Home > Perspective

When Schadenfreude Turns to Hubris

by John F. Tamburo, Editor in Chief, Publisher
Originally Posted: 10/26/2005 10:55:35 AM

Our friend, Rush Limbaugh, has repeatedly and correctly noted that the extreme Left, for every GOP infallibility, is guilty of ribald “schadenfreude.”  For those of you who don’t know what that means, schadenfreude (phonetically: SHAY-den-froyd) is defined as the taking of perverse pleasure in the misfortune of others.  An example of schadenfreude would be the Left celebrating the death of the 2,000^th soldier in Iraq or Afghanistan, because they feel that it damages our President.  Now, the extreme Left constantly denies that it experiences schadenfreude.  However, these denials fall on deaf ears as far as I am concerned.

Giving lie to the denials of the extreme Left is this web site, taking unmitigated and obvious glee over a doctored photo showing Karl Rove being dragged off to jail.  In fact, this extreme Leftist web site wonders aloud in its headline: “Is this the definition of schadenfreude?”

"If a video of a [staged] vicious beating of a conservative is not exemplary of the schadenfreude that plagues the Left, I simply don’t know what is."

Then, we have Al Franken.  He shows up on Letterman and, in his unfunny style, predicted that Karl Rove and Lewis Libby “will be executed.”  Was that schadenfreude?  If Franken’s comment is not in and of itself schadenfreude, how about Matt Lauer’s gleeful laughing reaction when he replayed Franken’s prediction on NBC’s Today Show?  If that does not convince you, then there is Al Franken, again, engaging in a staged video beat-down of a conservative person, kicking the person in the groin and smashing a wooden stool over his back.  Many heartfelt thanks to Michelle Malkin for this excellent coverage of a sickening act.  If a video of a [staged] vicious beating of a conservative is not exemplary of the schadenfreude that plagues the Left, I simply don’t know what is.

However, the Left’s schadenfreude is rapidly turning into hubris.  Rumors from the special prosecutor’s office led many in the extreme leftist press to speculate that Dick Cheney would be indicted!  On what evidence?  None.  Not even one iota.  In fact, as I have been writing this article, ABC News, which last night tried to float a B.S. story that it had “double sourced” a confirmation that Lewis Libby has already been indicted, is now running radio news that Patrick Fitzgerald plans not to indict, but is instead preparing to extend the term of the Grand Jury, which is scheduled to end of Friday, October 28, 2005.

Again, Rush has been loudly proclaiming that the Left is overplaying its hand.  Things are nowhere near as bad as the Democrats and the Leftist media portray it.  The Iraq Constitution passed with 78 percent favorable vote, in the face of organized Sunni and terrorist opposition.  Check history.  It took over a year for the United States Constitution to be ratified; that’s about twice as long as it took Iraq took to both compose and ratify theirs!  Our President’s approval rating is rising.  Inflation fears are subsiding as fuel prices drop.  Our President’s appointment of Ben Bernanke to run the Federal Reserve has met with unmitigated glee from Wall Street, and stocks are rebounding nicely from Katrina-related costs.

"Nonetheless, amid all of this good news, which by the way is not reported, or reported with a spin-down, the Left thinks that Bush is licked.  They think that they are well-positioned to take the Congress in 2006 and the White House in 2008.  They think that all of their negativity and Bush bashing will kill the GOP."

Nonetheless, amid all of this good news, which by the way is not reported, or reported with a spin-down, the Left thinks that Bush is licked.  They think that they are well-positioned to take the Congress in 2006 and the White House in 2008.  They think that all of their negativity and Bush bashing will kill the GOP.  They think that, if you throw enough bull excrement at Mr. Bush, some will stick.  They suffer from extreme hubris, made manifest by the fact that they are running against a President who cannot again stand for re-election.

We need to realize this and act accordingly.  If we stick our thumbs in our ears, wiggle our fingers and blow raspberries at our opponents when we win in 2006, we will suffer.  What we need to do now is to keep our message strong in the face of this hubris, and when we inevitably win with the people, keep calm and confident.  As for the schadenfreude, that will be silenced.  Patrick Fitzgerald appears to have asked for no indictments at all as of this writing.  Even if he does ask for, and receive, indictments, we should not despair.  There is no reason to do so.  Let the other side have all the rope they want; they will hang themselves with no help from us.