Saturday, September 15, 2007

ThinkProgress, CAP's "Progressive" Echo Chamber

The "honey do" list is today's top priority, but, after perusing the venom being spewed in the "liberal" blogosphere over outgoing Attorney General Alberto Gonzales' farewell ceremony, one quick post is in order. (Note to self, be careful reading "progressive" echo chambers over the morning coffee, as the hot liquid may suddenly be ejected through the nasal passages or require an extra swallow to counteract the gag reflex, depending on whether their depraved ranting elicits laughing or crying.)

Tracking ThinkProgress back to their parent organization, CAP, and then to the "About Us" page, we get a glimpse of how these "progressives" define themselves:

Who is a progressive?

Founded on the ideals of the progressive movement at the turn of the century, today’s progressive movement believes that an open and effective government can improve the lives of everyday Americans by playing an active role in solving social and economic problems.

In other words, a progressive is someone who is idealistic enough to believe that things can be better and pragmatic enough to get it done.

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What is wrong with this picture? Did they really intend to suggest that a person who fits into their narrow definition of a "progressive" is patriotic, while all others are xenophobes?

Sites such as these which are maintained by the Center for American Progress Action Fund leave no stone unturned in their quest to hurl childish insults at “prudish” Republicans, conservatives and especially politically active "born again" Christians. One might expect a bit more deep thought and incisive analysis to be produced by an “action fund” tethered to CAP, a think-tank financed to the tune of $25 million per year, but it’s no better than what’s coming from your typical dead-ender still living in one of their divorced parents’ basement or drug-addled 60s/70s adherent still wandering around in a decades-old fog blaming others for their own inability to find “peace and love.” Or maybe that’s where these anarchist, communist, socialist and other anti-establishment types get their material?

Based on their 2005 tax return, CAP’s 501(c)(4) “action fund” took in $1.7 million and burned through $1.4 million in contributions. (It may well be more per annum in subsequent years.)

One would expect an “action fund” being managed by an organization which is trademarking itself heavily with the word “progress” would have meaningful and positive results to show for $1.4 million, but alas all which can be found is a propaganda mill and an echo chamber.

Come to think of it, one nice byproduct is having all the nutty “liberals” who literally buy into this effluent practicing their “activism” while safely glued to their computers, instead of interfering with commerce and destroying property whilst rioting in the streets. Sane and rational observers can only hope the more imbalanced people in this group can get professional psychiatric help before their unhinged thoughts and behaviors start seeping out into the “real world.”

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