Jumping Off A Cliff

 

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This past weekend I was watching Fox News Watch with Jon Scott. On his panel were Jim Pinkerton, Juan Williams, and Alan Colmes. Debate included everything from Congressman Ryan’s current budget proposal to President Obama’s recent speech. As always the commentary was quite opinionated. Pinkerton usually took positions on the middle/right. Williams usually took the middle/left and Colmes was predictably far left on almost every issue.

 

Now before I go further, I want to borrow an oft-used phrase of President Obama: Let me be clear. I don’t begrudge anyone their opinion and I don’t think any good debate should ever exclude those with whom I disagree.

 

But with this caveat aside, I have to admit I’m troubled every time I listen to Alan Colmes and this past weekend was no exception.

 

I’m not troubled because I think he’s wrong. I’m troubled because every single time he attempts to rebut a conservative he breaks the elementary rules of logic without batting an eye and he doesn’t seem to care.

 

You see, Colmes almost never responds to a criticism of the left without first saying that the right did it too. Pinkerton says Democrats spend too much. Colmes says so do Republicans. Scott says Obama broke his word. Colmes says so did Bush. And on it goes…

 

The problem here is this: It doesn’t matter. As your grandmother often told you, two wrongs don’t make a right and everyone else jumping off a cliff doesn’t mean you should follow them.

 

I don’t know where Colmes went to college but as a freshman he should have learned that Socrates agreed with his grandma. Ad populum responses don’t prove anything other than this: Some other fool did the same stupid things you are now doing and trying to defend.