Betsy Newmark, reducto ad absurdum
Eliminationism
Making us glad she's not our kid's teacher: Betsy Newmark (19-
Now that we've watched economic fundamentalism slide down from its Malibu cliffside perch and crash into the Pacific and have then watched Republicans flung down on top of it, there are fewer good reasons than there used to be to read from the right side of the blogosphere. Disaccreditation coupled with electoral rejection tends to make the right-wing polity and its blogs irrelevant (at least for the time being).
But, you can be sure that the internet's right-wingers continue in their various oligarchic, authoritarian and theocratic crusades. Betsy Newmark, for one, holds fast – at her blog Betsy's Page – to the right-wing themes of the Bush heyday.
Betsy is the government teacher at Raleigh Charter High School, in Raleigh, North Carolina, who never lets fact, accuracy, overwhelming countermanding evidence, or common sense stand in her way of regurgitating the most up-to-the-minute Republican talking point. Although, at least one of Betsy's latest blog articles has to make reasonable people ask if Betsy’s reflexive bashing of those not toeing her partisan line hasn't gotten the best of her.
Betsy likens Governor Rod Blagojevich – He's a Democrat, Betsy. Bingo! – to Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe. It's an absurd comparison and, coming from a celebrated educator, startlingly malicious.
Betsy cites Blagojevich's reaction to being accused of selling Obama's seat in the Senate to the highest bidder:
"I will fight, I will fight, I will fight until I take my last breath," he added. "I have done nothing wrong."
Except, in quoting Blagojevich from a FOXNews report, Betsy coyly doesn't include the report's full Blagojevich quote. She leaves off the part where Blagojevich asserts his innocence, which is an assertion that softens the strident temper of what precedes it.
After committing that little dirty, Betsy goes on to take her potshot at Blagojevich and claim:
Rod Blagojevich might have thought [he] echoed Winston Churchill but he sounds a bit like Robert Mugabe who made a similar vow.
Except, the FOXNews report provides no evidence to suggest Blagojevich was modeling himself after Churchill or anyone else. Betsy just made that up.
She thinks she's neutralized her partisanship by including so many weasel words in her comparison of Blagojevich to Mugabe ("might have", "sounds a bit", "made a similar"). We're not supposed to notice she can't distinguish between a Democratic politician accused of committing a crime and a dictator whose policies have rendered his country a failed state.
Makes you wonder how Betsy's willful partisanship finds it's way into her classroom, doesn't it?
Keep a watchful eye on Betsy Newmark – celebrated right-wing school teacher.
Posted by 3Dsound at Saturday, December 20, 2008 3:05 PM 
Categories: Betsy Newmark,conservative politics,Republican hectoring,economic fundamentalism,eliminationism,piss up a rope,personality-based attack,Raleigh Charter High School
Tags: Betsy Newmark conservative politics Republican hectoring economic fundamentalism eliminationism piss up a rope personality-based attack Raleigh Charter High School
Categories: Betsy Newmark,conservative politics,Republican hectoring,economic fundamentalism,eliminationism,piss up a rope,personality-based attack,Raleigh Charter High School
Tags: Betsy Newmark conservative politics Republican hectoring economic fundamentalism eliminationism piss up a rope personality-based attack Raleigh Charter High School
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