Tea Baggers: Olympia Snowe "Wanted for Treason" for Negotiating Health Care Reform

Brian Beutler | September 3, 2009, 1:15PM

Health Care, Olympia Snowe, Tea Party

Send to a friend!

The gentle folks over at The New Boston Tea Party say that by participating in health care negotiations, Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-ME) is committing an act of treason.

Good times.

Friends In High Places: The Salahis And The Famous People They Take Pictures With

From Dollars To Death Panels: How Republicans Distorted Debates On Capitol Hill

Top 10 Wild And Wacky Political Voices -- For Whom We're All Very Thankful

Join the Conversation!

25 comments

Recommend Recommend (0)

CT Voter

September 3, 2009 1:23 PM

Dear Obama Administration:

Just remember that if you cave on healthcare reform, you're capitulating to these freaks.

Reply | Flag Abuse

Are you sure this comment violates TPM's Terms of Service?

Chris

September 3, 2009 2:27 PM in reply to CT Voter

This national Republican circle jerk where they sit around bumping peter heads and slapping nut sacks, talking about how Great and Patriotic they are while simultaneously questioning everyone else's patriotism even that of our current president must come to an end. This whole thing is as sadistically wrong as anything has ever been in America.

President Obama is not a socialist. He was not born in Kenya. He is not planning a government takeover of health care. He is not building concentration camps to intern conservatives and Christians. He is not attempting to indoctrinate our youth to gain support for a socialist agenda. I'll tell y'all right now, you can kiss my ass. There's no reason people should sit by and let this continue. Enough is enough!

Reply | Flag Abuse

Are you sure this comment violates TPM's Terms of Service?

CT Voter

September 3, 2009 2:35 PM in reply to Chris

I simultaneously get it, and don't get it. What I get is that people are scared, and they're scared of a black man in the White House, and Republicans have cynically used that.

What I don't get is the lack of conscience on the part of those same Republicans. How can they think that savaging the President and those bold enough to work with him is good for the country? How can outright lying, evasion, and side-stepping of reality be good for the country?

I guess a shorter version of what I'm saying is this: I continue to be astounded by the sheer hypocrisy of Republicans.

Reply | Flag Abuse

Are you sure this comment violates TPM's Terms of Service?

Les Ismore

September 3, 2009 3:25 PM in reply to CT Voter

"How can they think that savaging the President and those bold enough to work with him is good for the country?"

1.) Because no one in the media calls them on it.
2.) Because they don't care about moving this country forward.

I think Professor Krugman was right, this country is becoming ungovernable.

Reply | Flag Abuse

Are you sure this comment violates TPM's Terms of Service?

wbgonne

September 3, 2009 1:26 PM

Damn straight. We aren't living in Bush's world anymore so why do the Democrats insist we are? Hey guys, we WON the election!

Reply | Flag Abuse

Are you sure this comment violates TPM's Terms of Service?

VivaAmerica!

September 3, 2009 1:36 PM in reply to wbgonne

but I thought everyone wanted Obama to be more like Gw?

Reply | Flag Abuse

Are you sure this comment violates TPM's Terms of Service?

wbgonne

September 3, 2009 1:50 PM in reply to VivaAmerica!

Really? I don't anybody who thinks that. Unless you are referring to the fact that Bush was ruthless about his political objectives. Nothing wrong with that for a president -- especially when he's YOUR president.

Reply | Flag Abuse

Are you sure this comment violates TPM's Terms of Service?

hawaiian

September 3, 2009 1:27 PM

Please leave her alone, she is doing her best.
What do you expect from a "B" actress?

Reply | Flag Abuse

Are you sure this comment violates TPM's Terms of Service?

KY Yellow Dog

September 3, 2009 1:35 PM

Excellent! Scamper on back to the boys, Limpy girl. Your highly questionable support comes at far too high a price anyway.

Reconciliation now, reconciliation tomorrow, reconciliation fo - evah!

Reply | Flag Abuse

Are you sure this comment violates TPM's Terms of Service?

Seeryer

September 3, 2009 1:39 PM

Obama will come to rue the day he caved in to his biggest critics and dismissed his most passionate supporters. Prepare to be rolled in the 2010 mid terms. These conservatives smell blood in the water. They see a capitualating president with a 56 vote majority in the House and a 20 vote majority in the Senate. Just imagine, I am sure they are thinking, of what these rabble rousers can get done if they make some serious gains in the mid-terms. Pretty soon Obama will be extending Bush's tax cuts, repealing the estate tax and ramping up for war in Iran. Change my arse. The only thing changing is Obam's priorities.

Reply | Flag Abuse

Are you sure this comment violates TPM's Terms of Service?

JohnW1141

September 3, 2009 1:58 PM in reply to Seeryer

Seeryer,

I agree, as a leader, Obama turned out to be feckless and he's going to cost the Democrats big in the next election.

Obama is like one man among a million others standing on a sidewalk watching a parade march by.

He has one chance for redemption, the upcoming speech to Congress.

Harry Reid and a few other Dems are also part of the problem for the Democrats.

Reply | Flag Abuse

Are you sure this comment violates TPM's Terms of Service?

jerryfatheart

September 3, 2009 2:46 PM in reply to JohnW1141

"He has one chance for redemption, the upcoming speech to Congress."

Yup. The next three years are a mere technicality after that, of course.

Reply | Flag Abuse

Are you sure this comment violates TPM's Terms of Service?

Seeryer

September 3, 2009 3:43 PM in reply to jerryfatheart

The next election is in 14 months, not 38 months smarty pants.

Reply | Flag Abuse

Are you sure this comment violates TPM's Terms of Service?

jerryfatheart

September 3, 2009 4:12 PM in reply to Seeryer

Yep, and that's a congressional election. Obama can cajole, twist arms, whisper sweet nothings, but if congressional Dems are going to be gutless, then they get what they deserve come the midterms.

Reply | Flag Abuse

Are you sure this comment violates TPM's Terms of Service?

jerryfatheart

September 3, 2009 4:15 PM in reply to Seeryer

Obviously I understand that Obama's agenda depends on having majorities in both houses, but he has them now, and Congress is still so willing to dilly dally.

Reply | Flag Abuse

Are you sure this comment violates TPM's Terms of Service?

Seeryer

September 4, 2009 1:15 PM in reply to jerryfatheart

I think it is because it is alot harder to tell people in your district or state that you are supporting Nancy Pelosi than it is to tell them you are supporting Barack Obama. He has not led at all on this issue. The bill should have come out of the White House, not different committees in the House and Senate. He needs to step up and he has not yet. He has ceded leadership on the most crucial aspect of his agenda to Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid when he had a 60% approval rating and those two combine don't bust 50%.

Reply | Flag Abuse

Are you sure this comment violates TPM's Terms of Service?

Seeryer

September 3, 2009 3:41 PM in reply to JohnW1141

Hopefully I am wrong. I just know when he is not on the ballott the DEMs are not as strong a national party. He won't be on it in 2010. If he caves he must do something to make it up to the progressive base before those midterms. Soemthing more than closing Guantanamo. He btter hope the unemployment rate is close to 8% so his party can campaign on something. Lets take a look at the record. Transparency is better than with Bush but nothing to brag about. He campaigned on Universal coverage and will settle for a watered down version with no public option. He has bailed out the country's highest wage earners while unemployment has skyrocketed. His recovery package is supposed to work over the next few years but we are a "what have you done for me lately" society. He has ramped up the war in Afghanistan and mounting casualties will soon be the talk of the country. And all the while, his opponents give him credit for nothing and see nefarious schemes around every corner. And his base is wishing he had the kind of fight for liberal values that Ted Kennedy possesed. I am not ready to give up on him but my original support of Hillary Clinton, because of his "everybody will like me because I am not a Clinton" is starting to look like I was dead on from the beginning. Instead of rants about his wife in shorts or "oh my's" about her latest fashion, we might have Bill Clinton out helping sell an agenda. I think political neophytes combined with 15 years of unadulterated hate from the right and the DC media made Hillary unable to win the DEM nomination. In the process the DEMS may have lost their only chance for a true progressive movement on the scale of the conservative movement during the Reagan era. I guess Bill was right, "You got to be kidding me, this is all a fairy tale". It was, and Obama we should have realized this struggle was coming because Obama had no idea the scrum he was jumping into in DC.

Reply | Flag Abuse

Are you sure this comment violates TPM's Terms of Service?

The Commenter Formerly Known as NCSteve

September 3, 2009 3:51 PM in reply to JohnW1141

He's feckless? Give me a break. His biggest political problem is that his party is feckless. Conservatives and "progressives" alike. Slightest whiff of adversity and they fall apart on him like a ten dollar suit and then bitch at him for being naked in public.

Reply | Flag Abuse

Are you sure this comment violates TPM's Terms of Service?

admiralmpj

September 3, 2009 4:04 PM in reply to The Commenter Formerly Known as NCSteve

Families USA has a list of ten things that will change with Health Insurance Reform. No. 5 on the list is the Public Option.

Now, if Obama can't get the votes in the Senate for a Public Option, I want to know what my fellow Progressives want to do.

Do you seriously want to reject the other nine points on that list, and start this crap all over again?

Do you seriously expect me to think Obama losing in 2012, and Romney or some other thug winning is better than what we've got?

Reply | Flag Abuse

Are you sure this comment violates TPM's Terms of Service?

TaraV

September 3, 2009 2:53 PM

Good Lord this is terrifying to watch. These people are so hell bent on tearing down Obama that they don't give a flying f*ck about the real problems that we ALL face as Americans. These are the supposed fiscal conservatives who have no desire to bring down the cost of Medicare. The status quo is going to bankrupt the country. This, of course, is without any consideration at all for the uninsured.

Olympia Snowe is one of the only Rs I actually trust to neogitate in good faith. At some point, you just wonder if she's going to bail on these wingnuts. She's not a Dem...she's really not...but she'd more welcome in the Dem party than in her own.

Reply | Flag Abuse

Are you sure this comment violates TPM's Terms of Service?

traitorjoe

September 3, 2009 3:10 PM

So if any deviation from the Right Wing plan is treason, and they are not open to any compromise, why give them anything? There's no payoff. Public Option full steam ahead.

Reply | Flag Abuse

Are you sure this comment violates TPM's Terms of Service?

The Commenter Formerly Known as NCSteve

September 3, 2009 3:55 PM

This is why I always get all pedantic about Article III, Sec. 3 when people on our side start crying "Treason! Treason!"

Reply | Flag Abuse

Are you sure this comment violates TPM's Terms of Service?

seahawk

September 3, 2009 4:21 PM

"How can they think that savaging the President and those bold enough to work with him is good for the country?"

I've decided, especially after having to work with some of these people for awhile, that they are truly cynical, amoral, and see only selfish goals and they don't even realize it. Perhaps it's fear or high anxiety, but they even use those words now on Democrats. They are screwing up our whole discourse, and it is helped along by our pitiful Media (the media that keeps Diane Sawyer and Glenn Beck employed)

Reply | Flag Abuse

Are you sure this comment violates TPM's Terms of Service?