The Other McCain

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

Sullivan’s Gut Is Also Confused

Posted on | January 14, 2012 | 19 Comments

by Smitty

Sullivan’s Daily Ditch isn’t of much interest, but one must correct a mis-perception here:

The big surprise for me in this is Ron Paul’s remarkable strength in South Carolina. My gut tells me it’s driven by military types, who share the view of many active duty soldiers that the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan were idiotic. But the evangelical machers’ embrace of Santorum could now help Romney. If it halts Santorum’s slide, it may also halt Gingrich’s and Paul’s rise, allowing Romney to claim a bigger victory.

Ron Paul’s strength is rooted in economic interests. I don’t doubt that there are substantial peacenicks among his supporters, but to venture the notion that the SC military residents have gone all Jimmy Carter is to forget where the U.S. Civil War began.

As for the rest of the incoherent analysis about halting Santorum’s slide and the rise of Gingrich and Paul, the World’s Youngest Blogger replied in his diaper, and I must tend to the WYB’s analysis. I recommend you have a go at siring and raising a child, Andrew: it has a wonderful clarifying effect on on thought.

via The Moderate Voice

Category: Andrew Sullivan

Comments

19 Responses to “Sullivan’s Gut Is Also Confused”

  1. richard mcenroe
    January 14th, 2012 @ 5:19 pm

    WYB has an impeccable sense of timing.

  2. Garym
    January 14th, 2012 @ 5:39 pm

    Ron Paul’s strength is rooted in economic interests. I don’t doubt that there are substantial peacenicks among his supporters, but to venture the notion that the SC military residents have gone all Jimmy Carter is to forget where the U.S. Civil War began.

    I’m pretty sure there are a substantial number of Paulniks who want to lower the cost on drugs that are now illegal as well.

  3. Dell
    January 14th, 2012 @ 5:57 pm

    Just trying to get this straight.  Thousands of Peacenicks voluntarily joined……The Military.  Do I have that right?

    Oh, Look!  The WYB just left another Andrew Sullivan in his diapers!

  4. Anonymous
    January 14th, 2012 @ 5:58 pm

    No! Please rescind your suggestion that Andrew sire a child-one of him is more than enough thanks, plus there is the disease transmission concern which would be unfair on an innocent.  (the child of course).

  5. Quartermaster
    January 14th, 2012 @ 6:12 pm

    Sullivan won’t sire a child as he’s a queer. I think the prime reason that God says homosexuality in all its forms is an abomination is because it’s pure sterility and goes against his design of fruitfulness.

    The entire Marxist ideology is sterile. Those who hold it aren’t reproducing themselves.

    You should respect WYB’s political analysis. It seems to be quite erudite in this case.

  6. Adjoran
    January 14th, 2012 @ 6:26 pm

    Gingrich isn’t rising.  The polls don’t even show that – at least compared to their last poll (except ARG, but there is no comparison since it’s their first here).

    Paul does have  a following among some younger military and vets who haven’t been informed of his isolationism, but there is a segment which is worried about being sent off to another war in the sand very soon.

    At least Sully is where he belongs – with the far-left Daily Beast instead of the center-left Atlantic.  I hope they didn’t pay any more for him than they did for Newsweek, though.

  7. Pathfinder's wife
    January 14th, 2012 @ 6:37 pm

    Paul has support from military types for two reasons (outside of economic policy): they don’t want to be sent off to another ridiculous war (and the way the wars have been prosecuted is ridiculous, along with the way the troops have been handled — witness this latest dustup), and there’s this thing called the Constitution — can’t the bloody rest of the canidates at least give some freaking lip service to it?  Just a little?
    Any canidate who would stop to consider thinking about those on his platform will likely get a huge bump in support.

    Where the Paulians need to watch themselves (and what costs them military types support) is: the peacenik thing is really stupid, really; calling the troops “the real terrorists” isn’t making you any friends guys, and uhm, Bradley Manning is not a hero — might want to check out what the UCMJ says about his actions with the thought in mind that the miserable little prick did take an oath, hint hint.
    Keep up with the Infowars frothing Paul folks (or allowing your more questionable followers to keep shouting it from the roof tops unanswered), and you’ll wind up losing that military support you all like to talk about.

  8. ThePaganTemple
    January 14th, 2012 @ 6:37 pm

    I hate to break it to you Smitty, but a man’s ass isn’t capable of conceiving a child.

  9. Mikey NTH
    January 14th, 2012 @ 6:48 pm

    It is a far step to note that some in the military doubt the wisdom of being in Afghanistan to insisting that they support Ron Paul who is an arch-isolationist.

  10. Anonymous
    January 14th, 2012 @ 7:30 pm

    “I recommend you have a go at siring and raising a child, Andrew: it has a wonderful clarifying effect on on thought.”

    Sulli is haunted by the womb, so that ain’t happenin’.

    I tend to concur with commentary from the WYB quite a bit. He’s effectively pithy.

  11. Cube
    January 14th, 2012 @ 9:24 pm

    Having a child can help a person get their priorities straight, but that outcome is far from guaranteed.  Consider
    A. the number of low-life types that reproduce and can’t be bothered to take care of them and
    B. the number of liberals that have children.

  12. Dana
    January 14th, 2012 @ 9:57 pm

    Smitty wrote:

    I recommend you have a go at siring and raising a child, Andrew: it has a wonderful clarifying effect on on thought.

    And Mr Sullivan’s response?  “Ick.  Just, ick!”

    He was so very interested in looking into Sarah Palin’s uterus, but that was just figuratively speaking; the real thing just doesn’t interest him at all.

  13. Dana
    January 14th, 2012 @ 9:58 pm

    There are some of us who are not saddened by the fact that the esteemed Mr Sullivan will not be contributing to the gene pool.

  14. Pathfinder's wife
    January 15th, 2012 @ 1:22 am

    Thing is, they doubt a lot more than the current situation in Afghanistan, which has been prosecuted extremely unwisely and largely due to the interventionism of Washington, sticking its nose into how our military conducts its war fighting.

    Since they are on the tip of the spear, non-interventionism (especially the knee jerk kind we have, alarmingly, started to be so ok with) sounds pretty good to them….and that whole Constitution thingy.
    The troops would actually appreciate fighting a declared war for a change.

    Right now many of them are grumbling that they are merely being used as political pawns to gain politicians votes and better approval ratings back home — can’t say that they don’t have a point.

  15. Jorge Emilio Emrys Landivar
    January 15th, 2012 @ 3:26 am

    Actually, Paul does /really/ well with active duty military.

  16. Bob Belvedere
    January 15th, 2012 @ 5:28 pm

    And a way of expressing his opinions that is quite refreshing [except to Mom and Dad].

  17. Bob Belvedere
    January 15th, 2012 @ 5:29 pm

    MJS is quite right.  God forbid!

  18. Quartermaster
    January 15th, 2012 @ 6:58 pm

    Paul is not an isolationist. That’s simply a mindless smear along the lines the left loves so much. We can’t afford the nation building trash, or constant intervention every where we turn. Protect our interests, yes, but not the nation building trash so loved by the Neocons. It will bankrupt us.

    OTOH, calling Manning a hero was so far over the top I can’t see it on the ground. Paul turned a lot of people off with that statement.

  19. Anonymous
    January 15th, 2012 @ 8:04 pm

    Sullivan won’t sire a child as the only woman he could ever conceivably want to mate with is married to Todd Palin, and Todd will kick Andrew’s ass if he comes with 100 yards of his wife.

    Andrew Sullivan is a putz who is obsessed by a Strict Mommy Figure who lives in Alaska. Poor lad.