Dennis Miller on Bush, circa 2001

[Paragon]

http://www.hbo.com/dml/cmp/rant.html

And on Monday, movers went to the Governor's Mansion in Austin, Texas to transfer Bush's belongings to Washington. The move itself took very little time once workers discovered that Bush had nothing upstairs...

I actually have high hopes for the next four years. I see George W. Bush working hard to keep the ambitions of big business and the military in check, and ensure that even the lowest job pays a dignified wage. I believe he'll erase the animus that has divided Washington, and bring both sides of the aisle together. I also happen to believe dogs can talk if you touch them in the right spot, and everyone watching me is happy with their body...

National Security Advisor nominee Condoleezza Rice has often been described as W.'s "foreign policy tutor". Oh, yeah, I love the sound of that. It's nice to know we're signing our nuclear arsenal over to a man who needs after-school help...

For Secretary of State, Bush chose Colin Powell. Okay, no complaints there. Nice to see that Bush picked a minority. After all, a minority picked him.

[REP]

1. *Sniff* I Remember When He Was Funny

Long time ago...

[thebigidea]

2. blegh

he reads like a parody of Dennis Miller.

his style is so damn predictable! I need to go make some Dennis Miller mad libs.

Like _________ at a __________ with ____________.

Insert Al Roker, James Joyce, and /or Shaquille O'Neal references to flavor.

[DarkPhenyx]

3. Teh new Dennis Miller is explainable.

He has all but admited it himself. 9/11 scared him. Somewhere deep down he is terrified. I don't know why it hit him as hard as it did, but some of teh interviews done with him since that day show it fairly clearly.

[glarius]

7. He's an opportunist!....His career was faltering and he thought he'd use

his support of Bush to win back some love from the public. He's always been a mean-spirited jerk in my book...His so-called humour was always tinged with bitterness.

[DarkPhenyx]

8. So becasue he dosen't agree with us...

...he's an oppertunist? Interesting. Please expound upon this wisdom.

[glarius]

14. I mean he's using the public's fear of terrorism and consequential support

of Bush to get on their good side again by going gung ho for Bush...By the way you know how to be sarcastic but you can't spell...The word is "opportunist" not "oppertunist".

[DarkPhenyx]

22. Oh, I can spell.

Just can't type. Nice to pull something that petty out though. Kinda proves I was winning the discussion. Thanks for making it so obvious.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

25. He did a 180 degree turnaround. That= "opportunist."

What part don't you understand?

[DarkPhenyx]

29. So...a soldier who is gung-ho about the military...

...yet becomes a pacifist is an opportunist. A logger who reads a report that changes his way of viewing the forests and becomes an environmentalist is an opportuninst.

I think this is the part I'm missing.

Or is your complaint that as an established personality Dennis was able to be much louder much quicker after his "conversion" event?

[Adenoid_Hynkel]

32. if that soldier

does it to get a job at FOX news after his show gets canceled by HBO, then yes, he is an opportunist

if you really want to see what a 180 Miller did, go read his first book 'the rants', specifically the chapter mourning the derath of liberalism or the one on the religious right

miller didn't just decide to support bush because of 9-11. he decided to become a party hack and demonize anyone who doesn't take the right-wing fringe side of any issue. that's what's truly disgusting

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

63. Said it better than I could have.

Thanks.

[glarius]

36. You're accepting it as a given that he had a "conversion event."

We more discerning folk say we see through his act and don't believe it!....He's an opportunist!

[DarkPhenyx]

41. Possibly.

Just as it is possible that you are seeing incorrectly and simply dislike his direction. *shrug* Who knows. I've spent a great deal of time watching people though. I've gotten very good at reading them. Add to that a naturally intuitive nature and it's amazing sometiems the leaps of logic I make that end up being accurate. I also tend to not get that emotional about this crap, which is not always the case on this board.

Just my opinion of course, I could be wrong.

[glarius]

54. Funny you should base your opinion on your perceived ability to read

people...The thing is I pride myself on my ability to "read" people also...My husband jokingly calls me a witch because I'm so often right about them...And MY INTUITION tells me Dennis Miller is a complete phony who is using the 9/11 situation to his advantage....Seems to me one of us is not reading the signals correctly....and I'll put faith in my own antenna....I normally don't get rude but your sarcasm in post #8, your initial answer to a post I made kind of pissed me off....That's about it....Stay happy!!!!!

[DarkPhenyx]

56. sometimes intuition is wrong...

...some of us are better at it than others. Fortunately in this instance I have a feeling I'm more on mark. I base that on the consideration that no-one who rants against Dennis has been able to give a logical and calm defense of that position. It always seems to come down to "he defends Bush so he must be a sell out".

[Liberal Veteran]

69. Is it not enough to say that a fairly liberal somewhat intelligent person.

...has done a 180 in thinking, and is no longer even remotely funny (indeed the only time I laughed when he was on Bill Maher a few months ago was when he called Arriana Huffington "the smart Gabor sister" and even that sounded like he was waiting to use it) and spends his time bashing the progressives is not going to be very well liked or defended on a progressive board. My opinion is that his excuse for his turn around and his total wierd change in attitude to a basher of progressives is enough for me to dislike him.

If you are infatuated with his humor, have at it and go watch him on Faux news, but I don't understand why you are so concerned with him. He's turned into a fucktard and is persona non grata on my television screen. Why on earth would I like or respect someone who changes ALL his positions so radically with the lamest of explanations? It's the kind of conversion you see in people who suddenly get hooked up with a fundamentalist sect of Christianity. It's a form of sellout, whether it done out of some deep rooted fear from 9/11 or the oh-so-lame Gulliani excuse which screams of cheap self-rationalization used to convince oneself that selling out for the almighty dollar to a political philosophy the appears to be diametrically opposed to his apparent beliefs for years.

I mean, shit. He went from saying that Bush was a vacant eyed moron to literally campaigning for him. That smacks of sellout or pathetically shallow values to me. In the final analysis, it's gonna be REALLY hard to convince me that someone went from seeing Bush for the moron he is to thinking he's the second coming of Christ is the action of a rational human being.

[glarius]

35. Your logic is rather pathetic....

You won NOTHING!....Apparently you are unable to perceive what the motives are for Miller's right-wing swing. If you like him...who cares. Those of us who are more discerning don't like him. Read some of the other posts on this thread...You might learn something.

[DarkPhenyx]

43. Prehaps you are blinded...

...because you don't like what he is saying. It is as equally plausible as your comments to me.

[southern democrat]

72. Yes he's looking for an audience.

And he's found one but he's still a loser.

[Liberal Veteran]

13. 9/11 scared all of us.....

...that's a given, but the overwhelming majority of us didn't turn into right wing shills as a result.

[DarkPhenyx]

23. And your point would be?

I'm sure there are some people out there that turned into "left-wing shills" because of 9/11 or the invasion of Iraq. So what?

BTW...once I found out my roommate was fine I quit worrying about 9/11. I was one of thsoe people that was predicting something like it years ago. It was never something that had me "scared". So no, not all of us were scared by 9/11.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

64. Who is "us?"

Just wondering.

[magnolia]

19. I remember....

...watching TV that morning as the planes went into the towers. That caused indescrible, paralyzing fear. Remembering in that moment that Bush was president created even more fear. Like finding myself up on a tight rope...fear...looking down and seeing no safety net...even more fear.

[Democat]

4. 9/11 scared the brains and humor out of him?

Like many Americans, maybe he lives in fear of "terrorists" and he thinks Bush is going to protect him.

Or he just sold out. :)

[DarkPhenyx]

5. Don't think he sold out.

Fear does a lot of strange things to folks. Makes them a little crazy sometimes. Fear, that is bad enough, is a life altering experience. Look at people that are anti-gun who suddenly buy a gun and take training courses when they get mugged or worse.

[el_gato]

6. he's a pathetic little worm

and he wants somebody to take care of him

[DarkPhenyx]

9. There are a lot of pathetic worms in the US.

A lot of them are liberals and Democrats too. Lot's of conservative and Republican worms as well. All of them wanting to be taken care of.

What was your point here?

[Liberal Veteran]

16. I think the point was abundantly clear....

He thinks Miller is a pathetic worm. It's called expressing an opinion. It's also a opinion I happen to agree with.

Either Dennis Miller is a pathetic coward who sells out his values because 9/11 scared him or he's a pathetic sellout who decided there was more money to be made on the other side of the aisle, but in the end, he's still a pathetic excuse for a human being, in my opinion.

[oasis]

10. Dennis is a sellout to the right. His career was headed nowhere

until he noticed he could makes a few bucks by bashing the left ala Ann Coulter and Rush. After all, that's where the money is nowadays.

[DarkPhenyx]

11. As opposed to his making a few bucks...

...bashing the Right?

All of us would be applauding him had he continued to make jokes about Bush. He isn't now so we vilify him. IOW: Because he dosen't pander to our side of the aisle he is a useless sellout.

[Liberal Veteran]

12. He's either a sellout or a weak minded person.....

Take your pick.

I am sorry, but people his age don't do a 180 in values overnight. And the excuse that Miller uses that he went right wing because someone called Guilliani a nazi rings somewhere between empty and pathetic.

[mac56]

15. I agree.

The Giuliani excuse is lame. Were his core values really that vulnerable, that they could be swayed that easily?

[DarkPhenyx]

24. Actually they do.

It isn't the norm, but it does happen often enough for it to not be unusual. This would be why they call it a "life altering event".

I agree about his "reasoning". It's horribly shallow and dosen't pass a logic test. It could be his was of defending himself to himself. None of us like to admit that we are afraid.

[Adenoid_Hynkel]

33. the excuse is really pathetic

seeing as he now plays second banana to the king of labelers, hannity.

in miller's universe, it's a crime against humanity if someone at a hollywood cocktail party calls rudy hitler-like, but if sean hannity goes on the air nightly and demonizes everyone non-republican as a communist, it's fine and dandy.

[oasis]

17. Miller calls Hans Blix "Inspector Closeau" ha, ha, that's real funny shit.

And "Put Kim Il Jong's head in a jar" what a knee slapper.

Pathetic. Miller has become a bigger joke than his lame material.

[DarkPhenyx]

26. and we call Bush "Chimpy" and the "Boy King".

I myself have called Rumsfeld "Rums-feratu". C'mon. Our side cranks out just as much lame shit and we find it "just a hoot".

[oasis]

42. We call Bush Chimpy and Boy King out of contempt. What contempt

or animosity should Miller have for Hans Blix who was commisioned by the UN to do a valuable service for peace in the region? Miller goes on to criticize those who are critical of Bush's phoney reasons for marching us to war.

He is caustic not comic.

[DarkPhenyx]

44. Prehaps his comments...

...are based upon a contempt for those in opposition to Bush?

Do you honestly fail to see the hypocrasy in this discussion? It's ok for us to act in this manner but not acceptable for the opposition to do it?

[oasis]

62. Hypocrisy? We're not airing our biases on national television.

Most of us here would not change our views in order to turn over a fast buck, that's why this site is called Democratic Underground.

Many of us here are activist and volunteers in the pursuit of justice and real democracy. We the few, make personal sacrifices for the benefit of the many.

Dennis Miller dosn't fit that profile and the same can be said of his idol, George W. Bush, aka Chimpy, Dumbya,Dimson, Shrub,Smirk and many other befitting monikers.

We at DU have no respect for thieves, tyrants and war criminals or those who promote them.

[AntiCoup2K4]

67. It's only hypocrisy if....

You used to be a Republican and now bash them to be trendy. Which is of course impossible since being a Republican IS trendy at the moment.

I've been bashing the right wing fascists since I was 14, so I'm on a bit firmer moral ground than Dennis the hack Miller.

[oasis]

71. "Dennis 'the Hack' Miller". I guess hack would be an improvement.

but it's a far more pathetic situation.

[glarius]

18. What are you???....His agent or something????

hmmmmmm?

[displacedvermoter]

38. He started talking about "jerk off rights" in describing many people's

fears as to our civil liberties, when he made a career out of using the "jerk off rights" to say fuck thirteen times in five minutes in his rants. Apparently his right to free speech is sacrosanct, while the right to legal representation -- if he thinks you are a terrorist -- or the right to disagree with the president are "jerk off rights"!

[MattNC]

20. being scared

by 9/11 and wanting aggressive action against terrorists is one thing. but almost completely changing your political ideology is another.

[oasis]

21. Dennis the opportunist, capitalizes on the fear of others, just as Chimpy

does. The Chimp gets power and wealth. Dennis gets a crumb off of the neocon banquet table.

[DarkPhenyx]

27. Assuming this is true...

...remember that the left uses fear just as readily. We're usually more subtle about it is all. We have no basis to bitch about a tactic that we are more than willing to use ourselves.

[spotbird]

37. What in the world are you talking about?

The reasons for war were INVENTIONS intended to terrorize the public into supporting an invasion which was in fact being planned for reasons leaning more toward megalomania than anything else. In the single area where there may have been 9/11 justifications for military action, Afghanistan, our commitment to getting the job done was so inadequate that it will inevitably foster more terror in the long run and have no benefit for any of the parties concerned.

Yes the people here ridicule the Chimp. But there is not mention of the truth about the boy king in the major media. There is NO public ridicule of that pathetic man-boy anywhere outside of places like this, so your comparison in that regard is false, it relates two unrelated facts.

[DarkPhenyx]

49. You are right.

The reasons for the war in Iraq were fake. Did you have a point there? Most of us on this list already agree with that premise.

Now, as to your unrelated rant in the second paragraph...

[spotbird]

51. You make arguments in a similar fashion to

Rush. You say, “...remember that the left uses fear just as readily. We're usually more subtle about it is all. We have no basis to bitch about a tactic that we are more than willing to use ourselves.” but offer not a single justification for such a rash comment. I point out a crystal clear example of the exploitation of fear for political purposes on the largest scale imaginable and you claim not to understand my point? My point is that the administration has a monopoly on the use of fear to achieve ends. How clear could I make it?

My second rant (as you called it) addressed a point you had made in an earlier post, you must have already forgotten that you had raised that issue.

[DarkPhenyx]

55. Patriot Act.

Good example there of where some of us are captolizing on fear, no matter how justified that fear is, to promote a political agenda. Also Global Warming....the anti-War movement...the anti-gun movement...

NO, I hadn't forgotten it. You just didn't seem to ahve a point with it.

[spotbird]

65. Let’s take the antiwar movement

Just how does the antiwar movement use fabricated warnings of terror and fictional intelligence reports to rally support? And, specifically, where is it reported in the mainstream press?

You have mastered the argumentum ad hominem in your responses. Rather than direct your answer to a point made you attempt to insult the poster ith ridicule of their comments. This is a feeble attempt to deflect from the fact that you have no worthy response. Similarly, rather than addressing the point made you attempt to deflect from that argument and argue a different topic that is more to your suiting, this distraction is necessary because there is no adequate reply on your side to the effective points made.

[glarius]

39. The expression "with friends like you we don't need any enemies"

seems to have been written for you!...

[DarkPhenyx]

48. How do you figure?

That really is a facinating observation, and I would love to hear you expound upon it at length. Your logic must be astounding since there aren't many who can tell me something new about myself, particularly when they know so little about me.

[glarius]

60. Look....This whole thread started out as a friendly discussion

Your sarcasm to me in thread #8 pissed me off....I'm not a rude person, but I don't like being talked down to. .You're right I know nothing about you, except the impression you give with your postings here....You come across as being puffed up with self-importance and cock sure you're always right....Go back and read all your postings on this thread....You don't come across as a very attractive personality, do you?.....And now I'm off to make supper for my family.......

[ComerPerro]

28. This asshole

Had no problem trashing Reagan and Bush when he was on SNL. He certainly had no problem trashing Clinton. And when he did it, I still thought it was funny because he used to take both sides as satire.
But now he is a whore to the right. He protects Bush, and shouts down anyone that opposes the administration.

That doesn't make you a satarist.

It makes you a court jester.
And a sellout.

[DarkPhenyx]

30. Why does it make you a sellout?

Please explain the logic behind the statement.

[ComerPerro]

31. It makes you a sellout

Because he changed his stance on the issues after losing his HBO and Monday Night Football gig.

Suddenly he becomes a voicebox for Rove and he is appearing all over the place (especially on Leno and Fox News).

So either he sold out his beliefs, or he always has been a little twisted.

My main point is, I never want to see anyone refer to him as a satarist.

[Serial Mom]

34. It also makes you a sellout

when you do a whole "rant" on a live show about entertainers doing commercials and letting their work (songs) be used for $$ on ads and what a sell out of self that is, then 3 months later show up on M & M commericials.

BTW, I noticed no other company wanted him doing ads for them before or since then. Maybe cause it was pointed out what a sell out he is/was?

He makes me puke almost as much as dubya!

He never was funny - just neurotic and probably still is on psychiatric drugs!

[DarkPhenyx]

45. No, that makes him a hypocrite.

That's a completely different discussion.

[ComerPerro]

46. Yeah, but by his own definition

it makes him a sellout.

Sellout, hypocrite. Either way, He isn't particularly likeable.

[DarkPhenyx]

50. Ah...

...prehaps in the case of the M&M commercail he is a sellout. As I don't think he was using his particular brand of caustic humor as a selling point for M&M's though it is a debatable issue. It dosen't address the issue of his being, or not being, a sell out to the Right.

[ComerPerro]

53. Fair enough

Lets just say that he had a dramatic realization, and now sees that Bush is right. May we all find his wisdom.

[DarkPhenyx]

57. I would prefer may he find our wisdom.

In this case we're right and he is wrong.

[spotbird]

40. The point is

that in the past he was balanced in his satire, now he has sold out to become a partisan hack. He needed the exposure, this was a way to get it. He can no longer balance his views because the right has no tolerance for alternative views, he sold out, very simple. He is a sycophant; he has to be because that is what Hannity requires. If he hadn’t sold out he couldn’t be Hannity’s lackey. What's not to understand?

[DarkPhenyx]

47. So it is entirely impossible that...

...he didn't sell out but simply had his world view changed?

Also remember, when you start painting the Right with that broad brush, there are many on our side that are entirely intolerant of opposing and different points of view. Some of them post on this list.

[spotbird]

52. Yes, absent a lobotomy it is impossible that his views simply changed.

Now, there have been no reports of a lobotomy but considering the dribble that comes out of his mouth these days it could have been done secretly. When you argue that it could be a sincere change of heart you expect us to also believe that Miller has also forgotten how to read and acquire new information about the truth. Brain surgery could have that effect on a man, money just changes behavior. He is the lowest kind of sell-out.

[DarkPhenyx]

59. So you completely discount the possibility of...

..."life altering experiences". They do not ever happen and are an impossibility. No one has ever had one. It absolutely is completely impossible.

[spotbird]

66. Yep, in this instance certainly there was no “life altering experience”

Because the supposed honest but financially beneficial change of heart is based on information which Miller certainly knows are lies, distortions and fabrications. If there were a grain of actual truth in the new positions he has taken then the sincere conversion argument would still be a stretch, but possible. He has access to the truth but his positions are based on lies, and he knows it. How can there be any doubt about his earnestness?

The issue of whether there is such a thing as a genuine life altering experience can wait for another day, because it unquestionably didn’t happen to Miller.

[RobertFrancisK]

58. The one funny joke I've heard from the conservative Miller was . . .

"The least the French could do is back us in the war after we chisled the armpit hair off the statue of Liberty."
I couldn't help but chuckle at that one.

[DarkPhenyx]

61. Cept for one thing.

Armpit hair looks good on some women.

[spotbird]

68. I guess it floats your boat. n/t

[bucknaked]

70. Miller has also said that Clinton's behaviour started his "conversion..."

In one of his recent welcoming-parties/interviews on Fox, he cited Clinton's affair with Lewinsky as a turning point in his politics. However, I specifically remember him on Leno back in 1998, going after the House Managers and Republicans over impeachment.

Wish I had the same snooping abilities as others. Probably wouldn't be hard to find.

[glarius]

73. Like I said in my first posting here (#7)....He's an OPPORTUNIST!

He's decided being a Bush supporter right now will further his career on TV, which is certainly controlled by conservatives who cheer-lead for Bush...His "conversion" has nothing to do with personal integrity and everything to do with making money!....IMO