Sorry for the typo.

Though I am sure that people like “john” will seize upon it in an effort to try and discredit the post.

Besides, it sounds like Mr. Williamson was critizing the over-heated, over-top rhetoric in the Salon article, not climate science.

look up “jump the shark.” It comes from an episode of Happy Days in which Fionzi literally jumped over a shark while water skiing, a feat so over the top that it changed the Fonze from cool to fool, and permanently discredited the program, which lost market share from then on.

It means egregiously over the top in a manner that renders something ridiculous.

Certainly the New Republic piece in question is over the top and certainly it was ridiculous and certainly it should discredit that rag from now on.

So, your objection to the use of the term is based on what?

Here, let me apply some tough love to you — it was based on sheer, unmitigated ignorance.

If you expect anyone to listen to you when you comment on blogs, you’re going to have to think better.

It doesn’t mean “did something crazy” or “did something I dislike” or “did something I want to criticize” or “did something I want to blog about in cool blog fashion so I have to use terms like ‘rick-roll’ and ‘jump the shark’”.

You do a disservice to your argument when you misuse words. Point in case – your hamfisted deployment of “jump the shark” caused me, with my limited number of minutes on this earth, to immediately (1) decide I should not spend any of those minutes reading the thoughts of someone who uses words he doesn’t ken (i.e, I skipped the rest of your post) and (2) decide I should use some time making fun of you in a comment. The (2) is actually a “tough love” kind of thing; if you intend to feed your family doing this stuff, someone needs to tell you that you need to write better.

I think two things are revealed here. 1) They have as much or more disdain for their fundamentalist cohorts as any liberal; 2) they resort to what is basically an ad hominum attack because they have no real and substantive basis for their objection. It is the simple wish for the oligarchs to retain the status quo which has so richly rewarded them.

Nothing more; nothing less.

No, they do it every Sunday, where they also claim the Earth really was created in 7 days approximately 6,000 years ago, and is forever eternal and unchanging.

Coming to a full moon in your neighborhood….

If the facts are with you, argue the facts.
If the logic is with you, argue the logic.
If the facts and logic aren’t with you, pound on the table.

All most conservatives have left is pounding on the table and I can imagine its not much fun.