[speedgibson] Speed Gibson: Prager vs Brownstein

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Posted by Speed Gibson:
Prager vs Brownstein
http://speedgibson.powerblogs.com/posts/1195791797.shtml


   This Tuesday (Nov 20, hour 2 on Townhall), Dennis Prager interviewed
   Ronald Brownstein, author of "The Second Civil War: How Extreme
   Partisanship Has Paralyzed Washington and Polarized America." He is
   currently a columnist for the National Journal and Los Angeles Times.
   I heard this hour in my car while running errands. I was shouting at
   the radio at Brownstein's nonsense, cheering Prager's calm dismantling
   of his premise, that the right is responsible for the increasingly
   polarization. Brownstein soon found himself painted into a corner,
   saying that these two statements were comparable in this regard:
    1. "Our moral values, in contradiction to the Republicans', is we
       don't think kids ought to go to bed hungry at night." (Howard
       Dean, DNC Chair, on Meet The Press)
    2. "She said we have been an âon-your-own society.' She said, âIt's
       time to get rid of that and replace it with shared
       responsibility.' That's out with Adam Smith and in with Karl
       Marx." (Mitt Romney, speaking of Hillary Clinton, while
       campaigning in New Hampshire)

   Statement one is 100% personal, a classic ad hominem attack. Statement
   two is 100% about ideas, nothing more. Given how many on the left
   readily embrace Karl Marx's economics these days, it could even be
   construed as a compliment.
   Dennis had offered quote one and asked Brownstein to provide something
   comparable from a Republican. He couldn't of course, and made do with
   statement two above. Having no other cards to play, this was his story
   and he was sticking to it, lest the entire premise of his book
   collapse by his own admission.
   As Prager says, he prefers clarity to agreement. As with Lori
   Sturdevant per Michael Wigley, a liberal listens to Brownstein. A
   conservative listens to Brownstein and understands what he says.