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GOP To DNC: You Call It "Mob Rule," Americans Call It "Democracy"
NRCC communications director Ken Spain just sent us this comment on the Democratic National Committee's denunciation of the demonstrations at Democratic members' town halls, which the DNC referred to as "angry mobs of a small number of rabid right wing extremists funded by K Street Lobbyists":
"What Democrats call 'mob rule' the average American calls 'democracy.' Is this the strategy Democrats had in mind when they promised to galvanize public opinion regarding their unpopular massive government-takeover of healthcare? This hyper-defensive reaction from the Democrat Party speaks volumes about the precarious position their members find themselves in. Speaker Pelosi and other party leaders dubbed this recess a healthcare 'offensive,' but little did we know the 'offensiveness' would be aimed at their own constituents. These kinds of despicable characterizations of middle class Americans, who oppose trillions in mounting government debt, as elements of the partisan 'fringe' smacks of elitism."
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Josh
Matt
Eric
Brian
They're really painting themselves into a corner. Most Americans don't want to be equated with the shrieking cat ladies who disrupt civil gatherings. This is going to be a replay of Palin's "Kill 'em" rallies.
August 4, 2009 5:54 PM | Reply | Permalink
Strongly agree! This sort of uncivil behavior will definitely come back to bite the Repubs. And rather than just be pawns for the right-wing corporations, these people are truly just spewing hate. Which "real" Americans soundly rejected last Novemeber!
August 4, 2009 6:15 PM | Reply | Permalink
they think these people can be useful idiots for them, but they have no control over them. these people don't know what they are 'mad as hell' about. except for those who are mad as hell that obama is a secret kenyan. the spectacle might pay off for a couple of news cycles but it won't be long before the teevee people will want to stick mics in front of these people for some one on ones to see what really makes them tick. and sputter. and get all apoplectic. give 'em enough rope. or microphone cable, as it were.
August 4, 2009 10:24 PM | Reply | Permalink
To all those "middle class Americans, who oppose trillions in mounting government debt" --
Don't you remember that I told you a few years ago that "Reagan proved deficits don't matter"?
Love,
Dick Cheney
August 4, 2009 6:16 PM | Reply | Permalink
Even better, why is the budget always referred to as "non-defense spending". How about some deep and painful cuts on weapons programs? It far surpasses any of the crap these clowns are getting angry about.
We can't afford health care for all Americans?
Can't afford the costs of stopping global warming?
Yet, we can afford extremely large sums on military, 80% unrelated to Iraq or Afghanistan.
Talked about fucked up priorities.
August 4, 2009 7:18 PM | Reply | Permalink
Exactly right. Defense expenditure accounts for about 500B each year (the equivalent of doing a financial sector bailout every other year) and we spend almost as much as the entire rest of the world combined on defense.
There's simply no justifiable reason to spend this much on defense when we have hungry, under-educated and homeless people living within our borders. The world over, millions of people die from hunger each year and we spend this kind of money on implements of death. Talk about morality turned upside down!
August 5, 2009 11:28 AM | Reply | Permalink
Why haven't any of these people been tasered yet?
August 4, 2009 6:21 PM | Reply | Permalink
So "democracy" is showing up at a public meeting and making noise until it is shut down?
Isn't this the party that relegated protestors at their conventions to a "free speech zone" far away from the site, or would kick people out of rallies for wearing T-shirts?
August 4, 2009 6:31 PM | Reply | Permalink
It's worth noting that "Free speech zones" were set up at Democratic conventions as well. The Dems' record on this is far better in general than the Repubs, but not better enough to be good.
August 4, 2009 7:00 PM | Reply | Permalink
As I understand the security at these conventions is run not by the parties but by the Secret Service. The DNC surely benefited in a wink-and-nod way but the test for the Democrats is going to be not what happened at a convention the Bush Administration ran security for, but how the conventions are organized in 2012 with the Democrats controlling the White House.
August 4, 2009 7:54 PM | Reply | Permalink
... or arrested journalists... for being journalists. Peaceful demonstration was considered blasphemy under Bush, but what can you expect from republicans? I fail to be shocked or awed anymore. Nothing they do surprises me.
August 5, 2009 5:52 AM | Reply | Permalink
Give them what they want. Keep those cameras rolling and get plenty of nice close ups of the ranting maniacs.
August 4, 2009 6:39 PM | Reply | Permalink
I don't often agree with you, but you are on the money here. The strategy here isn't to yell back at them as some have been suggesting them. We have to outmaneuver them, a stalemate will never work.
Point a camera at them, bait them with questions to bring out their loony opinions, post the results on DailyKos.
Lather. Rinse. Repeat.
That's how you marginalize loonies, folks.
August 4, 2009 6:52 PM | Reply | Permalink
Did you like how they were able to fit "elitism" in there?
August 4, 2009 6:42 PM | Reply | Permalink
No, when its angry, rabid and racist, it's called an angry mob
Democracy is when people use discussion and ideas not violence and menace.
August 4, 2009 7:20 PM | Reply | Permalink
It's not democracy when these so called angry mobs aren't being paid by the corporate lobbyists sending them to these townhall meetings to do their corporate work. But how do you get that fact thru to a thick headed loony?
Democracy is something that is done thru civil discourse and an exchange of ideas. Not thru jack booted thuggery.
August 4, 2009 7:26 PM | Reply | Permalink
Short answer: "If the Democrats don't have the balls to supress minority dissent through the tools of the state, like we did in the Bush years, then that's their problem."
August 4, 2009 7:46 PM | Reply | Permalink
Yes, of course, democracy. Healthy democracies are well-known for pervasive eliminationist rhetoric.
August 4, 2009 8:25 PM | Reply | Permalink
This is one of the most-read "political" blogs. Trolls aside, that represents a lot of people. Each and every one of you in this country is in a congressional district.
I challenge each and ever one of you who is supporting Obama - even if you're not happy with everything
he's done - to attend any "town hall" hosted by your Representative. And to take 2 or 3 like-minded people with you.
Your task? To counter the "mob" that will be perhaps be there to disturb activities. To insist that any media there accurately report the session, including the fact that probably sane, reasonable people are there.
If you/we don't get away from our keyboards and get out and combat these people, they'll win. If we do, then we will, on sheer numbers alone.
If you don't.....well, I'm sorry for you.
August 4, 2009 8:30 PM | Reply | Permalink
This is one of the most-read "political" blogs. Trolls aside, that represents a lot of people. Each and every one of you in this country is in a congressional district.
I challenge each and ever one of you who is supporting Obama - even if you're not happy with everything
he's done - to attend any "town hall" hosted by your Representative. And to take 2 or 3 like-minded people with you.
Your task? To counter the "mob" that will be perhaps be there to disturb activities. To insist that any media there accurately report the session, including the fact that probably sane, reasonable people are there.
If you/we don't get away from our keyboards and get out and combat these people, they'll win. If we do, then we will, on sheer numbers alone.
If you don't.....well, I'm sorry for you.
August 4, 2009 8:31 PM | Reply | Permalink
'supporting obama'??
why is it always about obama?? i most certainly do not 'support obama'. i preferred him as the lesser of two evils over mccain. sure. but this isn't about obama. this is about the health care available to every american.
i don't support obama. i think single payer is the only real solution. since single payer's off the table (thanks to, among others, obama), i might support a compromise that includes a public option. but then again, i might not. too much depends on the details.
this isn't about any 'us' against 'them'. or which side 'wins' and which side 'loses'. the truth is, we've already lost. all of us. hard to get excited about playing a part in the phony theatrics when the best you can hope to win is a half-measure that might or might not be worse than not having done anything in the first place.
but if you do see an unenthused loser carrying a sign that says: "Single Payer is the Solution. Public Option is the Compromise. Support the Compromise, I Guess." that'll be me.
August 4, 2009 10:51 PM | Reply | Permalink
I neither voted for Bu$h or supported his policies, however, he was the President regardless so as a citizen one can actively disagree, but show respect for the office if not the person. Repuglicans show respect for neither.
August 5, 2009 8:53 AM | Reply | Permalink
I'm sorry you are so self-righteous. Sheesh.
August 5, 2009 10:07 AM | Reply | Permalink
And that really is the crux of the problem, isn't it? As with so many other things, these fine folks really have no clue what democracy really is.
August 4, 2009 9:12 PM | Reply | Permalink
BINGO !!!!
August 5, 2009 8:54 AM | Reply | Permalink
It's interesting how Republicans' perspective have changed. For years, protesters were called unAmerican, now these protesters are practicing democracy. But thanks to decades of sneering by Republicans, Americans are trained to be turned off by such uncivil displays.
I expect one of these teabaggers to burn the American flag any day now.
August 5, 2009 2:31 AM | Reply | Permalink
I think IOKIYAAR plays here.
August 5, 2009 8:56 AM | Reply | Permalink
Isn't it time for these people to get a new play book? Its the same old worn out schtick over and over again.
August 5, 2009 5:55 AM | Reply | Permalink
i've always thought of "democracy" as including, among other things, the concept that everyone has an equal voice. from that, i've always reasoned that that equal voices speaking on an issue is really a long way of saying "dialogue" or "conversation." what is happening here is most assuredly not that -- here, a group -- a minority, at that -- is suppressing the dialogue/conversation. that is not "democracy" as i have always conceptualized it. it is much closer to despotism or totalitarianism or some other iron-fisted "ism." (shout out to the numerous recent references to brownshirts in TPM comments.) mmmm, maybe my "equality" vision is more socialistic/communistic/somethingistic? dunno. anyhoo ...
then i visited merriam-webster.com and looked up "democracy." admittedly, not the most authoritative source vis-a-vis political philosophy, but (i think) a pretty good measure of the popular understanding of oft-used terms like "democracy." http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/democracy
i couldn't help but note that the first definition says, "... especially: rule of the majority." huh. seems like a relatively small minority shouting down a meeting and stifling the voice of the majority doesn't fit the popular definition of "democracy."
either way i guess the bottom line is this, then: if the republicans are such big fans of "democracy," maybe they should just sit down, STFU (either 50% or 100% of the time, depending on whether you prefer my concept of "democracy" or m-w's), and know their fuckin' place as the minority. to do otherwise would seem to be anti-democratic, which, i dare say, is treasonous. heh, the traitor card. nice to be able to play it on someone else for a change.
August 5, 2009 7:02 AM | Reply | Permalink
Someone needs to inform Ken Spain that democracy is the principles of social equality and respect for the individual within a community - mob rule doesn't even come close. He also claimed the health care before congress is a massively unpopular government-takeover - someone should steer him to the polls concerning public opinion on the subject. And when he says middle class Americans are opposed to the trillions of dollars in mounting government debt, he should consider that during the Bu$h war years, the surplus Bu$h inherited from Clinton was wasted and the deficit grew by astronomical leaps and bounds into the trillions of dollars without the republicans in either House or Senate giving a rat's ass if the public approved of their spending to support Bu$h in his holy wars against the boogey-man he called terrorists.
I'm just mad as hell the Democrats don't shove this tripe up their asses where it belongs!!!
August 5, 2009 8:47 AM | Reply | Permalink