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For an example of how to write a conventional-wisdom story extremely badly, all eyes are on Mike Allen. Allen’s piece today is about how the White House is facing pressure from the left on Afghanistan in advance of a possible request from Gen. McChrystal for more troops and a now-delivered assessment from him to expand the war’s aperture. (Josh Foust rightfully observes that reporters are too focused on the former and not enough on the latter.) Pretty obvious, right? Like how you’ve read this in the Washington Independent ("Obama Faces Rising Anxiety On Afghanistan") on August 12 or August 5 ("Feingold Set To Oppose Further Troop Boost For Afghanistan") or August 3 ("Another Faint Sign Of Congressional Wariness About Afghanistan") even as far back as January 23 ("Progressives Launch Attack On Afghanistan")? Or maybe you’ve read it first-hand on FDL — particularly at The Seminal — or at The Nation or watched one of Robert Greenwald’s films or blogged on Get Afghanistan Right.
You, then, would not be someone Mike’s interested in quoting. I don’t know how you write a piece about progressive pressure on the White House without actually quoting any progressives who are applying that pressure. But this is the closest Mike gets:
“There’s no question that the drumbeat is going to get louder and louder on the left, and you’ll see some fall-off on the right,” said Matt Bennett of the think tank Third Way, the moderate voice of the progressive movement. “His supporters on the Hill are fighting a really serious political battle to keep the criticism under control.”
The moderate voice of the progressive movement, LOL. That’s like calling Olympia Snowe the moderate voice of the conservative movement. You would never see a piece from Politico about conservative pressure on the White House that didn’t cite conservatives — there’s practically a Politico piece every time Rush Limbaugh steps into the booth. And even if there was a Politico piece that did, that would just be… bad journalism. As Alex Horton can tell you, I’m not part of the out-of-Afghanistan caucus, but still — Jesus, dude, it’s not like the caucus is hard to find. Put your back into it!
Mike: I can even introduce you to progressives if you don’t know any. I promise. You know how to reach me.
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I dunno but it seems that any organization calling itself Third Way is by its very definition NOT a progressive organization.
But then, I actually try to use correct definitions of words.
Exactly. It would be like calling Lowell Weicker the blood brother of Ché Guevara.
Well, we never saw the birth certificate, so the jury’s out.
Now wait just one gosh darn minute.
Mike Allen is one of our most respected journalists, according to Marc Ambin … oh, never mind.
So glad you hit this, Spencer. I know most progressives would define it any number of ways, but when both my Senators Lincoln and Pryor call anything, any organization they are involved with “Progressive” it just steams my clams.
Every single member of the Third Way should be cornered by the Mike Starks of the world with one question.
Define Progressive?
Christ– as a founding member of Get Afghanistan Right, and the Afghanistan blog fellow at Rethink Afghanistan (greenwald’s project) / The Seminal, you’d think he would have sent me a note LOL
Please, no shout-outs this time. Don’t annoy her again.
May I suggest that these people are all neo-cons pulling their latest con. Next they will be having a “neo-progressive”, such as Chris Hitchens. They wil tell us what a great crusade, oh I mean struggle for Democracy and Oil and Victory is not an option.
Who is making the money off these wars? Perhaps, Allen works part-time for the Rendon group, producing war propaganda.
Quote a liberal? Horrors.
Wilkerson said it’s all political (no kidding) and that if Obama pulls out of Afghanistan, repubs can again call dems weak on national security.
Wilkerson on KO, that is.
The Obama Administration is a failure. This is just a continuation of Bush’s policies. Healthcare reform is dead.
and the sky is falling.
Some kind of healthcare reform will be passed.
Obama’s policies are notably different from Bush’s.
And we’re about 1/6 into Obama’s term.
Eli is upstairs at the Mothership!
Occam’s Snow Machine
Erm, yeah, right. It reminds me, the only reason I visit this blog is to log on to FDL. It’s easier here than anywhere else since the newfangled changes.
Thank you for sharing that, alank. It’s good to know that you’re here because it’s easy.
Those little straws on the juiceboxes are nice, also.
Obama certainly has united the progressive movement. I bet he’s proud.Im still trying to get the “sucker”, written in permmanent ink, off my forehead…..”The moderate voice of the progressive movemment” well thank GOD we have a “moderate voice” out there.
thats just what we need. “Some kind of health care”. A health care bill that forcibly hands the insurance cartel about 11 trillion bucks would fabulous! that way, they’ll have even more money to spend on buying legislative (and now excutive!) sucking and fucking. But the icing on the cake is, oabama and the democrats will spend weeks congratgulating themselves on “finally getting health care done” its done! stick a fork in it! i CANT WAIT for the fundrasing emails asking for money for “standing strong for health care reform”…its gonna be a long 3 more years.
I just found this out the “third way” is also a method for dog training:
http://www.trainthethirdway.com/
Thank you for explaining about all that money for legislative “sucking and fucking”.
I hadn’t previously understood the meaning of the requests for money for
“standing strong for health care reform”.