Comments on: Jeralyn Takes Jackson Browne Lyrics Out of Context to Slam Obama

By: jane

jane — Mon, 19 May 2008 02:27:05 +0000

Nicolette died of cerebral edema following massive liver failure–what is this about breast cancer?

By: Chuck

Chuck — Wed, 14 May 2008 04:01:50 +0000

That Jackson Browne song is amazing – another courageous piece of art searching for meaning in this world. You can’t really say the same for pundits who misuse and twist something for their own purposes.

By: Mark

Mark — Tue, 13 May 2008 17:06:00 +0000

Even though you are hardly the first to ever say it, I have to disagree with this, in what is otherwise an outstanding post:
“Perverting the truth by ignoring context has always been a favorite tactic for the right, not the left.”
This has long been a tactic of opinion makers on both the left and the right – think LBJ’s “Daisy” ad, just about anything ever done by Michael Moore, or most of Al Sharpton’s career. Heck, even look at the way in which McCain’s 100 years comments have been taken out of context (not that I agree with McCain on the issue – I obviously don’t – but the remarks have been horribly misrepresented), or the way in which almost any tax break that reaches the upper income brackets along with other brackets is portrayed as a “tax cut for the rich,” even though the “rich” inherently pay more in taxes than anyone else to begin with, so of course they will have their taxes reduced by the most amount in gross terms in any conceivable across-the-board tax cut. Or, to use an issue more near and dear to my heart, but of less prominence, there is the way in which the writings of Ayn Rand are taken out of context in a way that completely misses her point.

This isn’t to say that the political Right isn’t equally bad – they are. But ignorance of facts isn’t a left or right issue – it’s an issue of degree of partisanship. And there are studies to back this up, which show how partisans of any type are equally willing to rationalize facts that are inconsistent with their partisan identity; indeed, these studies show that partisans actually experience a feeling of bliss or ecstasy when they find a way to disregard are fact that directly undermines their belief system.

Ultimately, what Obama stands for, or at least tries to stand for, is a blow to this kind of thinking. This is why he has such appeal to independents; for that matter, it is also part of the reason why McCain has historically appealed to independents.

By: Pug

Pug — Tue, 13 May 2008 13:17:07 +0000

This woman is an attorney to whom intellectual dishonesty and shameful distortion such as this should be anathema.

You kidding? Intellectual dishonesty and shameful distortion are what attorneys do for a living.

By: lex

lex — Tue, 13 May 2008 11:53:56 +0000

Glad to finally find some common ground with you, Kathy.

By: tjproudamerican

tjproudamerican — Tue, 13 May 2008 08:51:47 +0000

As a separate note: that is a beautiful posting on the Jackson Brown song!

By: tjproudamerican

tjproudamerican — Tue, 13 May 2008 08:51:00 +0000

I like Jeralyn and Talk Left, but losing has driven her crazy.

And her comment section is hilarious.

Someone attacked Obama’s supporters saying we babyBoomers were idealistic but Obama’s supporters are “smug”.

Well…we babyboomers were smug. It comes with being devoted to a cause. Any group, vene the Rotary Club Luncheon, gets smug when it congratulates itself.

TalkLeft is a sad waste Politically. Jeralyn has a devoted cadre of anti-Obama supporters who thrill with every attack on Obama, but she gets almost NO TRAFFIC for her great and good work defending the concept of “Innocent until proven guilty” and other actual left & progressive ideas about crime, including getting rid of the Death Penalty and changing our stupid anti-Drug Laws.

By: Chief

Chief — Tue, 13 May 2008 04:42:27 +0000

“and the end of life, in which every one of us is completely alone.”

I have often thought of this as I make my peace with the inevitable end of life that will come someday. No matter how long we live with someone, in the end we are similar to two steel rails that trains run on. Parallel lives, so close together, yet never touching.

I do not know any of the people you commented on, haven’t heard of them, sorry.

The song is poignant..