TBD on Ning
Are Republicans Mean?
Last spring, I posed this question on the old TBD site. It generated a lot of debate, some of it serious, some of it ridiculous. In the course of the thread, the question was pretty much answered, if only because the Republican party kept serving up example after example to prove the point. I know that not all Republicans are mean, but good lord, talk about an image problem...
Now we have ample evidence of the pysche of the Republican party, and yes, Virginia, it's all on tape for the world to see. But, as Levar Burton used to say on Reading Rainbow, "You don't have to take my word for it." Check out Robert Creamer's article...
Wilson Is the Poster "Child" for the New Republican Party
When Representative Joe Wilson (R-SC) yelled out that President Obama was a "liar" in the middle of Obama's nationally televised address to a joint session of Congress, he became the poster child for the new Republican Party.
I definitely mean poster "child." Since President Obama took office, the language of the Republican Party has become more childish and irresponsible by the day.
President Obama's powerful speech to the nation last night could not have contrasted more sharply. He was the adult in the room, calling on Congress to take responsibility for our future -- for stepping up to solve the health care crisis that worsens every day, for making the changes necessary to allow America to live up to its own democratic values -- to acknowledge that no one should be denied the health care he needs because he can't afford it.
By contrast, the Republicans have careened into schoolyard name-calling; Obama the Nazi, Obama the "Joker" from Batman.
They have begun to act like a gang of juvenile delinquents, doing everything they can to frighten senior citizens -- attempting to convince them that health care reform would jeopardize their Medicare and that the Government would set up "death panels" with the power to pull the plug on Grandma, when both were patently untrue.
There has been a brazen, bullying quality to their rhetoric -- shouting down and intimidating opponents -- a willingness to break the rules and say anything that serves their purposes with a complete disregard for consistency or intellectual honesty. Take their "defense" of Medicare: Remember that the Republicans opposed Medicare from its inception. They said that Medicare would lead to "socialism" the same way they claim that health insurance reform and a public option will lead to "socialism" today. As recently as yesterday some Republicans proposed eliminating Medicare and replacing it with a privatized "voucher" system. Yet they have the gall to pretend to defend it against the Democrats who created it.
And then there has been the irresponsibility of encouraging -- and legitimating -- gun-toting, hate-filled rhetoric by the fringiest of the right wing. The Republican leadership has failed to censure people like the pastor in Arizona who says he prays the President will die. And it has encouraged delusional conspiracy theorists who believe -- contrary to all evidence -- that Obama was not born in the United States.
As children grow up, one of the measures of increasing maturity is their willingness to begin focusing on the long term -- on saving for the future -- on getting a good education -- on the long-term welfare of their family. Instead of throwing a tantrum because they want an ice cream cone now, they start savings their nickels and dimes for the bicycle they want to save up to buy in the future.
But you won't find the Republicans dealing with the affects of global warming on the next generation, or reforming the health care system so it won't devour our economy in the future, or regulating investment markets to prevent reckless investors from wrecking the economy in the years ahead. No, instead of the needs of the next generation, the Republicans want to squander our treasure on short-term tax cuts for millionaires, and short-term profits for large corporations.
Republicans used to have a reputation of staid "conservatism" like they were your stingy old rock-ribbed grandfather. Today's Republican leaders behave like a bunch of teenagers who got their inheritance too early and can't find enough ways to indulge their short-term desire for "more." They no longer reflect the values of middle class families. They reflect the values of reckless, "go go" Wall Street speculators who think anyone who isn't rich like them is a "chump" and that the purpose of our society is to let them indulge their own self-centered, jet-set fantasies.
Most childish has been their practical refusal to admit that they lost the election and that Barack Obama is actually the President of the United States. Their recent attack on the President's speech to schoolchildren that aimed to inspire them to work hard and stay in school may be the clearest example. Whether the Right likes it or not, Barack Obama is the leader of our nation. Questioning the appropriateness of his addressing the nation's children with an uplifting message is the political equivalent of a child closing his eyes, holding his ears and humming so he doesn't have to acknowledge that it's time to go to bed. Sorry, Barack Obama won the election, temper tantrums won't change it.
Last night Joe Wilson etched his political legacy into the wall of American history. He will forever be the poster "child" that symbolizes the new Republican Party.
Robert Creamer is a long-time political organizer and strategist, and author of the recent book: Stand Up Straight: How Progressives Can Win, available on Amazon.com.
Now we have ample evidence of the pysche of the Republican party, and yes, Virginia, it's all on tape for the world to see. But, as Levar Burton used to say on Reading Rainbow, "You don't have to take my word for it." Check out Robert Creamer's article...
Wilson Is the Poster "Child" for the New Republican Party
When Representative Joe Wilson (R-SC) yelled out that President Obama was a "liar" in the middle of Obama's nationally televised address to a joint session of Congress, he became the poster child for the new Republican Party.
I definitely mean poster "child." Since President Obama took office, the language of the Republican Party has become more childish and irresponsible by the day.
President Obama's powerful speech to the nation last night could not have contrasted more sharply. He was the adult in the room, calling on Congress to take responsibility for our future -- for stepping up to solve the health care crisis that worsens every day, for making the changes necessary to allow America to live up to its own democratic values -- to acknowledge that no one should be denied the health care he needs because he can't afford it.
By contrast, the Republicans have careened into schoolyard name-calling; Obama the Nazi, Obama the "Joker" from Batman.
They have begun to act like a gang of juvenile delinquents, doing everything they can to frighten senior citizens -- attempting to convince them that health care reform would jeopardize their Medicare and that the Government would set up "death panels" with the power to pull the plug on Grandma, when both were patently untrue.
There has been a brazen, bullying quality to their rhetoric -- shouting down and intimidating opponents -- a willingness to break the rules and say anything that serves their purposes with a complete disregard for consistency or intellectual honesty. Take their "defense" of Medicare: Remember that the Republicans opposed Medicare from its inception. They said that Medicare would lead to "socialism" the same way they claim that health insurance reform and a public option will lead to "socialism" today. As recently as yesterday some Republicans proposed eliminating Medicare and replacing it with a privatized "voucher" system. Yet they have the gall to pretend to defend it against the Democrats who created it.
And then there has been the irresponsibility of encouraging -- and legitimating -- gun-toting, hate-filled rhetoric by the fringiest of the right wing. The Republican leadership has failed to censure people like the pastor in Arizona who says he prays the President will die. And it has encouraged delusional conspiracy theorists who believe -- contrary to all evidence -- that Obama was not born in the United States.
As children grow up, one of the measures of increasing maturity is their willingness to begin focusing on the long term -- on saving for the future -- on getting a good education -- on the long-term welfare of their family. Instead of throwing a tantrum because they want an ice cream cone now, they start savings their nickels and dimes for the bicycle they want to save up to buy in the future.
But you won't find the Republicans dealing with the affects of global warming on the next generation, or reforming the health care system so it won't devour our economy in the future, or regulating investment markets to prevent reckless investors from wrecking the economy in the years ahead. No, instead of the needs of the next generation, the Republicans want to squander our treasure on short-term tax cuts for millionaires, and short-term profits for large corporations.
Republicans used to have a reputation of staid "conservatism" like they were your stingy old rock-ribbed grandfather. Today's Republican leaders behave like a bunch of teenagers who got their inheritance too early and can't find enough ways to indulge their short-term desire for "more." They no longer reflect the values of middle class families. They reflect the values of reckless, "go go" Wall Street speculators who think anyone who isn't rich like them is a "chump" and that the purpose of our society is to let them indulge their own self-centered, jet-set fantasies.
Most childish has been their practical refusal to admit that they lost the election and that Barack Obama is actually the President of the United States. Their recent attack on the President's speech to schoolchildren that aimed to inspire them to work hard and stay in school may be the clearest example. Whether the Right likes it or not, Barack Obama is the leader of our nation. Questioning the appropriateness of his addressing the nation's children with an uplifting message is the political equivalent of a child closing his eyes, holding his ears and humming so he doesn't have to acknowledge that it's time to go to bed. Sorry, Barack Obama won the election, temper tantrums won't change it.
Last night Joe Wilson etched his political legacy into the wall of American history. He will forever be the poster "child" that symbolizes the new Republican Party.
Robert Creamer is a long-time political organizer and strategist, and author of the recent book: Stand Up Straight: How Progressives Can Win, available on Amazon.com.
Tags: America, Republicans, courtesy, decorum, honor, politics, race, racism
Views: 62
Replies to This Discussion
-
Permalink Reply by Vernon Windsor on
-
My Brujo, aren't we pissy today. I've allowed that you are entitled to your opinion, but I assure you, I'm not taking you to task. As for Boulder County being pious, it is as diverse as any other place in the country with regard to about anything you can measure. As you have no idea where I'm from or how long I've lived in Boulder, you're kind of assuming a lot, aren't you?
-
-
Permalink Reply by brujo on
-
Nah. If you feel compelled to put Boulder on your profile, expect to be made fun of. Man, you should have been there when it was a nice town.
-
-
-
Your post says more about you than about me or Boulder, for that matter.
-
-
-
Nah. I'm jerking your chain. But as someone who grew up there, I think they've started putting something in the drinking water that makes the citizens humorless.
-
-
Permalink Reply by Just-a-Writer on
-
The news said that the apology was given without caveats, but it wasn't. It had a huge BUT attached to it as he continued to show he hadn't read the bill.
-
-
Permalink Reply by Grace Linda on
-
I am is tired tired too too tired of the good ol' boys, they need to have their asses dragged up the mall to the Lincoln Memorial, cause they seem how forgotten that they lost and that they should freaking bow down to a President
-
-
Permalink Reply by P.A. on
-
I seen almost no coverage of the other republicans with signs and some sort of papers they keep waving. I belive that was also an afront to House rules but I guess Joe took all the glory away form them.
-
-
-
When Bush spoke Democrats may have sat silent, they even booed once, but they never, ever made hysterical outbursts or carried in signs. These goons are trying to rip apart the fabric of our nation.
-
-
Permalink Reply by alienken on
-
I'm calling BS on this one. I can't believe all this sanctamonious additudes out there after how the Bush admin was treated.
When Pres. Bush gave a speech he was called everyname in the book! When security had to remove the latest "code pink" agent everyone was outraged that the protesters free speech rights were being abused.
We all understand that there is a time and place fo everythng. This as a formal setting and the comment was very rude and disrespectful. Wilson apologized, but his statement was right. There is nothing in the bill that will make sure that the health benifits will only go to legal citizens. The Repubs tried to attach an amendment that would exclude illegal immigrants and abortion. The Dems. blocked them both.
Illegal immigrants WILL be covered and when the Pres. says they will not, HE IS LIEING. -
-
-
I am calling you for BS this time. No one ever yelled out at him while he was speaking to congress. Protesters have a time and place and this is not it. Now you have changed your argument to "there is nothing in the bill to prevent it" hardly what Wilson was supposed to be protesting.
On another point. Don't you think an it is a little odd for one promoting the Empire to use Yoda as an avatar?
Have a nice day. -
-
-
Factcheck.org says you're wrong, alienken.
-
-
Permalink Reply by Tina on
-
Shoul one person not have some kind, ANY kind of fact to state out loud that another is lieing? That is a very strong statement to be making. I would liketo see some fact to back that up please. Calling anyone a liar is pretty serious and I think one should be able to present fact to that statement or just not make that statement. Of course this is just how I see it.
Talk about "rude and disrespectful". This is our President you just accused of being a liar! -
© 2024 Created by Aggie.
Powered by
