We all know that Bill Kristol's column in the NY Times is basically a waste of space. He probably has one of the worst track records when it comes to, well, being right about anything. He's probably only been outdone by Dick Morris in that regard. However, I think one of the positive aspects of his column happens to be the comments section.
While reading the article yesterday, I wasn't sure if Kristol was going for self-parody or whether he actually believes half the crap he writes. He did everything from floating the idea that "America is a center-right country" to what I think was an attempt to actually acknowledge Obama's political talent with a long meandering ramble about the future First Dog. He ended with these words of wisdom.
So Obama will be formidable. But conservatives should welcome the challenge. It’s good for conservatism that conservatives will have to develop refreshed ideas and regenerated political skills to succeed in the age of Obama.
And it wouldn’t hurt for Governors Sarah Palin, Mitch Daniels, Bobby Jindal and the other possible 2012 G.O.P. nominees to begin bringing some puppies home for their kids.
I then discovered the comments section. Hilarious.
Platitudes are best served lost in space.
— Dan, Flagstaff
Mr. Kristol-
Even though you have been dead wrong on every single one of your predictions for the last few years, I see you're still trying to be Nostradamus. Today you're predicting a good time for conservatives, less than a week after Obama completed W's destruction of the Republican Party. I'm betting it's going to be a bad two years for conservatives leading up to another losing election and two worse years after that.
You can take that to the bank. If you can find one that's still open.
Kurt
— Kurt, Atlanta
This next one is probably my favorite.
If the GOP wants to win elections they should stop trying to out-puppy Barack Obama and come up with some policy proposals that make the slightest bit of sense. Tito the builder, drill baby drill, Bill Ayers, no time to experiment with socialism, and not knowing if Africa is a country or a continent lost Republicans this election. Maybe Obama will be good for conservatives by improving the country they're in?
— Alex, New York
Actually, I'd like to echo/paraphrase another commenter's recent observation: there is value in having Kristol's column in the Times.
Reading the column? Not so much. Well, actually, not at all.
Reading the comments? Absolutely.
Normally, if one happens upon Kristol or his ilk - mostly by accident - while channel surfing, all one can do is yell one's disgust, alone, at an inanimate object.
At least when one reads Kristol's column here, there is the chance to join a larger community of like minded souls, expressing their disgust, en masse - and the feedback at least lets one know that their outrage is shared by others.
In case you haven't had the pleasure, or don't quite know what I mean, please check out Nora Ephron's recent blog about Kriston on Huffington Post:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com...
Maybe the Times should renew his contract, after all. There is a silver lining.
— NR, Tenafly
If Obama's a mutt then Kristol is a poodle. Who just got put in his place at the dog park, by a mutt.That silly poodle is still looking down its nose at the mutt. If it doesn't mind its manners, it's going to wind up at the vet, getting stitches. The condescension of this little piece is staggering.
We don't need you to tell us that Barack Obama is "formidable."
— fzdybel, Portland, OR
"(If one were being churlish, one might say that it was typical of a liberal to promise the dog before delivering it. A results-oriented conservative would simply have shown up with the puppy without the advance hype.)"
No. A conservative would have unfurled a banner declaring "Puppy Mission Accomplished." Shortly thereafter, it would be revealed that the puppy was actually a cat and it had been run down by a car and replaced by a stuffed lion that had been made in China out of dangerously inflammable materials.
— Jack Cade, London, U.K.
After her performance in this campaign, the electorate will never care about Sarah Palin's puppies ever again. What kind of puppies would a rabid attack dog have anyway but more rabid attack dogs. It's time for Conservatives to stop listening to poeple like you Bill. The country will be better off with a healthy Republican party going forward and you put yourself on a slow boat to nowhere with your terrible advice in the last stages of this campaign. Your days as a culture warrior are over. If I were you, I'd be afraid to go near anything that could bite, furry little puppies included.
— Andrew Hyra, Los Angeles
Aw geez, not another column with the "America is still a center-right nation" meme. . .
Talk about conservative comfort food. Not once does it occur to any of these right-wing pundits that "liberal" has become a smear word after so many years of hard-right rhetoric on the radio waves and Fox News personalities saying that word with a sneer on the face.
So no wonder people don't report themselves as "liberal" That would like saying they like drowning kittens!
On the other hand, WHEN YOU POLL ABOUT POLICIES, you will see just exactly how amenable Americans are to a "center-left" agenda in 2008.
People, let's not allow the right to twist the argument with their faulty logic. Obama won, but we must remain vigilant!!
— dan_roble, NYC
Only a conservative like Kristol could turn a puppy into pure political kitsch. Sometimes a puppy is just a puppy.
— Chris, Mpls, MN
And those are just a few. There are some more real gems in there. It really gave me a reason to actually see the bright side to the fact that Bill Kristol gets paid to be an idiot.
The conservatives can't seem to let go of the "center-right country" idea and I think they're going to stick with it as long as they can. I think they figure that if they say it enough, it'll come true. It's the equivalent of sticking their fingers in their ears and going lalalalala. They never cease to amaze me. Bush had a "clear mandate" when he won by 2% in the popular vote, with 286 electoral votes. Obama with a 6% popular vote margin and 365 electoral votes? Not so much.
After accusing Obama of being a socialist, they've now turned to arguing that the country only voted for him because he ran as a centrist.
I highly recommend reading the responses to Kristol in the comments. It made me laugh out loud.