so long and thanks for all the fish

by Erik Kain on September 22, 2009

It really has been interesting to watch Little Green Footballs, once so popular amongst righty blogs, make enemy after enemy on the right. Powerline has apparently de-linked LGF. Charles Johnson writes:

Powerline has been going in a very bad direction recently; the “all Obama-hatred, all the time” focus is bad enough, but worse are their articles supporting European extremists like Geert Wilders (who wants to deprive Muslims of the freedom of religion and ban the Koran) and outright fascists like the Belgian Vlaams Belang party.

Is Johnson walking in Andrew Sullivan’s footsteps?

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Erik Kain is a blogger and freelance writer. Currently he serves as Editor-in-Chief of The League of Ordinary Gentlemen and writes a tech blog at Forbes. Visit his politics blog here. He can be found occasionally composing 140 character cultural analysis on Twitter. His writing has appeared in The Atlantic, The National Review, The Washington Examiner, and the now-defunct True/Slant. You can also contact him via email.

{ 11 comments }

1 Alex Knapp September 22, 2009 at 7:28 am

This isn’t too surprising. Prior to 9/11, Johnson was a typical left of center, moderate Democrat.

2 E.D. Kain September 22, 2009 at 7:34 am: He’s always seemed more socially liberal – especially all his anti-creationist blogging.

3 Jaybird September 22, 2009 at 7:49 am

After 9/11, Johnson went a little nuts on the whole “anti-idiotarian” train (quickly followed by the “dhimmitude” train) mostly in defense of the whole idea of America thing. He slammed people who mocked The President as Bushitler, slammed the pro-Palestinian nutballs at the Afghanistan War protests, and had his jaw drop at the signs (“Behead Those Who Insult Islam”) carried in the days that followed the Mohammed cartoons. He probably self-identifies as “classically liberal” rather than “conservative”.

And, post-2008, we see Republicans not really give a crap about the Islamist threat anymore (he supported the Republicans because they gave a crap about the Islamist threat, not because they were Republicans) and now he sees them turning into weird reflections of the pinkos and hippies after 9/11. Shouting down the president, undermining the “real” fight, so on and so forth.

He’s probably aghast at the number of fleas he’s attracted. “Holy cow! I’ve been laying down with dogs!”

4 Freddie September 22, 2009 at 8:13 am

slammed the pro-Palestinian nutballs at the Afghanistan War protests

Because, lord knows, being pro-Palestinian can only be a mark of madness.

5 Jaybird September 22, 2009 at 9:08 am

Hey! It’s a protest against the Afghanistan War! I KNOW!!! LET’S TALK ABOUT THE PALESTINIANS!!!!

Why didn’t you mention the Palestinians in your post about the NEA?

Do you not care about the genocide being enacted against them?

I question your devotion to the cause when you squander time talking about the NEA when you could be talking about Israel’s oppression.

(Also, Mumia is in prison while PEOPLE WHO POST ABOUT THE NEA INSTEAD OF TALKING ABOUT THE PALESTINIANS ARE WALKING AROUND FREE. Perhaps we could put in a request for Chris D. to defend the existence of a deity in the face of facts like the above.)

6 Herb September 24, 2009 at 8:40 am

You don’t think that was just a bit hostile, Jaybird? Just a bit? I mean, you don’t like Freddie. We get that.

But you gotta let it go, man.

PS. I think we can agree that being pro-Palestinian is one thing, and being a pro-Palestinian nutball is completely different.

7 Jaybird September 24, 2009 at 9:40 am: Hostile? That wasn’t my intent.

I was intending to sound like one of the folks who showed up at a Afghan war protest holding up a sign about the Palestinian Holocaust (with some Mumia thrown in for seasoning).
8 Jaybird September 24, 2009 at 9:42 am: And, for the record, I *LIKE* Freddie.

I don’t like the whole “people who haven’t reached my conclusions are either ignorant or lack good faith” thing that he has going on. I don’t like the “I don’t have to listen to the following arguments” pre-emption thing he pulls from time to time. Freddie himself? I’m sure he’s a fine, fine fellow whose earnestness makes him only more endearing.

9 James September 23, 2009 at 3:43 am

McCain has piled in very heavily indeed. LGF has basically shown him to be a white nationalist:

http://littlegreenfootballs.com/article/34727_The_Other_Other_McCain

This I did not know.

10 Art Deco September 24, 2009 at 2:47 pm

Because, lord knows, being pro-Palestinian can only be a mark of madness.

Not a mark of madness, but of an inclination to misplaced concern and sympathy. The Arab population of the West Bank, Gaza, and the refugee camps have passed up three clear opportunities over a period of six decades to come to a settlement with their Jewish neighbors, because they do not wish to have any Jewish neighbors.