Eric Alterman in Cambridge....
I went to see Eric Alterman at a book signing in Cambridge Ma. last night.
I wasn't going to buy his new book "What Liberal Media", but a pair of wingnuts got more than a little testy during the Q&A, that along with Eric's claim he's got to send his kid to college and well...let's just say I'm a proud owner of a hardcover copy of "What Liberal Media" suitably autographed...
BTW: If I'm recalling this correctly, Eric's dismissal of Ann Coulter as a "peroxide blonde" somehow makes him a man of "no integrity" or so an audience member snarled.
No I can't disentangle that logic either.
But it was an interesting and suggestive time otherwise....
He makes an excellent case that today's journalists would sooner be accused of plagiarism rather than liberalism.
Like Eric I'm a little nonplussed at the lack of anything "positive" going on with Liberals right now. The most positive thing we've accomplished so far is sandbagging Estrada and who knows if that'll stick!?
No we are too hampered by our traditional issue based divisions, lack of cooperation and lack of a coherent media strategy.
Alterman made one very notable point, nothing not even modern conservatism lasts forever. Sooner or later U.S. conservatives will over-reach themselves but liberalism is so thoroughly pistol-whipped that as a political movement is it out of position to exploit any opportunities. Hence it's more likely something worse than conservatism will take the field.
That is an ominous notion isn't it?
We need one idea and we need to push it like Pepsi cola and we have to rally 8 million people behind it win or lose.
What that is, I don't know...but I'm known as an "idea man" so I'll get back to you all if I think of anything.
Well worth remembering in the by and by.