“Idiot Bloggers”?

I’m sure Tom Fetzer wasn’t talking about Carter and me last weekend when he urged North Carolina Republicans to ignore “idiot bloggers.”
 
But I’m sure he was talking about the idiots who virtually hijacked our blog last year with attacks on Fetzer and other candidates for GOP party chair.
 
It got so bad Carter called me one day and asked if I minded him censoring the most libelous and mean-spirited stuff.  No problem, I said. I love when Republicans fight, but I was embarrassed by it.
 
Like Tom and Carter, I’m no milquetoast when it comes to tough politics. But I am surprised by the level of venom, most of which – not all, but most – comes these days from the right wing.
 
That’s certainly true if you go by what was said in Tom’s race.
 
It’s not just tough talk about issue differences and even character attacks. It’s a level of anger and meanness that can be disturbing.
 
Maybe it’s what people turn into when they can hide behind the anonymity of their blog names.
 
The PC thing to say in the wake of the Tucson shootings is that hateful political talk had nothing to do with the madman’s murderous mental state.
 
But hateful speech and hateful politics do encourage hate. And we could do with a little less hate these days.
 
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Gary Pearce

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“Idiot Bloggers”?

I’m sure Tom Fetzer wasn’t talking about Carter and me last weekend when he urged North Carolina Republicans to ignore “idiot bloggers.”
 
But I’m sure he was talking about the idiots who virtually hijacked our blog last year with attacks on Fetzer and other candidates for GOP party chair.
 
It got so bad Carter called me one day and asked if I minded him censoring the most libelous and mean-spirited stuff.  No problem, I said. I love when Republicans fight, but I was embarrassed by it.
 
Like Tom and Carter, I’m no milquetoast when it comes to tough politics. But I am surprised by the level of venom, most of which – not all, but most – comes these days from the right wing.
 
That’s certainly true if you go by what was said in Tom’s race.
 
It’s not just tough talk about issue differences and even character attacks. It’s a level of anger and meanness that can be disturbing.
 
Maybe it’s what people turn into when they can hide behind the anonymity of their blog names.
 
The PC thing to say in the wake of the Tucson shootings is that hateful political talk had nothing to do with the madman’s murderous mental state.
 
But hateful speech and hateful politics do encourage hate. And we could do with a little less hate these days.
 
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Gary Pearce

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