I was looking back over my archives. This is something I don’t like to do, because my beliefs have evolved somewhat, and my blogging style today isn’t quite the same as it was back then. In some cases I’d like to reach through the screen and smack my then self. But what I was talking about in the post-Obama inauguration period is a sharp contrast to the nuttery I’m seeing on social media today:
- Making fun of some of the more whacky fears of people on the right and messianic exceptions from people on the left.
- Signing up more NRA members.
- Talking about early indications of Obama being the world champion gun salesman he never stopped being.
- Discussing his inauguration speech. I have to admit, I didn’t even listen to or read Trump’s. Funny in that one I wondered why Obama mentioned a new relationship with the muslim world, knowing that would set off people on the right. Little did I know trolling the right would be his shtick.
- Looking at how bad the GOP’s fortunes had become.
- Quoting approvingly of Instapundit noting that this was a historic event for the country.
- Encouraging the defeat of Eric Holder for AG, even though I also noted it was a hopeless cause. I was also criticizing the GOP for having their priorities out of whack in the opposition.
- Trying to get gun owners on board with Kristen Gillibrand as Hillary’s replacement in the Senate, and encouraging us to encourage her to stay in the fold. Note, I was disastrously wrong on this count, and the people criticizing me were right.
- I was encouraging people to work with the blue dogs, because they were our best hope for opposing the new Administration on the gun issue.
- Praising Obama for signaling he would not abandon Afghanistan. He did not, over eight years. Though after eight years, I’m thinking we needed to figure out a way out.
I also noticed the day before Obama’s inaugural is when I launched a Facebook presence for the blog. That’s also, and I don’t think it’s a coincidence, when dialog in this country started to head downhill.
Dialog started going down hill because of Obama’s inauguration or because you got on book face?
Ha Ha!
Nobody seems to remember or be talking about the march on DC after he got elected. I may or may not have been there but I can assure you, that I was not wearing a pussy hat.
After I wrote it I realized that’s how it sounded.. but I won’t edit it because it’s kind of a funny mistake.
But what I meant to do is blame Facebook and Twitter for the decline of the state of debate.
While Facebook creeped me out enough that I dropped my account, I don’t think it is quite fair to blame them for the decline in the state of debate. It does facilitate organization of people into political silos but that was an ongoing issue before Facebook. Twitter on the other hand is just an electronic bumper sticker with all of the nuance found in the original.
TV and the education system are as much to blame. In fact, there is so much blame to go around that it’s safe to say that it’s most definitely America’s fault, me included.
Someone eventually found Gillibrand’s reins and reeled her in. Shumer can expect her to be reliable now. It is F-ing New Yawk after all.
I wouldn’t be too hard on yourself about Gillibrand. At the time, she seemed to be pro-gun; and reviewing both the post and the comments reminds me that the choice was between her and someone who was supposed to be ideal because she was the niece of a famous politician.
This is New York State we’re talking about, after all.