The Beast Is Red

February 8, 2008 9:46 AM

Leonard Pierce aka the Ludic Kid is going undercover at CPAC for Sadly, No. While some may know him best for his Geek Index, his current work reporting from the frontlines of the culture wars is all the more hilarious (and chilling) for its basis in reality: parts 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
posted by jtron (16 comments total)

Fear and LOLthing on the Campaign Trail?
posted by Spacelegoman at 10:06 AM on February 8, 2008 [4 favorites]

man, i wish i'd thought of that
posted by jtron at 10:06 AM on February 8, 2008

Part 8 is up, about the Bush speech, and it's far more glorious than I expected it to be.

He won’t last as long as his old man once he’s out of office: with no one to stand on the way of, with no one to infuriate, with no press hanging over his shoulder for him to mutter “fuck off” at, he’ll wither away and disappear, just another burnout boomer with prostate cancer and no hobbies. The chant begins before he even hits the walkway: “FOUR MORE YEARS! FOUR MORE YEARS! FOUR MORE YEARS!” I look around for a copy of the Constitution, but no one seems to have brought one.

So beautiful.
posted by XQUZYPHYR at 10:07 AM on February 8, 2008

Sorry, but nothing at CPAC is going to top the sheep-like zombie awesomeness of that Barak Obama crowd chanting "we want change" right after Obama says "nothing can stand in the way of the power of millions of voices calling for change" in that awful "Yes We Can" video that got posted here the other day.

Also, based on age, geographic location, and LIVEJOURNAL FRIENDSHIP, je totally accuse jtron of being personal friends with Leonard. Though maybe I'm wrong and jtron just knows Leonard best from his current work reporting from the frontlines of the culture wars.
posted by 1 at 10:08 AM on February 8, 2008

I do not know Leonard personally, and he lives in Texas, although he used to live in Chicago. I'm his LJ friend because I love reading his stuff and that ensures that I get his new articles in my 'friends' feed. Good day, sir.
posted by jtron at 10:12 AM on February 8, 2008

Isn't it also possible that the people at CPAC really would like 4 more years of Bush... and that Barack Obama supporters really want change?

Just because a bunch of people chant something, it doesn't mean they're sheep-zombies. It's a powerful experience to be in a room full of people who all strongly agree with you about something. It's not something that happens that often.
posted by specialfriend at 10:15 AM on February 8, 2008 [2 favorites]

Fair enough, sir.
posted by 1 at 10:15 AM on February 8, 2008

Also, based on age, geographic location, and LIVEJOURNAL FRIENDSHIP, je totally accuse jtron of being personal friends with Leonard.

Hmm, it used to be you could post stuff by your friends, but I guess that may have changed since projects went up, where you can't post stuff by your friends unless you help them with it.

Anyway. I was all expecting this to be warmed over Hunter Thompson with less interesting drugs, but it turned out to be kind of entertaining.
posted by delmoi at 10:16 AM on February 8, 2008

Just because a bunch of people chant something, it doesn't mean they're sheep-zombies. It's a powerful experience to be in a room full of people who all strongly agree with you about something. It's not something that happens that often.

I dunno, it happens pretty much every week on Monday Night Raw.
posted by 1 at 10:16 AM on February 8, 2008 [1 favorite]

Even if it's only for a moment, Leonard Pierce has supplanted Matt Taibbi as the successor to Hunter S. Thompson.
posted by jonp72 at 10:32 AM on February 8, 2008

The writing was a little too self-consciously trying to ape HST but I've got to applaud his 'nads for going through with the charade and living to tell about it.
posted by octothorpe at 11:42 AM on February 8, 2008

Part 9
posted by Dormant Gorilla at 11:54 AM on February 8, 2008

George W. Bush, when you get right down to it, is a fucker. That’s why I don’t like him. He’s a fucker who does fucked-up things. He’s a privileged little shit who doesn’t give a damp hell for the opinions of the people he was elected to govern. He buys into the toxic economic theories of unreconstructed capitalism, despite never having had to earn an honest living in his life, and he supports a worldview that cuts out anyone who hasn’t had his good fortune — the worldview of a murderous plutocracy stained with swaths of luck and cruelty where first is first and second is nobody. He’s stupid in the truest sense of the word: willfully ignorant and determined to surround himself with people who keep him that way, not only resistant to different ideas but actively hostile towards them. He is neurologically incapable of thinking ahead and he consigns the consequences of his actions to the status of dreams. And he forced his country into a pointless, unnecessary, unconscionably wasteful war that will poison every aspect of American life for generations.

Man, that's choice.
posted by Chuffy at 12:03 PM on February 8, 2008 [3 favorites]

Leonard Pierce also wrote a great 99 problems piece in 2006. Well worth reading.
posted by Foaf at 3:40 PM on February 8, 2008 [2 favorites]

10, and 11.
posted by delmoi at 5:04 AM on February 9, 2008

"Just because a bunch of people chant something, it doesn't mean they're sheep-zombies."

No, what makes them 'sheep-zombies' is their delusion that everything is as great as it ever has been as they shuffle down the street muttering 'bbbuuussshhh' or bleeting on about Iran and liberals.
posted by UseyurBrain at 7:42 AM on February 9, 2008