Establishment Dems should take note. It isn’t so scary or impossible to counter a typically bad-faith argument from conservatives. It can even be done civilly (although the unspoken “put that in your pipe and smoke it, you fascist mouthpiece” came through loud and clear).
I’ll try my hand at a Clerihew about this Gaetz-looking Faux host:
Poor Mike Emanuel
Didn’t serve Murdoch well
Assuming the guest’s smarts were lighter
When in fact Buttigieg was a fighter.
Well, if one bothers to read past the headline, that is the focus of the FPP.
If by “owning the right” you mean “confronting them with reality and logic as a matter of course”, I’m not sure what the alternative is. Humouring their fallacious and fact-challenged positions hasn’t worked very well, nor has tone-policing those who would praise Dems for calling them out (as Buttigieg did here).
When the only real opposition to progress has a captive audience, one that manages to control massive amounts of public discourse and policy despite being representative of a small and dwindling minority, it’s imperative that the progressives that represent the majority a) engage on their platforms since it has been repeatedly shown that Fox viewers get their “information” from an incredibly myopic, corporate controlled media and social media shitposting exclusively and b) that when they do, they be able to engage in the format without falling prey to its deceitful intent. It’s the lingua franca of that media sphere, for better or worse and allowing them to run the table with cheap misdirection leaves those voters with literally no exposure to rational thought and civil debate.
It’s also worth noting that “owning” in this context is still respectful, patient and human-centering.
The reality is that he indeed made the guy look like an idiot. Not like it will get through to the viewers, but he told the truth, which is much more than the right is doing. Telling the truth is telling the truth, not “owning” anyone.
This is all, actually and it’s the right thing to do, to boot.
Those morons “think” they own the libs by screaming fascist lies, enacting cruel fascist policies, and publicly displaying their stupidity by spouting conspiracy idiocies.
We push back against their BS and speak the truth in a civilized fashion.* It becomes plain they make fools of themselves without any goddam help from us.
They punch down. They’re bullies.
We are fighting oppression: we punch up.
Having to explain this over and over again makes me wonder how often this shit is said in good faith. How many of those who say it need to get back under their bridges, and how many are
Sec. Buttigeg’s statement is what we all should expect from and for elected (and appointed for life) officials - he is really just summarizing the “settled” law. No person should have to be harassed and threatened - but politicians should expect peaceful protest and criticism. Maybe these same harassed right leaning folks can support justice for how voting officials (and their families) in GA were threatened. The mafia like Rep. party loves to dish it out - but can’t take lawful exercise of dissent of the governed.
I’m always impressed with Pete on the Sunday morning political talk shows. Most politicians seem to not even hear the difficult question and instead answer something not even asked. Pete manages to answer the actual question with actual facts.
I don’t think anyone here believes that BoingBoing is the intellectual vanguard of the progressive movement in America. Nor is it a place where resistance is being organized. There are other, better venues for that to happen.
Buttigieg’s response probably didn’t change any minds among Fox viewership either.
Which is to say, the stakes on BoingBoing are pretty low, and if posting this stuff is mostly cathartic for the readership, so be it. However, I’d venture that many read it, and for them it helped crystallize their thoughts about why people protesting SCJ while they are eating dinner is okay.
If owning equals winning, whether it be intellectual or at the ballot box, shouldn’t people take heart when progressive politicians tell the truth and make others look bad in the process? “Owning” the libs is a different beast - to my understanding usual involves bad actors spewing half truths (at best) or physical violence and intimidation. In which case, I think most people would like to see more “owning the right”. To which I’d add, what’s wrong with reveling a bit in the incompetence of your opponent, especially if it can help motivate and inspire when needed?
That’s some mighty presumptive projection there, yo.
Personally, I really dislike it when people who don’t even know me deign to speak on my behalf, as if everyone who votes ‘D’ (often the lesser evil) is somehow monolithic.
Don’t forget about the flavor of doing stupid or self-harming things because the person thinks doing so will upset some hypothetical liberal. From personally self-harming like refusing vaccines or burning already purchased items to societal-harm like buying gas-guzzlers
