The Other McCain

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

A Note on Bill Kristol’s
Arrogant and Stupid Blog Post

Posted on | September 18, 2012 | 32 Comments

In general, the whooping and hollering over a GOP presidential candidate’s gaffe is done by Democrats.

Also David Brooks and David Frum.

So it was rather shocking to see Bill Kristol come out with a blog post using the phrase “stupid and arrogant” to describe Romney’s remarks.

I like Bill Kristol.

Perhaps more importantly, my wife likes Bill Kristol. So why he would put the words “stupid and arrogant” next to Romney’s name, I don’t know, but now at least he knows how it feels.

Don’t do that again, please, sir.

Category: Election 2012, Mitt Romney

Comments

32 Responses to “A Note on Bill Kristol’s
Arrogant and Stupid Blog Post”

  1. jlwellfonder
    September 18th, 2012 @ 4:23 pm

    Very disappointing 🙁

  2. William T Quick
    September 18th, 2012 @ 4:36 pm

    I’m sorry to see you live in a world where telling the truth is called “a gaffe.”

    And if you’re calling it a gaffe, why are you upset that Kristol is calling it arrogant and stupid?

  3. willpeir
    September 18th, 2012 @ 4:38 pm

    A system that promises everything to everyone breaks down, but before it does, it becomes very hard to explain to people why that system is no longer working in their “best interest,” especially when it seemed so solid for their entire lives.

    Yeah, that’s exactly the same as sneering at Christians who believe in their Constitutional rights. Ride the soundbite wave, Bill, but watch out: it’s a rocky shore.

  4. Bob Belvedere
    September 18th, 2012 @ 4:55 pm

    Mr. Kristol certainly should not have used the terms he did. ‘Dumb’ would have been more on the mark.

    The worst part has been Willard’s tepid, wimpy defense of his remarks, but, as I’ve been shouting in The Ether since 2008, Mitt Romney is a wimp.

  5. Wombat_socho
    September 18th, 2012 @ 4:58 pm

    I could be wrong, but I think he’s using the Kinsley definition of “gaffe”.

  6. Becca Lower
    September 18th, 2012 @ 5:05 pm

    I find it ironic that Kristol links to a Jonah Goldberg piece that disagrees with his thesis. Goldberg doesn’t call Mitt’s remarks “arrogant”, not by any stretch of the imagination. Also, it’s worth recalling that Bill Kristol has never been a huge Romney fan: http://www.weeklystandard.com/articles/all-we-are-saying_616156.html

  7. Matthew W
    September 18th, 2012 @ 5:11 pm

    How is it that Republicans have a never ending supply of ammo to shot themselves in the foot?
    Get on the right team Kristol.

    Christ all mighty, do the “Rockefeller Republicans” really want a second NObama term??

  8. Matthew W
    September 18th, 2012 @ 5:12 pm

    Willard should start every speech with the “Less than 50% pays income taxes” piece.

  9. Adjoran
    September 18th, 2012 @ 5:12 pm

    The people who claim to be on our side should take a cue from the other side. No matter what outrageous thing Obama says or does, not a peep of criticism.

    I like Kristol, too, but him calling someone “arrogant” is the biggest joke – got a mirror, Bill?

  10. Adjoran
    September 18th, 2012 @ 5:16 pm

    Actually, except for conflating those who pay no federal income tax (47%) with those on the dole, Mitt’s statement was accurate enough. He could have defended it better, sure, but he’s not the candidate because he is a smooth talker, he’s there because he gets things done.

    How is your personal attack any better for our side than Kristol’s criticism of Romney’s remarks?

  11. xxx yyy
    September 18th, 2012 @ 5:30 pm

    You know, maybe Kristol was right (for once …).

  12. Bob Belvedere
    September 18th, 2012 @ 5:41 pm

    Mine is based on having lived in New England all my life and having been involved in politics since I was a teenager. I saw up-close Romney as Governor and as candidate. The Legislature ran Massachusetts during his term and MR’s budgets were laughed at. He has a bully pulpit and didn’t use it.

  13. Bob Belvedere
    September 18th, 2012 @ 5:44 pm

    I will be voting for Willard, but I will not remain silent like I did in 2008 regarding McCain. I will not hide his faults. This is a lesser of evils vote for me. I’m urging everyone I know to vote for him, but I will not be involved in any deception.

  14. K-Bob
    September 18th, 2012 @ 5:46 pm

    Figures. Back in 2008 when the NRO crew decided to endorse Romney, they followed up their endosement with backhanded, own-goal BS like Kristol. And Kristol is one of the guys who pushed for a McCain/Romney/Christie type candidate, by slamming all the other ones.

    This is a problem with the “smart” set. They act all solid and committed to principle until the time comes to hold fast to it and actually APPLY it. Then they jump on the “well, let’s not be hasty,” bandwagon, because they think that’s what “smart” people do.

    It’s like owning a gun that stays in the closet, unloaded, rusty, and unfamiliar.

  15. Quartermaster
    September 18th, 2012 @ 6:20 pm

    Without a doubt, they’d rather have a second term for Zer0 than see a conservative elected.

  16. chuck coffer
    September 18th, 2012 @ 6:24 pm

    So Romney has done “little in his lifetime” for the country? Coming from a self important prick like Kristol, that doesn’t carry a lot of punch. What a douchebag.

  17. Evi L. Bloggerlady
    September 18th, 2012 @ 6:29 pm

    Bill Kristol is proving himself to be a doofus. Brooks and Frum no surprise. I knew what they would say. But Kristol, while never really all that conservative, does disappoint with this one.

    He needs to start training for keg stands like this LSU grandmother.

    Maybe that explains it. Kristol is drunk.

  18. Evi L. Bloggerlady
    September 18th, 2012 @ 6:32 pm

    I would expect this of Brooks and Frum (who are not even RINOs let alone conservatives) but Kristol? Is he drunk?

  19. Evi L. Bloggerlady
    September 18th, 2012 @ 6:33 pm

    Keep telling the truth Bob!

  20. Paul Zummo
    September 18th, 2012 @ 6:40 pm

    Bill Kristol is calling someone else arrogant. Hmmm . . . what’s that saying about pots and kettles?

  21. K-Bob
    September 18th, 2012 @ 8:05 pm

    You don’t have to be involved in deception. But it’s kind of a waste of firepower to be hitting Romney now.

    After he wins, we need all the strength we can muster to push him to the right. Otherwise, all the drag-a$$ Republicans will go left with him. It’s going to be hellacious hard work, I tell ya.

  22. richard mcenroe
    September 18th, 2012 @ 8:28 pm

    Kristol’s just confirming what we knew: we can’t rely on the whine and cheezies of the DC GOP when things get hot. That’s why they’re job 2 after getting rid of Obama…

  23. Finrod Felagund
    September 18th, 2012 @ 8:36 pm

    The technical term for what Bill Kristol did there is dumbass attack.

  24. Luke
    September 18th, 2012 @ 9:14 pm

    Has he apologized to Glenn Beck, yet?
    I’m not holding my breath or anything, but shouldn’t you admit error when you were clearly wrong, someone else was clearly right, and you went out of your way to defame them?

  25. steveb
    September 18th, 2012 @ 9:22 pm

    Hey troll monkey, I’ll walk on broken glass to get a chance to vote against that p.o.s. you worship. As long as Romney isn’t revealed as behind the Libyan 911 terrorist attack, he’s still got my vote. Nice try, loser.

  26. Dai Alanye
    September 18th, 2012 @ 10:56 pm

    Remarkable, isn’t it, how many Repubs seem now to be wishing they had backed Santorum?

    Regardless, we need to take down the commie Obammie, and Mitt’s the only weapon we have. Heaven knows he’s far superior to what’s in the White House now, and I don’t think we can wait for Jeb Bush to come and save us.

    As for The Weakly Standard (per Newsweak) we must note they don’t invite online comments. NRO and AS do, as does our boy McCain. Apparently the Weak Std is simply too busy or too brainy or too smugly superficial to desire reader input. This ought to tell us something about them.

  27. Bob Belvedere
    September 19th, 2012 @ 8:20 am

    What I meant K-Bob was the push by many conservatives [I don’t include the Noonans, Roves, etc. among that bunch] to put pressure on the rest of us to paper-over Willard’s weak points. Also, it would be wrong to deceive our fellow members of the VRWC by pretending that he is something he is not – that, if he won, would just lead to bitter disappointment.

    We’re stuck with Mr. Romney. It is imperative that he be elected if we are to avoid collapse and civil war. But we do a disservice if we pretend that electing him is anything but a holding action, room to breathe.

  28. Bob Belvedere
    September 19th, 2012 @ 8:21 am

    Should I just stop telling the truth about him then?

  29. Bob Belvedere
    September 19th, 2012 @ 8:29 am

    What Willard said was, in general, spot-on, but his wording leaves a lot to be desired. Perhaps this is because, deep down, he is not a conservative. Perhaps it is because he is not very good at explaining what he believes. That is another conversation.

    The way Willard said it was dumb, IMHO, because it provided easily-loaded ammunition for the Left.

    Kristol is pretty much everything my fellow commentators have said he is. He is a man desperately trying to stay relevant in a world that is passing his kind by.

  30. K-Bob
    September 19th, 2012 @ 11:03 am

    I say “Amen,” brother, but he seems all honorable and stuff, now. I’m a’ give him a few months.

    (From now, I mean.)

  31. Mike Tuggle
    September 19th, 2012 @ 12:55 pm

    Bill Kristol, Robert? BILL KRISTOL?
    You need to stop smokin’ that Kristol Meth.

  32. Becca Lower
    September 20th, 2012 @ 4:26 pm

    Wow, great minds…. back in June, I allowed that people could call Mitt Romney a “placeholder”:http://ownthenarrative.com/post/romney-in-cincinnati