Just a bunch Average Joes.
What we are dealing with here is a mob, and not a thoughtful new brand of American revolutionary. Instead of thought, these groups indulge in the flinging of slogans ("No to socialized medicine!") whose function is to wear down the enemy. As a leaked memo from Bob MacGuffie, a volunteer with the Freedom Works web site Tea Party Patriots put it: "Try to rattle [the congressman], not have an intelligent debate."
Good advice. It’s pretty clear they’re not capable of intelligent debate.
Related posts:
- Early Morning Swim: Rachel Finds a Willie Horton Connection Behind Town Hall Protests
- Early Morning Swim: Rachel Exposes AstroTurf Thuggery at Town Halls
- Town Hall Protests: Full of Sound and Fury; Signifying Nothing About Health Care
- Early Morning Swim: Rachel Smacks Down Ed Gillespie on “Meet the Press”
- All Together Now: The Town Hall Temper Tantrums Aren’t about “Health Care Reform”
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Good job by Rachel last night. Somebody gotta do it.
Repub intelligent debate…oxymoron? I love it. And, Good Morning. ;))
Intelligent debate is not their goal — they simply want to shut down debate in the hopes that more Americans don’t see a public option as a good choice for them.
An effective leader would grab the facts as Rachel presents them and call for a temporary suspension of the “town halls” until the poionous climate subsides.
The wingnuts have gone so far from rational thought that they are no longer pretending anyone sane would side with them.
We don’t have an effective leader, we just have an effective speechmaker.
On edit: we have an effective speechmaker and a bunch of spineless “leaders” in the House and Senate.
They see that their yelling and screaming is now a punchline so are ramping up the intimidation by bringing guns. These folks a combination of self-deluded bigots and spoiled children.
Hide and watch is effective leadership? Really?
Yikes, these maniacs shouldn’t be licensed to bear arms.
The mob should not be allowed to control the agenda. It does not require strong, effective leadership. It simply requires someone with a little common sense.
I guess we would all universally acknowledge an effective leader. So far, Obama has secured a larger following than any other Democrat, Republican, Green, Libertarian, TV commentator, religeous fanatic, or whatever. If he can’t get it done, we’ve just reached a stage where too many people would rather rule in hell than serve in heaven, or maybe just shoot spitwads.
Although it’s not getting any fantare, the HJC released the transcripts of the Rove/Miers interviews yesterday. EW reports.
ya gotta love Rachel.
She cuts ‘em off at the knees, all the while smiling sweetly.
Emails Show Bush White House Staffers Joked About Following Orders Like Nazis
The Rethugs would like nothing better than to shut down the THs.
Even the BBC is jumping in..
‘The National Health Service has become the butt of increasingly outlandish political attacks in the US as Republicans and conservative campaigners rail against Britain’s “socialist” system as part of a tussle to defeat Barack Obama’s proposals for broader government involvement in healthcare.’
‘Defenders of Britain’s system point out that the UK spends less per head on healthcare but has a higher life expectancy than the US. The World Health Organisation ranks Britain’s healthcare as 18th in the world, while the US is in 37th place. The British Medical Association said a majority of Britain’s doctors have consistently supported public provision of healthcare. A spokeswoman said the association’s 140,000 members were sceptical about the US approach to medicine: “Doctors and the public here are appalled that there are so many people on the US who don’t have proper access to healthcare. It’s something we would find very, very shocking.”
http://www.guardian.co.uk/worl…..can-health
Damn, you’ve been on a roll recently. Get sum butter. Right on.
I did not propose shutting them down. I proposed suspending them until the adolescents learn to behave.
Rachel has done a stellar job at relentlessly shining a light on the shenanigans of the “grassroots” movement on the right. Yet, she is the one being labeled a terrorist from the right for daring to mention the links between the teabaggers at the town hall meetings and Big Pharma (and their accomplices in the GOP). You go, Rachel!
Congress reconvenes in a little over 3 weeks. Think that’s enough time?
An effective President would use the bully pulpet to demand that order and civility be restored. It should not take long for that message to sink into skulls of reasonable density.
Riiiiiiiiight. Mr Obama gets on national teebee and asks for order and civility. It’s not the people whose skulls have reasonable density who are acting out. Do you really think they would heed Mr Obama’s call? Do you think that would stop the likes of Dick Armey from ramping up more disruption?
Lots of wrong doing has been exposed.
But we have no accountability in this nation. It’s a power grab and control of the message machine.
Rationality, and reason mean nothing.
Black is white.
It should not take long for that message to sink into skulls of reasonable density.
sorry – assuming facts not in evidence.
The message wound not be intended for those whose skulls nothing would penetrate. It would be intended for the adults, who would see to it that the miscreants would be appropriately placed in a corner and told STFU.
I stand by my 22. You’re talking about powerful, influential people who have as their goal the failure of a Democratic administration. If they have to act like children to accomplish that goal, they will. Asking them to play nice is not gonna cut it.
Lou Dobbs has more crap to add to the sophisticated (/s) rethug attack
http://rawstory.com/blog/2009/…..his-heart/
Morning, bonkers. Feel like seeing production of Shakespeare’s Henry V, after Agincourt speech, focus on guys drifting off, saying “well, it’s muddy,” or “I got a bad case of the runs,” or, “I never was big on St.Crispin’s day,” or “Well, if the guy was a leader he’d probably do everything just like I think he ought to.”
I don’t see it as acting like children. it’s more closely akin to political guerrilla warfare. Stay seated and shout, or pop up quickly, shout and then quickly sit down, thus making sure that there can be no recognition, and thus any kinda debate getting started.
They won’t shut the… They’re incapable of independant thoughts. As long as these authoritarians have Rush, Billo to feed them the code words they want to hear, they’ll lie, scream, obfuscate, and ultimately, one will pull out his machine gun, and make those fucking socialist pay…
Reason is not their domain.
An effective President would use the bully pulpet to demand that order and civility be restored.
Yeah. That goddamned Obama. If only he would do this or that everything would be OK.
The town hall meetings are not the problem. Health care is the problem.
Stopping the discussion is the objective of the radical right so your proposed response is to stop the discussion? And this would help?
Perhaps I don’t understand.
Important point. It is not to shut down the discussion, but too insist that it be conducted with a modicum of reason. As Quebecois just noted, we are at the tipping point of serious violence. If it occurs without O having made an attempt to thwart it, well…
Has anyone in the press asked these sloganeers to define “socialized medicine” and explain how it differs from Medicare. Then ask, are they against Medicare? When they yell “yes!”, put that response on the prime-time news.
The press? Ask questions? HA!
And we’re back to it’s up to Mr Obama to stop this nonsense. Come on!!
Compare and contrast – protesters at townhalls vs protesters at Rethug National Convention.
As Crosstimbers at #11 noted, if he can’t get it done, why the eff even bother?
People on medicare are afraid that their coverage will be reduced
to help pay for expanding coverage to the uninsured. That is why
they are opposed to “socialized medicine”. Rachel Madow knows this
She is not that stupid. This kind of rhetoric is devisive.
If medicare had never been encacted, these people would still
be oposesd to socialized medicine.
Cut the budget of the Department of Defense to only what is needed for VA and no coverage will be reduced.
You assume I agree with CT’s assessment. I don’t. Mr Obama may be able to mobilize Dems to do certain things but he cannot, imo, make those who would be disruptive, obstructive, etc toe his line. Dick Armey’s answer would very likely be, “Fuck you.” As usual what happens locally is up to the local folks. We’re the ones who are going to have to figure a way to counter the other side.
That would be a good start
Dick Armey can say whatever he wants. The President cannot lose by taking the high ground.
I know you’re sincere, but I think you missed my point. My point had more to do with sunshine patriots, armchair quarterbacks, and the difficulty herding cats. Actually, if Obama followed your advice, he would have suspended campaigning when Palin and McCain began to stir up the angry boneheads about a year ago.
The video of an overweight, psychotic slob spitting in octagenarian Spitzer’s face hardly gives evidence of “intelligent debate” does it.
Good Mornin’ BT, Dragon and pups.
Dragon! You’re making entirely too much sense for this early in the day.
Everyone else! Go sit in the corner and thimk till you figure out what he’s saying. Dragon’s got it dang straight.
fwiw, THANKS Dragon for yer cool head and clear eye. Keep rinsing and repeating till someone listens. Whole bunch-a regular folk who oughtta know better are acting tongue-tied and letting the goons run away with the store. Democracy is a sport that requires full participation if it’s gonna work.
We want our country back? We gotta help get it back. That’s a continuing commitment, not a one-shot deal.
*sits back down and fumbles for dunce cap*
Lose what? JHFC, I wish I had faith in a saviour.
I worry about where these people will go next. Probably to DC, a short car ride for many of them. Will they attempt to shut down the Congress with a million nutbag march? We could be headed towards a mobocracy by slobs.
*G*
Off to swim in the great capitalist cesspool and see if I can come up with a saviour.
Be good to yourselves, and all other living things.
Namaste
MSNBC is interviewing the man ejected from Specter’s townhall mtg. Poor guy is so befuddled & doesn’t appear to understand much of anything. This is just sad. Lots of people out there who are fearful, totally confused & have no idea how to channel their thoughts to any kind of logical conclusions. Shame, shame on those who use these people. It’s like tricking toddlers into giving up their bankies.
Guy sounded like he was on the verge of tears while he was ranting at Specter. Change, no matter how small, is really, really frightening for some folks.
I think you mean Specter, not Spitzer, but your point is well taken.
You do well to worry. Obama can’t do this alone. Reid’s teeth rest in the glass by his bedside. What to do? What to do?!
We all witnessed what happened in 2000. We gonna let it happen again without speaking out? Hello? HAllloooooo?!
No.
OT and drive by
Southern D, you might find this of interest, http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_…..195156.stm for your “what goes around, comes around” file.
Thanks for that. Cool story. Just might find a place for that next Caturday.
Question . . . I hear “take our country back” from both sides. From your prespective, since you appear from these writings to be top dragon, from whom are you taking the country? And please, no long dialogue; leave the soap box in the corner.
It’s no wonder some people are scared witless. I see people who are very uninformed, poorly educated, not the brightest bulbs & rightwing talk listeners. Putty in the hands of Freedom Works freaks.
No. It’s more dangerous than that. These poor, confused, frightened people VOTE. We cannot give up and allow the worst of the repugs and the pharmore-n-more-n-mores run the whole discourse.
Our reps and, sigh, leaders like Reid *burp* need to be blasted by a non-stop blizzard of good sense and pithy prose promoting good sense and common decency, visits, calls, e-mails, letters to the editors yadda yadda.
Do NOT let the goons rule the terms of debate.
I believe Jane had a little bit to say on this subject a while back.
Stay stubborn, folks. Channel the sorts of things Rachel, Jane et al are saying, and go to the ramparts for as long as it takes.
With all due respect and decorum, GET IN DEM AND REP FACES, and don’t accept, “Huh?” for an answer.
*returns to dunce stool, which seems to be growing taller each trip*
gittin’ too old for this stuff… no… never… not in my lifetime… mmmffmfmfmfffspittle….
heh. oh, that’s cute, really. bless yer heart.
[no offense, (((((dragon))))) *G*]
So Dick Armey is behind the town hall disruptors. I’ve got a new name for them: Dick Armey’s Dick Army.
R’s have no problem spending tons of money to rile up ignorant, terrified americans running around armed & dangerous. Funding education…forget about it.
anyone else remember when saruh chanted ‘n ranted fer blood’n’mayhem, turned on a hey-penny & batted those big dime-store lashes ‘n $2 tooth-whitener at duh cameras? huh? huh?
anyone think that wuz uh acc-eye-dent?
translator and repeater signal to aisle 22, please. hup hup.
What is beginning to bother me about all this is that
we are getting too caught up in the rhetoric of Maddow,
Olberman, Billo, Limbaugh. They have their agenda too
that is not necessarily in our best interest.
Can we not think for ourselves?
What everyone needs to do is really look hard at what this
health plan proposal is really about and how it will
affect us all down the road.
Forget your political ideological position and look beyond what
these people are telling us.
agreed. and this leads us to what, exactly? depends a bit on YOU and ME, eh?!
Stories like this one make me wonder why humans are considered higher functioning than animals.
so??? think. use yer own brain and words. go thou into the land and speak, write, call, elaborate, condense, expand, encapsulate. rinse & repeat.
I keep trying. Problem is too often I’m talking to the choir, those who are paying attention, checking out the issues for themselves vs people who are for the most part caring & bright but only briefly watch the so-called news & little else. The true believers are pretty much hopeless.
pssst! shhhhhh…. humans ARE animals… yeah, really. that’s o.k.
definition of “higher functioning” may vary with circumstances…
use caution when opening package near incendiary materials…
gee thanks. I’ll have to try that
sounds to me as if you have your head screwed on pretty well.
i think we basically agree on a lot of this stuff.
lordy! Franklin said somethin’ helpful on the subject way back when. eh?
he didn’t say it would be easy and, indeed, it’s not.
I personally am stunned and disheartened at the apparently short half-life of institutional memory, while rover and limpy are no doubt thrilled witless, literally. All things being equal, we MUST stay stubborn and be prepared to work, if we want democracy to work. D’Oh! & Dammit! No rest for the weary, wary or anything in between.
There must be a meeting of minds. To assume that one’s position is greatest, leads only to chaos. I don’t like what’s in HR3200; however, reform is vital.
you’re a good sport. Thanks. *G*
Curious here. When’s the last time you encountered an absolutely perfect piece of legislation?
Thanks for staying involved and self-educated. ;->
You’ve never heard that from me. I will say things like “bring manufacturing back to our country” but I’ve never thought I had to take our country back from anybody. I’m a revolutionary, meaning I want fundamental change to our socio-economic system. And, no, I’m not top dragon anywhere, especially here.
Sorry . . . obviously, I’m a newcomer.
WELCOME to the Lake! Apologies for teasing earlier. Please come, stay, feel free to comment often. This place thrives on free discourse. ;->
Welcome to the Lake. It can get a little raucous once in a while, ok, every day, but critical thinkers are always welcome here.
So, true, jayt.
I really, really enjoyed watching her do that last night.
She may have restrictions, being on a corporate-owned network, but she still does some great work.