Mediancat

Something I find interesting about the possibility (and, alas, probability) of going to war with Iraq is that the people opposed to it do seem to hail (while more tend towards liberal than conservative) from across the political spectrum.

Case in point: Baltimore talk show host Ron Smith. Smith, who calls himself "The Voice of Reason," is fairly dependably conservative on most issues -- local issues, education, gun control, crime, etc.

However, he is firmly opposed to war in Iraq -- which has stunned some of his regular listeners so much that they're telling him they'll no longer listen to his show because of it. A piss-poor reason to beg off, if you ask me. Me, I listen to Smith occasionally; I'm not conservative, and some of his repeated arguments tend to wear. But I wouldn't swear off listening to someone on this basis alone, and I find it amazing that some people would.

So I'm wondering if anyone else out there has had, or observed, anything similar -- from conservatives being against the war and getting attacked for it, to liberals being in favor of the war and getting the same reaction.

Just curious.

Rob aka Mediancat

Melkor

Most people think I'm a wacko for being a Libertarian, but most Libertarians are against the war in Iraq as well.

LymanLover

The only direct experience I have of this phenomenon was at the anti war protest in London on the 15th.

At the mass rally in Hyde Park I saw a man or woman holding a sign that said "Conservative Against the War"

I thought that was pretty neat. After all, I don't see why being a political conservative should mean that one supports knee-jerk any actions of the government.

Of course he/she could just hate Tony Blair with such a passion that he is against anything the poodle is for..

Autonemesis

I don't. People who call up talk shows to tell the host they won't be listening anymore because of something he said are LIARS. Not only will they continue to listen, half of them will be taking notes from now on.

The ones who were really put off just stopped listening.

theyeti

What I find amazing is how much importance many conservatives attach to the issue; some of them are nearly hysterical about it. They call you unpatriotic or say that you support Saddam if you quesiton the motives behind war. Nevermind the fact that none of them were advocating war with Iraq before our Glorious Leader came up with the idea mere months ago, or during the eight years of the Clinton administration. But all of the sudden it's the most important thing in the world. There's a curious sort of hive-mind that seems to be in control of many conservatives.

theyeti

P.S. As for the OP, there was an ad taken out in some paper (Washington Post?) a few weeks ago by Republican donors who thoroughly trashed Bush for his warmongering. They said they wanted their money back.

xstvn

No kidding
Roaming the radio dial today I heard Rush Limbaugh defend McCarthyism as good and maybe, just maybe these damn Hollywood America-hating leftists should be investigated if not sent to the hell of Iraq. If they were in Iraq they would have their tongues cut out and on and on with the most amazing demonizing war propaganda not heard since "those damn Krauts....they eat babies"

A caller proudly told Rush he was an auto mechanic and they had a sign out front that said they won't work on French or German cars.

On Sean Hannity he had a Holocaust survivor on and equated the plight of the Iraqi people with the Holocaust and how it was our moral objective to free these poor people.

Locally (for me) there are NO conservative radio hosts speaking out against the war or even speaking rationally about it. In fact, they proudly play station promos where the host tells some evil America-hater to "MOVE TO FRANCE IF YOU DON"T LIKE IT "

The lack of logic of the emotional reactionaries doesn't surprise me but the fervor and hysteria does.

Kinross

Most of my co-workers are conservative Clinton bashers. They were so happy when Bush became president.

I don't hear so much on how great he is considering half of them are no longer employed due to the sucky economy the spectre of war has helped uphold. The rest are in the "OMG who the fuck did we elect to office" state of shock.

LymanLover

That is something that bothers me about a lot of conservatives writings I tend to come across.. they tend to be hyperbolic and over-emotional..

In my estimation the last great conservative piece of writing, as a whole, was Burke's _Reflections on a Revolution in France_, which actually has quite a few important lessons for liberals/leftwingers in it...

I hope some conservative will jump in and give us a list of titles to correct me. I would love to read something well-reasoned, logical, and so forth about any modern topic, but a lot of it just seems like pseudo-intellectual crap...

Warwick

http://www.opinionjournal.com/column.../?id=110002968

Peggy Noonan from the Wall Street Journal

JCS

At least the ones we don't kill during the fighting.