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Erick Erickson’s Jaw-Dropping Tweet

Posted by KATHY KATTENBURG in Politics.
May 1st, 2009 | Comments

I know that movement conservatives have been behaving in incredibly bizarre ways since Obama took office, but this, I think, might set some kind of record. Erick Erickson, the founder of RedState, which is supposedly the most influential political blog on the right, posted this tweet tonight:

redstate-souter-goats_8a1d8

John Amato at Crooks and Liars provides details, with some help from a twitterer who discovered Erick’s tweet:

The conservative movement is in shambles and this doozy comes from online conservative blogger Erik Erickson of Red State. Do we need any more proof that they are all certifiable? What’s up with conservatives and their tweets? The men in white suits should be called in very quickly because he needs a serious 30-day observation period. Don’t forget to bring a straitjacket with you.

pourmecoffee’s posterous finds this tweet for the ages:

Eric Erickson (@ewerickson), Editor-in-Chief of RedState didn’t just toss off that gem. He wrote it, then deleted it, then re-wrote and re-sent it adding the proper hashtags (”LMRM” = Let Me Repeat Myself, “TCOT” = Top Conservatives on Twitter, “RS” = RedState). Made sure he got it just right. See for yourself.

This is the leader of the right’s most prominent online community, not some carefree flame-throwing commenter or diarist. RedState is not an official GOP site, but it’s a center of the conservative movement with a stated desire to take over leadership of the party. I’m not interested in flame wars. Everyone is entitled to their opinion. As a matter of strategy, however, I just can’t understand why someone in a leadership position would act so publicly self-destructive. This stuff turns states blue. Put simply, a serious leader looking to amass political power does not publicly call a sitting Supreme Court Justice a “goat f**king child molester.” A seemingly obvious point.

I’m surprised he took the time to think it over at all, but then he actually posted it.

Erik Erickson: The nation loses the only goat f*&king child molester to ever serve on the Supreme Court in David Souter’s retirement.

Via Memeorandum, where so far, nobody else has commented.

  • joeaudio
    This reminds me of a story I've heard about LBJ, referenced here:
    http://dissidentvoice.org/Sept04/Samples0928.htm

    In 1948, after 11 years in the House of Representatives where he proved to be a formidable, power-hungry campaigner, LBJ hit fellow Democrat and popular former Texas governor Coke Stevenson with everything he had as they squared off for a run at the Senate.
    Legend has it Johnson told one of his aides -- "Go out there and tell 'em Coke was caught having sex with a farm animal."
    "But, Lyndon," the aide protested, "you know that's not true!"
    "Of course it's not true!" Johnson responded impatiently. "That's not the point. Tell it anyway -- and make him deny it..."
  • DaGoat
    Do we need any more proof that they are all certifiable?

    Yes, let's judge all conservatives by this Erickson idiot. Give me a break.
  • joeaudio
    DaGoat,

    Excellent point.
    Perhaps you could define more precisely the difference between Erickson and "all conservatives."

    I don't read Red State and have only seen what I assume are the craziest excerpts.
  • joeaudio
    Hey Pat,

    followed the link to your site and read this:
    "I do tolerate dissenting views. I do NOT tolerate trolling or abuse. You do it, you will be banned from even seeing the Blog, this Blog records the IP addresses of those who comment and I can ban you by that address."

    While it's wonderful that you "tolerate dissenting views" I need to say that banning people from even seeing your site is really paranoid. Get help. Please.
  • Rudi
    This can't be true. it has to be a lie from the Liebrul MSM. According to the Dutch lad, only Kossacks think this way. Republicans are as pure as Ivory soap and Marilyn Chambers...
  • pacatrue
    Is there some sort of conspiracy or urban legend that "explains" this tweet, or is it just random name-calling? (I too am reserving my belief of the tweet's existence.)
  • mlhradio
    >Yes, let's judge all conservatives by this Erickson idiot. Give me a break.

    No, Erickson does not represent all conservatives, no more than Limbaugh or Cantor or Steele does. And no more than Obama/Pelosi/Reid represents all liberals, either.

    But from people who have a greater amount of influence over public opinion than the average Joe Voter, well, I would hope we would expect better. This is amateur hour type stuff.

    Just another example of sub-par slagging and namecalling from one of the right wing voices. While I am interested in (and often agree with) intelligent conservative discourse, lowbrow stuff is not helpful at all.
  • Nope, just keeps trolls, like you; from coming to my site and acting like an complete asshole.

    I don't have many problems. This is why. Zero tolerance policy. You act like a tool. You get banned.

    Get help? Not quite troll, I own the damn site, (not this blog, my own...) and I make the rules, you break 'em and I can and will ban your IP address. It's my choice.

    -Paleo Pat
    Owner
    http://www.politicalbyline.com
  • DaGoat
    DaGoat,

    Excellent point.
    Perhaps you could define more precisely the difference between Erickson and "all conservatives."

    I don't read Red State and have only seen what I assume are the craziest excerpts.

    Sorry I don't read Red State either, but I do know enough not to judge millions of people based on one guy's Twitter comment.
  • CStanley
    DaGoat, I admire you for trying to point out a principle but I think it's lost on some people. Apparently the idea that you don't judge an entire group by certain subsets of it which display behavior you don't like applies only when they're talking about a group that has protected minority status. Conservatives, Christians, and other groups that they consider dominant can be dealt with strictly by presumption of stereotypical behavior being representative of the whole group.

    I've mentioned before but I find it highly ironic that the left is now using Limbaugh's favorite tactic (and Michelle Malkin's, for that matter) against the right. Continue to point out the most vocal, nonmoderate acts and words from the opposing side so that people who aren't otherwise paying attention get the constant impression that this behavior defines the other side. That's how Limbaugh helped make "liberal" into an epithet, and now the left attempts to do the same with "conservative".

    Anyway, dumb comment by Erickkson (and Redstate may be popular but it doesn't mean that they speak for all conservatives by any means- I have never found it to be very high quality.) As for Pacatrue's question, I wondered that too, and I'm not sure whether the insult is based on anything other than the hate that some conservatives feel toward Souter for a) not being Bork and b) not being an originalist as he was said to be before his appointment.

    And BTW, if you want to read a conservative who has class responding to Souter's announcement, see Simon at Stubborn Facts. Simon is a huge fan of Scalia and obviously disagreed with Souter on many cases, but he still finds a lot to admire and praise.
  • GeorgeSorwell
    Hey, Paleo Pat, aren't you acting like a tool in these comments?
  • Funny. I've always considered Erik Erickson to be a flame-thrower, and not at all representative of conservatives in general.

    As CStanley points out, that type of broad labeling has been the very successful tactic of the most heinous of the the Limbaugh / Malkin types. It's misleading, and although I suspect Malkin et al know exactly what they're up to when they deploy it, I can only put it off to lazy thinking when it pops up casually.
  • SteveK
    George asks: "Hey, Paleo Pat, aren't you acting like a tool in these comments?"

    Was that "tool" with a "t" or with an "f"?

    It seems that poor old Paleo Pat "Owner" (sic) doesn't have any problem in violating his own rules on other sites... Be thankful this site doesn't play by his rules... we'd be deprived of his entertaining faux pas.
  • I think Paleo Pat directed his comment via Facebook to the wrong site. That Facebook app acts weird sometimes.
  • daveinboca
    Erickson was off-base, but so is Andy Sullivan's constant attacks on the Palin Family and a lot of abominations that don't even get censured by the JournoList All-Starr Indictment Crew on the Left. Two idiocies don't cancel each other out and Eric should have a mud-wrestling match with Andy hosted by Vince MacMahon.
  • 13monsters
    DaGoat: Sorry I don't read Red State either, but I do know enough not to judge millions of people based on one guy's Twitter comment.

    I'm sorry, but this just isn't enough. The point of contention here is that rightwing pundits like Erickson -- who have built widely popular GOP sites -- are speaking not only for themselves because:

    A) They've built a mass following; and
    B) Nobody from either that following, or those who claim to not read Red State, have done anything to discredit him.

    The likes of Michelle Malkin, and virtually every other pundit on the right, dictate that we on the left repudiate anyone they disagree with and atttribute to the left as a whole. Crazy anarchist protesters broke some stuff in a street march? Oh, that's all Pelosi's fault. Some unknown professor in Colorado who is to the far left of even the Green Party says something offense? Let's blame Obama.

    I dunno if you've noticed, but we on the left get sick of this crap -- especially when your well known, most popular pundits spew out the most offensive BS imaginable, and you people sit there claiming they only speak for themselves.

    They don't. Pundits like Erickson will speak for your movement until conservatives make an active and sustained effort to abort the crazy from their side.

    Until then, you own it. Now stop whining and get to f*cking work.
  • CStanley
    13monsters- the point is that it gets old when some people expect you to repudiate the frequent rhetorical bombs that have come from the left, doesn't it? So why would you behave the same way as the people that you think are jerks for doing that?
  • No, Mr. Steel, I know what I said. The guy told me to "get help", because I dare to moderate trolls on my site. Them liberals want big Government, except when it comes to them trolling on Conservative Blogs.
  • Ahh! Apologies Paleo Pat. I missed the comment.
  • 13monsters
    CStanley: Learn how to read, then reply to my comment again. Not to be rude, but your questions to me only prove that you didn't read my comment properly.
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