not ignorant, they are just greedy and full of classic Republican feelings of superiority"
Man, I just love the irony in that statement. |
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Written By:
timactual
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I’ve had the misfortunate of meeting Jane Smiley. She’s an idiot and one of the most inconsiderate, arrogant jerks I’ve ever met. |
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Written By:
Troy Camplin
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You just can’t find this sort of mutton-headed silliness in newspapers. Oh, I beg to differ. |
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Written By:
Achillea
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