Let's do a little comparing of "Liberal Rude" versus "Republican Rude"

[Mira]

Letter to the Editor: Winston-Salem, NC Journal, today

Consider

So the writer of the letter "Rude liberals" (Dec. 10) thinks that liberals are rude. After all, that rude columnist, Paul Krugman, pointed out that Newt Gingrich isn't as smart as he thinks he is. What a slap-down!

So consider:

Willie Horton ads, Swiftboating, GOP convention-goers waving purple band-aids to mock a veteran's war wounds, birtherism, Ann Coulter claiming that 9/11 widows were "enjoying their husbands' deaths," Rush Limbaugh mocking Michael J. Fox's Parkinson's disease, ads falsely claiming Sen. Kay Hagan was "godless," Rep. Michele Bachmann calling for an investigation of "un-American views" among some members of Congress, Joyce Kaufman at a tea-party rally: "If ballots don't work, bullets will," Glenn Beck: "Obama hates white people," Rep. Joe Wilson: "You lie!" wingnuts at the FreeRepublic website calling 11-year-old Sasha Obama a "street whore," outright lies from Sarah Palin and others about "death panels," Sharron Angle's "Second Amendment remedies," booing soldiers in war zones for being gay, South Carolina Lt. Gov. Andre Bauer comparing poor people to stray animals you shouldn't feed, South Carolina state Sen. Jake Knotts: "We've got one raghead in the White House, we don't need one in the governor's mansion," conservative "Christians" suggesting that people pray for the president's death using Psalm 109:8 as a text, Limbaugh calling the First Lady "uppity," and on and on and on …

Sure, liberals can be rude. But we have yet to master rudeness as a political philosophy the way conservatives have.

[JitterbugPerfume]

1. sometimes the truth is inherently rude

[RZM]

2. How does the Rude Pundit fit into all of this?

[thucythucy]

3. I think we should draw a distinction

between elected officials and unelected "pundits" bloggers and columnists.

Notice how many of the rude right wingers are members of Congress or state officials, or (in Palin's case) former state officials.

I don't think you find nearly the same sort of vituperative rhetoric among elected Democrats and party leaders as you find among Republicans.

Besides which, for every "rude pundit" on the left I think you can point to lots more on the right. I mean, when was the last time you heard a liberal suggest in print that it would be a jolly idea for someone to slip some poison into a conservative Supreme Court justice's food, a la Ann Coulter?

[RZM]

5. LOL. I was just joking of course

I figured somebody had to mention him on this thread

I agree that Coulter is just about as bad as it gets. Though as I've said before, I think she sees herself as the Howard Stern of the far right. She goes out of her way to shock and has built her brand less on conservative ideas and more on her over the top style. Rush too, I guess.

[okieinpain]

4. they both can be really weird about stuff. take anti-obama posts on du for example. n/t.