Is there another Jonathan Turley that I don't know about?

[usregimechange]

The constitutional law professor on MSNBC that KO interviews almost daily that has:

1). Done such a wonderful job of going after those who have conducted, planned, and not supported the prosecution of war criminals?
2). Been outspoken in support of the freedom to marry and other basic civil liberties?

Same guy?

[LittleBlue]

1. If he has honest disgreements with Pres. Obama on this pick

then what's wrong? :shrug:

[usregimechange]

2. I thought his concern was legit

[chieftain]

4. How about his gratuitous slap at Thurgood Marshall? Legit, too?

[usregimechange]

5. I must have missed that, last night?

[chieftain]

16. Here is one example.

http://newsbusters.org/blogs/p-j-gladnick/2009/05/27/liberal-jonathan-turley-sotomayor-lacks-intellectual-depth

[usregimechange]

38. So he said that he thinks she was not "blazzingly brilliant" lacked "intellectual depth" you are

acting as if he said she was stupid. Not being a intellectual superstar does not mean anything of the sort. Plus he said that she could still become brilliant and noted Justice Stevens.

[chieftain]

44. My point was not his patronizing comments about Sotomayor.

I gave you the link to see his gratuitous slap at Thurgood Marshall. My question to you remains unanswered. Do you think his remark about Justice Marshall was legit too?

[usregimechange]

47. Nope, can't agree with him on that one.

[Cha]

10. Oh yeah, that was just downright

gratuitously stupid.

[geek tragedy]

9. You were concerned with the intellectual

stature of the most qualified SC nominee in 70 years?

[Cha]

11. +1

[usregimechange]

32. Here is what he said, that Koh and Woods were Brilliant with a known judicial philosophy

I think that the criticism is mainly a concern shared by some of us, that unlike some of the other people on the short list, there really isn‘t any opinion after a long history on the court that has yet to be pointed to as an example of her vision of the law. She doesn‘t have any extraordinary opinion in these large collections of opinions that give us an idea of her vision, some profound notion of what she might do with this.

Now, that may reflect the fact that she is an appellate judge and that she had a minimalist approach. But it is a concern. Many of us didn‘t want to take that risk. We viewed people like Diane Woods and Harold Koh as having demonstrated that type of brilliant vision and could really juxtapose with someone like Scalia.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30965513/

[ooglymoogly]

86. I totally agree....the supreme court is not a place you

take careless chances with. If she makes even one devastating decision, say on womens rights, gay issues, restriction of our civil liberties which is an unknown; or turns out like Scalia to be a corporatist and a strict Catholic and that is a distinct possibility, it will fall on Obama's head like one more dead weight to drag through the next election and one more albatross to sell to his "grass roots". He had the opportunity to pick a known quantity that would have made the meme he sold us in the primaries believable.

[roguevalley]

88. I want to know her ideas about choice. I don't know them yet and

I don't think anyone else does.

[jefferson_dem]

18. "honest"...

Operative word there.

[CreekDog]

39. +1

never assume honesty in an opinion that has the potential to put his mug on tv all evening.

[annabanana]

3. There seems to be a concerted effort to

marginalize him today..

Their reaction seems over the top to me..

[geek tragedy]

15. He marginalized himself by pushing the

'dumb Latina' meme to get himself air time and attention.

[vaberella]

24. +1. n/t

[vaberella]

22. Whatever...

:eyes:

[firedupdem]

29. I find his marginalization of Thurgood Marshall and Ms. Sotomayer

over the top...as well as idiotic.

[geek tragedy]

6. Yes, the mediawhore self-promoter that stridently complains

and overdramatizes in order to keep himself relevant. The shameless SOB that DEMANDED Clinton's impeachment and who dissed the intellectual merit of Thurgood Marshall as well as the most qualified SC nominee in 70 years.

[firedupdem]

28. +1

[Number23]

49. I actually CURSED out loud when I read what he said about Thurgood Marshall

And anyone on this site that would try to brush off or accuse those of us who know our history and most importantly, UNDERSTAND history of "overreacting" re: his attempts to diminish Judge Marshall can just kiss my behind. I can't think of a more eloquent, graceful way to put it.

[ShortnFiery]

7. I think Turley went super-academia on us ... but pulled himself back.

I've known many brilliant professors who love to expound and discuss issues for hours on end.

Sometimes academics can behave like SNOBS but, deep down, they're good people once you get them "in check" with the real world outside of their ivory towers. :shrug:

[jgraz]

8. There aren't two Turleys. There are two DUs.

1) The DU that stands for small-d democratic values.

2) The DU that blindly follows Teh President and attacks anyone who disagrees with him.

[geek tragedy]

12. Or the whiny children who worship tv pundits like Turkey

even when he peddles rightwing racism and the adults.

[jgraz]

21. Thank you for proving my point.

[annabanana]

59. This thread is loaded with that poster, ignored.

[ClarkUSA]

14. Then there's the third DU...

3) The DU that always blames legitimate criticism of pseudo-sacred MSM cows like Turley on supporters of the President.

[geek tragedy]

17. The same ones who cry about the right to dissent

but then wet themselves when they or their fellow travelers get critiqued.

[jgraz]

20. Wow, rolling out "fellow travelers".

Hitting all the McCarthyite golden oldies, I see.

[geek tragedy]

26. Speaking of people who whine like infants

when they face criticism.

[jgraz]

27. Thank you, again, for proving my point

[geek tragedy]

31. No. Thank YOU for proving MY point.

You think it's okay for your hero tv pundit to slime Sotomayor as lacking intellectual depth but are OUTRAGED if anyone rightfully criticizes Prof. Sacred Cow.

Turkey has about the dumbest and most immature fanbase this side of Joe the Plumber.

[jgraz]

73. This may be hard for you to understand...

but I actually *listen* to what Turley *says* and decide what I *think* about his *ideas*.

I know that's a foreign concept for you, but just try to imagine what it would be like.

[ClarkUSA]

23. Yup!

[Cha]

19. Oh you must belong in the DU who has

nothing so you call others' who don't agree with you.. "blind".

[SpartanDem]

13. you forgot

3) Spewed a right wing talking about Sotomayer's lack intellectual depth that is now being parroted by right media types. Now they are all "Hey look at what Turley said about her"

4) Had the nerve to say basically the same thing about Thurgood Marshall.

[Cha]

25. Amazing how that could be

overlooked.

[Cleita]

34. I heard what he said and he also said that she could come into her

own as a justice. He was just analyzing what she had written up to now. The RW took what they wanted and spun it out of control.

[annabanana]

60. Like they usually do. This thread has kind of a Tom Tomorrow

rhythm to it.

[Luminous Animal]

76. That would be spewing liberal talking point...

This "Sotomayor is dumb" thing started at The New Republic.

http://www.tnr.com/politics/story.html?id=45d56e6f-f497-4b19-9c63-04e10199a085


Oh, and Turley is wrong about both Sotomayor and Marshall. It seems he needs to do some deep soul searching to confront his bigotry.

That does not make him wrong about everything.

[Cleita]

30. There seems to be a faction here at DU

who don't like him. He's one of the first persons who spoke out against the torture as being unlawful because of our signing the Geneva Conventions, and this was on radio back before any mention of this was allowed on TV, and among the first lawyers, who said that the Bush administration was committing treason. He called for impeachment when Nancy Pelosi said it was off the table and still thinks there should be investigations.

[geek tragedy]

33. And before that he held hands with Ken Starr and

after that he pushed rightwing smears against a woman far smarter and more accomplished than he will ever be. But, he tells the dumbasses here what they want to hear about torture so they think he walks on water.

[Cleita]

35. I really don't think he takes sides. He just analyzes what is happening from

the viewpoint of a Constitutional lawyer, so therefore he's going to piss some people off from both sides. Sometimes I get sick of the partisanship and just want to look at the truth wherever it may lie.

[Cha]

37. Maybe turley doesn't have the

"truth"?

[Cleita]

40. For all the ad hominem attacks that I've seen hurled at him, there seems

to be few facts to back them up.

[Cha]

46. Nah, they're just people giving their

opinion of what they see on their tv in one jonathan turley. If you don't agree then so be it. Don't really care.

[Cha]

36. He has had his good points but that

doesn't mean his negatives are going to be overlooked. He's turned into a mediawhore on automatic dissing anything our President does or nominates, in this case.

Also, dissing Thurgood Marshall was beyond the pale.

[Cleita]

42. So he isn't as dewey eyed about your guys as you are. That doesn't

turn him into Rush Limbaugh.

[Cha]

43. Strawman..people

are just pointing how they see him night after night after night.

[Cleita]

48. I need a break from the new DU.

Back years ago when the Bush administration were in charge of everything including the news, any one who could get the message out that we were being drowned by a bunch of neo-Nazi fascists was a hero and quickly shut up and thrown out. Remember Dan Rather. The only place we could actually get the facts and the truth was here at DU. Now that discussions are opening up and people can get up and speak their mind in the media even if it's to offer their opinion that might also criticize our politicians, they get bashed and trashed as if they were *gasp* Republicans. If we do that we are no better than the freepers.

[annabanana]

64. don't go kiddo. . . that's what they want. .

[Number23]

50. Are you aware of Thurgood Marshall's legacy?

Are you aware of the work that he did on behalf of the NAACP and when he was appointed to the Supreme Court? This man was a LION of the civil rights movement. If it wasn't for Thurgood Marshall, black folks would probably not have the rights that we have today or would still be fighting tooth and nail for them.

While Malcolm and Martin motivated the masses to grassroots efforts, Judge Marshall worked to change the laws from the inside. And he did this at a time when black people were considered enemies of the United States by many in the US government. Judge Marshall put his ass on the line every single day, and if you truly cannot understand that people, particularly black people and/or people committed to civil rights, would be offended and bewildered by this asshole's attempts to diminish the legacy of a man whose brilliance and dedication have made him an icon to many, then I don't know what else can be said to you.

Turley is not half the man that Thurgood Marshall was. I find his comments re: Judge Marshall to not only be dishonest and disingenuous, but hateful and a brazen attempt to malign the intellect of two non-whites with one idiotic and borderline racist swipe.

[Cleita]

53. Yes, but Turley has his own opinion. Isn't he African American incidentally?

Believe me, Turley is not my patron saint nor is anyone really, but I think the feces being hurled at him is really more deserved by Rush/Billo/Sean.

[Karenina]

55. Turley? African-American?

[Cleita]

62. I don't know Karenina. I always thought he was.

My bad if he isn't.

[Karenina]

63. If you go to this link

scroll down to the bottom to "older posts" and go back to page 3 near the bottom where there is a clip that has BOTH interviews and a transcript. There you can see and hear him for yourself.


http://www.skypilot.zexxnet.com/

[Cleita]

65. Thank you. I will do that. n/t

[Number23]

57. Is Turley African-American??

:wtf:

And if your "opinion" is full of slander and unsubstantiated bullcrap you've pulled out of your butt to try to portray someone who is imminently qualified as "unqualified" while maligning the name and character of one of this nation's greatest legal minds and civil rights heroes, then "feces" is what you damn sure best expect to get hurled at you.

For some, Turley just joined the ranks of Hannity/Rush with his inane and completely unnecessary comments towards Judge Marshall.

[asphalt.jungle]

78. I'm shocked ... haha

riding to the defense of Turdley and has never even seen the whore on tv. Couldn't even google the guy, just had to be contrarian and argue for the sake of it ... just wow. Do they even want to be taken seriously anymore? Wherever there is a one-issue poster, fucked up logic is soon to follow.

[ellacott]

67. Turley is Italian

Even if he were African American that would mean nothing. Clarence Thomas, Alan Keyes and Michael Steele are also African American.

If people had a problem with what he said they have the right to express it.

[Cleita]

68. Wow!

I shouldn't really go by names, but Turley doesn't ring very Italian to me, nor does Jonathan. As I said my bad again.

[ellacott]

69. Many immigrants changed their last names when they came to America

This is an article about his mother:
http://www.jewishworldreview.com/jonathan/turley090402.asp

[Cleita]

70. Yes, but none of them changed it into something so drastically English unless

they were slaves and had no choice.

[ellacott]

71. Who knows

Many Jews changed their names to Anglo names and became Catholics to escape the holocaust. Maybe his father was Irish.

[Cleita]

74. I may really like him if he's Irish. However, right now I look at him

rather dispassionately.

[ellacott]

72. dupe

[Uzybone]

75. Jeebus, you are defending a guy that you know nothing about

at least now I know a lot of the defense of Turley is not based on knowledge, just knee jerk reactions.

[Cleita]

77. I'm not defending him. I wonder why he's being attacked.

[ejbr]

41. It's nice to have representation of our country

without nitpicking every aspect of a person. She'll be fine (Princeton? Yale?) & inspire millions of Hispanics. In this case, Turley can STFU.

[PBS Poll-435]

45. I think he really wanted the job

:cry:

[vaberella]

51. I could believe that...n/t

[Spazito]

52. It is the same guy who said this:

"In many ways, what Obama did today may be just simply shifting the blame to Holder so that he can be the fall guy because if he defines this solely as whether lawyers will be investigated he's very likely to find a legal reason not to do it."

Now, either Turley is being deliberately misleading or grossly incompetent (I pick the former over the latter) when he states the above because a Constitutional law professor knows full well it is NOT the responsibility of the President to investigate, in any way, possible crimes that may have been committed, it is the responsibility of Congress to hold hearings and the Department of Justice, a body independent of the Office of the Presidency, to investigate and prosecute.

Link to Turley's comments, around the 4:00 mark:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=385&topic_id=300671

[vaberella]

54. And that Spazito...is when my dislike for Turley truly began. n/t

[Spazito]

56. Yep, it was certainly pivotal for me as well n/t

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

83. It was an irresponsible remark; just as it was irresponsible for him to say what he did about

Thurgood Marshall.

[Karenina]

84. Nah... That was just STOOPID!!!

:crazy:

[Cha]

58. He sounds like he has

an agenda there.

[CBR]

61. We could also list several good and great things President

Obama has done but that does not mean he is not subject to criticism when he does or says something idiotic. Turley's statements, opinions or not, are now ammunition for the RW. Not to mention completely insulting the legacy of Thurgood Marshall.

Edit: grammar

[Clio the Leo]

66. I wouldn't call the way he has bashed the President "a wonderful job"..

.... but that's just me.

[FrenchieCat]

79. I don't like him because I don't have to.

He seems to suffer from Histrionic personality disorder.....or he is simply an arrogant self-centered bore.

I have the right to have this opinion about someone on television, and so I do.

[Cleita]

80. I agree. You have a right to your opinion.

I hope the rest of us do too.

[FrenchieCat]

82. Certainly, cause it couldn't happen anyother way.....

[TheKentuckian]

81. Turley is worst than worthless.

He is a detriment. He causes many to tune out and changes ZERO minds (which is just as well as bad since he's no Oracle by any means).
I believe many are quick to make a hero of someone because they agree with them on a thing or two. Hell, every decade or so Pat Buchanan says something I strongly agree with but I'd never hold him up to be someone who's opinion must be respected in a general sense. If you think Turley is right on torture fine but that doesn't mean his opinions in other areas will be right or valid in thinking.

Shit, Turley isn't even there in any way about torture being wrong. He is just a bloodhound on the breaking of the letter of the law. If torture was required under the law then he'd demand it just the same. Arrogantly, repetitively, smugly, condescendingly, self-servingly, and quite shrilly, I might add. In some way that would cast a bad light on Democrats, I might well throw in to boot.

Turley is just a talking head and all in all, an ineffective one. So, fuck him off the top. Then using Thurgood Marshall as a slight, in my opinion, makes him a bit of an insufferable dumbass as well sd someone with a suspect thought process. So, fuck him all around.

[usregimechange]

85. See that is an example of what I am talking about, it is one thing to disagree with him but to call

him "worst than worthless..." That is emotional vomit.

[Rowdyboy]

87. I've been very disappointed in his two statements....While I admire some

of Turley's opinions in the past, in this case I found him elitist and arrogant. He parrots Republican talking points and adds to their acceptance by the MSM. The woman was second in her class at Princeton for God's sake-what does it take to be well qualified to this condescending prick?

on edit: the Thurgood Marshall dig made my blood boil.