Trying Too Hard

I really hate to pick on right wing hero and war worshiper Jonah Goldberg any more than I really have to. It’s like picking on the defenseless fat kid in high school that even the girls kicked around—there’s really no fun in it anymore. But Jonah never ceases to amaze me in what he deems to be intellectual discourse and the high importance of his work. It’s just like the kid in high school who somehow just keeps putting himself back into the same situations where he’s just gonna keep getting picked on- did Jonah even go to high school, he seems like the home schooled type to me.

Yesterday, after yet again questioning Barack Obama’s patriotism in his USA Today column, The Jed Report picked up on the column and highlighted a few similar words Ronald Reagan had said in 1980. I wrote about all this yesterday too, which you can read below. Jonah defended himself quite eloquently by first calling on the pointlessness of who Jed even is and then called him a “yutz.” Not that it matters but unlike Jonah, Jed has actually worked in government and campaigns, but as expected no one is as important as Jonah. Jonah says that Reagan’s words are different because Reagan used the word “again” in his speech. Whatever that may mean, I sent Jonah a link to my post yesterday because The Corner doesn’t allow comments and I was curious to know what government Reagan ever shrunk while he was busy liberating mankind. Here’s Jonah’s response:

Sorry, I generally ignore traffic trolls who start off with sophomoric insults. Too bad you couldn't try harder not to play to type.

I couldn’t try harder? If I was worried about traffic the last thing I would do is have a blog. Nonetheless, I responded back.

“Yes I am such a traffic troll. Speaking of sophomoric insults, didn't you call Jed a "yutz?"

To which Jonah responded:

Sorry, that's how I took your email, since you clearly weren't interested in actually debating anything. Maybe you simply meant it in a "nyah nyah" sort of way. If so, my apologies I suppose.

As for calling your friend a yutz, it's one thing to start an argument with such hackneyed ad hominem and its another to respond in kind. I never took a vow of purity, turn the other cheek etc. I was merely responding to the yutz he manifestly made of himself.

Pause for a moment. I sent him a link to a post in which I plainly ask what government Reagan shrunk and I don’t want to debate anything? But this is how the right operates. Once they are questioned they tell you how unserious you are and how you clearly aren’t presenting them with anything to debate (after which they’ve already opened the door to name calling). Jonah is perfectly free to question everyone else’s patriotism but any questioning of him is “clearly” not worth his time. Just like with Jed, I’m some vague blogging troll with sophomoric “nyah nyah” questions. I’m disturbing his little world filled with Reagan monuments and circle jerkers who actually believe Reagan shrunk government.

ME- “So it's okay to be nyah nyah but not hackneyed? Interesting. I do thank you for your time; I realize you are busy and how I'm not interested in debating anything is beyond me. In the link I emailed you I write plenty to debate. I'm sorry for not being important enough to garner any more of your time. I understand we probably wouldn't agree on much but certainly being important enough is understandable in terms why I would entitle a post the way that I did.

But again thanks for the replies.”

Jonah- “Again, I owe you more of my time....why?

And, lest you think you've broken new ground, the Reagan-didn't-shrink-anything argument was old when Jonathan Chait was in grade school. It has its merits and it deficiencies, but it's hardly a gotchya argument.

I think we're done.

Have a great day.
Jonah Goldberg

It goes on a little bit longer but “clearly” I’m not important enough for Jonah. That’s okay at least my mom never had to get me a job. Typical, though, is what it takes to prove Jonah wrong: breaking new ground. Yes, that’s right. The mere fact that Reagan actually didn’t shrink government, or the fact that the government shrunk more under Clinton than Reagan, isn’t new ground. Therefore, its merits are deficient and its luster is lost in history somewhere. It’s really not facts the Jonah Goldberg’s of the world care about. It’s being able to sit in their comfy armchair and think that Ronald Reagan actually shrunk government and that George Bush is a popular president. Anyone who may question this is “clearly” not serious or important enough to warrant any response whatsoever. And the only logical argument that can be made to prove Jonah’s Fantasy World wrong is one that breaks new ground. How can one possibly break new ground on the fact that Reagan didn’t shrink government? And since when did any argument that is “clearly” fictional such as Reagan shrunk the government, need to be refuted by groundbreaking evidence?

This is the modern right wing. And clearly Jonah is one of its leaders.