Last week, an Ann Coulter appearance was canceled by the University of Ottowa. A few days ago, Karl Rove was heckled at an event promoting his book, threatened with a citizen's arrest by Code Pink, and ended up leaving the stage.

Now the University of Wyoming has canceled a speech on education and social justice by William Ayers.

While Ms. C. is just a media maven with no expertise that could rise to the level of a contribution of ideas, Ayers is an expert in his field, and arguably, Rove, as a political strategist who worked closely with a President, had information and insights to share with the public.

Canceling speeches and appearances for objections to ideology, and misrepresenting the grounds for nixing the appearance as a "security risk" seems like a bad idea. What's causing this trend, and is there a solution?

The Left Flank of American politics is always destined to "lose" in the conventional sense. The Left does not "win" elections. But to view the role of a Left Flank through that prism is to misunderstand the role the Left Flank can and should play -- which is to tug "the middle" closer to the views of the Left Flank. In some situations, the Left Flank has a more conducive climate to work in. Such was the case, in my view, in the 2005-2009 period.

Chris Bowers writes:

I spent much of 2008 exasperated by a progressive Internet space that had seemingly reversed itself overnight on things like the value of triangulation, bipartisanship, appearing Fox News, allowing Joe Lieberman to keep his seniority, sending more troops to Afghanistan, retroactive immunity for telecom companies, replacing local state party organizers with ones who answer directly to the DNC, and much more. It seemed as though numerous policies and strategies that had held near-consensus stature within the progressive online ecosystem had been either scrapped or reversed simply because Barack Obama said it was a good idea to scrap or reverse them.

[MORE . . .]

Here is a dkos diary that really exemplifies the transformation of the once Left blogosphere into the Democratic blogosphere. It riffs off of quintessential Beltway insider Al Hunt's article that equates Left wing criticism of President Obama with the irrational teabagger hate:

Obama Transcends Ideology by Riling Both Flanks

Barack Obama, charges former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, is “the most liberal president” in modern times, pursuing “an agenda that really is foreign to mainstream America.” Other Republicans routinely talk about the president’s “socialist” agenda. Simultaneously, the left wing says he’s a traitor to their cause. Liberal bloggers regularly accuse him of selling out to corporate interests, claiming that he has failed to keep his campaign commitments. Former Democratic Party Chairman and ex-presidential candidate Howard Dean has echoed some of these sentiments. A left winger who betrays left-wing causes? Ideology isn’t the ideal prism to evaluate the Obama presidency.

This vapid Broderite Beltway analysis would have once been mocked in the Left blogs. It means precisely nothing, other than the typical Beltway Media "if both sides hate you, I must be dong something right" silliness. Today, it is the height of insight in the Left Democratic blogosphere:

Fox's "24" will end its run with the season finale on May 24.

I'm not surprised. Not only have their been rumblings this would be the case, but at least so far, it's been a very badly plotted season.

What's been most troubling for me is the show's reliance on not one or two, but three stereotypes of flawed, weak women. First, there's FBI Agent Renee Walker, who they turned into a zombie-like suicidal crazy person, blaming it on a past rape. Then there is Dana, who they stereotype as white trash jail bait who, despite being somehow smart enough to work at CTU, is dumb enough to slide right back and risk her job to help her ex-boyfriend, also white trash, pull off a robbery. (Now she's about to be the mole, so it remains to be seen how they finish her story. I won't be surprised if her motive turns out to be nothing more than she fell for a terrorist and is acting out of blind devotion.) Third, there's Kayla, the daughter of President Hassan, who's portrayed as weak (again because she's hopelessly over her head in love with a traitor/terrorist. [More...]

In August 2005, I posted Fighting Dems at Daily Kos:

Ed [Kilgore] is a sharp thinker and writer, but Ed lacks confidence in our Democratic ideals:

"We are more of a coalition party than they are," says Ed Kilgore, the policy director for the DLC. "If we put a gun to everybody's head in the country and make them pick sides, we're not likely to win."

Last week, writing about the critique I and others have offered regarding progressive political bargaining, Kilgore wrote:

I very much appreciate Kevin Drum but this post and this post really can not be reconciled. Kevin writes:

[T]he reform bill we ended up with is very similar to both the 1993 Republican counterproposal to Clintoncare and to Mitt Romney's healthcare plan for Massachusetts.

Just below that post, he wrote:

Slim pickings tonight on TV: Survivor and American Idol are the best bets.

Health care is still dominating the news. And Sarah Palin apparently is still not ready for prime time, her "reality" show on Alaska has been picked up by... the Discovery Channel. What reality show costs $1.2 million an episode?

Charlie Sheen may be retaining new counsel...Denver's Hal Haddon whose firm represented Kobe Bryant in his Eagle County sexual assault case. While the DA isn't seeking jail time, he's also not offering a deferred judgment to the felony.

This is an open thread, all topics welcome.

I guess a lot of people are watching basketball, because there's nothing else on TV. So, surfing around, I was delighted to see my pal Blair Sabol has a new column up at New York Social Diary, The New Luxury, on what people are giving up and not giving up in this depressed economic climate. Based on her (admittedly unscientific) polling, a good 1/8 ounce of pot, maid service and high end travel are in. But beware of new luxury hotel deals, they are cutting back on staff and service and skip the chintzy domestic business class flights in favor of trans-continental ones that offer real luxury.

Spending for clothes is out, with some exceptions, like good shoes and purses...and bras. Blair writes:

New York Times fashion reporter Susin Fair insists on expensive bras (me too). "Without a good bra ($135. basic Prima Donna) you look lousy in everything else."

What have you refused to give up even though money is tighter? This is an open thread, all topics welcome.

The Electronic Frontier Foundation reports on a 33 page IRS training manual instructing agents on how to infiltrate social networking sites like Facebook to get information. The Department of Justice recently published its own presentation.

Wired has more. My thoughts are here.

I'm probably the only person watching 20/20 and the story behind The Bachelor. Sorry, but it's way more entertaining than Obama and Kucinich and health care. "24" is on too. And "Damages."

Update: How into the 20/20 Bachelor show did I get? I left an ear of corn boiling in water for 45 minutes and didn't realize it until the smoke started filling the kitchen. The water had evaporated, the pot was charred beyond repair and the corn is pure black.

This is an open thread, all topics welcome.

Rielle Hunter, paramour of John Edwards, is telling her side of the story to GQ.

The first thing I noticed is the photo spread of Hunter that accompanies the article. In two of the three photos, she's wearing no pants and her white shirt is unbuttoned suggestively. In a third, her sweatpants are loosened and untied with her now flatter belly exposed and her child on top of her. She looks like she's auditioning for a Hollywood movie. No matter what she has to say, it's going to be hard to take her seriously and impossible not to question her motives.

She looks good, kind of like Heather Locklear. What we learn: She loves her "Johnny." She insists she didn't meet him in the bar (but afterwards on a street corner)and she would never approach a man first. But what are the first words she says to him on the street corner? "You're so hot." The inconsistencies in her tale get worse as the interview progresses. [More...]

Who's watching the premiere of HBO's new miniseries, "The Pacific?" President Obama held a screening of it at the White House last week. I'm going to give it a shot, but war movies aren't really my thing.

Also beginning tonight is the new season of Celebrity Apprentice, with Rod Blagojevich as one of the contestants. The reviews haven't been too kind.

There's also a new Desperate Housewives and Brothers and Sisters. And "On Demand" has Precious, the Hurt Locker and The Informant.

What are you watching or listening to tonight? Or, if neither, what's on your mind. This is an open thread, all topics welcome.