If Tim Tebow Did Not Exist, the Left Would Have to Create Him [Reader Post]

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A few months prior to the 2008 election my friend The Destroyer of Colons asked me, “When Bush is gone, who are liberals going to hate?” He was only half joking. “Not to worry,” I assured him with a smile, “liberals can always find someone to designate as an object of their hatred.”

When I was in high school the priest who was teaching our Senior year psychology class had us write an essay based on the quote, “If God did not exist man would have to create him.” This was many years ago, but I recall my conclusion being something to the effect of saying that given mankind’s emotional and psychological needs if God did not exist we would have to create some divine being to believe in to give our lives greater meaning.

This was actually a blog post I was kicking around last year, looking back on 2008 when the focus of the left’s anger was directed toward Sarah Palin. It was almost surreal watching the hateful delight they took in watching our press journalistically rape her family while these same “professionals” ignored trivial matters like the horrifically flawed economic policies or lack of experience and questionable past of one party’s actual presidential candidate. Personally I’m not a big Palin fan – I see her as someone with very real flaws to go with some very real accomplishments, but the way she enunciates just grates on me (sorry, that’s just me). Then again, at least I generally agree with the substance of what she’s saying and if her speaking manner is fingernails on a blackboard to me hearing her talk is probably a tabasco sauce enema to leftists. For that matter, the fact that the very mention of her name can send most leftists into a seething, purple-faced rage will always earn her a place in my heart. Not to mention this past summer’s bus tour when the same press who had so much fun dumpster diving through her and her family’s lives were now crying that she was treating them like paparazzi – that was a thing of beauty.

Getting back on topic, it seems that no matter what the time is, the left has to have someone as their focus as their anger. Even in those early days of the Obama presidency when all was right in the world their focus went toward Rush Limbaugh and Glen Beck – reliable standbys. And then came the Tea Party. If you missed it the first time, check out my two part posting illustrating the left’s anger toward the Tea Party as told through the five stages of death and dying.

The left threw out every bit of hateful invective that they had in their arsenal. The Tea Party was labeled astroturfers, racists, seditionists, idiots, rubes, and terrorists. Their crowning slur came when none of these charges stuck and the left threw to the most disrespectful, malevolent smear they could find toward the Tea Party – they compared the Tea Party to leftists.

Another interesting case study in leftist anger is the comic strip Doonesbury. While I once enjoyed it as an actual comic, over the last decade it’s morphed into a sounding board for the angry and bitter leftist, Garry Trudeau. From 2000 – 2008 his range of topics could be summed up as:

  • Hatred for George Bush
  • Hatred for Fox News
  • Hatred for George Bush
  • Hatred for Schwarzenegger
  • Hatred for George Bush

And of course, during the 2008 presidential campaign Sarah Palin joined this crowd. Mix in some patronizing, if not outright disdain for the military, and that pretty much sums up every comic not involving the personal lives of the characters, although these themes are generally woven in as well. One would expect that with a president as spectacularly inept as President Obama, Trudeau would have a field day. So naturally his strips have become focused on hated for Palin, Donald Trump, the Tea Party, and of course sympathy for the OWSers and their distaste for… prosperity?

After following the progression of Bush-Chaney-Palin-Limbaugh- Beck-Tea Partiers-The Un-Romney of the Month, we find ourselves at Tim Tebow. For those of you unfamiliar Tim Tebow is a pro football player, and is currently the starting quarterback for the Denver Broncos. He has gained fame for his erratic style of play, leading his team to several improbable come-from behind wins. That made him famous in the sports world, but what took him beyond was his religion. To build on Dr. John’s analysis, Tebow became famous for combining his unusual talents with his spiritual beliefs. Tim Tebow is a devout Christian, and is quite public about it. “Tebowing”, the act of kneeling and bowing one’s head in prayer with fingertips on your forehead has become a national sensation in itself. He gained some notoriety for painting scripture verses in his eye black while playing college ball at the University of Florida. Tebow also caused a minor uproar during last year’s Super Bowl when he starred in an ad for a Pro-Life group, telling about how his mother had an at risk pregnancy where abortion was recommended, and how happy Tim Tebow and his mother were that she chose to have him. This created a bit of controversy, but no more than if a tasteful Pro-Choice ad had aired during the Super Bowl starring a famous female athlete. An example off of the top of my head would be if a top track star mentioned how getting pregnant in high school would have cost her a college scholarship and ensured a life in the impoverished place where she grew up. An ad like that would have gotten some criticism on the right, and would probably have blown over as quickly as Tebow’s ad did.

But then Tebow did the unforgivable – he became a famous Christian who is open about his faith. With the Denver Broncos’ poor play early on in the 2011 season Tim Tebow, who opened the season at #3 on the Broncos’ depth chart at Quarterback, was now the starter. And he started winning. And winning. And winning ugly. The team adjusted its offense to make the best use of Tebow’s athleticism and, let’s face it, terrible passing accuracy. Tebow had this strange habit of playing badly for three quarters and then pulling out an almost miraculous victory. I saw one person nickname Tebow “Uncle Miltie”, based on an NSFW-ish story about the late comedian Milton Berle that ends with the punch line, “just enough to win.”

The end of regular season’s performance (losses) by Tebow and the Broncos have bought Tebowmania back to Earth, but during his ascent and decline and once again ascent in his playoff win over the Steelers we’ve seen no shortage of venom from the left directed at this young man. David Schuster, the always reliably unhinged Bill Maher, even one of the more rational leftists in Bill Press all took their turns attacking Tebow. Heck, even The Nation, not exactly known as a sports publication, had to write several articles on the quarterback that the left loves to hate.

Why all of this hatred for someone who has done nothing wrong, or broken any laws? For that matter, while some may find his openness about his faith obnoxious, Tebow isn’t out trying to beat everyone he meets over the head with a Bible and preaching conversion. You know what else he isn’t doing? He’s not doing drugs. He’s not driving drunk. He’s not participating in dog fighting rings. He’s not bringing guns into nightclubs. He’s not fathering children out of wedlock to several different mothers. And he’s not murdering anyone. Granted, the matelote in each of the scenarios I just mentioned have gotten varying degrees of scorn for their actions, but none that were so ideologically centered. So why do leftists give the athletes in the categories I just mentioned a pass while directing so much venom at one man who most people would actually be happy to see their sister or daughter dating? It’s the same reason the left has so much hatred for the likes of Sarah Palin or the Tea Party.

They have to. Leftist policy just doesn’t work in the real world – look at Communism in Soviet Russia, Europe’s socialistic gradual death spiral (and that’s despite the US subsidizing their national defense) or or that matter, look no further than the White House. When Oregon was considering an Obamacare/Romneycare-esque health care mandate The Destroyer of Colons mused, “I hope that this bill passes, just so we can show leftists once and for all that government run health care doesn’t work.” I just shook my head and responded, “That won’t happen. Leftist policies never fail because they are bad ideas, only because greedy individuals refuse to throw enough money at their bad ideas.”

This is what leads to the Left’s permanent state of anger. When your bad ideas don’t work you can either reflect on them and learn from it, or you can cling to your bad ideas and be angry because nobody gets your genius. Without introspection as an option, a target must be found – hence the left’s continuous rotating figurehead as the object of their anger.

Even worse is how badly it is often misdirected. Look at the OWS’ers and their anger at… something. Granted, most of the movement is made up of Unionistas, career grievance mongers (Code Pink, ACORN, etc), students who have no idea what the real world is like, and criminals. These are all traditional Democrat-leaning groups, but at some point one would think that the Obama-rose-colored glasses have to come off and the realization has to set in that the president and Congress are the reason our economy is flagging. Maybe people who demonize profitability and threaten to punish the prosperity that leads to job creation are why companies are afraid to hire. On a personal level, maybe their facial piercings, lack of personal hygiene, and sense of entitlement are why nobody wants to hire them for any of the ever-scarcer job openings. Sorry, but the 12-16 years spent getting gold stars and being told you’re special for just showing up are over.

Again, rather than look at the causes of their unhappiness it is easier for the left to lash out in unthinking rage. The worst example that would actually be comical if it weren’t so disgusting was the shooting of Gabrielle Giffords. So blinded by their hatred for Sarah Palin were the leftists that they had to manufacture an excuse to pretend that she was somehow responsible for the shooting. To make matters worse, when she called them on their idiocy, they double downed on stupid and got even angrier at her simply for pointing out the error of their ways. And the sad part is the lefties started shrieking about how classless and stupid Palin was for doing so, when the place they should have been looking was the mirror.

This is not to say that all leftists are constantly out looking for someone to hate to fill the void in their lives. I understand that the tone of this post is a lot more accusatory than what I usually write but, as I dispel my own straw man a better question does come from it. Why does there always seem to be someone in the news who is the object of leftist anger, and why is it so viscous?

So where will Tebow go? Maybe he fizzles out by losing to the New England Patriots this weekend as badly as he did a few weeks ago, or maybe he goes on to win the Super Bowl.


"Only Tim Tebow can save us now!"

My favorite take on Tebow came in ESPN columnist DJ Gallo’s weekly satire of Peter King’s "Monday Morning Quarterback." In this week’s "The Hangover" Gallo speculates as to where Tebow may be in twelve years:

"Will a wholesome, handsome ex-football star who can draw the religious vote and appeal to the tens of millions of Oprah-loving pop psychologists win 51 percent of the vote in the 2024 presidential election? No, he will win 91 percent of the vote in the 2024 presidential election. The 9 percent who don’t vote for him will just be hard-core Raiders, Chargers, Chiefs, Alabama, LSU, Georgia and Ron Paul fans."

Tebow for President in 2024!

I’m kidding, of course. The only person to get Brother Bob’s coveted endorsement for president is none other than the great Stannis Baratheon.

But until then we have Tim Tebow.

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Richard Wheeler
glad to oblige, congratulation for this, I fail to think of checking,
but happy for you, how about trying for a 700, the game is on, but the thread is slow
thank’s for your agreement if it was sincere
bye

@Richard Wheeler #66: and @C Andrew Scott #63:

and stop speaking for the Founders. they were wealthy, white slave owners.

Regarding this statement, please check out the long debate I had on this thread (starting around comment #13). You might find the dialogue of interest.

@ThatGuyDan:

Open Christianity I have no issue with, but claiming God granted his victories is borderline heretical and hypocritical. (I sure don’t see him cursing God for his losses.)

Can you provide me with a link to him claiming that God grants him victories? Because from what I’ve come across, he’s made no such claim (like the claim that God told George W. Bush to invade Iraq). What he does do is he thanks God for the opportunity he’s been given to play football and prays for everyone to remain free of injury; and says, “No matter what, win or lose Lord, give me the strength to honor you”

Also, both sides create straw men and fictional whipping boys, so castigating the left for Tebow’s obnoxious behavior is silly.

I castigate the secular militants who believe he should go into the closet about his beliefs; that somehow he is “pushing his religion” on us, just because we bear witness to who he is and how he behaves in public.

His character and perspective on God and football:

The game doesn’t really matter. I mean, I’ll give 100 percent of my heart to win it, but in the end, the thing I most want to do is not win championships or make a lot of money, it’s to invest in people’s lives, to make a difference.

The whole article is worth the read if you haven’t seen it yet.

: I just read your link on slavery – great take that I’m bookmarking!

C Andrew Scott
on 96, you’v got to be ignorant and dum to answer the comment as you did

@ilovebeeswarzone: bye bye, Bee.

you may envy my freedom, but thankfully…you can do nothing to take it away.

C Andrew Scott
on your 96, you said it to FAITH,
I JUST WANTED YOU TO FEEL IT WHEN I gave it back to you,
ignorant and dumb are insult in case you didn’t know,
don’t give what you can’t receive

@ilovebeeswarzone: i know, Bee. pathetic attempt at being the better person. Tim Tebow would be proud of you.

what FAITH7 said WAS ignorant. you supporting it is as well.

C Andrew Scott
you should know that FAITH IS VERY SMART, SHE IS MY FRIEND, NOT TO BE BULLIED,
we always appreciate her comments,
she is a true CONSERVATIVE,

Interesting debate here. It’s been quite awhile since I’ve posted on FA, mainly due to college football season and my extreme desire to watch and discuss everything about it.

The Tim Tebow phenomenon is certainly something that can bring out the worst in some people, whether the argument is about his football prowess(or lack of it in the NFL) or his religious devotion.

I, personally, fall under numerous categories where Tebow is considered. I absolutely hate(ok, not really, just an extreme dislike) his accolades as a college player, I am indifferent about his ability to play the NFL game, cannot stand his contrived Gatorade ad where he claims “They said I couldn’t…….” and proceeds to “prove” the “them” wrong. I do, however, admire him as a person removed from the game of football, even if I don’t exactly agree with the “born again” dogma that supposedly surrounds him.

Being that this is not a “sports” board, I won’t comment any more on his ability to play football.

I will comment on the ignorance of people surrounding his display of faith “on the field”.

Atheist Group Believes Tebow ‘Full Of Crap’ With Public Display Of Christianity
http://denver.cbslocal.com/2012/01/10/atheist-group-believes-tebow-full-of-crap-with-public-display-of-christianity/

This is typical of the idiocy surrounding Tebow’s displays of faith. Atheists, in general, dislike any public displays of faith, even those not promoted by, or held on, public government grounds. Where this is misleading, concerning the OP’s topic, is that atheists are generally ascribed to the liberal/progressive sides of the various political parties, and felt to be most heavily populated amongst the democrats. Not exactly true, and I’ve found no evidence necessarily to either discount, or support, this theme. What I am sure of, though, is that considering the atheist’s outspoken dissent on nearly every public display of religious faith, from Tebow to Muslim prayers, from “God” on our currency to a cross on a hill, they confuse the 1rst Amendment limitations placed on government concerning religion and have adopted a strong resistance to anything of faith, anywhere. So, while I cannot, and will not, claim that these atheists are democrats, I will call them anti-constitutionalists, who by their very words and actions, seek to impose their own religious faith(meaning their lack of it) upon the rest of the country, and use the government to do so.

I do not think that this is a left, or right, issue. I believe people on both sides, have exploited Tebow and his faith to denigrate the other side . I also believe that the comments here reflect this, as well.

One last thing, concerning CAS’s quotes on his post #89. Those quotes prove neither the founders “conservative”, nor “liberal” leanings. They are, in fact, quotes derived from larger speeches and papers where they denounce the idea of a government promoting singular faith. They, the founders, upheld the belief that all of us should aspire to concerning religion and the state, and they would be just as outraged, I am sure, of the actions by people in this country who are presently attempting to do all they can to outlaw any public display of faith.

Tim Tebow, the person, is a refreshing voice in American sports today, in that his displays of faith are not the attempts of a man to say “look at me”, as so many others are. Everyone, even atheists, should admire Tebow for having the conviction he has.

John Galt Welcome back. Thoughtful and well written as always!
Did you see Gunner Kiel enrolled at N.D. this morn. Still need a receiver and running back. Congrats to Wolverines on a fine season.
Lets get you involved in this Repub. primary battle. RJW

johngalt
where have you been all this time,
we missed you. on many POSTS,
your opinion has always brought a lot of wisdom and knowledge here.
glad to have you back
bye

Hi John, Welcome back. Go Blue.

– Larry

Wordsmith
hurry up on the other ” get off TE”
we’re on 4 left for 700

I have been working hard lately… however….

I kind of know how Tebow might feel. …
…@96 I was attacked here by someone for a comment I made because I was “curious”. I didn’t realize being curious and asking a direct question, [although I never received an answer] was attacking another’s ‘faith’ /religion ? And, the ‘attacker’ never specified what religion it was that I was “attacking”. And, I will not assume I knew what he meant either. I was very clear at what I wrote, but C A Scott would rather twist what I wrote and ‘attack me’ instead of satisfying my curiosity. I suppose based on who it was coming from, I shouldn’t be surprised.

The funny thing is, the Post happens to be written around Tebow and his Christian Faith – which was/is being attacked – not any other ‘religion’. So I don’t really understand ‘what’ other ‘religion’, besides Christian, was being attacked by anyone including me?

I suppose a person will [ literally] read into, and twist/interpret what they read so it fits their ideology – their own version of reality – especially when they are living a reality full of deception.

Oh, and just for a c scott I will make the following changes to my second sentence; from ‘they” to “we” AND “their” to “our”…. is that better for you ac scott?

Oh, and Thanks Bees..

FAITH7
hi,
thank you,
he was the only one who fail to understand,
bye

@Richard Wheeler:

Hi Rich. I absolutely hate the way the GOP primary is going. For a conservative like myself, none of the candidates still in hold any interest for me. My vote will be a vote against Obama, not a positive vote for whoever the drones in the GOP decide to choose.

As for Kiel and ND, I saw the other day that Kelly was having second thoughts about bringing in another highly rated QB who couldn’t make a decision.

@openid.aol.com/runnswim:

Hi Larry. That was a Michigan season to remember. Here’s to even better seasons down the road, starting with a big W over Bama next year!

@ilovebeeswarzone:

Hi bees. College football takes up a lot of my time in the fall and early winter. It is my favorite sport and addiction.

@Brother Bob:

Hi Brother Bob. I feel that getting away from things is good for everyone, at times, and particularly true where politics is concerned. Sometimes one gets so bogged down in details and current events and arguing/debating points, that one forgets to live one’s life beyond the internet. One result of my addiction to college football is that it allows me to step back from politics for awhile and forget the insanity of some people.

I really do believe the Tebow “phenomenon” brings out the worst in people, for a variety of different reasons. The faith issue, to me, is being exploited by both the right and the left to attack the other, and it is all because a man wishes to give praise to his God.

@FAITH7:

@96 I was attacked here by someone for a comment I made because I was “curious”. I didn’t realize being curious and asking a direct question, [although I never received an answer] was attacking another’s ‘faith’ /religion ? And, the ‘attacker’ never specified what religion it was that I was “attacking”. And, I will not assume I knew what he meant either. I was very clear at what I wrote, but C A Scott would rather twist what I wrote and ‘attack me’ instead of satisfying my curiosity. I suppose based on who it was coming from, I shouldn’t be surprised.

very funny, FAITH…i did not “attack” you. i simply reacted to your snide remark aimed directly towards “Christian-hating, god-hating liberals and leftists”. you could have been very “curious” without using words like “hate” and “arrogant”, but alas you did…and made a very crass assumption.

you presumed that people who are not “Christian” or “conservative” do not have faith. i’ve heard this argument many times before from devout Christians (like yourself). it is presumed that we have a void to fill, that we are incomplete or imperfect. and in the same breath, Christians project that they are “better” because they have “something” we don’t have.

well, FAITH…i took offense to your statement suggesting that someone might be “arrogant”. i did not “twist” your words…you clearly targeted “non-Christians”. i can only assume that you were inferring “atheists” when you said “god-hating”. would you mind clarifying? perhaps you might want to rethink your choice of words.

CAndrew Scott
you can take your own advice before giving them.

John Galt Kelly’s game time decisions cost N.D. at least 2 and arguably 3 wins ( Michigan prevent in lsst 45 seconds) in 8-5 season.Good recruiter yet to prove he’s a game day coach like a Saban or Holtz.
Note it hasn’t taken you long to rejoin the battle (piling on) with GREG. No doubt we’ll renew our friendly discourse.
Roll Tide and Semper Fi to my Navy brethren.