The Hastert Corollary

[solarbird]

ginmar asked if anyone in the GOP had tried to blame former president Bill Clinton for the Foley page-abuse scandal, and, apparently, it's true; Speaker Hastert tried it himself. spazzkat then noted that Clinton has replaced Hitler for GOP argument points. Murkworks North now proposes the Hastert Corollary to Godwin's Law (a.k.a. Godwin's Rule of Nazi Analogies):

As any GOP scandal unfolds, the probability that former President Bill Clinton will be blamed by Republicans for the scandal approaches one.

Comments

[banner.livejournal.com]

You need another one for the Dem's blaming Bush as well.

[llachglin.livejournal.com]

Bush *is* actually the current leader. Regardless of whether you support him or not, you have to realize that makes him a factor in most current events. Therefore, it is always at least debatable that he is responsible for something.

Clinton has not been president for 6 years. There's simply not a parallel here.

[banner.livejournal.com]

Ummm, I don't understand why you even bothered to post this. Clinton is as done as Bush. My point stands.

equal time my shiny metal ass

[solarbird]

Yokohama Yokohama Yokohama ichiban!
Yokohama Yokohama Yokohama ichiban!
Yokohama ichiban - nihonni ikimasu!
Gaaaaaaannnnnnnnn-BATTE!

[banner.livejournal.com]

Wow, you're really proving my point today.

[banner.livejournal.com]

I allow friends to, and people who aren't just being wise asses and are trying to engage in a realistic debate. The fact that Dara is on my friend's list means that yes, she gets to make her own points. And yes I do have a lot of respect for Dara's opinions, regardless of whether or not you believe that.

Now, I would suggest you stop trying to defend someone else's LJ, especially someone who is more than capable of defending herself. I don't come here to talk to you, I avoid in fact replying to anything you say to Dara. I come here solely to talk to Dara, and while I don't mind the occasional comment, your stepping in here is really pretty rude.

If you don't like my commenting in her journal, I would suggest you take it up with her.

I think that ends my part in this conversation, good day.

[flashfire.livejournal.com]

I would think if one wants to "solely talk to Dara," one could send an e-mail instead.

Posting here means it's open for anyone to reply to.

[banner.livejournal.com]

Yes, silly me for thinking that maybe the people here might be interested in different or opposing viewpoints. But I forgot, liberals don't want to hear opposing viewpoints, and those must be attacked and stifled immediately. It's funny how so many people here will jump all over anything I say because they disagree with it and try to silence me with all sorts of rehtoric, yet none of those same people ever wonder why I'm here looking at stuff I often disagree with in the first place, or why even Dara has me on her friend's list.

See, unlike many of the people here I -want- to hear opposing viewpoints, because I do try to see other sides of the story and the argument.

[flashfire.livejournal.com]

None of what you just said has anything to do with what I said. None of it at all.

As for what you DID say, I'm not going to bother wasting my time on you. It'd be utterly pointless. All I can say is the way you carry yourself flies in the face of everything you just claimed.

[flashfire.livejournal.com]

banner is in that mode where he tries to come up with something else to focus on in order to divert from the point you're actually making.

Unless, of course, he really just doesn't get it.

[banner.livejournal.com]

????

If you come here "solely to talk to Dara" then why do you regularly reply to comments from others?

In the last six months I have not replied in this journal to anyone, other than Dara, unless it was in response to their making a reply to me. I suspect it's been longer than that, but I got tired of searching for these 'regular replies' of which you speak. So either you are saying that my responding to comments such as yours to me counts, or you're having trouble separating what goes on in your head from reality.

I don't like being accused of things I didn't do, which is the only reason I'm responding to this.

BTW, I see that darthhellokitty is one of your sockpuppets. How many others you got here?

Now I'm ignoring you.

[solarbird]

OH NOES T3H FAIRNESS DOCTRINE P0ZN3RZ M3333333!!!1!!

[llachglin.livejournal.com]

Awesome.

[grian-ruadh.livejournal.com]

Wow, Dara. You've got your own personal troll. How 'bout that?

[solarbird]

Not actually. Banner's sincere - he's not in it for the trolling. I've known him for a while and used to see him at conventions and stuff. He even came to the Homeless Waifs Thanksgivings once or twice. He and I have an assortment of significant political differences, but we also have some important areas of agreement.

[solarbird]

I think there are fewer areas of agreement than there used to be. I do not particularly think my opinions have changed, whereas I do think Banner's have; I think we once had more areas of commonality than we have now, politically, and we certainly have different priouritisation. For example, we both support balanced Federal budgets and sound-monetary policy. However, I consider this vital to the long-term health of the country; I believe he thinks that lower taxes are much more important than balanced spending/"good government" practices, so between the two, he picks the former over the latter. We have compatible opinions, last I checked, on speech laws/censorship, gun control, and a few others.

Of course, our greatest areas of highest-contrast difference have been highlighted over the last several months, particularly over the amalgamation of power in the executive - power which I believe makes the term "president" no longer apply, whereas he supports it. I also condemn the horrific decision to adopt torture ("coercive interrogation," which is to say, torture) and attack the core of habeus corpus and other right to court review, the ability of the executive to declare anyone an enemy combatant, and the hideously destructive and utterly mismanaged war in Iraq (which I spoke, wrote, and marched against, and he strongly supported). We now have all the tools in place for utter and unrestrained barbarous tyranny. Banner does not agree.

And needless to say, I also take the theoconservative movement very, very, very seriously, whereas he - the last time I checked - thought the whole thing was overblown and not worth worrying about. I cannot imagine how he gets there, but he does.

[spazzkat.livejournal.com]

"I have to wonder how many conservatives are going to be so gung-ho about increased Presidential power when the next Democrat gets in office."

You don't have to worry about that if you know Democrats won't be getting into office.

[flashfire.livejournal.com]

The best part was probably that ridiculous attempt by Drudge to say this was all a prank.

Yeah - because if it was and Foley wasn't guilty of anything, wouldn't you think one of the first things he'd do would be to defend himself?

Instead, he resigned. That says a lot.

This whole thing is pretty sad on all sides, but the usual Republican spin is really getting crazy.