Humility Has To Be More Than Just A Talking Point
Humility Has To Be More Than Just A Talking Point
Our guest blogger is New York State Gov. Eliot Spitzer.
This morning, I delivered a speech at the Chautauqua Institution in which I reflected on my first seven months as Governor of New York and outlined a type of politics that I believe we need in order to change the status quo in New York and in our country.
– First, it is my core belief that without passion and conviction in politics we are doomed to fail.
– And second, there are serious risks that occur when those same qualities - passion and conviction - are not tempered by humility. Whether it is foreign policy abroad or domestic affairs here in New York, I believe that how we as political leaders manage these risks will ultimately determine our success.
Hubris has been a major fundamental flaw behind the Bush Administration’s failed foreign policy.
During a debate in the 2000 election, President Bush was asked how he would project America’s power in the twenty-first century. He replied:
If we’re a humble nation, but strong, they’ll welcome us. Our nation stands alone right now in the world in terms of power, and that’s why we have to be humble.
That is precisely the right idea. But President Bush hasn’t understood that humility has to be more than just a talking point.
In the wake of 9/11, he ramped up exactly the wrong way. His approach, and the rhetoric that would define it, perverted our foreign policy with arrogance and moral complacency - laying the groundwork for the invasion and occupation of Iraq. We had no exit strategy because the Administration didn’t think we needed one. The President and his neoconservative cohort were so sure history had ended and that the triumph of liberal democracy was inevitable. Mission accomplished.
This tension — the need for both passion and humility — has also played a major role in my first seven months as Governor.
On one hand, the passion and conviction we have shown has enabled us to achieve dramatic change — including universal health care for kids, a major investment in stem cell research funding, campaign finance reform, and the largest property tax cut in state history.
Yet, over the past few weeks, it has become evident that the second principle — the need for humility — was forgotten. We were fighting so hard for what we believed was right that we let down our guard and allowed our passion to get the best of us.
Passion and conviction are necessary, but they must be tempered by soul-searching and the recognition of our human capacity for error. That is the maxim that should inform our approach to every challenge, from reforming state government to engaging in foreign affairs.
After all: hubris is terminal.
Read the full text of my speech HERE.
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126 Responses to “Humility Has To Be More Than Just A Talking Point”
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humility is a four letter word.
August 7th, 2007 at 6:14 pmWell done, Gov Spitzer.
Thank you.
August 7th, 2007 at 6:15 pmWOW!!! Now that was an incredible speech. He called a spade a f@cking shovel with those comments!
August 7th, 2007 at 6:15 pmHubris and humility. Don’t think that’ll work.
August 7th, 2007 at 6:16 pmI actually saw Hil-dawg (PIAPS) in person, a few years ago at Chautauqua, she was pushing a book or something.
August 7th, 2007 at 6:19 pmThank you Gov. Spitzer.
August 7th, 2007 at 6:19 pmThis ought to get the Right Wing Wackos revved up!
August 7th, 2007 at 6:22 pmThis man is unbelievable. Talk about the pot calling the kettle black. After W, there is no man so full of himself as Eliot Spitzer. A classic case of projection, brought to you courtesy of Sigmund Freud.
August 7th, 2007 at 6:23 pmSomebody has to get the message “across”. But George won’t understand the message.
August 7th, 2007 at 6:26 pmWho’s listening?
Talk about hubris..LOL
Let’s say you are a scandal-ridden governor looking for some love. Where would you find it? Well, if you are New York Governor Eliot Spitzer, aka Steamroller Spitzer, immersed in a scandal that threatens to destroy your political career, you go looking for love in the Daily Kos with a divorced from reality “Happy Talk” blog post that makes no mention any pending unpleasantries. Spitzer’s “Happy Talk” love fest on the Daily Kos will have no effect in stopping the scandal investigations but perhaps it is temporarily therapeutic to brag about himself to his fellow leftists in his blog post titled, Congratulations on a Great Weekend :
While we are seeing a mounting reform movement at the national level, I would also urge you to be aware of some of the important developments that are occurring in statehouses across the country. There are some exciting things happening, demonstrating that your activism is also paying dividends at the state level.
Building a strong foundation for reform at the state level is especially important since this is where many of our nation’s most important reform efforts have gotten their start. As Louis Brandeis once famously noted, the states can serve as “laboratories of democracy.”
Nowhere has this been more true than in New York. From the Seneca Falls Convention to the beginnings of Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal to Frances Perkins’ fight for better labor conditions for American workers, we have a proud progressive tradition in the Empire State.
If you thought that being mired in a sordid scandal would have induced at least some humility in Eliot Spitzer you would be wrong. The governor goes on to boast:
We have had some tremendous successes already and have laid the ground work for future progress.
We provided health care coverage for every child in New York. This initiative is the meaningful first stage of the plan we are currently crafting to provide universal healthcare coverage. New York is taking a unique, incremental approach that will build on the experiences of other states around the country. In a nation as prosperous as ours, there is no excuse that every man, woman, and child does not have health care.
We are beginning the long overdue process of revitalizing New York’s economy and we are going about it in innovative ways. Investing in education is a key component of our economic development agenda. Our goal is to generate the highly skilled work force necessary to support and fuel our future economic growth and to allow us to compete in the global economy. In my first budget, we implemented historic investments in education and created a commission to study ways of making our higher education system a world class institution.
Unfortunately for Governor Spitzer, even many Kossacks were unwilling to buy into his self-glorification “Happy Talk” love fest:
Used to be a fan Spitzer until Troopergate. I can’t believe you would use taxpayer monies and the state police to try and set up a state Senator Joseph Bruno. Those are Nixon-, Bush-, Clinton-type tactics. You are above that.
Lawyers he needs, regardless of where he gets them. Our love he doesn’t need, and he won’t be getting any from me until he comes clean.
Your credibility is under serious strain (read the comments down thread on that last albanyproject link if you doubt me)- and that’s saying something coming from folks like me who have touted you as an archetype of the good politician in this forum and elsewhere. At one time I thought you would make a great President. Please respond, Governor, and don’t insult us with more dissembling.
To read more of the Daily Kos comments about Eliot Spitzer’s search for web love as well as additional “dissembling” remarks from the governor, check out the DUmmie FUnnies.
August 7th, 2007 at 6:27 pmWas it dark enough there for you to see Uranus?
August 7th, 2007 at 6:29 pmHey thanks for the cut and paste Franky, too bad you can’t stay on topic. Do you think Bush lacks humility or not?
August 7th, 2007 at 6:29 pmSpitzer’s admin hasn’t been perfect. But his NYT op-ed was strong and he admitted he made a mistake here. And he fired people. Whens the last time bush did that?
August 7th, 2007 at 6:30 pmThe crook left this out too.
New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer is now traveling the state trying to put a scandal behind him…
Here’s what we know, thanks to some enterprising reporting …and an investigation by New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo: Two close advisers to the governor apparently used the New York State Police to carry out a political smear campaign against me by creating documents designed to generate negative press reports… And it nearly worked.
…there is only one way forward for Mr. Spitzer. He needs to support a full airing of the truth. That support must include publicly testifying under oath, and making advisers available to publicly testify under oath, as part of an independent investigation…
The abuse of power now being alleged is a very serious… It is especially damaging because the scandal involves misusing state troopers and alleged misconduct by the governor’s top aides… New Yorkers have made it clear …that they believe the governor knew about the smear campaign and should publicly testify about what he knew and when he knew it.
It is troubling that a governor who campaigned on ethics, openness and accountability, is now trying to sweep the “Troopergate” matter under the rug. But it is not surprising… It is just the most serious example of a pattern of behavior…
When Mr. Spitzer took office …the Republican Senate majority …pledged to work with him on critical issues… But we quickly found that we did not have a willing partner. We found a man who did not respect opposing viewpoints and who verbally threatened those who disagreed…
…the governor has refused to work in a bipartisan manner. Instead, he has politicized his office like no other governor in history. Rather than negotiating and compromising with people who challenged him, Mr. Spitzer tried to eliminate them…
(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com …
August 7th, 2007 at 6:33 pmComment by Frank J — August 7, 2007 @ 6:27 pm
Do these jeans make my ass look fat?
August 7th, 2007 at 6:34 pmListening to this moonbat on humility is like listening to Bill Clinton discuss morality.
August 7th, 2007 at 6:36 pmComment by Frank J — August 7, 2007 @ 6:27 pm
Do these jeans make my ass look fat?
No, those jeans don’t make your @ss look fat. It is the fat in your @ss that makes your pants look fat.
August 7th, 2007 at 6:36 pmComment by Frank J — August 7, 2007 @ 6:27 pm
Do these jeans make my ass look fat?
Comment by Marcus Aurelius — August 7, 2007 @ 6:34 pm
Marcus, i fear that if you keep responding this way to Frank Jake, you’ll just serve to legitimize his comments.
August 7th, 2007 at 6:37 pmListening to this moonbat on humility is like listening to Bill Clinton discuss morality.
Comment by Frank J — August 7, 2007 @ 6:36 pm
or maybe listening to Abu Gonzales discuss memory. Or Bob Ney discuss integrity. Or Scooter Libby discuss honesty. Or David Vitter discuss family values. Or George W. Bush discuss accountability.
August 7th, 2007 at 6:39 pmSo the only person you could get to blog on this thing was a crook? Granted it would be hard to find an honest leftist.
August 7th, 2007 at 6:40 pmdon’t forget Mark Foley discussing internet predators!
August 7th, 2007 at 6:41 pmWhose next? William Jefferson-Democrat Louisiana discussing financial planning?
August 7th, 2007 at 6:41 pmThursday we will be joined by guest blogger Harry Reid who will give us his insight on real estate investing…LOL
August 7th, 2007 at 6:43 pmhubris is terminal…
you could argue the appeasers content with placating Hitler could have used some hubris.
August 7th, 2007 at 6:43 pmGov Spitzer scares the bejeebus out of Frank J.
I like Gov Spitzer. :)
August 7th, 2007 at 6:44 pmFriday’s guest blogger is Patrick “leaky” Lahey who will discuss the importance of keeping government secrets. Over the weekend Ted Kennedy will talk about how to drive.
You moonbats sure have the irony down.
August 7th, 2007 at 6:44 pmHey Frank, the governor of New York is blogging today. Why don’t you show a little class and just bug off so decent people can have a decent discussion?
August 7th, 2007 at 6:45 pmGreat Job, Frank J!
(be careful, the TP censors may try to silence you)
August 7th, 2007 at 6:46 pmSaddam was no Hitler, no matter how much you try to drive that strawman home. Pride goeth before the fall after all.
August 7th, 2007 at 6:46 pmThe soon to be former governor if the investigation is completed.,
August 7th, 2007 at 6:51 pmYou moonbats sure have the irony down.
Comment by Frank J — August 7, 2007 @ 6:44 pm
Yes, but we’re amateurs when compared to how well you and stupidity go together…….
August 7th, 2007 at 6:52 pmOr Frank J talking about being erudite.
August 7th, 2007 at 6:54 pmGreat Job, Frank J!
(be careful, the TP censors may try to silence you)
Comment by Nicholas of Cusa — August 7, 2007 @ 6:46 pm
Shut up , Nitwitless of Cuba
A GOP/Chimpy jock sniffing moron , on a liberal/Dem blog site , talking about others “silencing” people.
August 7th, 2007 at 6:55 pmHey Frank Jerkoff , where’s your stupid spew about “irony” there , douchebag ?
Name 1 GOP/Cancervative blog site that allows an even MODERATE dissenting voice ; you can’t………Now piss off , the both of you GOP scumbags.
“helenahandbasket” r u “hellinabucket” ???
and if so,
r u also “hellandahandjob”???
August 7th, 2007 at 6:56 pmAfter 2009, your corrupt, incompetent, arrogant republics will be screaming like stuck pigs. Republics had the power for 6 + years screwed America.
August 7th, 2007 at 6:57 pmNicolASS: We be separate folks, dipsh@t.
August 7th, 2007 at 6:58 pmyou could argue the appeasers content with placating Hitler could have used some hubris.
Comment by paul
heh look at paul… he doesnt know what hubris means… go read the full PDF paul… you will learn something… the nazis you love so much are actually mentioned…
August 7th, 2007 at 6:58 pmIRAQI OIL LAW - UK - EDM 1180 - when this reaches 200 the shit hits the fan
That this House notes that Iraq’s economy is heavily dependent on oil and that decisions about the future of Iraq’s oil industry will have a major bearing on that country; further notes that the constitution of Iraq states that oil and gas are owned by all the people of Iraq; expresses concern that the British Government, in its involvement in the drafting of Iraq’s new oil laws, has sought the views of international oil companies regarding the possible types of contracts that the Iraqi government should offer; believes that decisions on the Iraqi oil industry should be made by the Iraqi people without outside interference; and calls on the Government to disclose to the House all representations it has made in relation to the oil law.
SIGNED BY 71 LABOUR MPs
SIGNED BY 13 OTHERS
SIGNED BY ONLY 1 TORY BASTARD
I wrote to my MP who wrote me a letter saying he has signed it ….BUT will only show up after the UK recess ……..
http://edmi.parliament.uk/ EDMi/ EDMDetails.aspx?EDMID=32937&SESSION=885
August 7th, 2007 at 7:00 pmNeed to find a right wing site, where I can troll. Any suggestions?
August 7th, 2007 at 7:01 pmDo right wing sites let you troll, like TP does? Or do they censor opposing views? Which ones allow me to troll?
August 7th, 2007 at 7:05 pmComment by Nichol’sleftasscheek — August 7, 2007 @ 7:01 pm
Does Malkin allow comments? He’d be perfect there.
August 7th, 2007 at 7:05 pmWell, if you consider hubris overconfident; I guess you don’t know if you’re overconfident until the verdict is in. It’s a state that you recognize after the fact. I argue the verdict is still out.
Additionally, if you consider hubris the absence of humility:
Nietzsche wrote of humility as a weakness, a false virtue which concealed the frailties and hidden crookedness in its holder.
So, if you consider hubris the absence of a false virtue, I stand by my comment.
Or, More likely, I didn’t really know the meaning of the word hubris.
August 7th, 2007 at 7:06 pmZooey: Malkin censors opposing views on her blog.
August 7th, 2007 at 7:06 pm39 and 40: I have yet to find one, but I really try to avoid going over to the “dark side”.
August 7th, 2007 at 7:08 pmZooey: Malkin censors opposing views on her blog.
Comment by Nichol’sleftasscheek — August 7, 2007 @ 7:06 pm
I don’t think Pee would be opposing her viewpoints.
August 7th, 2007 at 7:08 pmhu·bris n.
August 7th, 2007 at 7:10 pmOverbearing pride or presumption; arrogance:
Does Malkin allow comments? He’d be perfect there.
Comment by Zooey — August 7, 2007 @ 7:05 pm
Do you know something about malkin that we don’t? I always thought something about her/him looked funny…I’m just sayin!
August 7th, 2007 at 7:10 pmNicol’s ass:”Do right wing sites let you troll, like TP does? Or do they censor opposing views? Which ones allow me to troll?”
Most that I’ve looked at do not let you simply take part in the discussion. Every time I’ve come across one which lets you take part, my arguments have been deleted. I’ve never seen one on the right set up like TP. They’re into order and discipline, remember. Unsettling arguments give them the vapors. They’re not really cut out for democracy. Too weak.
August 7th, 2007 at 7:12 pmDo you know something about malkin that we don’t? I always thought something about her/him looked funny…I’m just sayin!
Comment by Pat — August 7, 2007 @ 7:10 pm
Her eyes are too far apart — weird.
I think Pee would fit in because he’s evil and racist just like her.
August 7th, 2007 at 7:12 pmNicholas of Cusa = Mr. PeeBrain
August 7th, 2007 at 7:13 pmListening to this moonbat on humility is like listening to Bill Clinton discuss morality.
Comment by Frank J — August 7, 2007 @ 6:36 pm
Let Clinton go man, let him go.
August 7th, 2007 at 7:14 pmYou know what it is about Michelle Malkin - she’s smoking haut. And that not just my hubris talking.
August 7th, 2007 at 7:15 pmNicholas of Cusa = Mr. PeeBrain
Comment by Wayne — August 7, 2007 @ 7:13 pm
Yup.
Hey Wayne, how’s the grandbaby coming along?
August 7th, 2007 at 7:15 pmHey Wayne, how’s the grandbaby coming along?
Comment by Zooey
Due in Feb.
August 7th, 2007 at 7:20 pmMy daughter in law is having a rough time with morning sickness, from what they told me.
America does not love Rudy G. He’s ridiculous.
August 7th, 2007 at 7:20 pmRet. Col. Jack Ripper. bilbobaggins was complaining about a week ago that his posts on redstate.com were being deleted. I went over there and found his posts. Honestly, he got civil treatment. I don’t spend much time on redstate, but the crowd seemed comparatively serious. (in a good way). I could find the posts, if you’re interested. Or maybe go over there and see how they treat you.
August 7th, 2007 at 7:20 pmThanks, paul. I’ve never been to redstate.com. I’ll check it out.
August 7th, 2007 at 7:24 pmZooey! Howz U??
There has been about the largest group of dysfunctional trolls on the OK License Plate Post. I hope this one has been de-loused!
August 7th, 2007 at 7:26 pmComment by Wayne — August 7, 2007 @ 7:20 pm
Poor thing. That’s the pits. I wish I had a magical cure, but time is the thing.
Heh. I responded at #55 to a comment by Eric, but now he’s gone. :D
August 7th, 2007 at 7:26 pmAmerica does not love Rudy G. He’s ridiculous.
Comment by Zooey
(t)Rudy is the GOP frontrunner right now, LMAO
On the other hand Hillary is the Dem frontrunner =/
No wonder this country is in such a fscked-up mess. =P
August 7th, 2007 at 7:28 pmZooey! Howz U??
There has been about the largest group of dysfunctional trolls on the OK License Plate Post. I hope this one has been de-loused!
Comment by upside00 — August 7, 2007 @ 7:26 pm
I’m doing well — about to go out for a bit, but might be back later. Hope you’re doing well!
The trolls have their little storms on the weirdest threads. Sheesh…
August 7th, 2007 at 7:28 pmpaul sez:
Agreed…until she opens her hateful little mouth, and you realize just what a poisonous little b!tch she is.
It’s funny, how your perception of a person’s attractiveness can change as you learn more about their character. Attraction is a complex thing.
August 7th, 2007 at 7:30 pm#61 -
I am getting ready to go out as well.
Any time you mention SUVs, guns or the KKK, they get all lathered up. A new one over there called kreno, is a real beaut. And of course Variant Venus is back in its latest plumage/disguise.
August 7th, 2007 at 7:32 pmAttraction isn’t really that complex. Look at the poster child for TP: Rosie O’Donnell……………ugly by everyone’s standard.
August 7th, 2007 at 7:34 pmAttraction isn’t really that complex. Look at the poster child for TP: Rosie O’Donnell……………ugly by everyone’s standard.
Comment by Eric — August 7, 2007 @ 7:34 pm
You prefer the GOP “standard” in Jeff Gannon , eh wiggler ?
August 7th, 2007 at 7:35 pmEric sez:
Well, perhaps I should have qualified my earlier statement.
Attraction is a complex thing…unless you’re a troll.
August 7th, 2007 at 7:36 pmYea, I couldn’t have said that any better. Thats the Bush administration, and the current right wing today, in a nutshell. Hubris. Complete hubris.
Humility is a virtue, or at least the Bible says so.
August 7th, 2007 at 7:39 pmFunny how no one seems to argue that Rosie is your poster-child. Conspiracist nut-case wind-bag. Guess it doesn’t bother
August 7th, 2007 at 7:39 pmI’m off to check out redstate, albeit, under a psuedonym.
August 7th, 2007 at 7:40 pmAttraction isn’t really that complex. Look at the poster child for TP: Rosie O’Donnell……………ugly by everyone’s standard.
Comment by Eric — August 7, 2007 @ 7:34 pm
On what sound, logical basis do you claim Rosie O’Donnell as “the poster child for TP”?
I can’t ever recall a Rosie O’Donnell thread on TP. I’m not aware that the two entities are at all connected — oh, wait! I get it! You figure that, because Rosie is an avowed liberal, then she must be the “poster child” for TP! Very clever! But… why isn’t Angelina Jolie the poster child? She’s liberal. Or Cameron Diaz. How about Jennifer Garner? Or Sheryl Crow?
I’m curious. How did you arrive at your judgment that Rosie O’Donnell is “the poster child for TP”?
August 7th, 2007 at 7:41 pmWell, perhaps I should have qualified my earlier statement.
Attraction is a complex thing…unless you’re a troll.
Comment by TripMaster Monkey — August 7, 2007 @ 7:36 pm
Damn! I wish you’d said that earlier. Could have saved me all that typing.
August 7th, 2007 at 7:41 pmEric sez:
We’re not “arguing” it because your moronic assertion doesn’t merit a reply.
August 7th, 2007 at 7:43 pmAttraction is a complex thing…unless you’re a troll.
Comment by TripMaster Monkey
So True! And I bet eric and his pals all have signed posters of THEIR poster child; Ann Coultergeist, complete with the STD stained cocktail dress, the man Adam’s apple and body by meth. They must waste a lot of protein every day while gazing at that cadaver!
August 7th, 2007 at 7:43 pmDon’t know anything about you, Guv, but obviously you are right that Bush can’t manage the four syllables required to understand the word humility. As has been mentioned, if you can get the likes of Frank in a froth, you must be doing something right.
But, I wonder, why did you feel the need at the end of your speech to appeal to supernatural fantasy? Is there not a leader in this country capable of functioning without wearing “faith” on his/her sleeve? Setting aside the fact that most political references to faith are FAKE, your faith is inconsequential to the job at hand.
More to the point, I can never put trust in the judgment of someone who either believes in fairy tales, or lies about believing in fairy tales.
August 7th, 2007 at 7:44 pmYou know, Eric, Angelina Jolie is a strident liberal. So is Cameron Diaz, Jessica Alba, Natalie Portman and about three dozen other incredibly beautiful actresses. Are you sure you want to get into comparisons? I mean you do have Malkin and Coulter, if your tastes run that way, but I think you lose this particular fight before it begins.
August 7th, 2007 at 7:44 pmI don’t know much about Governor Elliot Spitzer, but I do know that large corporations in New York don’t like him. That’s got to be a big point in his favor.
August 7th, 2007 at 7:46 pmEric my friend, TP is like Sam Adam’s brewery, lot’s of variety to please the subtitles in taste. These are part of the Liberal mindset. We allow ourselves to try something other than what our parents patently sold to us as necessary and unrefined. Rosie O’donnell is no more the poster child to TP than Bill Kristol is to the conservative movement. Big player and powerful opinions from both but neither one really tells us the truth we want to hear, just varieties of different struggles with getting along with 5.9 Billion people.
August 7th, 2007 at 7:46 pmCol. Ripper,
Let’s not forget Meryl Streep and Jessica Lange either.
August 7th, 2007 at 7:46 pmI’m back from a visit to Redstate. They control content. They state that theirs is a conservative Republic(an) website and that visitors are warned “not to track mud in”. Try an post a progressive argument and you will be banned.
August 7th, 2007 at 7:48 pmSeems like a typical “25% right wing backslappers and censorers” website to me, Paul.
upside00 sez:
I’ve always had a thing for Janeane Garofalo, myself… ^_^
August 7th, 2007 at 7:51 pmI hope that Eliot Spitzer runs for president some day. He would make a dynamite president. Wouldn’t that be something, to have a president with brains, courage, humility and compassion? What a treat that would be after the last 7 years of Bush.
August 7th, 2007 at 7:53 pmI’ve always had a thing for Janeane Garofalo, myself… ^_^
Comment by TripMaster Monkey
Have you heard her latest radio ads for her Athiest group? She is a real hoot!
August 7th, 2007 at 7:54 pmnichol’sleftasscheek sez:
Too bad I didn’t get here a bit earlier…I could have saved you the trip.
I’ve also been banned from RedState…considering the source, I view it as a badge of honor.
August 7th, 2007 at 7:54 pmTrip, I’m with ya there. Always thought Janeane was very cute. Didn’t much care for her on Air America, but I always liked her movies, and her (what passed for) stand-up.
So… anybody seen Eric?
August 7th, 2007 at 7:54 pmSo True! And I bet eric and his pals all have signed posters of THEIR poster child; Ann Coultergeist, complete with the STD stained cocktail dress, the man Adam’s apple and body by meth. They must waste a lot of protein every day while gazing at that cadaver!
Comment by upside00 — August 7, 2007 @ 7:43 pm
upside00. I’m neutral on Ann’s looks, but even I can appreciate your incredible job of wordsmithing. Nice.
August 7th, 2007 at 7:55 pmFunny how no one seems to argue that Rosie is your poster-child. Conspiracist nut-case wind-bag. Guess it doesn’t bother
Comment by Eric
No,what is funny is that you always come here and post idiocy, showing how much of a moron you are.
August 7th, 2007 at 7:55 pmThat is truely funny.
I’m back from a visit to Redstate. They control content. They state that theirs is a conservative Republic(an) website and that visitors are warned “not to track mud inâ€. Try an post a progressive argument and you will be banned.
Seems like a typical “25% right wing backslappers and censorers†website to me, Paul.
Comment by nichol’sleftasscheek — August 7, 2007 @ 7:48 pm
Fair enough. I haven’t spent more than 5 minutes over there. You have peaked my curiousity, though. When I have time, I’ll pose as a crazy liberal (kidding) and see how I get treated over there.
August 7th, 2007 at 7:58 pmComment by paul
Thanks Paul. Some things just seem to write themselves, Heh Heh
August 7th, 2007 at 8:01 pmWhen I have time, I may go there diguised as a simpering and sucking conservative psychophant, and see how I’m treated……
August 7th, 2007 at 8:02 pm“Do right wing sites let you troll, like TP does? Or do they censor opposing views? Which ones allow me to troll?
Comment by Nichol’sleftasscheek”
You will be hard put to find a right wing site where you can post for more than an hour before your account will be locked, and I don’t know of any that don’t require you to set up an account. And some, like redstate.com, actually will block your ip address from even being able to view their site. All you get is a blank screen.
It seems that the right is terrified of allowing an opposing opinion much less encountering liberal trolls (if there are any).
August 7th, 2007 at 8:02 pm“they must be tempered by soul-searching and the recognition of our human capacity for error”
Ummm. Rule the chymperor out on this one.
August 7th, 2007 at 8:04 pmI was just at Redstate.
It is a liberal blog.
August 7th, 2007 at 8:06 pmpaul, I tried Redstate too just now and for some reason, I couldn’t sign in to post a comment. Maybe it was my browser, but it’s certainly not as easy to post there as it is here.
August 7th, 2007 at 8:07 pmNicholas of Cusa sez:
I was just at your mom’s house.
She’s a crack whore.
August 7th, 2007 at 8:12 pmI was just at Redstate.
It is a liberal blog.
Comment by Nicholas of Cusa
And you are now a proven liar, Mr.Pee
August 7th, 2007 at 8:32 pmThank you, Gov. Spitzer. Apology accepted.
It’s come to my attention recently that New York State is one of 22 states that have failed to ratify the Child Labor Amendment to the US Constitution, introduced to the states in 1926, and still pending as it had no expiration date set into it. The NYS Senate ratified it in the early ’30s, but the NYS Assembly has not. Please work with Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver to see to it that this embarrassing oversight on our great state’s part is corrected at once. And keep up the good work, Eliot.
Wayne A. Schneider
August 7th, 2007 at 8:52 pmPawling, NY
TripMaster Monkey, Wayne,
Redstate my not claim to be liberal… but it is.
August 7th, 2007 at 9:02 pmoops… my = may
August 7th, 2007 at 9:02 pmoops… my = may
Comment by Nicholas of Cusa
No worries about typos, PeePee. No one cares because there is no content, anyway.
August 7th, 2007 at 9:05 pmanother liberal hack Gov Spitzer
August 7th, 2007 at 9:22 pmSpitzer has prosecuted some good cases. Give him some credit man. So he had a scandal. Does he have an iPhone?
August 7th, 2007 at 10:01 pmRedstate my not claim to be liberal… but it is.
Comment by Nicholas of Cusa — August 7, 2007 @ 9:02 pm
Any evidence to support this statement?
What liberal columnists do they feature?
What liberal positions do they advance?
What liberal politicians do they support?
Everything that I have read on redstate has been pretty darn conservative. But I’m ready to be convinced, Mr. Pee.
August 7th, 2007 at 10:15 pmRedstate my not claim to be liberal… but it is.
Comment by Nicholas of Cusa — August 7, 2007 @ 9:02 pm
ROTFLMAO - what a joke.
August 7th, 2007 at 11:42 pmEverything that I have read on redstate has been pretty darn conservative. But I’m ready to be convinced, Mr. Pee.
Comment by mikey r — August 7, 2007 @ 10:15 pm
I think the pertinent question to ask here isn’t whether redstate is a lib blog or not, but rather, “What’s the matter, Mr P, did they laugh you off that site too?”
August 7th, 2007 at 11:51 pmPee Brain just says all this shit to see how times he can get us to respond to him. It’s all a game — and we’re the pieces.
The only way he will go is if we freeze him out completely, and it seems that will never happen.
August 7th, 2007 at 11:53 pmThe only way he will go is if we freeze him out completely, and it seems that will never happen.
Comment by Zooey — August 7, 2007 @ 11:53 pm
We had it figured out and working the other morning, Z. You’re right - lack of team discipline. Too many players on our side want to fling poo too.
August 7th, 2007 at 11:56 pmHe’s such a f*cking manipulator. I’d hate to actually be in his life, and I feel sorry for anyone who is.
August 8th, 2007 at 12:00 amI take an oath to not respond to it, in any of its permutations.
August 8th, 2007 at 12:29 amThanks, upside00. I will not respond to it either. It’s useless.
August 8th, 2007 at 12:39 amWhen we have had little or no Troll droppings, it is amazing how the discussions stay on topic and are of a much higher intellectual standard.
(Including the geological intercourse of a few days ago.)
August 8th, 2007 at 12:42 amThanks, upside00. I will not respond to it either. It’s useless.
Comment by Zooey — August 8, 2007 @ 12:39 am
If someone’s statement has facts in it, you can rebutt it. If it’s a dishonest comment, you can’t argue it because you can’t win against a nonfact. If it’s just flat out name calling, a vitriolic screed, or something totally irrational, you just have to label it as such and refuse to reply again. If you do not addres a comment to a troll directly, it is much harder for them to muscle their way into a conversation.
This approach worked very well the other morning. We really had the trolls bottled up. Sure, they could post nasty comments and call names, but it was obvious what they were doing and they just couldn’t get any traction if none of us took the bait. There’s always someone who break formation and pushes back, and then it all collapses, again.
We don’t have enough discipline on this side of the line. Too many of our side want to call someone stupid, or just push back. And the really heavy profanity accomplishes nothing.
August 8th, 2007 at 12:47 am(Including the geological intercourse of a few days ago.)
Comment by upside00 — August 8, 2007 @ 12:42 am
Okay, you 2… you’re not alone here…
August 8th, 2007 at 12:48 amRoS,
I know, that is crystal clear to me.
August 8th, 2007 at 12:54 am(Including the geological intercourse of a few days ago.)
Comment by upside00 — August 8, 2007 @ 12:42 am
That was a lot of fun! :D
TRoS, we had quite the dirty pun session going using geological terms, too bad you missed it!
People say things go too slowly without the trolls, but I’m just sick of them. It’s like going to visit with friends, and all they can do is gush over their brand new puppy. I love puppies, but c’mon….put the damn thing out in they yard for a while. :)
August 8th, 2007 at 1:01 amTRoS, we had quite the dirty pun session going using geological terms, too bad you missed it!
Comment by Zooey — August 8, 2007 @ 1:01 am
I came in right at the very end. Sorry I missed it. Looked like fun.
I have to say, I love a good round of Whack-A-Troll as much as the next person, but the key is in doing it properly. One of the things I like about TP is the loose, free-wheeling quality. Ya got something to say, and Blam, there it is, seconds later, for the whole friggin’ world to see.
The trick w/ trolls is to fight them in an appropriate manner. You saw it the other day. Do this right, and it drives them right up the wall. I’ve learned to check all troll facts and quotes. Them SOBs make up stuff all the time. There are moments when the quality of discourse seems to be improving, like when we demand verification or links, or bring in quotes from known authorities. It’s making me sharper. I can now suss out a strawman almost immediately.
Sometimes you have to say, “That’s just silly” and walk away. And sometimes it’s good to expose a false argument or phony quote.
August 8th, 2007 at 1:10 amSometimes you have to say, “That’s just silly†and walk away. And sometimes it’s good to expose a false argument or phony quote.
Comment by The Republic of Stupidity — August 8, 2007 @ 1:10 am
Sure, I agree with that. I fell for a classic tonight. Mr P throws out that Obama is “colored,” and I instantly reacted by calling him a racist — then he made sure he said it 6 or 7 more times. That kind of thing isn’t even worth a response — same with his “kill ‘em all” cracks. Let him twist in the wind.
August 8th, 2007 at 1:24 amSure, I agree with that. I fell for a classic tonight. Mr P throws out that Obama is “colored,†and I instantly reacted by calling him a racist — then he made sure he said it 6 or 7 more times…
Comment by Zooey — August 8, 2007 @ 1:24 am
———-
Actually, I was responding to TMM.
Perhaps you are upset that I did not pay you as much attention as you would have liked.
Maybe I will tomorrow, Zo-Zo.
August 8th, 2007 at 2:24 amI’m pretty late to this post, but just had to say…Thank you.
August 8th, 2007 at 4:23 amI’m even later to this post, but just had to say that Eliot Spitzer lecturing anyone on hubris is only slightly less absurd than Karl Rove lecturing someone on the dangers of politicizing government.
Take a good long look at the Wikipedia article on Spitzer and ask yourself if his behavior as New York’s attorney general was justified or dangerous.
I think the latter and I also think Rove, Gonzalez, Bush, Cheney and four of the Supreme Court justices should be impeached, we should get out of Iraq as soon as possible, and we should have federal health insurance, among other liberal or progressive beliefs.
Dictatorships work fine when you have an all-wise, benevolent dictator. The rest of the time, they cause problems. Letting state attorneys general behave as Spitzer did will create similar, although admittedly less severe, problems.
August 8th, 2007 at 7:55 amIf ‘colored’ sounds racist (and it does to me) they should change the name of the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People).
August 8th, 2007 at 8:22 amThis discussion of humility and hubris brings back to me an experience I had twenty-one years ago. Governor Mario Cuomo had just nominated a career New York State Trooper to head the State Police. His name was Tom Constantine. I met him for the first time a few days after the nomination was announced. We were at a meeting of police executives in a hotel meeting room on the outskirts of Albany. All the people in attendance were embarassingly effusive in their adulation of the new Top Trooper. Tom just gazed upward and said: “I can’t believe this happened to a kid from Buffalo.” I was moved by the depth of the man’s humbleness. He has gone on to have a singularly successful and celebrated career. I am quite certain that the secret of his success was that essential quality of humility. So, Governor Spitzer, in my book, has struck the right theme. May he stick to it.
August 8th, 2007 at 11:00 amHumility, Mr. O’Neill, Esq., despite the nice natrue of you comments, is something that you could likely enhale for the good. It would be refreashing for you and all in your vecenity.
August 8th, 2007 at 10:45 pmTypos and spelling errors run amok. Get over it.
August 8th, 2007 at 10:47 pmMr. O’neil is a pompus ass.
Just saying.
August 8th, 2007 at 10:54 pmElliot, listen up my friend because unless you take some action and get the right people on board, the silver haird devil will get at you again. I grew up in Albany and through family aquaintances know Joe Bruno and went to school with most of his aides. He is alot smarter then people give him credit for and he rules the Albany area with an iron fist. He even as most of the Albany Machine like Jerry Jennings and the gang in his grasp. He is a no holds barred fighter he throughs cheap shots at you and seizes on your weakness the second you leave an opening. Those of us from Albany are still rooting for you because we have seen our area fall apart while Bruno and Co have reaped the benefits at our expense. If you want to control Bruno, its more then just getting him out of office. You see his supporters come from Albany, Scdhy and Troy and they know NY politics like the back of their hands. Its a dog eat dog city where friends will kiss you then stab you in the back the second they have a chance. I personally feel that people in the Capital Region are some of the shiftiest people on the planet. You see what you don’t understand yet is that Albany is made up of the sleaziest, low lifes the state has to offer. Its no Boston or NYC, no IVY leaue degree and powerhouse resume will turn heads there, in fact with that, the people will seek to destroy you. If you want to beat Bruno and reform the state, you need to start by seeking out local candidates from Albany, Troy, Scdy and Colonie who aren’t in Brunos pocket. Look at Albany politics from a historical perspective, he who controls the machine has an army of people who will protect his interests. Example, Nelson Rockefeller and Eratus Corning. Coring could have made Rockys life a living hell, and in some respects was one of his greatest adversaries who could have made his rule of NYs Capital alot harder. They ended up respecting one another and since Rocky conceded power to Coring when they built the Plaza, he watched over his interest. You need to get Brunos people out of local office(Dems and Rep, they fight but at the end of the day they take from the silver haired bastard and give him what he wants), they can’t be trusted. They are the people who will praise you and then when your not around they will be reporting to Uncle Joe expecting something in return. That Bruno is a shifty character and so is his long time buddy Shelly. Listen to me, my family has lived in that town since the 1850s, its not some backwards upstate town full of yokels like you downstaters thing. You get new blood running Albany, you have Bruno and you will have control.
An Albanian who wants to see his city and NY rise again
August 9th, 2007 at 12:13 amAppreciate your passion . . . but a word. . . .
Break up your thoughts into paragraphs. Your thoughts are much easier to read that way.
August 9th, 2007 at 12:24 am