BuzzMachine... by Jeff Jarvis

November 07, 2004

Michael Moore lost the election

: Michael Moore lost the election for John Kerry. captain balu porn pics

Michael Ledeen thinks the Guardian lost it by having a bunch of ferners try to influence our campaign. captain balu porn pics

You could argue that the French and Old Europe lost it for Kerry because he tied his star to them -- now how dumb was that? -- and we're still pissed at them for deserting us. captain balu porn pics

You could argue that bin Laden lost it for Kerry by showing up again. Yes, you'd think that this only made Kerry's point about letting OBL slip out of our fingers. But never underestimate our prideful anger. captain balu porn pics

But I say instead that Michael Moore lost it for Kerry. He lost it by starting the mudslinging over military service when he accused Bush of being a deserter; this opened the door for the Swiftie mudmen and cut short the ability to condemn them for it. captain balu porn pics

He lost it by making unfair attacks on Bush (when he could have made fair attacks), helping Bush to rally his fans around him. captain balu porn pics

But mainly, Moore lost the race for Kerry and the Democrats by turning them, by association, into a bunch of rabid seething fringie liberal loonies, all angry and extreme and too quick to forget what the real war is and who the real enemy is. captain balu porn pics

The right-wing is usually the side that is portrayed as fringie and rabid and extreme and, Lord knows, many of them are. captain balu porn pics

But Moore made the left seem just as extreme if not more so. captain balu porn pics

He demanded that we should all be as angry as he is. But what if we don't want to be angry at our own side? captain balu porn pics

He demanded that we see conspiracies everywhere but where they exist: in the Islamofascist world. captain balu porn pics

He lowered the level of discourse to this: hyperbole, hype, lies by omission, and attack as a substitute for fact and discussion.captain balu porn pics

And that make it harder for Kerry to complain when the other side did likewise to him. captain balu porn pics

Bush did a better job of maintaining a thin wall of separation between him and the 527 nutjobs on his side. I don't say that the wall was real, but the appearance of it was just real enough. Kerry did a bad job of separating himself from Moore; he didn't try. So to many, Moore's mud became Kerry's mud.captain balu porn pics

There were thousands, hundreds of thousands, maybe millions of voters who were looking for an alternative to Bush, a reasonable, open, safe alternative. Moore made the Democrats look not like an alternative but the attackers.captain balu porn pics

And Moore -- and Howard Dean and Air America and others -- pushed Kerry and the Democrats into the position of being the anti-war party at a time when we are at war. That led to one flip-flop too many. Big mistake. captain balu porn pics

Moore was brilliant at creating a media frenzy. The media bought his hype and helped him make a fortune on his little flick. They made the mistake of thinking that each ticket bought to see that flick was worth many times more votes. No, the people who went to see F9/11 weren't all buying Moore's gospel. They were buying the hype. And that's all Moore was selling: Hype. He wasn't doing it for the good of the country. He was doing it for the good of Michael Moore. captain balu porn pics

But who wants to vote for the party of seethers and demeaners? Who wants to join the angry people and think that's going to improve life? Who feels welcome in the company of disapprove snots? That is the party of Michael Moore. captain balu porn pics

The moral to the story: Don't listen to Michael Moore. He led you astray, Democrats. captain balu porn pics

And Republicans: Just as I am tell Democrats not to believe that most of you are rabid religious nuts, you'd be unwise to think that most Democrats are rabid Michael Moore nuts; that would be just as wrong. captain balu porn pics

: I tried to warn you. captain balu porn pics

: See also Andrew Sullivan singing this hymn in harmony on Bill Maher, below. captain balu porn pics

: Roger L. Simon respectfully disagrees. captain balu porn pics

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Somebody buy these Brits a map

: Getaloada this incredible lead to an Observer (that is, weekend Guardian) editorial:

Some in the United States are already calling Bush's presidential victory the revenge of the confederacy, and there is an element of truth in that. The states and territories which in 1861 fought for the right to own slaves voted for George Bush; those that did not voted for John Kerry.

How's the saying go? Ohio shall rise again! But of course, the real effort is to say that Republicans like slavery. Did the people of India, America, Canada, Australia, and half the world ever get to vote for their Queen?captain balu porn pics

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Yes, incredible

: I loved The Incredibles. captain balu porn pics

It is a battlecry against mediocrity. It indicts lawyers and bureaucrats for the damage they cause playing it safe. It turns the gift economy -- doing right because it's right -- into a superhero cause. It warns of the danger of celebrity. captain balu porn pics

It also reveals the corporate and personal culture of Pixar v. Disney, Apple v. Microsoft, Jobs v. Eisner. captain balu porn pics

But most of all, it's just fun and funny and exciting and new. captain balu porn pics

And Holly Hunter's voice is oddly sexy. captain balu porn pics

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New

: Technorati has a new version up with lots of improvements.captain balu porn pics

Note, however, that the counts of incoming blogs linking to a site have not been updating for weeks now. I've whined about it. Would have loved to watch the patterns for various blogs during the election. They say they're working on it. captain balu porn pics

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