ZED. Me?
This is indeed Sick Stuff.

Dr. Frankenstein is losing control of the monster…

The GOP have demonstrated over and over again that they do not respect human life (at least not after it’s born). They only crave power.

Now that they are out of power, like most bullies, need to resort to thuggery to feel powerful again. I hope the silent MAJORITY will exercise its power to marginalize these bullies.

Remember Mike Huckabee making a funny about Obama and a gun? Funny funny stuff where he comes from.

I’ve got to hand it to the Republicans. Time and again, they make people screech against legislation that would benefit them. Do these jerkoffs at those meetings all have health insurance, and if so, do they think they can never lose it?

OT, the Quinnapac Poll has Obama’s approval down to 50%. He’s losing or has already lost the progressive wing and his approvals with independents is beginning to drop. He appears weak and his concilliatory tone to the Republicans, big pharma, Wall Street etc is not the vision of a strong leader.

I think we’re near or at a relative maximum in pants-wetting fear over mere rhetoric and over simple and ancient campaign tricks (like planting shills in the crowd to shout at your opponent).

There are Democrats who are acting hysterical and terrified at mere words and raised voices… it’s discouraging and even disgusting to witness such cowardice and timidity in our elected leaders.

I think they’re suffering from some type of neurosis brought on from watching too much cable television political commentary shows.

No doubt some are on Medicare, some have Veterans Administration benefits, and some are on Medicaid. Some might even be government employees somewhere.

Of those, only those on Medicaid and only in some states can argue that a government healthcare or healthcare insurance program is oppressive and tyrranical.

It’s all about THEM getting OUR money. And they’re not thinking of the fatcats.

One word…. “Reconciliation”

Remember the Repuglicans on the JC nodding sagely when Clarence Thomas referred to his “high-tech lynching?” Oh that poor black man (a la Blazing Saddles)…

Hanlon’s Razor applies as always, though: Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by stupidity. …

Political stupidity pays, though, if it’s not fought on all fronts. I think of the grinning idiots on the right – Jack Kingston, Lynn Westmoreland, Patrick McHenry – and I wonder how they manage to pull their pants on each morning. Village idiots all. This guy from MO epitomises the Repub group-think.

It’s important to not take the bait. I’ll write more about that later today. But they’re trying to get us to act like them. We can’t do that.

A-yep.

Have the a**hole censored in Congress. Advocating murder of your collegues is not funny.

Exactly. Because if we do, no matter how extreme the provocation, all the media coverage suddenly becomes “but the liberals are just as bad if not worse!”

Behold the New World Order’s concerted effort to cause a civil war within the US sufficient to justify a declaration of Martial Law.

Think that’s hyperbole?

It’s just basic Divide & Conquer.

That’s exactly what they are doing – and the media is fully complicit.

Reality has left the building, and it’s not coming back.

This is totally out of control. Congressmen calling for the lynching of their congressional colleaguesm, constituents assaulting and threatening the lives of their elected officials, thugs disrupting peaceful political meetings, diplomacy and the rescue of Americans from hostile territory abroad denounced by elected officials as appeasement if not treason, American senators endorsing foreign military coups, American media figures calling on our enemies to kill or continue to imprison Americans, unprecedented hundreds of millions in bribes specifically to buy a single political legislative outcome going on in plain site, Congressmen openly race-baiting the President of the United States, Congressmen publicly accusing the government of using healthcare reform to undertake the mass slaughter of the elderly, Federal contractors waging a jihad, assassinating their own employees and peddling illegal guns with complete impunity and no effect on their continued ability to remain on the public payroll. This is now all in the territory of the unbelievable. Civil society has died.

did you catch the Altemeyer diary over at Big Orange ??
can’t believe it had to be “rescued”

What do the GOPPERs call these people? Black Shirts?

yep. so much for comity, or whatever it is.

The AFL-CIO is getting into the fray:

AFL-CIO Secretary Treasurer Richard Trumka sends out a scathing statement about the town halls, hitting on Sweeney’s themes and calling the events corporate funded.

Every American has the inalienable right to participate in our democratic process. Our politics is passionate, heartfelt and often loud — as was the founding of our nation. But that is not what the corporate-funded mobs are engaging in when they show up to disrupt town halls held by members of Congress.

Major health care reform is closer than ever to passage and it is no secret that special interests want to weaken or block it. These mobs are not there to participate. As their own strategy memo states, they have been sent by their corporate and lobbyist bankrollers to disrupt, heckle and block meaningful debate. This is a desperation move, meant to slow the momentum for change.

Mob rule is not democracy. People have a democratic right to express themselves and our elected leaders have a right to hear from their constituents — not organized thugs whose sole purpose is to shut down the conversation and attempt to scare our leaders into inaction

We call on the insurance companies, the lobbyists and the Republican leaders who are cheering them on to halt these ‘Brooks Brothers Riot’ tactics. Health care is a crucial issue and everyone – on all sides of the issue – deserves to be heard.

caught something about reconciliation only works with a really slimmed down bill – the kind that would allow Reid to say they “accomplished something” – don’t recall whether I heard it from Kagro or some concern troll

there’s someone over at C&L is really amped up (commenter)

yikes.

It all comes down to race.

Unions never got much of a hold in the South because of the fear that they would help black people more than white people. And of course we all know Lee Atwater’s famous 1981 description of how the GOP moved from openly dropping the N-bomb to using “taxes” as a code word (or “getting abstract” as he called it) — thus making the linkage, approved by tax-hating corporate America, of cutting taxes = cutting government services = hurting black people.

sadly, when I saw it, my first thought was of screaming Villager ‘other side does it too!’ headlines: “Union Goons Shove MediCare Grannies” -

I don’t know if I’d agree that Obama has lost the progressive wing. Where else do they (I) have to go?

I’ll be very very happy if what we get out of this whole scenario is a sense of empowerment for the people of this country. SEVENTY SIX PERCENT want health care reform.

If people stand up to these twits, exert appropriate pressure on congress (who have worse approval ratings), and can affect change, that would be great.

I agree that Obama’s leadership does not match his rhetoric. Very disappointing.

Huh. Obama says step 1: we need to stop the bleeding and prevent a complete collapse of our entire system. Seems reasonable.

Step 2: Start implementing systemic change to keep this kind of collapse from happening again.

So Step 1 seems to working and we’re still in the middle of it. Obama seems to be succeeding on this, 7 months in. All the while, getting some long overdue legislation signed, some great environmental initiatives started, great progress on foreign affairs, a historic Supreme Court pick that’s sailing through, among many other things. Yes, you’re so correct…WHAT A DISASTER!11!!1! No wonder his ratings are going down.

I’ll go out on a limb and assume you were one of the many around here that was spelling doom and gloom before Obama was even in office, right?

Well, I’m shocked at how much he’s accomplished already, and on so many issues he’s saying good things that will make our economic social systems much more sustainable, that given his record of success so far, I’m confident we’ll start seeing some this big stuff enacted in the next few years. It’s an exciting time!

(by the way, I’ve been an active single-payer advocate for many years, pro-peace protester, and want to abolish the stock market entirely, and I’ve never seen so much progress in these directions in my entire life…certainly not in the 1990s).

Kagro actually thinks reconciliation should be fairly easy to do, at least for one provision of one bill:

One small piece of good news. The convoluted manner in which they wrote the language naming the effective date of the bill’s provisions — Y1, Y2, etc. — means that technically-speaking, amending it is a snap. Want to change when things kick in? Amend sec. 100(c)(25), and that’s it. The rest of the bill stays the same.

It’s more a matter of political will than anything else.

Oh, they’re much more subtle than that. It would be:

“Do Union Goons Shove MediCare Grannies???”

Bonkers: Yup, yup and yup. :-)

active single-payer advocate for many years, pro-peace protester, and want to abolish the stock market entirely, and I’ve never seen so much progress in these directions in my entire life

I can repeat up to “…entirely” but I’m sorry, I don’t call 2 ongoing wars, bailing out Wall Street or rising murder-by-spreadsheet industry profits progress.

I too think that’s what they’re trying to do. They are going all in because Obama took the genie out of the bottle, and they can’t put it back in.

It’s not going to work this time though. Obama’s emphasis on community organizing the country, and world for that matter, in addition to the New Media we have, makes their old trick obsolete. That’s why I was so supportive of Obama early on because I knew this would be more sustainable over the long term, and notice how Repubs, even in their own convention, are trying to denounce the whole “community organizer” thing.

The only dividing and conquering I see that working now is from fellow Liberals who can’t seem to see past their own noses.

ooh thankee ! must have been a concern troll

and thanks for that Krar link in Sara’s thread – hope Napolitano is a workin’

Am I the only one who wishes that the Dems and Obama would be smarter at this point to simply outlaw Big Pharma and Big Health Insurance altogether and tell them that since they can’t figure out how to function in a **democracy**, they’re no longer going to be legal?

It would be simpler, and it appears that it would be safer, to simply stop all this nonsense, and say, “Fine. You want to be thugs? You’re no longer legal. Period. It’ll be simpler for the nation, and safer for Congress, to outlaw you jackasses than allow you to continue to harass us, our constituents, and our staff.”

That would end this lunacy.
You either play by the rules we (Congress) set, or you no longer play.
Quite simple.

Nice to see labor keeping Obama’s back on this one.

Well their desperation and tactics are concerning, but it’s nothing we haven’t seen before. Remember the Pinkerton Detective thugs violently suppressing the labor movement a century (or so) ago.

One would have hoped that our democracy would be more mature than that by now, but 30 years of right-wing ascendancy has undermined education, promoted anti-intellectualism and raised militarism to a religion. Now it seems a hundred years of progress is right down the toilet.

I guess we have to start all over again.

correction – that’s already the meme, as you know. It’ll just give them current events to point to to justify it.

This is totally out of control.

I don’t think civil society has died; it’s been dealt some wicked blows by people who don’t play by civil rules. But the people that I see in the course of a week are completely fed up with this nonsense and want civil society to survive the grasp of brownshirt tactics like you list.

I guess we have to start all over again.

I can do that.

Obama didn’t create this rancid cesspool. He said he wanted to be Prez to Change it for the better. He’s succeeding at this so far. Is he going to stop now? I think he’ just getting his sea-legs.

All those things you mentioned he’s also at least made progress on. Many here question his motives and suggest he’ll just stop here since he’s really a BigMoney stooge. I disagree completely and think his motives are good, and am giving him time to wade through the shark-infested cesspool.

Well, as concerned as I am about the very dangerous current we’re swimming in right now, I guess I can take it that there is progress afoot? That the monied PTB are threatened and that’s a good sign? Am I reading this right? I hope we do not get intimidated back into submission.

I still remain disappointed in Obama’s confused message.

I agree with you though I am not sure if the Screamers care much about civil society.

I faxed the following to my Republican Congressman a little while ago:

Dear Congressman Burgess:

As a constituent, I wish to inform you of my support for a national health care reform plan which includes a robust public option. I believe President Obama’s assertion that healthcare will rapidly become unaffordable to most citizens and will burden the economic health of the nation unless reformed. My own position results from having experienced publically provided health care during four years of active military duty and recent coverage by Medicare. Additionally, if have driven on federally funded highways, received federally funded mail, been educated on the G.I. Bill, financed a house through the V.A., flown in federally separated airplanes, visited national parks, benefitted from a mother supported by Social Security, enjoyed the safety provided by federally funded military forces, and benefited from a host of other programs which were either long ago, or still are, funded by federal tax money. Although virtually all of the cited programs were opposed to a greater or lesser extent, when originally adopted, they have all eventually been accepted as being fundamental in providing for the national defense, promoting the general welfare, and securing the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity. With the exception of the Social Security system and Medicare (which some still disparage but few advocate abolishing), the word “socialism” is almost never heard in connection with any of the cited programs.

Although I know that you are ideologically opposed to a strong government option, I assume you understand that the Federal Government has used federal taxes to fund programs determined to be in the national interest since the original colonies joined together to form a union. Long before such terms and phrases as capitalism, socialism, and “redistribution of wealth” were known to the electorate, the Federal Government was using public funds for “internal improvement”, maintenance of a standing army, the Louisiana Purchase, conduct of a war to acquire territory, conduct of a war to maintain the union, provision of public lands to support development of railroads, and so on, through the implementation of a social security system and Medicare. So, the issue has always been, not whether the use of public funds is legal and consistent with our heritage, but what projects are determined to be so much in the national interest that federal funding and direction are warranted. Accordingly, I ask that you, as an educated, civic minded, public servant, refrain from using loaded terms, such as “socialism.” As you know, federal, state, and local governments have always served the function of pooling the funds of citizens to provide the services necessary to realize the stated purposes of the Constitution.

Moreover, in light of recent development, I would ask that you publically discourage the kind of hooliganism which has been employed lately to disrupt the free exchange of ideas at congressional listening sessions. You and anyone who truly believes in representative government have to be embarrassed and ashamed that anyone professing to care about our form of government would use tactics most often accompanying the rise of despotism. Finally, I know you understand that no plan under consideration will encourage elderly citizens (of which I am one) to end their lives, promote public funding of abortion, or would institute health care “rationing” to any greater extent than do the current “high option plans” and “low option plans” available through private insurance companies.

Sincerely yours,

How do I say this?

I agree with you in part. But when the brownshirts are allowed to openly lynch people in effigy and representatives of our civil society, our leaders, openly encourage this sort of thing, well, something has died.

Crazy people used to marginalized. Now they are being used and encouraged and embraced and empowered.

Does everyone know about Michelle Malkin’s call for a nationwide Recess Rally on August 22? Faithful teabaggers are supposed to storm the local reps’ offices. Since my Democratic Congressman isn’t holding any town hall meetings, I thought I’d mosey over to his office on that date just to see if he needs any positive reinforcement.

I didn’t say anything about Obama. I addressed only those areas in which you saw progress. I’m not interested in personalities. My interests lie in what Congress does, not says.

I would give my staff the day off.

Though, strangely, it’s a Saturday. Will they even BE in their offices?

You’re shocked by what accomplishments? Advancing or accepting Bush foreign and domestic policies? Offering more favors to corporatists? Keeping single-payer off the table?

Btw, I’m glad BT mentioned the McCain/Palin shenanigans late in the campaign last year. This was the watershed moment for what’s happening at the Town Halls.

It’s also worth pointing out that tho many of the town halls Obama has held are more like infomercials than real discussion and debate, I’m sure the audience is not vetted the way they used to be during Bushler seances.

fighting back is not the bipartisan way. Obama’s slavish blind faith in bipartisanship paves the way for a Republican resurrgence. Hope was a nice thought while it lasted, however short. American’s wanted a strong and visionary leader and instead we have the appeaser in chief.

Vote on Judge Sotomayor about to begin.

C-Span

With Sen Al Franken presiding. Hey, Norm!! Ya watchin’, shithead?

Good, the sooner we get started the sooner we’ll make progress. :-)

Talk of Brown Shirts reminds me of “Cabaret.” At 23 minutes and 40 seconds into the movie (free on Netflix)there is a dance spoof on the Brown Shirts while the club’s matri’d is being beaten to death in the alley.

The spoof is lighthearted and apparently harmless, but the alley action is dead serious.

Check it out!

Good one!

A great film that is more than just a song and dance movie. The ending with the images of Nazi’s grotesquely reflected in a mirror is haunting.

Can Obama get re-elected without appealing to Independents? He’s got to talk that stupid talk. I hate it with a passion. I think Independents for the most part are confused individuals (especially in closed primary states).

How is it that a voter cannot know which party (supposedly) best represents his interests?

40 years of R’s and R-lite have made us a very uneducated, unsophisicated populace.

Half those R voters that voted for Dubya (twice!) voted for Obama registered as Independents. That didn’t improve their intelligence one iota.

Did you notice? ONE party is agitating violence?

Are you going to one of Burgess’ town halls this weekend? I have to work but I’d love to get him on the record about the tea-bagging…

You’re shocked by what accomplishments? Advancing or accepting Bush foreign and domestic policies? Offering more favors to corporatists? Keeping single-payer off the table?

Do you just not know, or are you purposely ignoring all the good stuff that’s happened since he’s been in office? If the former, maybe you should broaden your information sources. If the latter, you’re hurting Liberal reforms because, as this healthcare nonsense shows, Liberals and Obama need every bit of support they can get.

I’ve wasted way too much time trying to have honest debate with some around here, gathering information and links from all over to back up this point, only to be responded with “Geithner!11!!!1″ Your repetition of the prevailing “talking points” that dominate here makes me think that’s all that’s going to happen.

Plus, the dinging on the town halls also suggests this, since the bits I’ve seen had very good debate and they really dug into details. It’s comical to criticize Obama for this now even, since the guy even holds a live televised “press conference” where the questioners were members of Congress, Repubs included who were trying to trip him up with talking points, ferchrissakes. What’s next? You gonna mock him for the Teleprompter?

How elitist. He represents some of the richest suburbs in the country. Let them eat cake.

Yays 68 Nays 31. Kennedy didn’t vote due to illness.

What do you expect from the Republi KLAN party?

Please sign these important petitions for health care

http://bit.ly/HR676

http://bit.ly/single_payer_ross

Sign this important petition on the Employee Free Choice act.

http://bit.ly/EFCA

Read our blog http://blog.democratz.org

I’m sure that’ll play well with the ever-growing Hispanic population here in sesessionville Tejas.

Obama loses respect and support with Independents by not being bold and forceful. He’s a prisoner of his blind faith in bipartisanship and his overly pragmatic approach. Bush was initially popular because he was perceived as “strong” by the Independents. Obama now has the bully pulpit and could have been able to circumvent a corrupt and compromised corporate media to talk truth to power to the American people. Obama chose poorly and the American public will suffer by his timorous nature.

As you know, bonkers, I agree with you. In recognition of those who don’t, though, I have to grant that most of us have acheived more, overcome greater odds, been more effective political tacticians and strategists, and shown more personal courage than President Obama has, as witnessed by our own high name recognition and ability to shape events, but I think the kid is trying. With any luck, he’ll fashion something which exactly conforms to my personal concept of utopia and that of everyone else who considers themselves to be liberal or progressive.

Yeah, especially when both Senators from Texas voted NO.

It sure is a slow process to change mindsets on a mass scale like that. It’s happening I think, and just the fact of having Obama in the White House will speed it up immensely on a number of fronts. Onward and upward!

Just got an Obama e-mail asking me to call my Congressman, Steve Buyer, about health care. I’m afraid Buyer is a lost cause, but I did register my support of a public option and real reform of health care. And, I insisted that the staffer also report my deep concern for the Brown Shirt tactics that the GOP is supporting at towm meetings around the country and that Buyer should use his influence to knock it off because disrupting debate hurts everyone.

There needs to be a concerted effort to make Republicans reject and denounce these thuggish tactics.

There’s one problem with that. The Rethuglicans will denounce these thuggish tactics when St. Ronald Reagan rises from his grave and does the Moonwalk with Michael Jackson.

(cough). Nice.

Maybe so, but you can put it to ‘em and watch them squirm back under a rock where they belong.

Obama is now talking about “reforming insurance practices.” Real healthcare reform, still only a dream in the U.S..

Wouldn’t we prefer it if the Republicans kept getting publicity? If they keep like this, they’ll keel over in the polls soon enough, and our victories in 2010 will make electing Obama look like just the tip of the iceberg.

And don’t forget the back door deals the administration made with Big Pharma. They “give up” $80 billion, and we can’t negotiate on pharmaceuticals, nor can we buy drugs from Canada. All in the name of bipartisanship, of course.
Maybe I should go to a townhall meeting with a sign saying:
“Insurance Reform now! Support Big Pharma!”

Your apparent disgust with President Obama’s strategy reminds me of Otter’s response to the other Bluto’s famous speech.

Otter: “I think this situation absolutely requires a real, futile and stupid gesture be done on somebody’s part.”

Bluto: “and we’re just the guys to do it.”

The applause of some progressives and independents would likely prove cold comfort to those stuck with the consequences of achieving nothing at all.

Given the hand he was dealt, I find some of the more caustic criticisms hard to believe. You can hold someone’s feet to the fire, and still be supportive over all.

Given the hand he was dealt, I find some of the more caustic criticisms hard to believe. You can hold someone’s feet to the fire, and still be supportive over all.
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Well said.