Things That Are Different Are Not the Same, Part CLXXVI
I like Ed Kilgore, and I think he's worth reading even when I disagree with him. But this line, from a post about the Eich/Mozilla/Prop 8 controversy, made me groan:Beyond that, I think it a mite unfair that Eich lost his job for holding the same position on marriage equality in 2008 that Barack Obama then held...Um...no.
Opposing Prop 8 is not the same as contributing to Prop 8. Passive non-support for establishing full equality is not the same as actively campaigning to rescind full equality.
What makes this more than just a minor irritant--a Someone Is Wrong on the Internet type deal--is that it's exactly the same formulation used by folks like zombie Breitbart:
MOZILLA CEO DESTROYED FOR SAME GAY MARRIAGE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY OBAMA, CLINTONSAnd the National Review:
In 2008, Barack Obama and Brendan Eich both were against gay marriage. Senator Obama averred his support for the one-man/one-woman view of marriage, while Mr. Eich, a cofounder of the Mozilla web-browser company, donated $1,000 to support Proposition 8 — a California ballot initiative that had the effect of making Senator Obama’s avowed marriage policy the law in California, at least until a federal court overturned it on the theory that California’s constitution is unconstitutional. Barack Obama inexplicably remains, as of this writing, president of the United States of America, but Mr. Eich has just been forced out as CEO of Mozilla because of his political views.And the Weekly Standard's John McCormack:
On the upside, I guess this means Obama has to resign from the presidency immediately: http://t.co/PMYKHguYwG
— John McCormack (@McCormackJohn) April 3, 2014Leftist Fascists Force Out Mozilla CEO for Holding Same Opinion Obama Held in 2008And the Heritage Foundation:
The outrageous treatment of Eich is the result of one private, personal campaign contribution to support marriage as a male-female union, a view affirmed at the time by President Barack Obama, then-Sen. Hillary Clinton, and countless other prominent officials. After all, Prop 8 passed with the support of 7 million California voters.And the reliably dimwitted Debra Saunders:
By toppling Mozilla's CEO, activists sent the message that having opposed same-sex marriage -- a mainstream position also held by Barack Obama just six years ago -- can be a career killer.And what right-wing talking point is complete without an endorsement from Donald Trump?
Donald Trump on Monday....said by that logic, there are plenty of other individuals who might need to resign, including President Barack Obama. “Around 2008, you had the president of the United States supporting traditional marriage, if you go back and look. And you know, I mean, maybe he should step down because of the fact,” Trump said on “Fox and Friends” Monday morning.And so on. I'm not going to go through every single name on the Wingnut Talking Points Mailing List, but I think you get the idea. Conflating the President's (former) position with that of Eich is essential to the wingnuts' narrative of victimization. We really don't need to do their work for them.
They are trying to turn this into another round of grievance that Conservatives get caught and punished for stuff liberals also believe. Its related to "Liberals are the real racists" and "liberals are the real sexists" (tm). And its also completely untrue. Eich's coworkers and people in the community knew he'd supported prop 8 with money for years before it became an issue. It became an issue because Eich commited a much bigger sin than trying to destroy the lives of his gay co-workers: he pissed off the money i.e. the customer base and the valuable employees.
ReplyDeleteIf he'd been in a different business--say, Duck Dynasty?--he could have weathered the storm.
In addition he wasn't punished, if he was punished at all, for wrong think in the past. He was punished for continuing publicly to support policies which were obviously detrimental to the company's bottom line. If he'd been as smart as President Obama, and of such evident good will, he would have changed his stance to suit the public mood.
At any rate they can certainly try to get President Obama removed from the presidency for cause--oh, wait, there's no such method. They lost two elections to him. That was the moment to try to leverage public opinion against him. And they blew it.
Yup, exactly.
ReplyDeleteOf course, they can always try to impeach him. Hey wingnuts, go for it! And let me know how that works out for ya.
Not as important as your point, but in 2008 Obama may have "opposed gay marriage" but he didn't support doing anything about it and was especially strongly opposed to Prop 8. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/01/us/politics/01marriage.html?_r=2&scp=2&sq=gay%20marriage&st=cse&oref=slogin&
ReplyDeleteYou're really a hypocritical asshole, Steve.
ReplyDeleteOh, it's idiot Tom Hilton posting, an even bigger asshole, lol!
ReplyDeleteYastreblyansky: yes, exactly.
ReplyDeleteDim Donald Douglas: ah, you again. Well, given that for you words have no meaning whatsoever (other than as weapons to use against people who are defined tribally as "enemies"), I don't think I'll lose any sleep over your carefully considered judgment that I am a [ironicairquotes]hypocritcal asshole[/ironicairquotes].
Some people obviously feel strongly about punishing thought and belief--thought and belief with which many of them agree, as ironic as that is--as though there is no difference between thought and action.
ReplyDeleteIt's one thing to have a religious or moral belief opposing gay sex or marriage equality, but it's quite another to insist that everyone--even those who have other religious or moral beliefs--must live their lives according to your belief system--particularly by giving your beliefs the force of law.
I'd like to think they understand the difference and that this manufactured poutrage is all for show...but with some of em. I have my doubts...
Puke and poop clean-up in aisles 11:14 and 11:29pm!!!
ReplyDeleteIts amazing to follow the talking points of the wingnut crowd.
ReplyDeleteI get visions of them puking in front of one another as the next one to puke laps up the puke on the floor that was just dumped.
they can always try to impeach him. Hey wingnuts, go for it!
ReplyDeleteRight! I can't wait to see wingnuts impeach the President for having "opposed gay marriage" in 2008!
Ah, the Donalde. Popping in to share his inner fourth-grader with us.
Tom Hilton Isreal!
ReplyDelete