Bob Herbert revealed: Conservative concern troll

Finally, we get to reveal Bob Herbert for what he is:  an undercover conservative concern troll.  Who else but an undercover troll mole would so cleverly have spent his entire career infiltrating the left / liberal intelligentsia, only to strike with his artificial concern when his GOP masters deem it most advantageous?

It's all revealed in today's New York Times.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/08/opinio n/08herbert.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

Only a troll working secretly for the Repubicans would say things like this:

". . . Barack Obama went out of his way to create the impression that he was a new kind of political leader -- more honest, less cynical and less relentlessly calculating than most. . . This is why so many of Senator Obama's strongest supporters are uneasy, upset, dismayed and even angry at the candidate who is now emerging in the bright light of summer. . . . Senator Obama is not just tacking gently toward the center. He's lurching right when it suits him, and he's zigging with the kind of reckless abandon that's guaranteed to cause disillusion, if not whiplash. . . . pandering to evangelicals . . . Separation of church and state? Forget about it. . . . agreeing with Justices Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas that the death penalty could be imposed for crimes other than murder. What was the man thinking? . . . his decision to support an electronic surveillance bill that gives retroactive immunity to telecommunications companies that participated in the Bush administration's warrantless wiretapping program . .  [t]he senator had previously promised to filibuster. . . behind the scenes, there is discontent among African-Americans, as well, over Mr. Obama's move away from progressive issues, including his support of the Supreme Court's decision affirming the constitutional right of individuals to bear arms.  There's even concern that he's doing the Obama two-step on the issue that has been the cornerstone of his campaign: his opposition to the war in Iraq. . . . Time flies and the Iowa caucuses seem a very long time ago."

Bob Herbert, at last revealed to be an undercover neo con after all these years!  After all, that is the consensus, right? Only a conservative Republican working undercover against the Democratic party writes such things, correct?


Poll
Friends don't let friends
compromise on core principals
deviate from blind loyalty to the nominee

Votes: 5
Results : Vote Link : Polls

Display:


Critique Bob Herbert, not me - - (2.00 / 1)

he said it!


John McCain says he would stay in Iraq for 100 years? That's crazy talk!
by kosnomore on Tue Jul 08, 2008 at 06:09:15 PM EST

Re: Critique Bob Herbert, not me - - (2.00 / 1)

But he's credible.


by MeganLocke on Tue Jul 08, 2008 at 06:25:54 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Critique Bob Herbert, not me - - (none / 0)

And he's not hiding his identity.

I have never heard of a troll who didn't hide their identity.

There are many "blog personalities" which I honestly do not think exist in real life (not saying names but you know who i am talking about).


by DemsLandslide2008 on Tue Jul 08, 2008 at 06:28:01 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Critique Bob Herbert, not me - - (none / 0)

But he's not calling himself "Obamagurl08" and mentioning that he's an Obama supporter at least three times in every sentence.


by MeganLocke on Tue Jul 08, 2008 at 07:23:43 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Bob Herbert (2.00 / 4)

He can criticize Obama all he wants.  He's, shall we say, 'credible', whereas many concerned bloggers on this site (not you) are not.


by NewOaklandDem on Tue Jul 08, 2008 at 06:11:05 PM EST

First, thx for 'not you' + (2.00 / 1)

and second, that's too Bushie-thinking for me (no offense intended) - - truth is truth, regardless of the messenger.  And we need to listen.  'cause something's shifting.


John McCain says he would stay in Iraq for 100 years? That's crazy talk!
by kosnomore on Tue Jul 08, 2008 at 06:14:16 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: First, thx for 'not you' + (none / 0)

The 'truth' from trolls is a distorted version of the Truth.  

Look at the FISA situation.  Some of his most ardent supporters, myslef included, called him on it.  There is room for criticism.  There is no room for distortion and smears.


by NewOaklandDem on Tue Jul 08, 2008 at 06:17:42 PM EST
[ Parent ]

I hear you - - (none / 0)

and in life, it's usually how you say it that counts as much as what you say - -


John McCain says he would stay in Iraq for 100 years? That's crazy talk!
by kosnomore on Tue Jul 08, 2008 at 06:28:41 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: I hear you - - (none / 0)

Well, presentation is important.  Just ask chefs.


by NewOaklandDem on Tue Jul 08, 2008 at 06:30:08 PM EST
[ Parent ]

It's Herbert, not ME said the concern troll (2.00 / 4)

Gosh, and that give you armor?

No, Kosnomore, if Herbert had written the same diary about Clinton, you would be flamming his backside times 1000%!

My take is, Herbert has EARNED the right to take Obama down a peg.  He's pissed, and, I agree with him on the faith-based pandering. The rest, not so much.

For you, and your 15th or so concern diary, also not so much.

When Kos goes Nuclear on Obama, I pay attention.

When the "He's a thug, a monster, unqualified, a racist" MyDD Clinton crowd is SUDDENLY CONCERNED and keeps posting THE SAME DIARY OVER AND OVER, I think many grains of salt are called for.


"Either you're the butcher Or the lamb but even so, Everybody pays as they go-Jakob Dylan"
by WashStateBlue on Tue Jul 08, 2008 at 06:16:19 PM EST

Re: It's Herbert, not ME said the concern troll (none / 0)

Kos pulled the same whiny bullshit on Obama before Iowa too, it's not like this is somehow new...


by Whash on Tue Jul 08, 2008 at 06:24:13 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: It's Herbert, not ME said the concern troll (none / 0)

I think he posts about other things occasionally?


by MeganLocke on Tue Jul 08, 2008 at 06:27:00 PM EST
[ Parent ]

I can't speak for Kosnomore, but... (none / 0)

Herbert has already written a ton of bullshit about Hillary. I'm actually feeling unloved by the absence of his embarrassing logical contortions now that the primaries are over.


While I could sit in church and pray all I want, I wouldn't be fulfilling God's will unless I went out and did the Lord's work ~ Barack Obama
by bowiegeek on Tue Jul 08, 2008 at 07:14:36 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: I can't speak for Kosnomore, but... (none / 0)

Herbert was completely in the tank for Obama and continually dumped on Hillary throughout the primary. Sounds like he's  bit disappointed. Caveat Emptor.


by ottovbvs on Tue Jul 08, 2008 at 09:40:05 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: It's Herbert, not ME said the concern troll (none / 0)

Truth hurts, doesn't it?
As for the HRC crack, get over it (to quote so many OBamaphiles). Herbert was actually up one side,then the other, of HRC - sometimes justified, sometimes not.
by M1513 on Tue Jul 08, 2008 at 08:06:22 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: It's Herbert, not ME said the concern troll (none / 0)

I wonder how long you guys are going to hold on to your enemies lists from the primaries.


by MeganLocke on Tue Jul 08, 2008 at 08:24:00 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Have you ever noticed that.... (2.00 / 1)

...no one ever calls Glenn Greenwald a concern troll?  It is a curious thing.  Somehow, by being out front on the FISA thing for years, Glenn earned the right to rake Obama over the coals when it comes to FISA.  

I am sure the diarist doesn't see a distinction between someone with credibility like Greenwald and some pissed off blogger named after a site she hates.  Hopefully I am wrong about that but I doubt it.


Consider that everything which happens, happens justly, and if thou observest carefully, thou wilt find it to be so. -Marcus Aurelius
by Blue Neponset on Tue Jul 08, 2008 at 06:30:17 PM EST

Re: Have you ever noticed that.... (none / 0)

My exact point I made upthread.

Annonymous bloggers ARE NOT JOURNALISTS.

Never have been and never will.

It's Plain and Simple.


by DemsLandslide2008 on Tue Jul 08, 2008 at 06:37:44 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Have you ever noticed that.... (none / 0)

Well said.


by HSTruman on Tue Jul 08, 2008 at 06:40:40 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Bob Herbert revealed: Conservative concern tr (2.00 / 1)

Herbert blew this one, just like he blew it in the early days of the war. I enjoy his writing and respect his thinking, but he's not infallible. He bought into Cheney's dream scenario and thought the war would be quick and neat and would leave a nice democracy in the middle-east. Boy, was he ever wrong on that one. He's since admitted that he was wrong and has changed his tune. That doesn't change the fact that he was really wrong in the beginning. He's just as wrong on this.


"The true measure of a man is how he treats someone who can do him absolutely no good." Samuel Johnson
by MS01 Indie on Tue Jul 08, 2008 at 06:41:50 PM EST

Re: Bob Herbert revealed: (none / 0)

Herbert isn't saying anything that regular folks haven't said or haven't concluded on their own.

Credibility is like beauty it depends upon the eye of the beholder.


"No self-respecting woman should wish or work for the success of a party that ignores her." - Susan B. Anthony
by feelfree on Tue Jul 08, 2008 at 06:50:35 PM EST

Re: Bob Herbert revealed: (none / 0)

Ya, too bad for Bob and the rest of the regular folks that they ONLY GET ONE VOTE in November.

Use it as you choose to.


by herenow on Tue Jul 08, 2008 at 07:04:31 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Bob Herbert : journalist (2.00 / 1)

kosnomore : concern troll


by spunkmeyer on Tue Jul 08, 2008 at 07:08:55 PM EST

Most of the comments above... (2.00 / 2)

are directed to the question of whether the diarist has "troll" status.

What is glaringly absent is anyone doing a point-by-point refutation of Herbert's arguments.

But then calling people names is much easier than defending the indefensible.


by Ed J on Tue Jul 08, 2008 at 07:42:01 PM EST

Re: Most of the comments above... (2.00 / 2)

But that isn't the point of the diary, at least as I understood it.  It was "if Bob Herbert can say __, does that mean that he's a concern troll, as people have been called for saying similar things?"

Results were mixed.  Anyway I read Bob Herbert's column and there were some things I agreed with, some I disagreed with.  But what's indefensible is all this McCain boosterism that swept the board in the past week.

There have been three "at what point will you not vote for Obama" diaries in the past few hours, and not a single "at what point will you not vote for McCain" diaries in the past week.


by MeganLocke on Tue Jul 08, 2008 at 08:10:04 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Bob Herbert revealed: concern troll (2.00 / 1)

I love your headline -- really gave me a chuckle!


by moevaughn on Tue Jul 08, 2008 at 08:10:32 PM EST

It isn't necessary to be a concern troll (none / 0)

in order to be simply wrong. It's disappointing when someone in Herbert's position simply doesn't do his home work.

There's nothing wrong with disagreeing with Obama on a number of issues, but to accuse him of "zig-zagging" or "lurching" is to just mindlessly repeat talking points from the daily McSame conference call with the press.

Obama has been quite consistent on all the issues the mentally lazy have been griping about.

Meanwhile, they give McLame a free pass for truly reversing himself on almost every issue. Now THAT's lazy.


by Beren on Tue Jul 08, 2008 at 09:59:47 PM EST

Re: Bob Herbert revealed: Conservative concern tr (2.00 / 1)

The lamest diary I've ever read. This guy is black, for one thing, and has steadily supported Obama.

If he's a conservative criticism troll, you are a troll for the thin-skinned ostriches of America


by NY Writer on Tue Jul 08, 2008 at 10:01:51 PM EST

Your poll is missing an important option: (none / 0)

"Friends don't let friends vote Republican--especially in the name of protecting Democratic ideals."


Wouldn't it be nice if there were no rhetorical questions?
by Elsinora on Tue Jul 08, 2008 at 11:13:48 PM EST

Re: Bob Herbert Conservative concern troll (1.50 / 2)

Apparently, you forgot the snark tag.

Either that or this is just another example of Obamanians smearing anyone who dares to critize their holy one.  Years of liberal/progressive/Democratic commentary or activism swept aside by any criticism of Obama - you..you..you CONSERVATIVE you!  Egad!


by lizpolaris on Wed Jul 09, 2008 at 09:44:36 AM EST


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