Giving McCarthyism A Bad Name

Max Sawicky and Oliver Willis find hate-filled reactionary academic Glenn Reynolds making an argument that would have to accrue several levels of plausibility and empirical support to rise to the level of being specious. (No link to InstaCohn.) You particularly have to like the claim that “the right has done a better job of muzzling and marginalizing its idiots.” As we have noted, Matt Welch has killed this argument, cremated it, and spread the ashes all over the country. Right, some college professor can be seen as fully representing “the Left,” but the third and fifth most powerful people in the Senate (among countless others in the Administration and Congress) have been effectively marginalized. To call Reynolds a wanker is a gross understatement; the man has so much hand it’s coming out of his gloves.

Unfortunately, the staggering illogic and intellectual dishonesty of this post has had financial consequences for Reynolds. The New York branch office of Lawyers, Guns & Money has received the following press release from Fox News:

Contrary to some published reports, Glenn Reynolds, author of the popular Web Log “Instajagoff.com” will not be joining our newest show, Feith and Friends. “Seriously, this guy gives McCarthyite demagoguery a bad name,” said Fox News host Sean Hannity, who strongly opposed offering a job to Reynolds. “On our show, at least .1% of the audience has to know who someone is before they can be made to speak for something called ‘The Left.’ We’re trying to attract a sophisticated class of wingnut here.” After hearing that Feith and Friends hosts may be required to substitute for Hannity, co-host Alan Colmes agreed. “Remember that scene in Raging Bull where Jake is trying to throw the fight, but he gives the guy a little tap and he starts falling all over the ring? Having Reynolds co-host would be like that. He’s a bum. What would you want me to do? Reynolds’s arguments are so transparently idiotic that any response would demolish them. The show only works if I at least have to pretend to disagree with my co-host.” Special Report host Brit Hume worried about the tone that Reynolds would bring to the network. “I was reading his blog recently, and he started this nice post about how anyone to the left of Dick Cheney is an America-hating Stalinist, but then he starts sneering about what this guy looks like. Say what you will about our ideological outlook, but here at Fox News we like to talk about politics. If you look at his blog, you’ll quickly see that Reynolds has little interest in or knowledge about most substantive political issues.” Fox’s newest host, Doug Feith, shared similar concerns. “Seriously, that wanker wouldn’t know Leo Strauss from Johann Strauss. I frankly don’t see what the size of Michael Moore’s ass has to do with anything. He could make us look even fucking stupider than we already are.” Fox News President Roger Ailes remains hopeful that Michael Savage will join the show instead, although Ailes is concerned that Savage has been “muzzled” by having been given a national talk show and expensively promoted books.

A real shame. I think he’s got a good shot of taking over from Dennis Miller when his show gets cancelled, though…

…in light of Reynolds’s contention that Barbara Boxer’s praise of Kos represents an endorsement of everything he had ever previously said, remember this. (Needless to say, Reynolds’s “blame the victim” theory of genocide is always relevant…)