Bartcop
Encyclopedia
bartcop is a liberal
blog
ger from Tulsa, Oklahoma
, active on the web since 1996 and has produced his own internet radio
show since 2004. "bartcop" is the moniker of Terry R. Coppage, born September 1, 1953.
bartcop.com consists of political commentary from a liberal perspective, often laced with humor. Scathing criticism of Republicans
, and sometimes other Democrats in signature bartcop "rants" are the main draw of the site. Although a serious political commentator (i.e., his site is not satire), bartcop sometimes describes himself as primarily a comedian. The constant witticisms and humor that define his page have gained him a large and loyal readership.
bartcop is an ardent Bill Clinton
loyalist. He supported Hillary Clinton's bid for the presidency in 2008, and had been an outspoken opponent of Barack Obama
, splitting with the majority of the liberal Blogosphere
and causing much controversy from late 2007 up until June 2008, when Sen. Obama secured enough delegates to carry his party's nomination. Since then, bartcop has thrown his full support behind Sen. Obama.http://www.bartcop.com/2159.htm
host Rush Limbaugh
, intentionally spelling his last name phonetically. bartcop.com was established in February 1996. bartcop.com now is the masthead for several websites as well as a radio show, available to financial supporters of bartcop.com. Many of the site's readers frequent the #bartcop IRC chat room
.
In the 2004 Democratic Primary, he gave some support to Dennis Kucinich
and Howard Dean
before finally endorsing Wesley Clark
, both because of his military credentials and his closeness to Clinton. bartcops endorsement helped Clark win Oklahoma
in the primary. Immediately after Clark's departure from the race, bartcop followed Clark in endorsing John Kerry
.
In 2008 bartcop endorsed Hillary Clinton, and spent most of the primary season battling it out with Barack Obama
supporters. He opposed the less experienced Obama, contending that nominating Obama would guarantee a loss in the general election. bartcop's often-stated message was a variation on: "If our goal is to nominate a Black man, we should go with Obama. But what if our goal is to win the White House?"http://www.bartcop.com/2149.htm
Since then, however, bartcop has reversed course, praising Obama for how he's handled attacks coming from the right:
A long-running feature of the page is to publish the text of angry e-mail
s sent in by opponents, which Bart calls "monkey mail". He posts the emails and replies point by point with his derisive and humorous commentary. However, the lack of a dedicated comments facility has led to claims of censorship or even a dishonest 'framing' of comments.
He also likes to end each issue with an image of Shirley Manson
from the band Garbage
. Ironically Manson said that she likes to read Salon.com a rival liberal blog.
In 2002, Salon.com
infamously fingered Coppage and Marc Perkel as the authors behind the anonymously-published Media Whores Online
, a conclusion both vehemently denied.http://www.bartcop.com/salonwhore.htmhttp://www.bartcop.com/061002perkel.htm MWO had always linked directly to bartcop's site and an essay of his, The Myth of the Liberal Media, as a kind of mission statement
. To this day MWO's author remains unidentified.
and Jeff Gannon
. To reinforce these criticisms, pictures of the faces of prominent journalists are superimposed on tops of bodies of women dressed as prostitutes. (Photoshopped images are commonly used on the site to make points humorously).
bartcop has been known to take controversial stances on some issues. He criticizes Zionist Jews for putting a higher priority on their "sacred sand" than on the lives of their children. His proposed solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict
is for all Jews to leave Israel
and take up residence in the United States (specifically Oklahoma). This view has generated a great deal of critical mail from liberal Jewish readers, but bartcop notes that he also opposes Palestinian
suicide bombers
and has spoken out against anti-Semites
. He tends to be critical of religion
in general (often using the phrase "religiously insane" when referring to the Religious Right
). He characterizes devout followers of any religious creed as superstitious. He uses the phrase "Invisible Cloud Being" as a way of characterizing the personal God
popular in monotheism.
Unlike many liberals, bartcop is opposed to complete gun control
, though he has stated that if David Koresh
is a "10" on this scale, then he is a "3."
bartcop is vocal in his support of the U.S. military and has had many heated expletive-laced debates with readers whom he views as insulting the troops. He has said that Bush betrayed the troops and the country by ordering the invasion of Iraq for what he perceives as the wrong reasons, and he keeps a running tally of those soldiers killed in the war. Previously a supporter of the political cartoons of Ted Rall
(bartcop had referred to Rall as "my good friend Ted Rall" in the past), he broke all connection and publicly denounced Rall in May 2004 after Rall published a cartoon mocking Pat Tillman
. bartcop dedicated an entire issue of his online magazine to Rall's cartoon, publishing his views and the views of many readers who sent in email on the subject. bartcop viewed the cartoon as an insult to a brave soldier, and was upset that Rall did not distinguish between the war in Afghanistan
, which bartcop generally considers a worthy cause, and the War in Iraq, which he does not. Nonetheless, bartcop still occasionally includes Rall's comics in his material.
bartcop had gone on record as supporting "the Democratic Front-runner in 2008
," which was Hillary Rodham Clinton
for most of the campaign. As a part of this support, he routinely posted editorials by liberals who oppose Clinton (Replacing the titles of their pieces with "Why I Hate Her" or similar) and then rebuts them. The rise of Barack Obama and the rise of attacks from the Left on the Clintons upset bartcop a great deal, and he dedicated much energy in the 2008 primary season to promoting and defending Clinton and berating Obama and his supporters. bartcop believed Obama could not win the General Election, and therefore nominating him was a terrible idea which would guarantee another Republican victory. This led to major infighting on the liberal Blogosphere, and causing many friendships and political alliances to be severed. Despite the 6-months-plus of daily infighting, bartcop stated repeatedly that he would support whomever the 2008 Democratic
nominee would be, and did so once Sen. Obama had secured the nomination.
bartcop's non-political obsessions include Chinaco Anejo Tequila
, poker
, bixby corn, and Shirley Manson
. bartcop is also an avid fan of the music of Led Zeppelin
, particularly guitarist Jimmy Page
. bartcop has been less enthusiastic about vocalist Robert Plant
's solo career.
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
blog
Blog
A blog is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in...
ger from Tulsa, Oklahoma
Tulsa, Oklahoma
Tulsa is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 46th-largest city in the United States. With a population of 391,906 as of the 2010 census, it is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region with 937,478 residents in the MSA and 988,454 in the CSA. Tulsa's...
, active on the web since 1996 and has produced his own internet radio
Internet radio
Internet radio is an audio service transmitted via the Internet...
show since 2004. "bartcop" is the moniker of Terry R. Coppage, born September 1, 1953.
bartcop.com consists of political commentary from a liberal perspective, often laced with humor. Scathing criticism of Republicans
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
, and sometimes other Democrats in signature bartcop "rants" are the main draw of the site. Although a serious political commentator (i.e., his site is not satire), bartcop sometimes describes himself as primarily a comedian. The constant witticisms and humor that define his page have gained him a large and loyal readership.
bartcop is an ardent Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
loyalist. He supported Hillary Clinton's bid for the presidency in 2008, and had been an outspoken opponent of Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
, splitting with the majority of the liberal Blogosphere
Blogosphere
The blogosphere is made up of all blogs and their interconnections. The term implies that blogs exist together as a connected community or as a social network in which everyday authors can publish their opinions...
and causing much controversy from late 2007 up until June 2008, when Sen. Obama secured enough delegates to carry his party's nomination. Since then, bartcop has thrown his full support behind Sen. Obama.http://www.bartcop.com/2159.htm
Overview
Before the internet, World Wide Web, and the "blogosphere" gained popularity, bartcop was a frequent poster in Prodigy discussion groups. After gaining a formidable following bartcop began publishing an opt-in email Newsletter titled "Rush Limba, Lying Nazi Whore" with the name, a reference to conservative talk radioTalk radio
Talk radio is a radio format containing discussion about topical issues. Most shows are regularly hosted by a single individual, and often feature interviews with a number of different guests. Talk radio typically includes an element of listener participation, usually by broadcasting live...
host Rush Limbaugh
Rush Limbaugh
Rush Hudson Limbaugh III is an American radio talk show host, conservative political commentator, and an opinion leader in American conservatism. He hosts The Rush Limbaugh Show which is aired throughout the U.S. on Premiere Radio Networks and is the highest-rated talk-radio program in the United...
, intentionally spelling his last name phonetically. bartcop.com was established in February 1996. bartcop.com now is the masthead for several websites as well as a radio show, available to financial supporters of bartcop.com. Many of the site's readers frequent the #bartcop IRC chat room
Chat room
The term chat room, or chatroom, is primarily used by mass media to describe any form of synchronous conferencing, occasionally even asynchronous conferencing...
.
In the 2004 Democratic Primary, he gave some support to Dennis Kucinich
Dennis Kucinich
Dennis John Kucinich is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1997. He was furthermore a candidate for the Democratic nomination for President of the United States in the 2004 and 2008 presidential elections....
and Howard Dean
Howard Dean
Howard Brush Dean III is an American politician and physician from Vermont. He served six terms as the 79th Governor of Vermont and ran unsuccessfully for the 2004 Democratic presidential nomination. He was chairman of the Democratic National Committee from 2005 to 2009. Although his U.S...
before finally endorsing Wesley Clark
Wesley Clark
Wesley Kanne Clark, Sr., is a retired general of the United States Army. Graduating as valedictorian of the class of 1966 at West Point, he was awarded a Rhodes Scholarship to the University of Oxford where he obtained a degree in Philosophy, Politics and Economics, and later graduated from the...
, both because of his military credentials and his closeness to Clinton. bartcops endorsement helped Clark win Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
in the primary. Immediately after Clark's departure from the race, bartcop followed Clark in endorsing John Kerry
John Kerry
John Forbes Kerry is the senior United States Senator from Massachusetts, the 10th most senior U.S. Senator and chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He was the presidential nominee of the Democratic Party in the 2004 presidential election, but lost to former President George W...
.
In 2008 bartcop endorsed Hillary Clinton, and spent most of the primary season battling it out with Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
supporters. He opposed the less experienced Obama, contending that nominating Obama would guarantee a loss in the general election. bartcop's often-stated message was a variation on: "If our goal is to nominate a Black man, we should go with Obama. But what if our goal is to win the White House?"http://www.bartcop.com/2149.htm
Since then, however, bartcop has reversed course, praising Obama for how he's handled attacks coming from the right:
http://www.bartcop.com/2166.htm
Subject: you OK with Obama?
bartcop... at some point, do you think you might be able to admit
that this guy is gonna be better than you could have hoped for?
He isn't cowering, he's fighting back, and he is better at it
than any Dem candidate you've seen in quite awhile.
Keep on swinging.
South Side Rob
I'll admit it right now.
I'm impressed with the way he's handled things since the merge.
At this point, it's hard to say if he's that good or McCain's that bad,
but the real test will be his reaction when the whore press turns on him.
A long-running feature of the page is to publish the text of angry e-mail
E-mail
Electronic mail, commonly known as email or e-mail, is a method of exchanging digital messages from an author to one or more recipients. Modern email operates across the Internet or other computer networks. Some early email systems required that the author and the recipient both be online at the...
s sent in by opponents, which Bart calls "monkey mail". He posts the emails and replies point by point with his derisive and humorous commentary. However, the lack of a dedicated comments facility has led to claims of censorship or even a dishonest 'framing' of comments.
He also likes to end each issue with an image of Shirley Manson
Shirley Manson
Shirley Anne Manson is a Scottish recording artist and actress, best known internationally as the lead singer of the alternative rock band Garbage. For much of her international career Manson commuted between her home city of Edinburgh to the United States to record with Garbage but now lives and...
from the band Garbage
Garbage (band)
Garbage are an alternative rock band formed in Madison, Wisconsin in 1994. The group consists of Scottish singer Shirley Manson and American musicians Duke Erikson , Steve Marker and Butch Vig . All four members are involved in songwriting and production...
. Ironically Manson said that she likes to read Salon.com a rival liberal blog.
In 2002, Salon.com
Salon.com
Salon.com, part of Salon Media Group , often just called Salon, is an online liberal magazine, with content updated each weekday. Salon was founded by David Talbot and launched on November 20, 1995. It was the internet's first online-only commercial publication. The magazine focuses on U.S...
infamously fingered Coppage and Marc Perkel as the authors behind the anonymously-published Media Whores Online
Media Whores Online
Media Whores Online, also known as mediawhoresonline.com or The Horse or often just MWO, was a liberal American political webzine that operated as a media watchdog. The site operated from 2000 until early 2004, and quickly established a reputation for quotability. By 2002 James Carville and Paul...
, a conclusion both vehemently denied.http://www.bartcop.com/salonwhore.htmhttp://www.bartcop.com/061002perkel.htm MWO had always linked directly to bartcop's site and an essay of his, The Myth of the Liberal Media, as a kind of mission statement
Mission statement
A mission statement is a statement of the purpose of a company or organization. The mission statement should guide the actions of the organization, spell out its overall goal, provide a path, and guide decision-making...
. To this day MWO's author remains unidentified.
Political views
bartcop is an outspoken critic of the American media and addresses the perception of liberal bias in a page long article entitled "The Myth of the Liberal Media." Many issues feature quotes from journalists he considers to be fawning over government policy. bartcop often calls these journalists "whores", a perception he claims has been reinforced by revelations about commentator Armstrong WilliamsArmstrong Williams
Armstrong Williams is an African American political commentator, author of a conservative newspaper column, and host of a daily radio show and a nationally syndicated TV program, called The Right Side with Armstrong Williams. From 2004 to 2007, he co-hosted a daily radio program with Sam...
and Jeff Gannon
Jeff Gannon
James Dale Guckert is a conservative columnist better known by the pseudonym Jeff Gannon. Between 2003 and 2005, he was given credentials as a White House reporter. He was eventually employed by the conservative website Talon News during the latter part of this period...
. To reinforce these criticisms, pictures of the faces of prominent journalists are superimposed on tops of bodies of women dressed as prostitutes. (Photoshopped images are commonly used on the site to make points humorously).
bartcop has been known to take controversial stances on some issues. He criticizes Zionist Jews for putting a higher priority on their "sacred sand" than on the lives of their children. His proposed solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict
Israeli-Palestinian conflict
The Israeli–Palestinian conflict is the ongoing conflict between Israelis and Palestinians. The conflict is wide-ranging, and the term is also used in reference to the earlier phases of the same conflict, between Jewish and Zionist yishuv and the Arab population living in Palestine under Ottoman or...
is for all Jews to leave Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
and take up residence in the United States (specifically Oklahoma). This view has generated a great deal of critical mail from liberal Jewish readers, but bartcop notes that he also opposes Palestinian
Palestinian people
The Palestinian people, also referred to as Palestinians or Palestinian Arabs , are an Arabic-speaking people with origins in Palestine. Despite various wars and exoduses, roughly one third of the world's Palestinian population continues to reside in the area encompassing the West Bank, the Gaza...
suicide bombers
Suicide Bombers
Suicide Bombers is the name of a 2005 EP by Leæther Strip. For the Australian hardcore band see Suicide Bombers -Track listing:# Suicide Bombers# Suicide Bombers # The Shame Of A Nation # This Is Where I Wanna Be...
and has spoken out against anti-Semites
Anti-Semitism
Antisemitism is suspicion of, hatred toward, or discrimination against Jews for reasons connected to their Jewish heritage. According to a 2005 U.S...
. He tends to be critical of religion
Religion
Religion is a collection of cultural systems, belief systems, and worldviews that establishes symbols that relate humanity to spirituality and, sometimes, to moral values. Many religions have narratives, symbols, traditions and sacred histories that are intended to give meaning to life or to...
in general (often using the phrase "religiously insane" when referring to the Religious Right
Christian right
Christian right is a term used predominantly in the United States to describe "right-wing" Christian political groups that are characterized by their strong support of socially conservative policies...
). He characterizes devout followers of any religious creed as superstitious. He uses the phrase "Invisible Cloud Being" as a way of characterizing the personal God
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
popular in monotheism.
Unlike many liberals, bartcop is opposed to complete gun control
Gun control
Gun control is any law, policy, practice, or proposal designed to restrict or limit the possession, production, importation, shipment, sale, and/or use of guns or other firearms by private citizens...
, though he has stated that if David Koresh
David Koresh
David Koresh , born Vernon Wayne Howell, was the leader of a Branch Davidian religious sect, believing himself to be its final prophet. Howell legally changed his name to David Koresh on May 15, 1990. A 1993 raid by the U.S...
is a "10" on this scale, then he is a "3."
bartcop is vocal in his support of the U.S. military and has had many heated expletive-laced debates with readers whom he views as insulting the troops. He has said that Bush betrayed the troops and the country by ordering the invasion of Iraq for what he perceives as the wrong reasons, and he keeps a running tally of those soldiers killed in the war. Previously a supporter of the political cartoons of Ted Rall
Ted Rall
Ted Rall is an American columnist, syndicated editorial cartoonist, and author. His political cartoons often appear in a multi-panel comic-strip format and frequently blend comic-strip and editorial-cartoon conventions. The cartoons appear in approximately 100 newspapers around the United States...
(bartcop had referred to Rall as "my good friend Ted Rall" in the past), he broke all connection and publicly denounced Rall in May 2004 after Rall published a cartoon mocking Pat Tillman
Pat Tillman
Corporal Patrick Daniel "Pat" Tillman Jr. was an American football player who left his professional career and enlisted in the United States Army in June 2002 in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001, attacks. He joined the Army Rangers and served several tours in combat before he died in the...
. bartcop dedicated an entire issue of his online magazine to Rall's cartoon, publishing his views and the views of many readers who sent in email on the subject. bartcop viewed the cartoon as an insult to a brave soldier, and was upset that Rall did not distinguish between the war in Afghanistan
War in Afghanistan (2001–present)
The War in Afghanistan began on October 7, 2001, as the armed forces of the United States of America, the United Kingdom, Australia, and the Afghan United Front launched Operation Enduring Freedom...
, which bartcop generally considers a worthy cause, and the War in Iraq, which he does not. Nonetheless, bartcop still occasionally includes Rall's comics in his material.
bartcop had gone on record as supporting "the Democratic Front-runner in 2008
United States presidential election, 2008
The United States presidential election of 2008 was the 56th quadrennial presidential election. It was held on November 4, 2008. Democrat Barack Obama, then the junior United States Senator from Illinois, defeated Republican John McCain, the senior U.S. Senator from Arizona. Obama received 365...
," which was Hillary Rodham Clinton
Hillary Rodham Clinton
Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton is the 67th United States Secretary of State, serving in the administration of President Barack Obama. She was a United States Senator for New York from 2001 to 2009. As the wife of the 42nd President of the United States, Bill Clinton, she was the First Lady of the...
for most of the campaign. As a part of this support, he routinely posted editorials by liberals who oppose Clinton (Replacing the titles of their pieces with "Why I Hate Her" or similar) and then rebuts them. The rise of Barack Obama and the rise of attacks from the Left on the Clintons upset bartcop a great deal, and he dedicated much energy in the 2008 primary season to promoting and defending Clinton and berating Obama and his supporters. bartcop believed Obama could not win the General Election, and therefore nominating him was a terrible idea which would guarantee another Republican victory. This led to major infighting on the liberal Blogosphere, and causing many friendships and political alliances to be severed. Despite the 6-months-plus of daily infighting, bartcop stated repeatedly that he would support whomever the 2008 Democratic
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
nominee would be, and did so once Sen. Obama had secured the nomination.
bartcop's non-political obsessions include Chinaco Anejo Tequila
Tequila
Tequila is a spirit made from the blue agave plant, primarily in the area surrounding the city of Tequila, northwest of Guadalajara, and in the highlands of the western Mexican state of Jalisco....
, poker
Poker
Poker is a family of card games that share betting rules and usually hand rankings. Poker games differ in how the cards are dealt, how hands may be formed, whether the high or low hand wins the pot in a showdown , limits on bet sizes, and how many rounds of betting are allowed.In most modern poker...
, bixby corn, and Shirley Manson
Shirley Manson
Shirley Anne Manson is a Scottish recording artist and actress, best known internationally as the lead singer of the alternative rock band Garbage. For much of her international career Manson commuted between her home city of Edinburgh to the United States to record with Garbage but now lives and...
. bartcop is also an avid fan of the music of Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band, active in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. Formed in 1968, they consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham...
, particularly guitarist Jimmy Page
Jimmy Page
James Patrick "Jimmy" Page, OBE is an English multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and record producer. He began his career as a studio session guitarist in London and was subsequently a member of The Yardbirds from 1966 to 1968, after which he founded the English rock band Led Zeppelin.Jimmy Page...
. bartcop has been less enthusiastic about vocalist Robert Plant
Robert Plant
Robert Anthony Plant, CBE is an English singer and songwriter best known as the vocalist and lyricist of the iconic rock band Led Zeppelin. He has also had a successful solo career...
's solo career.
Sources
- Liberto, Jennifer. "Media Whores Online", Salon.comSalon.comSalon.com, part of Salon Media Group , often just called Salon, is an online liberal magazine, with content updated each weekday. Salon was founded by David Talbot and launched on November 20, 1995. It was the internet's first online-only commercial publication. The magazine focuses on U.S...
. June 3, 2002. (Requires premium subscription.) http://home.ease.lsoft.com/scripts/wa.exe?A2=ind0206a&L=wnn&F=&S=&P=1819