Behind The Music - "Karl Rove Can Suck It"

The problem is, I brought it on myself.

So, here's how things denigrated to the point of no return, and what I did to help cause it.  I'm pretty proud of the post, itself, so maybe, someday, the post can be taken for what it's worth.

I wrote the post as the continuation of a thought I left over at Rusty's, in which I disagreed with his conclusion, but not his premise.  In the comment, I mentioned that I thought this was an opportunity for Democrats to stand on their principals, the way that Republicans do so well, and refuse to back down.  The Dick Durbin incident was a perfect time for us to do it as well, and I think that "we" were in the sense that most of the liberal blogs were supportive of Durbin's comments.  Unfortunately, Durbin wasn't working from the same playbook, and his apology, to me, served only to save his political hide from what he viewed as the imminent onslaught.  He, like most of us Democrats, hadn't learned what the Republicans have: Americans, by and large, don't care about this shit. So, refusing to back down isn't really all that bad for you, because it will all blow over anyway, and you look like someone who stands by the courage of your convictions.

So, in light of that, and then Karl Rove's comments, I thought I'd try to point out that we were in a moment in time where just simply fighting back might just be good enough. Also, I got to work in a reference to "The Outsiders", so the post was obviously a mistake.

What I did next was probably where I made my mistake.

I've mentioned before that I kinda like Wizbang. As Conservative blogs go, they are the less shrill and more entertaining than most, so I those guys fairly regularly.  Sometimes I comment on what they've written here, which can lead to good exchanges like the one I had with Jay Tea last week on torture.

About once a week, they do a feature called "Carnival of the Trackbacks" in which they allow readers to track back to that post with any of their own posts that they want to draw attention to, and then the link gets posted on the front page of their blog, in that post.  I've participated from time to time, but this time I think I had a little bit of a different motive in line.

I was doing a little troll-fishing.

I'm not sure why, except to say that I was just in a fun, sort of combative mood, and was pretty sure that putting up a link to a post titled "Karl Rove Can Suck It" on a conservative blog was sure to get some attention.  Attention it got.  And before long, we had "Bullwinkle" in our midst.

I can't say that I think Bullwinkle had much constructive to say, and most times I would have ignored it, but my inner-child wanted to rumble, and with a few of you readers, I egged on the conversation to something that wasn't as civil as I normally like to keep things.  I pride myself and have been complimented on this blog being able to, when situations require, for me to give credit to those I disagree with and to have civil discussions with the few conservatives who happen to wander by and want to chat.  I failed in this instance.

I had a conversation with my dad a few months ago in which I talked to him about the way the nature of my blog has changed slightly over the past 6 months or so.  More and more, people come to my blog to be informed about things they wouldn't have found out about otherwise and not just to be dazzled by my intellect (of which I have a truly dizzying one).  Because of this, I've become more conscious of making sure that I'm informed enough to speak to a subject before I write about it or link to it.  I'm subscribing more and more to the "You link to it, you own it" philosophy of blogging.  These words are here forever, and I have to live with what I write for the rest of my life.

Likewise, I've become more conscious about being the integrity of the voice from this blog.  This doesn't mean I can be ribald or use language that wouldn't befit the dinner table, but it does mean that I am responsible for the tone with which I engage my readers and commenters.  I feel like I've done a good job with that, up to this point, but when I engage in silliness like I did with Bullwinkle this weekend, I do damage to the voice that I've worked hard to build up.

So, let me explain... no, there's too much... Let me sum up: I stand by the initial post, I apologize for engaging in silliness.  Sorry for the navel-gazing nature of this post, but it was important for me to have this post on the blog for posterity's sake.

Comments

[Mark]

So is it fair to say that you have a "Rocky" relationship with Bullwinkle??? Sorry sorry sorry....couldn't resist.

[alley rat]

damn! i've missed a lot while moving/having no internet/working.

read the thread- i generally agree that trolls should not be responded to, but i've done it myself and, well, sometimes it's just FUN. so it's not what you want for your blog. that's cool; you probably won't do it again. sure, it wasn't productive, but then every time a "thinker" like bullwinkle leaves a comment on a blog like this - full of hate and meanness- it makes its own sort of point, you know?

whatev, we still love you.

[Megarita]

I think you're a terrifically moderate host, Dylan. A few wild punches here and there are just fine given your track record. And it's hard not to beat up on such an easy target. You're cool, fear not.

[Lori]

Yeah, you're cool. There have been many times that I've sat by, amazed at the restraint you've shown to idiots who I probably would have blasted. They make it so easy. So, everyone is entitled to a little "bait and bash" (though I can't say that was what you did, and it CERTAINLY wasn't your motive).

I will probably prove myself terribly unhip by admitting this, but I lost interest at the first mention of the word "cocksmanship." Yeah, it's a funny word. But....pul-lease. I've grown so impatient with mens' obsession with their parts. And the blustery, chest-pounding maleness of the word....yawn.

That is all.

[Dylan]

Yeah, but I kinda drew Rusty into that too... Like I said, I think I was itching for a fight, and Rusty was right there with me. It was an unfortunate downgrading of conversation, but I didn't really think too much about how far down it would go until it was too late.

Thanks for the kind words, all. I'm glad to know that others think that I'm fair and moderate most of the time.

[Rusty]

Got to disagree with you there Lori. Cocksmanship is a wonderful word.

[Amber]

I will probably prove myself terribly unhip by admitting this, but I lost interest at the first mention of the word "cocksmanship." Yeah, it's a funny word. But....pul-lease. I've grown so impatient with mens' obsession with their parts. And the blustery, chest-pounding maleness of the word....yawn.

Oh come on Lori. Woman to woman now... can't you detect a little irony, vs. actual chest-thumping?

[Dylan]

If I may allow myself to speak for Lori (and I think I will, ah-thank you very much), I kind of agree with her.

Knowing Lori as I do, I know here to be well aware of the nuance and irony. Her point that she stopped paying attention at the moment "cocksmanship" (which is a funny word, by the way)came up is exactly the point that I probably let the conversation devolve, as I mentioned in my post.

It's no big deal... Glad to have had this little "blogger's ethics" conversation on my blog.

[Amber]

I just think cocksmanship is a great word. That is all.

[Lori]

Yes, I understand irony. I like irony. Irony is my friend.

Here's the deal: As my amount of available time decreases, my intolerance for doltishness increases. The problem I have with speaking to most arch-conservatives is that when they run out of well-thought out arguments, which is often quickly, they go straight into ridiculous, outrageous, bizarre, rude attacks. That's what, not surprisingly, Bullwinkle did.

My point is that I lost interest at the mention of the word cocksmanship because for me it was the "oh here we go" point that said "this will go nowhere good" and no where that I'm interested in going. For some it was when the conversation got interesting. For me it was when the conversation got silly.

It's ok if you like the word cocksmanship. But I just don't. I don't like the word "milk" either. If you say it over and over again, it sounds like a cat throwing up.