Calling from the Highway
I had intended to allow the rantings of the LA Times' blogger, Michael Hiltzik, to pass without comment, since his silly and ad hominem (ad feminam, actually) attacks really don't warrant any.
This, however, I will say. Yes, I will call Mr. Hiltzig when I'm sitting in traffic. And if he'd bothered to read my piece, instead of rushing to mischaracterize it, surely he have understood that my dismay with Arnold Schwarzenegger isn't focused exclusively on the plans to build roads -- rather, it's with the disconcerting "morph" of "Arnold, government reformer" into "Arnold, big spenders' (and government unions)' best friend."
It would be tempting to tickle one's vanity by assuming that Hiltzik is simply outgunned in the intellect department, since he either ignores or misunderstands the point of my NRO piece, and resorts so readily to a kind of cut-rate class warfare. But there may be another reason for his behavior. If Hiltzik, an old-MSM type if there ever was one, shares the "Lord of the Blogs" theory about blogging itself, he may simply be living "down" to what he considers to be the blogosphere's standards. Certainly the quality of his analyses, as a generally matter, do nothing either for his reputation or that of his employer.
Who knows? Who cares? The point is that I -- and most of the other bloggers whom Hilzik attacks frequently in a desperate bid for relevance (like Hugh Hewitt and Patterico -- am willing to disclose, openly and honestly, who I am and what I believe. I trust that my readers are able to use that knowledge responsibly in order to weigh the merits of what I've written. Too bad Hiltzik refuses to disclose even for whom he voted in November of 2004. (Not that it's not obvious.) Transparency: One of the great differences between the old and new media.
In the end, Hiltzik is more to be pitied than blamed. He obviously realizes that, in so many ways, his time has passed -- and he's figuratively jumping up and down in impotent rage, frustration and defeat, much like a modern-day Rumpelstiltskin. What a pitiful little man.
Update: Judging from this, he also has problems coping with the concept of free and open debate, as well as with people who disagree with him (HT: Patterico's Pontifications).
This, however, I will say. Yes, I will call Mr. Hiltzig when I'm sitting in traffic. And if he'd bothered to read my piece, instead of rushing to mischaracterize it, surely he have understood that my dismay with Arnold Schwarzenegger isn't focused exclusively on the plans to build roads -- rather, it's with the disconcerting "morph" of "Arnold, government reformer" into "Arnold, big spenders' (and government unions)' best friend."
It would be tempting to tickle one's vanity by assuming that Hiltzik is simply outgunned in the intellect department, since he either ignores or misunderstands the point of my NRO piece, and resorts so readily to a kind of cut-rate class warfare. But there may be another reason for his behavior. If Hiltzik, an old-MSM type if there ever was one, shares the "Lord of the Blogs" theory about blogging itself, he may simply be living "down" to what he considers to be the blogosphere's standards. Certainly the quality of his analyses, as a generally matter, do nothing either for his reputation or that of his employer.
Who knows? Who cares? The point is that I -- and most of the other bloggers whom Hilzik attacks frequently in a desperate bid for relevance (like Hugh Hewitt and Patterico -- am willing to disclose, openly and honestly, who I am and what I believe. I trust that my readers are able to use that knowledge responsibly in order to weigh the merits of what I've written. Too bad Hiltzik refuses to disclose even for whom he voted in November of 2004. (Not that it's not obvious.) Transparency: One of the great differences between the old and new media.
In the end, Hiltzik is more to be pitied than blamed. He obviously realizes that, in so many ways, his time has passed -- and he's figuratively jumping up and down in impotent rage, frustration and defeat, much like a modern-day Rumpelstiltskin. What a pitiful little man.
Update: Judging from this, he also has problems coping with the concept of free and open debate, as well as with people who disagree with him (HT: Patterico's Pontifications).
posted by LadybugUSA at 1:17 PM
2 Comments:
Perhaps what annoys you the most is the tenor of his post -- snide and rife with assumptions about rich right-wingers -- which is a dead-on mirror image of your brand of discourse.
This blog disappoints me Carol. I read you more than any other blogger because you do an excellent job analyzing important issues from a political perspective that I share. Accordingly, I’m interested in a discussion about the governor’s proposals, not Hiltzik insulting you or you insulting him. You are too smart, too articulate and just plain too good a blogger to waste your time and mine responding to his silliness.
In other words, don’t let the lefties get under your skin or pull you down to their level. Get back on the high road and resume your excellent work.
There endeth the lesson.
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