W mace: ‘..in seems on the surface (how about that?)’
My mom was a seamstress and she would have deplored that. As for ‘…the style of personal assassination and hate mongering that Malkin is so good at.’ I have to agree and appreciate that you see that also. Lets all just have some civil debate on the issues. I am not taking anyone’s side but name calling is never called for or necessary in discussion, and it does lessen the value of ones opinion to all. That being said. Malkins a pig sucking…. Just kidding. She is the Ebony Coulter of Fox. A bomb thrower who will say anything to earn a paycheck.

Irish for beak. I had no idea (I thought it might be German or Yiddish). Words are strange creatures.

W Mace and others who like the word “gobsmacked”, here’s another word for you:

GOBSHITE

Literally, “shitmouth” , meaning someone who talks a lot of shite.

Gobsmacked means, literally, “smacked in the mouth” ie stunned speechless.

Both words derive from the Irish word for beak, “gaibh” pronounced “gob” and used as slang in Ireland and the UK for "mouth.

So one might say, for example, “I don’t know why Sally seemed so gobsmacked at Michelle Malkin’s venom; everyone knows Malkin’s nothing but a gobshite.”

Visitor, I used “seem” because I was not sure. It expresses neither a generalization (not sure how that fits here) nor a firm belief because in the end I don’t know what animates your insults besides political disagreement. However, in seems on the surface (how about that?) similar to Malkin’s in style and dissimilar to Kohn’s. My comment is that I don’t see any great advantage in using that kind of language. Obviously, you do, so we disagree.

mace, yes, you are lecturing. You just did it again.

Now, when you say “it seems…” what you really mean is that you personally believe. Why not just say that instead of hiding behind a generalization? I have always said that malkin was ugly inside and out. I will not apologize for that and I won’t stop saying it. Others for some odd reason find her gorgeous, totally ignoring the hate and venom she spews which, in my opinion, makes her disgustingly ugly.

I’m not here to score points; insult or otherwise. I’m just here to comment. If you’re so easily offended by words like idiot and ugly, feel free to skip over my comments. I won’t be the least bit offended.

I’m not surprised that Hannity and Malkin would feel threatened by calls for civility. Without the ability to make vicious personal attacks on people, Hannity would have nothing to say and no listeners/viewers and Malkin would probably have to just sit there and sneer at the air.

The saddest thing is that appears to be the only reason their fans like them—their hatefulness to the other tribe.

Visitor, I am not lecturing you. I simply ask you to look at your language. The puns, the words about ‘ugly’ Malkin’s appearance, the use of “idiots,” etc. If you use that kind of language, the language of personal attack (the very thing that Kohn was writing against), then it seems (I stress seems) that you are supporting the style of personal assassination and hate mongering that Malkin is so good at. You just have different targets. Otherwise, why do it? Look, I know a bit of mean rhetoric, if done with verve, helps the ‘team spirit’ but since the opposing team in not here, you don’t really score insult points off them. Worse, the language neither advances the analysis nor increases our debate skills. So again, what is the point of your inflammatory language? And how is different in effect from Malkin’s or the other Foxites?

um, w mace, now where did I say, recommend or even remotely imply that posters here imitate those at Fox? I was recommending that “Embracing Civility” go post that same comment at Fox Nation, where the hate, nastiness and racism thrive, and change the names from a right-winger to anyone who does not march in lockstep with them. It’s really quite simple. No hidden meanings. So please, spare me the lecture.

Michelle “Big Mouth” Malkin is a coward. Confront her in person about her views and she will run away from you.

Sally is 100% correct about this little self-hating cowardly woman.

It’s time to call this hypocrite self-hating broad out!

NOTE TO MALKIN

Your so-called, right-wing extremist “fans” hate minorities, including Filipinos. Want evidence? Go on Fox Nation.

Malkin can blow me. So can pretty much everyone who thinks civility is the way to deal with that excuse for a human being. She might be different off the camera, but I have no evidence of that.

Visitor, I hope you aren’t recommending that posters here imitate those at Fox! Kohn and Embracing Civility are making a good point that political conversation is most productive when it focuses on facts and ideas and performance. You seem to reject this because—well I am not clear what your reasoning is, but in any case you imply that Malkin’s idea of political discourse discourse as a kind of gunfight or assassination is the way to go.
So tell me, how does demonetization and smears, (with a special place for schoolboyish puns) help us understand and convince others?

Ellen, “gobsmacked”.. I’ve never come across that word before but I like it and will use it. And yes, that seems to have happened here with Kohn, who I still admire a great deal. And yes, Pantel, Malkin is a fierce debater. However, when you describe her as ‘good at debate" , you clearly don’t mean that she is more fact based or more logical. Rather, you must mean that her almost insane viciousness and resentment overwhelms anyone who is even modestly polite and emotionally balanced. I suppose, in your terms, I would be ‘good at debate’ too if I carried a knife or rocket launcher. Sadly, this is what often counts most at fox—who can make his or her point fastest with the most color and vitriol. In this sense, Malkin is ‘good’ and, except for her eyes and hair, perfect for Fox.

@Embracing Civility

I’d like to encourage you to go post your comment on various right-wing cesspools like FoxNation, and the Drudge Report where racism, hate and nastiness thrive. Change the names from right-wing pundits to left-wing. If you’re offended by the words “idiots” and “ugly”, well, prepare yourself. It’s pretty mild here.

A few observations I left at Sally’s website as I listened to the audio:

- Hannity tried to distract from the issue of personalized attacks to demonizing Obama. Over and over throughout the interview.

- Michelle Malkin didn’t want to accept Sally’s apology for any time she might have “crossed the line” because it would make her look bad by comparison because she doesn’t know the words “I’m Sorry.”

- I just heard Hannity groan when Sally said she believes in America and thinks we can disagree with each other. WTF!

-Michelle Malkin makes her living being snarky and bitchy and would lose 99% of her followers if she wasn’t. She’s psychologically and financially trapped in that persona.

- My own experience is that the radical right see anything other than all out attack as weakness. I too have been accused of being smug, coy and fake when trying to reign in my anger and be reasonable and rational.

Sally’s page about this: http://sallykohn.com/2012/06/2665/

Tweet your support to Sally: @sallykohn

Be nice to Michelle Malkin :D @MichelleMalkin

And follow me on Twitter! @NewsHoundAlex

If Malkin ever faces herself she’ll end up in therapy for the rest of her life, if not institutionalized. I think the shock would be too much to process without drugs and psychotherapy. I wish I was kidding. I often wonder what happened to her in childhood to make her the bitter, vicious, vindictive and hateful person she is.

Heard this yesterday. Malkin’s tone of voice this time out didn’t even try to hide what kind of pussbag she really is.

Bag-of-hammers KKKlannity and incorrigible sourpuss Ms. Maglalang invariably respond to inconvenient facts with their usual mean-spirited dismissiveness and bullying.

Regarding the comments to this story:

It is not a requirement to agree with everyone in order to discuss important topics. When trying to make a point, digressing into negativity and name calling is neither helpful, nor healthy. This holds true when responding to someone else’s name calling, too. While many people may agree, pointing out that Hannity and Malkin are “idiots” or “ugly” just perpetuates the problem of incivility.

We are free to believe whatever we want, and as Americans, we have the right to free speech. We should speak out, be heard, be passionate and be honest. And, we should feel free to disagree. However, our right to express those thoughts does not come with a license to insult, demean, degrade, intimidate, or bully those who feel differently–even if the other guy did it first!

“Treat everyone with politeness, even those who are rude to you – not because they are nice, but because you are.” ~Author Unknown

Ellen, you’re right. Sally Kohn did a pretty good job of smacking some of the endless supply of shit out of kkklannity and ugly malkin. BUT, that’s pretty easy to do when you’ve got facts to throw at them. As we all know, hitting idiots like malkin and kkklannity in the face with facts sends them in a panty soiling spin. Sally could have, and should have totally destroyed them with just a few more facts.

Kevin “Not sure what put her into this state of mind, but one has to wonder what it’s like to live at that level of constant negativity.”

It’s probably the fact that she has to look in the mirror every morning. Not only can she see her own ugly sneering face, but she’s forced to see the hate and ugliness inside herself.