Tehranny

“Andrew Sullivan–who, it saddens me to say, has flown from the Atlantic to our rival, NewsBeast”
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NewsBeast? Jesus Christ I hate that cheap toilet paper that calls itself a newsmagazine. It’s not fit to wrap fish in let alone be taken seriously. I wouldn’t wipe my ass with it’s pages if I was stuck out in the woods with diarrhea and surrounded by poison ivy. Do they have something like swampland and a “1000 Words” equivalent?

Iran may, indeed, be the linchpin of this winter of middle eastern discontent. Ahmedi-nejad has been ruthless in grabbing control of the levers of power, especially the Revolutionary Guards and the basij, to the point that the traditional military, even if they are so inclined, may be unable to make waves.

On the other hand, economically, he hasn’t done so well, a situation made worse by sanctions, and the driving force of most, if not all, of the recent uprisings has probably been economic. People will suck up a lot of crap if they feel well off, and likely to feel more so in the future, but when the price of staples starts going through the roof, all bets are off.

All these regimes are “brittle” and, especially if Qaddafi is killed or driven from power, the contagion may spread to Tehran — something that probably terrifies Ahmedi-nejad. Unfortunately, he has had plenty of time to prepare. I have no idea how this is going to play out, but people who think the USA has a significant amount of influence to influence the situation are, at best, naive. At this time, explicit support for the greens in Iran is probably the most damaging thing we could do. I would love to see the current government fall, but it will do so in its own time, the victim of its own incompetence, as did the Soviet Union.

I check The Dish everyday for its coverage of Iran and Al Jazeera for Mid East news. You know why, the news is being generated from real events and real people. Not some theory coming from a pundit or politician who claim to be experts in every field, shutting out the real experts and the real voices.
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But disuade me of the basic truth of this commentary.
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http://mediamatters.org/blog/201102210002
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What Pundits Often Mean When They Refer To “People”
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Answer: Other pundits.
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I stopped watching the Sunday talk shows before my blood pressure brought on a stroke.
They are predictable and often wrong.
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Same guests (how many times do we have to listen to McCain who is usually wrong about everything) circulating through the programs. A phrase or narrative is spoken and you well see it repeated for days until a new phrase or narrative is given. It is like a game of gossip.
Same pundits, expected responses. Wills, Brooks, Brazill, Carville, etc. unlikely to surprise me or offer real analysis or expertise. Never once did any pundit question Carville and Matlin’s concern for the Gulf Coast and Matlin’s ex bosses contribution to the crisis.
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Example: “According to Gregory, not only did Christie’s speech earn “rave reviews” (from whom, we’re not told), but the governor’s rhetoric represents “the kind of plain talk that people are responding to.”

But are they “responding”? And who are these “people”? I’d suggest most of the “people” supposedly responding to Christie’s “plain talk” are other media players like Gregory who have been showering the first-term governor with often comically positive coverage for the last year.”
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“But before they announce that “people” are responding to the governor’s “plain talk,” pundits might want to find out if that response extends beyond their professonal class.”

I know. Tina Brown, Howard Kurtz. Yick.
I check The Dish because it has great contacts with real people in Iran and was fascinating during the Green Revolution. Also, Sullivan has an obsession with his dislike of Palin. He voted for and supported Obama. He is socially liberal. Twice he has featured my e-mails on his blog. I know he notes what you write.
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Otherwise, it is pretty conservative fiscally. Sullivan was a Thatcherite. I have little agreement with him about the economy. I can’t bear reading the National Review any longer, so I read him instead.

Sullivan probably got tired of arguing with Megan McArdle and her math errors every damned day. I would too.

As if The Atlantic is-in 2011-any more relevant than, say, The New Republic.
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Dinosaurs that at some point contributed to the national dialogue but have long passed into CW nothingness.
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Thus JK’s affection.
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The Daily Newsbeast is just more of the same.

“As if The Atlantic is-in 2011-any more relevant than, say, The New Republic.”

As a longtime subscriber to the print edition of The Atlantic, I consider it to be the finest magazine of ideas and politics currently published in this country — truly offering a broad spectrum of opinion. It’s also one of the few profitable publications in this genre (which is more than can be said of Newsweek).

I agree. Iran will have no hestitations using an extreme amount of force if the sh!t hits the fan.

The real question is whether the spark will catch in Iran. Is there enough political disatisfaction in Iran for a state-sponsered beating or murder to spread like wildfire?

I think we should be patient, but I can’t say that it won’t catch tomorrow, or in a week, a month, or years from now.

libssd- I respect your loyalty.
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I subscribed for years and The Atlantic just got worse and worse.
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From Michael Kelly’s sad leadership (a man who, after the Stephen Glass affair at TNR, would be shunned by respectable media) to the cover story making the case that Chief Justice Roberts was a bridge builder I stand by my assessment.
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Other than your assertions, and The Atlantic’s bottom line, what is really the case?

Joe: your anti-union comrade-in-arms Chuck Lane says Gabby Giffords would condemn the Iranian government if she could speak. Your thoughts?

“I know he notes what you write.”
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I hope you’re talking about JK. My own wife doesn’t pay much attention to what I say.
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OT, but I was up at 3 AM last night cutting my hair with the clippers. I forgot to put the guide on before I started. I have a reverse mohawk now. My wife is not amused. I have a bare patch right down the middle of my head. By the time I noticed my mistake, I thought it best just to take it all the way down.