Ace of Spades HQ

April 30, 2008

This Is Weak and Maudlin Bullshit Even For Andrew Sullivan
— Ace

Quoting a reader's email approvingly:

The point has been made before, but we need a reminder. Obama did not have a strong model of masculinity, a father figure to know intimately and revere, in his earliest years. He yearned desperately for it; somehow, finding the patriarch would make him whole and normal in a way he thought others felt.
So he found Wright a few decades ago. But he's flying blind. If we're lucky enough, and our fathers live long enough, we can see them for the humans they are. We don't love them less, but in the process of maturing we begin to grow independent by seeing them with new eyes. We separate, and in doing so, enter a new ambivalence about what the father-son role means as it transforms. We might be watching a limnal process for Obama in real-time here. The sad thing is that (and I believe Obama is sincere) I don't think any of us could know the inner turmoil this causing Obama. Sometimes its easy to forget how privileged those of us who know well the father-son dynamic are; its just too easy to yell "throw Wright under the bus." Obama is human, too.

Awww. Baby Barack just needs some Daddy Time and he'll stop courting racist demagogic Marxist America-haters.

Every woman who read that just started menstruating in sync.

In further evidence that Andrew Sullivan is simply insane, he offers this site as a delightful time-waster, providing him hours of pleasure, and a new reader contest.

It's called "Falindromes." They are almost palindromes. They almost could be palindromes. Except they're not. They're just nonsensical sentences.

Like this:

Bobak eats meat: Kabob!

See... it sort of, kind of, looks like a palindrome, except when you bother to check.

Wow. Dude, how can I even leave the house when I have madcap fun like that going on online?

There was a National Lampoon joke about this sort of thing years ago. Proposing new state license plate mottoes, Ohio was called "The Almost-a-Palindrome State."

That got a smile out of me, yes. But, uh, I think the studio space there is pretty much explored entirely with that. Not sure how much more water that particular well can provide.

This proves something else I've long noted about Sullivan: He does not have a functioning sense of humor. Long ago, back when I was actually bothering to read his tripe, I realized that when Sullivan provided a link he deemed "hysterical" or "hilarious," it was almost entirely unfunny. He's one of those people (like movie critics) who simply guess at what normal human beings find funny.

Posted by: Ace at 08:47 AM | Comments (86)
Post contains 458 words, total size 3 kb.

1 That's pathetic.

Posted by: runninrebel at April 30, 2008 08:49 AM (0n9wc)

2 Wright isn't a father figure to Obama. He's the racist stepdad.

Posted by: EC at April 30, 2008 08:50 AM (mAhn3)

3 Who gives a fuck about analyzing the pathology? The question is why the fuck is he such a great choice for the Presidency?

If anything, this twaddle just makes Obimbo seem even LESS up to the job.

Posted by: Stinky Esposito at April 30, 2008 08:50 AM (uWVvG)

4 In your heart you know I'm right and that is why everyone should be for Gay Marriage, so kids can have TWO Daddy's and be doubly privileged!

That way when you have to throw one daddy under the bus you still have one to fall back on.

Posted by: Andrew Sullivan at April 30, 2008 08:53 AM (Q1lie)

5
Don't you mean "Maudlin"?

Posted by: thebronze at April 30, 2008 08:53 AM (kdYxN)

6 I'm getting dizzy from the spin

Posted by: toby928 at April 30, 2008 08:54 AM (evdj2)

7 Funny how that email closely resembles Andi's own words on the topic. I call bullshit.

Posted by: Bart at April 30, 2008 08:56 AM (Ub6Jo)

Every woman who read that just started menstruating in sync.

Does that include excitable Andi?

Posted by: Big E at April 30, 2008 08:56 AM (uw1/g)

9 _{pshewwwww ...} Barack I am your father ..._psheghhhhhh.

Posted by: Darth Putin at April 30, 2008 08:56 AM (UeP9e)

10 Gee, I didn't have a father and even I know a racist, America-hating commie when
I see one. Did Michele have a father? And if not having a father makes Obama
such a miserable judge of character, why trust with the White House?

Posted by: gary at April 30, 2008 08:57 AM (ZZOa6)

11 Or did you mean "Malden"?
I may be 96 but I am still available and can out act 95% of the actors around today you know.

Posted by: Karl Malden at April 30, 2008 08:58 AM (Q1lie)

12 Is Andrew Sullivan aware at all that Obama is a big boy now? I mean, being with Wright for 20 years over the age of 18, you still need a fatherly figure? WTF is Andrew Sullivan trying to preach? NAMBLA? Then again, it would make sense. Maybe he's got his own "son" that he's trying to be a "fatherly figure" to. Sure I still have a father but he becomes less of a role in my life anyways.

Posted by: Kaitian at April 30, 2008 09:00 AM (qGTUx)

13 I was under the impression this was a Presidential race. Apparrantly it's group therapy. That's just fine then -- Andi and his half-dozen readers can have Obama for group therapy, and the rest of us can get back to finding an acceptable President.

Posted by: Hermit Dave at April 30, 2008 09:03 AM (Tk5HT)

14 Jerry didn't even teach his son to bowl!!

Posted by: TankCdr at April 30, 2008 09:04 AM (/9ct2)

15 Please post the Crazy Andy cartoon again. The one where his eyes are spinning and tongue is lolling out.

Posted by: Obambi's Dad at April 30, 2008 09:04 AM (ivZjP)

I wonder if Obama will request a change to his Rev Wright inspired title 'Audacity of Hope' ?

He should change it to 'Audacity'

Posted by: polynikes at April 30, 2008 09:05 AM (m2CN7)

17 And still, nobody has what it takes to explain why what Sullivan says is worth reading.

And I'm now re-assessing the value of reading people that can not avoid reading Sullivan.

Posted by: Larry Sheldom at April 30, 2008 09:05 AM (GXnQJ)

18 Wow, how does Obama like being patted on the head and patronized like a little boy?

Awfully progressive of those guys.

Posted by: Bender Bending Rodriguez at April 30, 2008 09:08 AM (LZ5Jq)

19 A man a plan a canal PANAMA!

This is fun.

Posted by: CUS at April 30, 2008 09:12 AM (bbXZq)

20 So, if you get drawn into the thrall of a radical religious extremist, "I didn't have a daddy" is a valid excuse for your behavior?

Didn't the defense lawyers for the DC Snipers (Lee Malvo and John Mohammed) raise that exact same defense.

Posted by: V the K at April 30, 2008 09:12 AM (/0sRQ)

21 What the hell is a "limnal process" anyway?
Did he mean liminal?

Frankly this sounds like some sort of postmodern interpretation of the father-son dynamic.

Hey limnal is a Falindrome!

Fallondrome....the first stupid repeating schtik Jimmy Fallon will come up with when he takes over for Conan......the end is nigh....believe it.

Posted by: Rocks at April 30, 2008 09:12 AM (Q1lie)

And I'm now re-assessing the value of reading people that can not avoid reading Sullivan.

I'm inclined to agree. But he, like Glenn Greenwald, is such an easy target for saying something ridiculously silly that he's a great cure for writer's block, I guess.

I don't get it myself, but to each their own I suppose...

Posted by: Jason at April 30, 2008 09:13 AM (Y2Bw/)

My father died when I was a teenager and over the past 30 years I haven't spent a minute yearning for a father-figure. Sure I miss him, but shit happens and I got on with my life. What kind of weak-kneed simp is this guy that he needs a daddy figure or a mentor or some such BS? Is he just looking for a guy to hang out with so he doesn't have to spend so much time with that psycho hosebeast wife of his?

Posted by: JWF at April 30, 2008 09:14 AM (1l37M)

Vote for Barry - He has Daddy issues!

Didn't Billy-Jeff have daddy issues as well?

Is that what it takes to be a Dem male? Come to think of it, my hard core Dem mom never knew her dad either. Maybe it's a universal Dem trait.

Posted by: Mark in Portland at April 30, 2008 09:17 AM (+45yf)

Funny, did anybody see South Park last night? Mr Garrison was all mad at his father for not molesting him as a child.

I'm not sure how it's related, but it seems as if it is.

Posted by: Veeshir at April 30, 2008 09:19 AM (zXUuJ)

26 CELEBRATE MAY DAY TOMORROW!!!!!!

Posted by: KayInMaine at April 30, 2008 09:19 AM (cWOlF)

27 Speaking of OSAMA, I wonder how 'ole Bin Laden' is doing these dayz??? I'll bet spring has come to the Kyber, once again, and 'ole bin' wakes up, stretches, pats the asses of a couple of his wives and says, "great night, girls" . A third wife brings him his favorite $10,000 Amati Robe, fresh washed, as he gets untangled from wives 1&2 and up. Wives 4&5 are cooking breakfast as wife 6 brings hot tea, just the way he likes it, to him on his morning stroll to the front of the cave. He starts to wave at the sattelite, just like everyday, but stops and thinks," that chicken shit George Bush and that asshole Cheney NEVER write or call anymore., and that "spy-in-the-sky" probably burned up long ago, fuckit. He waves anyway. Its ALWAYS on me, he mumbles, to make the videos, cds, or write. (call Nan @1-202-225-0100 and demand IMPEACHMENT)

Posted by: Mike Meyer at April 30, 2008 09:23 AM (ulpk6)

28 Posted by: Mike Meyer at April 30, 2008 02:23 PM (ulpk6)

That was weak, even by liberal troll standards.

Posted by: Slublog at April 30, 2008 09:24 AM (R8+nJ)

29 Well, I think with that he has the First Monica position sewn up should there be a President Obama.

Posted by: hank at April 30, 2008 09:26 AM (ueTby)

30 I called Nan. Gave me a good time. Pretty cheap, too.

Posted by: Elliot Spitzer at April 30, 2008 09:28 AM (bbXZq)

31 Allahpundit has the audio of the Rush plug.

Posted by: JWF at April 30, 2008 09:30 AM (1l37M)

Sullivan and the other Obamabots need to get their spins straight; they are starting to conflict with other:

MSM spin: you can't blame Obama, he had no idea was his ex-pastor had been saying these past 20 years. He barely knew the guy.

Sullivan: Wright was the father Obama had been desperately seeking his whole life.

Apropos of nothing, but in furtherance of Mark in Portland's point about Dems with Daddy issues (and because it is my favorite opening verse in all of rock-and-roll), I'd like to recommend this lyric: "I don't hate my parents/I don't get drunk just to spite 'em/I've got my own reasons to drink now/I think I'll call my Dad up and invite him!"

Posted by: Scott at April 30, 2008 09:31 AM (9ypY/)

33 THE INTERNET IS THE NEW THIRD PARTY, and needs to run its OWN candidates. WHY DON'T YOU RUN, ACE for something???? He's no worse of an idiot than what is in office now.

Posted by: Mike Meyer at April 30, 2008 09:31 AM (ulpk6)

34 Is it just me or does Andrew's admiration take on a deeply personal tone? His gushing goes beyond the widespread media crush on Obama into something far more, uh..intimate

Posted by: Ragnell at April 30, 2008 09:36 AM (5Ebh1)

35 "That was weak, even by liberal troll standards" The sad thing is, he probably thought he was being quite clever. Maybe he's missing a daddy too?

Posted by: Ann NY at April 30, 2008 09:36 AM (SPfHA)

Ace does run ... down to the liquor store, after hoboes, away from vagina, etc.

Man, the trolls these days don't even read the blog, do they?

Posted by: Hermit Dave at April 30, 2008 09:36 AM (Tk5HT)

37 "Is it just me or does Andrew's admiration take on a deeply personal tone? His gushing goes beyond the widespread media crush on Obama into something far more, uh..intimate " No, it's not just you. I know this is only one example, but when I was grilling a gay friend of mine on why he preferred Obama to Hillary, the only thing he could come up with was Obama was hot and he wants free healthcare...

Posted by: Ann NY at April 30, 2008 09:39 AM (SPfHA)

38 Obama did not have a strong model of masculinity, a father figure to know intimately and revere, in his earliest years

Posted by: Jay at April 30, 2008 09:39 AM (BNlV7)

39 Ann NY: I AM a daddy.

Posted by: Mike Meyer at April 30, 2008 09:40 AM (ulpk6)

40 Spring has come to the Kyber, once again, and a new generation of dung beetles scrape a meager existence from the remaining DNA of a jihadi warrior ...

Posted by: PBS Nature at April 30, 2008 09:40 AM (evdj2)

Obama did not have a strong model of masculinity, a father figure to know intimately and revere, in his earliest years

And if you listened long enough, I bet this same person would have no problem railing against "the patriarchy"

These people are brainwashed. Period.

Posted by: Jay at April 30, 2008 09:41 AM (BNlV7)

42 What song is that from, Scott?

Posted by: sandy burger at April 30, 2008 09:42 AM (PQyeQ)

43 Searching for a father figure when you are pushing 30 is a stretch. Anyway, what were his step-father and grandfather -- chopped liver?

Posted by: Guy Ritchie's Career at April 30, 2008 09:42 AM (PRWf8)

A trolladrome - makes no sense until you reverse it.

SREYM EKIM ehcuod a drut a kcirp a

Posted by: polynikes at April 30, 2008 09:42 AM (m2CN7)

45 Suggestion to the troll patrol, replace Nan's number with a lesbian chat line.

Posted by: V the K at April 30, 2008 09:44 AM (/0sRQ)

46 To MM: "A trolladrome - makes no sense until you reverse it. SREYM EKIM ehcuod a drut a kcirp a" Now that's funny and clever....

Posted by: Ann NY at April 30, 2008 09:44 AM (SPfHA)

Wait, I thought Wright was the "crazy uncle"?

Or, a "typical black preacher" that whites just can't understand?

Or, "the avatar of the American celebrity principle"?

Maybe he is what he is: a popular preacher of a popular church, whose popular views advocate racial separatism and contempt for the United States.

Posted by: CJ at April 30, 2008 09:47 AM (9KqcB)

48 polynikes: NO S on the end and YOU left out the first E.

Posted by: Mike Meyer at April 30, 2008 09:47 AM (ulpk6)

49 Ann NY: I AM a daddy.

I wouldn't be too sure.

Posted by: DNA Test at April 30, 2008 09:53 AM (bbXZq)

polynikes: NO S on the end and YOU left out the first E.

Okay I got it wrong, no points for me. But you are absolutely correct so you get the points. Thanks for playing trolladrome.

Posted by: polynikes at April 30, 2008 09:53 AM (m2CN7)

51 polynikes:YOU're welcome. I had fun.

Posted by: Mike Meyer at April 30, 2008 09:58 AM (ulpk6)

52 CELEBRATE MAY DAY TOMORROW!!!!!!

Absolutely. I suggest kicking a commie in the nutsack.

Posted by: IllTemperedCur at April 30, 2008 10:00 AM (Ds4I5)

53 Ewoks don't run, they waddle.

Posted by: IllTemperedCur at April 30, 2008 10:02 AM (Ds4I5)

54 WHERE are YOU going to find a commie this day and age?

Posted by: Mike Meyer at April 30, 2008 10:04 AM (ulpk6)

55 So is Andi against lesbians getting married, since boys need father figures in their lives?

Posted by: Heather (with 2 daddies) at April 30, 2008 10:06 AM (3Wewy)

WHERE are YOU going to find a commie this day and age?

Heh.

Posted by: Democratic Presidential Primary at April 30, 2008 10:08 AM (evdj2)

57 No, really. Where can we get some GOOD trolls?

Posted by: Stinky Esposito at April 30, 2008 10:15 AM (H8V2H)

58 NEITHER ONE of those two Nags the Dems are running is EVEN close to leftwing, let alone a commie. They get MORE corporate money then Mccain will ever DREAM about.

Posted by: Mike Meyer at April 30, 2008 10:15 AM (ulpk6)

59 No, really. Where can we get some GOOD trolls?

Posted by: Stinky Esposito at April 30, 2008 10:29 AM (H8V2H)

60 Sorry, but if Obama's got Daddy issues, he should seek therapy, not the oval office.

Posted by: Kensington at April 30, 2008 10:29 AM (kFwRi)

Anyone ever notice that Andrew writes kinda like Peggy?

Posted by: km at April 30, 2008 02:07 PM (mrk0R)

62 DOES mike type LIKE this because he's an ASSHOLE? OR does he realize that nonsensical ALTERNATING caps MAKE him look like the RETARDED tinfoil wearing dumbass WE see all THE time.

Posted by: Rogue Elephant at April 30, 2008 02:29 PM (MrDIe)

Dad sucks, but at least when he's busy trolling on the computer he's not trying to play "touch the pickle" with me.

Posted by: Mike Meyer's Son at April 30, 2008 03:44 PM (S9Yjj)

64 "Bobak eats meat"
That makes two of us.

Posted by: Andrew Sullivan at April 30, 2008 04:11 PM (0L0hY)

65 He starts to wave at the sattelite, just like everyday, but stops and thinks," that chicken shit George Bush and that asshole Cheney NEVER write or call anymore.

Like Obama said, we need to invade Pakistan to take care of him. Going into Iraq was a foolhardy venture. We should immediately end the war . . . and invade a country with six times its population, a much more radical populace, numerous hiding places, and nuclear weapons. I can't see what could possibly go wrong and look forward to his stewardship in 2009.

Posted by: AD at April 30, 2008 04:22 PM (vYzH/)

Well, we now know who Andrew thinks of when he beats his pud.

Posted by: A Balrog of Morgoth at April 30, 2008 05:24 PM (M2UPW)

67 olynikes: NO S on the end and YOU left out the first E. No one cares, MM, we got a laugh at your expense, that's all that counts.

Posted by: cheshirecat at April 30, 2008 05:39 PM (Z5WOG)

68 DOES mike type LIKE this because he's an ASSHOLE? OR does he realize that nonsensical ALTERNATING caps MAKE him look like the RETARDED tinfoil wearing dumbass WE see all THE time. Except that when Spurwing does it, it's art.

Posted by: cheshirecat at April 30, 2008 05:40 PM (Z5WOG)

69 To sandy burger (comment 42): the song is called "I'm an Adult Now" by a late-1980s band called The Pursuit of Happiness. Know almost nothing about them, but it is a great song and that opening stanza is a stone-cold classic.

Posted by: Scott at April 30, 2008 05:44 PM (9KQMJ)

70 (ref Sullivan) > He's one of those people (like movie critics) who simply guess at what normal human beings find funny. That's disturbingly similar to Dexter (Showtime, CBS)

Posted by: Arthur at April 30, 2008 05:51 PM (YxrSn)

71 What? Where am I? I feel as though I've awakened from some horrible dream...

Posted by: Barry O'Bama at April 30, 2008 06:35 PM (e+exz)

72 Except that when Spurwing does it, it's art.

Entertaining and informative as well.

Posted by: Chief Clancy Wiggum at April 30, 2008 07:21 PM (7gCh5)

73 Epic fail. Indrome.

Posted by: someone at April 30, 2008 07:32 PM (2z2WN)

74 I called Nan and demanded impeachment. Unfortunately I was told there is no provision for impeaching the Speaker of the House.

Posted by: Have Blue at April 30, 2008 08:37 PM (WuPk/)

75 "The point has been made before, but we need a reminder. Obama did not have a strong model of masculinity, a father figure to know intimately and revere, in his earliest years." Translation: He didn't have a big cuddly Silver Bear in leather chaps to instruct his twink buns in the finer points of life.

Posted by: vanderleun at April 30, 2008 09:35 PM (rS0XO)

I demand THAT Mike Meyer BE cunched IN the punt.

BECAUSE that's WHAT I'm goood AT.

Posted by: cUnTpUnChEr at April 30, 2008 09:36 PM (+zdc6)

dudes...whoooooah- like check this out...

Dog sees God.

I know, right?

Posted by: rojoloco at May 01, 2008 04:11 AM (I/JNA)

78 No, dad, I don't want to suck your dick again! Your cum tastes like tofu and broccoli!

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85 Who gives a fuck about analyzing the pathology? The question is why the fuck is he such a great choice for the Presidency?

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