The Other McCain

"One should either write ruthlessly what one believes to be the truth, or else shut up." — Arthur Koestler

Liberal Blogger: ‘How Dare You Smear Hillary by Quoting Her Accurately!’

Posted on | January 23, 2013 | 68 Comments

Sen. Ron Johnson asked a question about Benghazi and Hillary Clinton said this: “What difference, at this point, does it make?”

I’m not making this up. You can check the transcript or watch the video. She said it. But it is so wrong for anyone to quote that sentence:

But, of course, the ripped-from-context quote is “What difference, at this point, does it make?” It’s already being seized on by National Review and Fox News and The Wall Street Journal and The Weekly Standard and Glenn Beck’s Blaze and Michelle Malkin’s Twitchy and the Free Beacon and, of course, Breitbart. There’s already a popular hashtag, #whatdifferencedoesitmake. . . .
Will the wingers be able to turn this decontextualized soundbite into a deceptive sign of Secretary Clinton’s indifference?
This is an Andrew Breitbart/James O’Keefe tactic, but its use is not limited to O’Keefe and the carriers of the Breitbart torch — this is a mainstream GOP tactic.

Quoting what a Democrat says is a tactic! An Andrew Breitbart/James O’Keefe tactic! A mainstream GOP tactic!

The point seems to be: Anything that is bad for Democrats is wrong. These unfair “tactics” include (a) direct quotes, (b) facts and (c) math.

UPDATE: Welcome, Instapundit readers!

 


Category: Hillary Clinton

Comments

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  • http://thecampofthesaints.org Bob Belvedere

    You had me worried there for a moment, as I thought you were referencing Brave New World.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brave_New_World#Fordism_and_society

  • http://thecampofthesaints.org Bob Belvedere

    Is your real name O’Brien???

  • http://thecampofthesaints.org Bob Belvedere

    Maybe what actually happened in that Billy finally threw an ashtray back at her.

  • http://thecampofthesaints.org Bob Belvedere

    No offense, but: where have you been these last four-plus years?

  • http://thecampofthesaints.org Bob Belvedere

    Since 20 January 2009 there has been nothing but Treason in our midst.

  • http://thecampofthesaints.org Bob Belvedere

    The Clintons never admit guilt.

  • Ronin

    Contantly gob-smacked at the audacity displayed. I figured there was some limit to their idiocy. I figured wrong.

  • Monongahela

    Hi! Dirty liberal here (sorry).

    RSM and commenters, you seem to be ascribing to the liberal blogger the view that quoting people accurately when it favors political faction X is OK, but a dirty trick when it favors political faction Y. That’s an obviously dumb and borderline-bad-faith view, and representing your opposition as holding such a view shuts down substantive debate pretty quickly.

    So, in hopes of reviving substantive debate, can I try to articulate in good faith the argument that the liberal blogger, on a more charitable reading, was making? (Now, maybe the blogger doesn’t deserve a charitable reading. In that case forget him/her and just consider the argument below on its own, coming from me, an anonymous goofball.)

    Here’s the argument: (1) By leaving out relevant context, it’s possible to quote accurately but misleadingly; (2) Hillary was quoted in just that way; (3) She was quoted that way intentionally by media figures who, regardless of politics, should take care not to quote people in ways that are misleading (even if accurate).

    I might be wrong about any/all of those three points, but none of them strikes me as obviously absurd, and I’m making them in good faith (you’ll have to trust me on that, I guess).

  • http://thecampofthesaints.org Bob Belvedere

    It’s understandable. We were brought up a decent, moral people and we have a tendency to be charitable in our views of our fellow Americans. Just as the Left thinks we scheme and plot and plan and will do whatever it takes to win because they are like that, we think the Left is, deep down, like us. But they’re not; they have an outlook that is the opposite of ours.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Nick-Cameron/100002153963446 Nick Cameron

    Clinton lied, manipulated the truth, invented facts to score political points – all while Americans died. Guess she’s right, “what difference does it make”? If she’s not being held accountable, it doesn’t make a difference.

  • http://www.facebook.com/JimEvansIV Jim Evans

    Traitor of the Year award for Hillary! Hooray!

  • http://www.facebook.com/JimEvansIV Jim Evans

    Bingo!

  • welldoneson

    This outrage by this Democrat maroon is just another version of a saying I’ve been disgusted by many times: “stop living in the past”.

  • Snoop8765

    And the leftist tactic is lying and pandering. I’ll take accurate quotation any day

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  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Aaron-Glicco/100000778998275 Aaron Glicco

    ACTUALLY she explained that she did want to beef up security, but the HOUSE did not pass the bill citing too much money. When house republicans block a security measure because it comes from a “liberal” and they cant look past partisanship…..AMERICANS DIE.

  • http://twitter.com/esparhawk David Drake

    That is a fabrication. The money was there. Read

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