Apolitical Staples

Thanks for asking me to pinch-hit, Greg; it was fun. One quibble: it’s called “proportional representation”. Yes, I’m fully aware that the world needs to come up with a term for the concept that’s not that much of a mouthful….

To my great frustration, you have added your name to the list of people misrepresenting my disagreement with Andrew Anderson.

As I clarified in the comments thread at Idealistic Pragmatist, I do not demand that Andrew repudiate any tripe that others on his (former) blogroll post.

What I do expect is that if he criticizes me for criticizing them, he distances himself from their comments. Furthermore, I pointed out that his criticism of others for not stepping outside of ideological boundaries rings false given his refusal to do so.

It’s pretty simple, really.

Given that I have bloggers from all over the ideological spectrum on my limited blogroll, I find it particularly irritating to find myself (apparently) held up as an example of the echo-chamber blogger, or as someone who lumps all conservative bloggers together as one monolithic block — something I consciously avoid doing, and have repeatedly criticized.

You should apologize, as should Bow and IP, if you have any concern at all for the truth of what was actually said.

wonderdog,

Wait, wait—what exactly that I said in that podcast should I apologize to you for?

In your case, it’s what you failed to say: that Greg was misrepresenting the opinions and statements of someone who has continually stressed the very point that he was harping on.

I don’t enjoy being held up as an example of all that is stupid.

wonderdog,

Well, I held you up as an example of precisely nothing. In fact, I specifically said in the podcast that I had stayed out of the discussion—and continued to in the podcast itself—which I did in large part because a good portion of the time I wasn’t sure what your point was enough to either repudiate or defend it. I certainly didn’t understand it well enough to defend you in the podcast. If that makes me somehow at fault, then you’re going to have to blame that fault on my insufficient understanding, not my insufficient respect for the truth.

Sorry if I misrepresented your position Wonderdog. I was trying use it as launching point into a larger discussion.

Thanks, Greg.

The point you make in the broader discussion is bang on. That’s why it’s no fun being the springboard to it.