Anti-Reagan comments on DU make my local progressive weekly

[WI_DEM]

In Madison, Wisconsin we have a paper called, Isthmus, which is a very progressive news weekly. But they do allow alternate opinion and one such opinion is a column by Charles Sykes, a conservative Milwaukee Based Writer and Radio Talk show host.

The title of his column this week is 'F*** ronald reagan' with the subheadline, "the compassionate left observes the passing of a president".

It includes many comments which people here on DU have posted in the past few days regarding Reagan including:

Mopaul: "I've waited for this day for 24 long years, now I'm celebrating..."

Neecy: "yep, I've too said for 24 years that on the day of his funeral I'll celebrate with a box of Cheez-Its and Dr. Pepper. I really need to go to the store tomorrow and stock up. I feel as much sorrow today as Reagan felt for AIDS victims..."

NoPasaran: "I am partying right along with you..."

Walt Starr: "I too have been waiting for him to die. I will drink a toast this evening."

Others quoted are Tuttle, Rick Myers, EDGUY, Whiteacre D_WI, Snogerra.

He does include some pleas for restraint from people on DU such as Eileen from Ohio, "I didn't care for the guy as president either, but you are really over the top, and all your hate reflects poorly upon you..." Sykes says, "her message was ignored."

Sykes ends his column thus:
"As I read the diatribes of progressive hate, this is what I thought: I hope conservatives don't react like this when a liberal icon passes. And I pray to God that my own heart is never so shriveled that I sound like these guys."

What I will say in reply to Mr. Sykes: Conservatives did react this way when a liberal icon died. All he needs to do is check out Free Republic for tons of examples when Paul Wellstone died.

Is some of this over the top? maybe, but these comments on DU and other outlets get so little publicity while the national lauding of Reagan is seen nationwide. Anybody watching the funeral coverage of Ronald Reagan would think the man was a saint and his presidency one long continuous success. No mention of the homeless epedimic, the AIDS crisis, the ballooning deficits, the tax cuts to the wealthy, making Ketchup a vegtable in school lunches, Throwing mental health patients into the streets, Iran-Contra which makes Watergate and Monicagate seem minor league.

If some people on DU are guilty of going overboard in one direction then the national media is guilty of going overboard in the other direction.

(p.s. I have no link to the article.)

Here is a link to Isthmus though
http://www.thedailypage.com/
but I wasn't able to find the article on line.

[mark414]

1. as a milwaukeean, i know that...

charlie sykes is a total weiner

as a side note, allow me to quote my office mate when he was talking to a republican co-worker earlier:

"so are all these flags flying at half mast in honor of all the people who died from reagan's policies?"

[quinnox]

2. Sometimes I think there is a contest

going on DU to see who can make the most outrageous comments, lol.

[yardwork]

3. Mr. Sykes should check out what the freepers say

on a regular basis about John McCain and Richard Clarke and any other Republicans who irritate them. Every time I drop into their site some freeper is saying that someone oughta shoot Clarke, that McCain should have been killed by the Viet Cong, and then about a half-dozen dittoheads agree.

Does this mean that all freepers are murderous?

According to Mr. Sykes's logic, I guess it does. I wonder if he'll write a column about Free Republic?

[Blue-Jay]

4. Fuck Charlie Sykes.

And fuck the rest of the RW pundits that cherrypick the most over-the-top comments from here and try to pretend that DU speaks for the entire Democratic party.

Fuck off, Charlie. You can quote me on that, buddy.

[eyesroll]

5. I think Sykes pulled that from his "blog" on WTMJ

In it, he quotes DUer "Stephanie" as saying something along the lines of "enjoy your tombstone, misogynist!"

She was referring to a disruptor who got deleted and banned. Not to Reagan, or any other real-life person, living or dead. (I actually looked up the thread.)

Sykes is an idiot.

[Kid_A]

6. I don't think Wellstone was a "liberal icon".

An "icon" is someone recognized nationally and globally, even by those who aren't into politics. Bill Clinton is a liberal icon. Jimmy Carter is a liberal icon. Hell, even Al Franken and Michael Moore are liberal icons. And Howard Dean will be one before too long. And I totally agree with the editorial. I didn't visit DU on the day Reagan died, because I didn't want to see my fellow progressives shaming our cause by cruelly mocking the death of a sickly old man. Sure, I'm sick and tired of the nonstop coverage of Reagan's GOP death parade all over TV, but I'm equally sick of seeing people on this site dance on his grave. How can we condemn all the Freepers who rejoiced when Paul Wellstone died when we do the exact same thing ourselves? It just makes us an easier target for the Limabaughs and Hannitys of the world to dismiss our entire cause because of a few obnoxios assholes.

[Tempest]

7. You're dead wrong (pun intended)

Wellstone was a Liberal icon, Clinton was not.

Clinton was too right centered to be a Liberal icon.

Wellstone was well to the left and was considered as much a Liberal as anyone I know.


Reagan was a hateful, spiteful and evil man.

I for one relish the fact that he's burning in hell as we speak.

[Kid_A]

8. Could anyone in America recognize Wellstone?

Probably not. Could anyone in America recognize Clinton. Definitely. That's why he's an icon and Wellstone isn't, even though Wellstone was much more liberal.

And the second part of your post is exactly the kind of thing I'm talking about. Yes, Reagan was a horrible president, but by saying he's burning in Hell, who's being hateful and spiteful there?

[Tempest]

9. Your definition of an icon is way off base

Being recognized by many people has NOTHING to do with being an icon.

Being recognized by those who follow you has EVERYTHING to do with being an icon.


Telling the truth about Reagan is being hateful and spiteful?
Since when?

Do you really think Reagan went to Heaven after being responsible for the murder of 1+ million people around the world?

Do you really think Reagan went to Heaven after the hateful things he said and did to the poor?

Do you really think Reagan went to Heaven after the hateful things he said and did to the Blacks?


Why do I feel like I'm conversing with a child?

[Kid_A]

13. I don't know where Reagan is right now...

but I know he's not in Hell, because there is no such place. Maybe he'll be reincarnated in the Sudan or Afghanistan or some other place that is suffering today from the policies of two decades ago. But to proclaim that he is in Hell is exactly the type of moral superiority that the right-wing in this country uses to attack those with different beliefs, and for us to use the same tactics makes us no better than they are.

And I'm 23, btw. If that means I'm a child, or that I'm unworthy of conversing with you, then so be it. But I do know that when someone or something is recognized by EVERYONE, then that's the DEFINITION of an icon.

[Tempest]

14. Are you always contradicting yourself?

You don't know where Reagan is, but you know where he's not?

Look up the definition of icon.

No where will you find that EVERYONE has to recognize the person to qualify.

BTW, age has nothing to do with the ability to reason.

[jarab]

10. I concur with you Kid_A...

and I will not discuss this subject with many DUers.
I will add that anyone - repeat anyone - who lowers himself to condemn an old lady (Nancy) who no longer has any political powers to wield .... is a low-life mother fucker.
We might not only place our icons in Reagan's stead, but also the widows of those yet to die. We might further place our own family members under the same scrutiny and condemnation.
Life is not politics, although some here "seem" to live and breathe the latter.
I am thoroughly disgusted with some (many) of our so-called progressives who daily rant about the PCness of their respective worlds ... when in essence, they're simply low life mother fuckers hiding behind keyboards.
The DUings of the past week - and likely for the next week - are nothing short of shameful. We have so many targets to aim at, and we have chosen the wrong one, IMO. We have lost our way in lambasting the dead, no matter the previous person behind that corpse.

Don't (anyone) ever preach to me about political correctness!! I shall consider the source ... and belly-laugh.

This is posted to get off my chest, not to solicit a reply. I know from whence any rebuttals would originate.
Have we no fucking shame! Or, do we at DU comfortably fit into the definition of irrational (fill in the blank) bashers.

Half the usable bandwidth this week has been hate. Just because we have the right to speak anything we choose doesn't make it appropriate to do so on some occasions. I'm ashamed to be a member of DU this week.

...O...

[Bridget Burke]

12. Perhaps an icon to Liberals....

If you aren't one, you may never have heard of Wellstone.

[WilliamPitt]

11. Give them my sig link

It was a DU comment on Reagan, too.