The Clintons, a horror film that never ends -- Andrew Sullivan

[Emillereid]

March 9, 2008
The Clintons, a horror film that never ends
Andrew Sullivan

It’s alive! We thought it might be over but some of us never dared fully believe it. Last week was like one of those moments in a horror movie when the worst terror recedes, the screen goes blank and then reopens on green fields or a lover’s tender embrace. Drained but still naive audiences breathe a collective sigh of relief. The plot twists have all been resolved; the threat is gone; the quiet spreads. And then . . .

Put your own movie analogy in here. Glenn Close in the bathtub in Fatal Attraction – whoosh! she’s back at your throat! – has often occurred to me when covering the Clintons these many years. The Oscars host Jon Stewart compares them to a Terminator: the kind that is splattered into a million tiny droplets of vaporised metal . . . only to pool together spontaneously and charge back at you unfazed.

The Clintons have always had a touch of the zombies about them: unkillable, they move relentlessly forward, propelled by a bloodlust for Republicans or uppity Democrats who dare to question their supremacy. You can’t escape; you can’t hide; and you can’t win. And these days, in the kinetic pace of the YouTube campaign, they are like the new 28 Days Later zombies. They come at you really quickly, like bats out of hell. Or Ohio, anyway.

Now all this may seem a little melodramatic. Perhaps it is. Objectively, an accomplished senator won a couple of races – one by a mere 3% – against another senator in a presidential campaign. One senator is still mathematically unbeatable. But that will never capture the emotional toll that the Clintons continue to take on some of us. I’m not kidding. I woke up in a cold sweat early last Wednesday. There have been moments this past week when I have felt physically ill at the thought of that pair returning to power.........http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/andrew_sullivan/article3510778.ece

[Liberal Veteran]

1. But Penn says Obama is losing support among independents and crossovers...

Penn wouldn't be full of shit....would he?

[jean627]

3. "Penn wouldn't be full of shit....would he?"

In a word - YES!!

[dchill]

5. By all appearances...

Yes.

[dchill]

2. Fatal Attraction

"I'm not gonna be ignored here, Jack." Seeing HRC on TV reminded me of that line the other day.

[Bobbieo]

4. Bet you can't wait for President McCain to take over!!!!!

[tabasco]

9. He's Hillary's choice! n/t

[Yael]

40. Hillary is supporting him over Obama. Doesn't that tell me what I need to know right there?

Find another argument. Your girl killed this one...

[ORDem]

47. Exactamente amigo!! n/t

[K Gardner]

6. I saw him say some of this on TV last week and almost split a gut laughing..

glad he wrote it down. The Long National Nightmare on K Street

Hey..there's an idea for a homemade video. A Hillary Horror Movie takeoff.. ugh..

[MonkeyFunk]

7. Now Andrew Sullivan

is a good source on DU. As long as he attacks Clinton right?

[QC]

10. Somebody posted Charles Krauthammer not long ago.

I figure that after that anything goes.

[newfie4]

13. Obama Underground indeed

It's amazing, every day you see less and less Hillary supporters here. Muscled out by the bullying cult of Unity and Hope.

[Cha]

19. Yeah, that's what hilary supporters do..

they whine, apologize for hilary, whine some more, apologize for hilary..repeat rinse.

[dchill]

56. "bullying cult of Unity and Hope"

AKA majority. IMO, your "bullying cult" accusation is projection.

[Liberal Veteran]

15. People do change....look at Arriana Huffington.

[Nine]

21. Drudge, Newsmax, Fox News...

all apparently now acceptable. As long as they say bad things about Clinton.

[QC]

22. Why not, since DU is now Free Republic II. n/t

[CyberPieHole]

23. But it has to be against Clinton or the Clintons...if it's against Obama it's a NO GO...n/t

[QC]

26. Well, that goes without saying.

No criticism of Obama is ever valid, regardless of the source.

[cali]

50. The Globe, Worldnetdaily, Newsmax

all acceptable as long as they say bad things about Obama. It cuts both ways. I have such contempt for people who deny something so obvious.

[MonkeyFunk]

53. I agree

they shouldn't be used. And in fact, they're usually locked.

This is still open.

[Starbucks Anarchist]

34. In fairness, a Clinton supporter linked to a Larry Elder piece today.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x4992954

[MonkeyFunk]

48. And that was locked

this thread is still open. What's your point?

[tishaLA]

44. honestly. and the Fatal Attraction reference?

I'm not even a Hillary supporter, but it's not accidental that Sullivan would choose an incredibly misogynist film as a reference to "the Clintons." It attacks both Bill's perceived emotionality--his sympathetic teardrops and the "I can feel your pain" ethos--and Hillary as a woman who refuses to take no as an answer.

[Armstead]

8. Sullivan's a right wingnut -- But he hits the nail on the head here

Do we really want to subject the US to another eight years of the Clinton psychodrama?

[w13rd0]

16. Sullivan is a conservative...

...but he pretty much switched sides back in 2003-2004, culminating with his endorsement of Kerry over Bush. He's gotten progressively more vocal since then. He's still full of nuttery, but far less so than he used to be. We've embraced Huffington and David Brooks (right, Brock is the one that is still the asshat, right? Or is it the other way around) of Media Matters. In real life, people can change/evolve. It's the Republicans that don't believe that. We believe in the transformational power of education and open government...or at least we should.

[MADem]

29. Brooks? He's an asshole too.

Even Huffington has the excuse that she came over from Greece, married a Rightwing gay guy who was in the closet, and tried like hell to be a Good Wife by going along with his Rightwing Bullshit. She was politically naive AND seduced by power.

Once she dumped that idiot after he stumbled or was shoved out of the closet, she had no constraints and could at last "think for herself." She also got a good chunk of change from that divorce, so she could AFFORD to think for herself, too.

Brock is the guy who wrote his Mea Culpa, BLINDED BY THE RIGHT. He has publicly atoned by not only confessing his own shortcomings, but ripping the scabs off of that disgusting smear machine the rightwing was running. He's more than done his penance.

Brock was a child who was conned by trappings of power right out of university-- but Sullivan does not HAVE that excuse. He's middle aged man, an asshole who goes with the wind, and solely to be on the "winning team." And this isn't new--he always goes with the breeze.

He used to be considered a unique little "pet" of sorts--a GAY fellow who is CONSERVATIVE!! And OH, that BRITISH accent!! What, not enough? HIV POSITIVE, too!! How many more hoops must/can he jump through to keep his place as the circus act in the Center Ring? He's definitely a D Minus player--the only reason he doesn't get an F is because his grammar and spelling are halfway decent. Can't do much about his shitty content, though.

[meow mix]

11. monster!

:evilgrin:

[MADem]

12. From the Bush Worshipping Asshole who "believes" the Pope will love him if he is a GOOD gay lad.

Some DAY, he "believes."

Sullivan is, er, NEVER CORRECT. He's often CONSERVATIVE, and occasionally FAR RIGHT, but he never gets it.

He's the stupidest gay conservative on the Talk Circuit. Look at how long it took him to pry his kissable lips from Bush's ass? He was cheerleading that stupid cowboy long after everyone else had tossed their pompoms aside and headed for home.

But hey, slurp up his crap if it 'validates' in some fashion.

The rampant sexism in that piece is offensive--Glenn Close? Gee, the poor persecuted gay guy has no problem pulling out that shit. Says something about his degrees of sensitivity when it isn't HIS ox getting gored.

But then "Melodrama" is his middle name.

[Sulawesi]

18. huh? rant much?

[MADem]

27. Do a little research into Conservative Gay Pundit and Pro War Bush Worshipper Andrew Sullivan

It's not a "rant." It's a recitation of FACT. If you've followed that scumbag's "journey towards the center" you'd see what he's all about. He's more interested in being with the "strong team" than acting on genuine principle. "Craven" describes him brilliantly.

It's only because the handwriting was written on the wall in ten foot letters that he finally abandoned Bush and The War. It took for-fucking-ever. Had everything been going swimmingly--deaths of servicemembers notwithstanding--he'd be still waving his pom-poms.

[Sulawesi]

55. I guess that means "yes"

Even if I don't like Sullivan, it doesn't change the fact that you are ranting on. Regardless of history, I think he makes some good points, but whatever, I guess it would be easier if he was wrong all the time...

[MADem]

58. No, it means "do a little research" before you spout off from a position

that is the opposite of "knowledgeable" as regards this BushCo, right wing, finger-in-the-wind TOOL.

Sure. He makes some good points, and stopped clocks are right twice a day.

[CyberPieHole]

20. WOW!

You like him even less than I do.:wow:

[CyberPieHole]

14. Is this the same Andrew Sullivan who criticized Bill Clinton for "reckless" indiscretions...

While he, himself, cruised for bareback sex? The same man who preached "monogamy" for others while he himself behaved differently? Is that the same Andrew Sullivan you are quoting here?


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Sullivan

[TwilightGardener]

25. Andrew Sullivan was President? Because I hold Presidents to a higher

standard than bloggers and writers in terms of personal conduct.

[MonkeyFunk]

49. And Bill Clinton

didn't publicly criticize other people's sex lives while living a very sordid one himself, as did Sullivan. It's the hypocrisy.

The fact that he's even allowed to be used a source here is disgusting.

[MADem]

28. ....cruised .... whilst HIV positive. THAT's the key point!

A dreadfully PHONY human being. Situational in the extreme.

[CyberPieHole]

31. Agreed, MADem.

Yet, Obama's supporters find Sullivan a perfectly good person to side with on political/social issues. I don't think they really know and understand the nature of the man. And if they do, I doubt they really care.

[MADem]

36. If Attilla the Hun had something bad to say about Clinton, or good to say about Obama,

they'd claim he was "misunderstood," too.

It's astounding, the "situationality" of the arguments. Anything to Win, I guess...

[AX10]

35. That's the same POS Andrew Sullivan.

With morons like him, the Atlantic has become a tabloid.

[QC]

38. He's the guy who promoted The Bell Curve when he was editor of TNR.

A real gem, isn't he?

And, also while editor of TNR, he published an extremely dishonest article on Hillary's healthcare proposal that helped to kill it.

Yes, ole Sully is truly a staunch progressive.

[AX10]

41. And Obama's minions now love him.

[QC]

42. Sure--he said something catty about Hillary.

That's all it takes to be a real progressive powerhouse in the Land o' Hope 'n Unity!

[AX10]

43. True.

[Sulawesi]

17. These portions ring so true....!

"When you look at the electoral map if the Clintons run again, you also see a reversion to the old patterns of the 1990s – the patterns that cynical political strategists such as Karl Rove and Dick Morris have been exploiting for two decades. The country – scrambled by the post-baby-boomer pragmatism of Obama – snaps back into classic red-blue mode...

The Clintons are comfortable with this polarisation. They need it."

I am so tired...

"If the Party could thrust its hand into the past and say this or that even, it never happened—that, surely, was more terrifying than mere torture and death."
- George Orwell, 1984

[TwilightGardener]

24. Yep. He puts it so, so well.

[Critters2]

32. The Obamites will quote just anyone, n'est-ce pas?

Obama=Reoublican-lite.

[TwilightGardener]

33. Only Republican-lite candidates send their former-President husbands

and their campaign managers on to shows like Rush Limbaugh to beg GOPers to commit voter fraud.

[Critters2]

30. The Obamites quoting a rightwing moran. Just more reaching across the aisle! nt

[cooolandrew]

37. That is a beautiful article. Needs opera browser audio reader to get through it though, link..

Here is what Randi Rhodes says in relation to the article...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d3qOi_l1RGY

[Yael]

39. Pretty muh sums it up right there. The longer she clings to this race

the worse these pieces will get.

Rightfully so.

[WinkyDink]

45. Now DU respects Andrew Sullivan?

[cali]

51. Not me. I loath the creep

and I wish both sides would stop dragging wingnuts onto DU to bash the other side.

[WinkyDink]

54. To me, Sully is like Jonah Goldberg: erudite, maybe even brillliant. But really twisted.

[PM Martin]

46. I know this guy. I can't stand him.

Even if he supports my candidate, I can't stand him.
He is a right wing tool. I don't care for what he or any other right winger says.

[Perry Logan]

52. There is nothing on earth creepier than a Clinton-hater.

[dchill]

57. Yes there is. A Clintonbully gay-basher.

No shortage of those around here.