Palin? Bring it on
Posted: November 22, 2:58 pm | (permalink) | (6 comments)
From the comments on today's column comes this from Peter Dennis of Annapolis:
"the Sarah Palin book is at times funny and profound, and tells her life story. Palin is as polarizing as Wright. But you will never see bleeding heart Hartley spell out every Democrat who hasn't lined up at one of her book signings. Liberal bias, I think so."
The day is young, but this is the leader for Red Herring Comment of the Day.
First, Palin's book tour isn't coming anywhere near Anne Arundel County. Trust me, I checked. She's sticking to battleground states, mainly small towns where she and John McCain did fairly well in 2008. (And where she might do well in 2012? Perhaps.)
Second, how does Mr. Dennis know what I would or wouldn't write in the event of this hypothetical occurrence? He doesn't. If Palin made an appearance at, say, the Books-A-Million at Arundel Mills mall, I'd be there in a heartbeat to cover it. And if someone organized a boycott of her, suggesting we shouldn't listen to her because she has said mean things, I would label them just as silly as the county officials who refused to go see the Rev. Jeremiah Wright.
This column, like the first one I wrote about the Wright controversy, isn't just about Wright. It's about the principle that you should go see people you might not agree with, even those who make you uncomfortable. It's unhealthy to live in a bubble where your preexisting notions are never challenged.
That applies to liberals and conservatives. "Intellectual cowardice," the term I used in the last column, knows no partisan bounds.
Along those lines, I quoted Carl Snowden making the comparison to a speech by Rush Limbaugh or Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. Snowden doesn't care for their views, but would go see either one if they spoke in the area. As would I.
And if they inspired the same kind of controversy, I'd write the same kind of column.
-Eric Hartley
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1
Slots - 2009-11-23
Sorry for the double posting of the previous comment. As for slots, most of the recent stories done by my colleague Erin Cox and others on slots have not even mentioned John Leopold (check Google News), because his position is clear and the story now is about what the council will do.
The Capital's editorial board's position on slots has actually been quite similar to Leopold's: against slots to begin with, but for a fair vote now that the voters have spoken.
When the editorial page has mentioned Leopold's position in the slots debate recently, it has said things like this: "Dillon, Benoit and Leopold are right. Cordish deserves a decision. So does the state commission. And so do the voters, who approved a referendum legalizing slot machines."
I could go on. But I get the sense you're not interested in facts. You want to believe what you believe, so have fun with that.
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Eric Hartley Staff
Report Abuse or Vote In order to allow the user community the ability to collectively rank the value of comments posted on the Capital Gazette websites we have implemented a thumbs-up/down system. All logged-in users may participate by voting up/down each comment. If others vote on your comment, your individual score will go up/down depending on the votes. Initially, everyone starts with a score of zero, and must earn credits to have significant voting weight. Individuals with higher scores will have more voting weight.
1
It's called Google - 2009-11-23
http://bit.ly/4Seh52
http://bit.ly/6lA7v8
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Eric Hartley Staff
Report Abuse or Vote In order to allow the user community the ability to collectively rank the value of comments posted on the Capital Gazette websites we have implemented a thumbs-up/down system. All logged-in users may participate by voting up/down each comment. If others vote on your comment, your individual score will go up/down depending on the votes. Initially, everyone starts with a score of zero, and must earn credits to have significant voting weight. Individuals with higher scores will have more voting weight.
1
It's called Google - 2009-11-23
http://bit.ly/4Seh52
http://bit.ly/6lA7v8
unhide Comment hidden due to low ranking. Why is this comment hidden?
Eric Hartley Staff
Report Abuse or Vote In order to allow the user community the ability to collectively rank the value of comments posted on the Capital Gazette websites we have implemented a thumbs-up/down system. All logged-in users may participate by voting up/down each comment. If others vote on your comment, your individual score will go up/down depending on the votes. Initially, everyone starts with a score of zero, and must earn credits to have significant voting weight. Individuals with higher scores will have more voting weight.
Wow, immigration policy - 2009-11-23
go out on a limb. There are at least 3 "stories" a day blasting Leopold on slots. Marquardt routinely speaks at Democratic functions. I don't know of one Republican function Marqurdt or you have attended. Please elaborate.
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Peter Dennis - Karma: Neutral
Report Abuse or Vote In order to allow the user community the ability to collectively rank the value of comments posted on the Capital Gazette websites we have implemented a thumbs-up/down system. All logged-in users may participate by voting up/down each comment. If others vote on your comment, your individual score will go up/down depending on the votes. Initially, everyone starts with a score of zero, and must earn credits to have significant voting weight. Individuals with higher scores will have more voting weight.
Thanks - 2009-11-23
Gosh, Peter, thank you for adding to a thoughtful and civil debate with childish name-calling.
Your comments prove the point that bias is in the eye of the beholder. The Capital endorsed John Leopold for county executive and has generally been supportive of his policies on budget, immigration and other issues.
Democrats frequently complain that The Capital's editorial page is too conservative. But to you, it's Marquardt and his "liberal cronies," whatever that means.
As with judges, sometimes the best sign a newspaper is doing its job is when both sides are unhappy.
Oh, and as for that cronyism and the implication that columnists think in lock-step with the editor? If you'd actually read the paper you spend so much time taking shots at, you'd see that I've taken positions opposite those of The Capital's editorial page on many issues, particularly immigration policy. Contrary to your juvenile taunts, we actually encourage open exchange of ideas.
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Eric Hartley Staff
Report Abuse or Vote In order to allow the user community the ability to collectively rank the value of comments posted on the Capital Gazette websites we have implemented a thumbs-up/down system. All logged-in users may participate by voting up/down each comment. If others vote on your comment, your individual score will go up/down depending on the votes. Initially, everyone starts with a score of zero, and must earn credits to have significant voting weight. Individuals with higher scores will have more voting weight. 1
Come on bleeding Hartley - 2009-11-23
I call bullshit. You are just one of Marquardt liberal cronies out to blast Leopold. You are nothing more than amateur race-baiter.
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Peter Dennis - Karma: Neutral
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