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GOPer Doubles Down On Carnahan Comments: So Many Gov't Bailouts, Religious Freedom Could Be Next!
House candidate Ed Martin (R-MO)
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Moments after Rep. Russ Carnahan (D-MO) condemned his Congressional challenger Ed Martin (R-MO) for remarks Martin made about Carnahan's faith, Martin said in a statement to TPM that he stands by the comments.
As we reported, Martin said on the "Dr. Gina show" that the growth of government endangers freedom to worship and, "[T]hat's one of the things that we have to be very, very aware of that the Obama Administration and Congressman Carnahan are doing to us." In his statement tonight Martin defends himself, saying the Obama administration already has "abolished" many freedoms.
"This election is an intersection election and I am deeply concerned that, left unabated, the current trends against freedom will force religion from the public square," Marin said.
"We have already seen our freedom of health care abolished and with that an encroachment on religious freedoms; for example Obamacare will make hospitals, even Catholic hospitals, provide taxpayer funded abortions," he said. "This goes against the Catholic religious belief."
(More context on that claim here.)
Martin said Obama and the "Pelosi-Carnahan Congress" have performed a "rapid and thorough encroachment on our liberties" with health care reform, government spending and more. He cited the "Chrysler bailout, Wall Street bailout, gutting welfare reform and growing the number of people on welfare etc.," and said government involvement in these issues is "changing America and not for the better."
"America is great because it is a free place with free space where people can choose to be whatever they want," Martin said. "It is especially great because Americans have the freedom to choose to worship God or not worship any god. So the very thought of anymore of our liberties being encroached on is a growing concern."
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Powkat
July 13, 2010 6:42 PM
Won't someone please step up and say he is a lying sack of shit? Catholic hospitals do not and will not be forced to provide any kind of abortion, and thanks to Henry Hyde, Bart Stupak and other mysogynists in Congress there is no 'government funding' although a few enlightened states like Oregon provide public funding. What the hell is wrong with these people? They can't seriously believe this crap - or if they do they are totally insane and should not be allowed out in public.
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mcc
July 13, 2010 7:22 PM in reply to Powkat
Carnahan described this as Martin "crossing a line". Maybe now that he's stepped it up, he'll start describing it as a "distortion". It's interesting how afraid Democrats seem to be of saying the word LIAR.
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vasu
July 14, 2010 8:00 AM in reply to mcc
That's exactly what it is is lying considering we lost more freedoms under Bush then we have under Obama. And they keep beating the drum on health care, when in fact, it's a tax credit. A TAX CREDIT!
Does the GOBP forget who started the Patriot act? Or the wars, or the out of control spending in the defense department, or the subsidy's given to big oil? Now some of these are issues that cut both ways, but most are championed by GOBP.
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GayIthacan
July 13, 2010 6:45 PM
It's like listening to the free association of a 7 year old.
And these people not only inhabit adult bodies, but actually get supposedly rational adults to vote for them?
If this is the best MO can come up with, I think it's high time we rethink permitting the CSA to secede - permanently.
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deoll
July 13, 2010 7:17 PM in reply to GayIthacan
"It's like listening to the free association of a 7 year old."
...and then blah blah blah, and then blah blah blah, and then blah blah blah, and then blah blah blah...
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CityGuy
July 13, 2010 9:52 PM in reply to GayIthacan
Hold on there Gayl.... Missouri never seceded from the Union-thankfully. And Martin is definitely NOT the best that MO can give the nation. We have Senator McCaskill, we have Emmanuel Cleaver from my congressional district, Jay Nixon has proven to be a competent governor also. But these demagogues on the Right are treading in dangerous waters. I'm afraid that dumbasses such as Martin and Bachmann are going to inflame their dimwitted followers to violence.
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Backcountry
July 13, 2010 6:55 PM
Oh why stop there?
Obama will rape our women, burn our fields, destroy our towns, kill our children. He's the master of all evil, I tell ya. He wants to destroy the wooorrrrllllld!
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mcjam
July 14, 2010 8:06 AM in reply to Backcountry
"Tonight on the Glenn Beck Show...."
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gayinmt
July 13, 2010 6:56 PM
"America is great because it is a free place with free space where people can choose to be whatever they want," Martin said.
I wonder how he feels about gay people? I'm sure I know the answer. On the other hand, fuck him.
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FreeRider
July 13, 2010 7:17 PM in reply to gayinmt
I hope you're not implying that being gay is a choice.
That said, I'm sure this mook would prevent women from choosing to have an abortion and stop gays from choosing to marry.
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mcc
July 13, 2010 8:40 PM in reply to FreeRider
"in reply to gayinmt"
I think chances are good he gets it already.
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L.Kendra
July 13, 2010 9:02 PM in reply to FreeRider
hey free rider, i think your cool, you should join my face book group "Liberals and Conservatives are crazy, Lets meet in the center" i love how you see how foolish the firebaggers and teabaggers are.
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FreeRider
July 14, 2010 9:21 AM in reply to L.Kendra
You've misunderstood me. I'm a liberal--a pragmatist and a liberal.
I don't think liberals are crazy. I think firebaggers are crazy because they don't have an ounce realism or pragmatism, just like the teabaggers.
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L.Kendra
July 14, 2010 8:34 PM in reply to FreeRider
Well i love your post, you are so cool freerider. Do you have a blog? if you dont have one you should have your own blog.
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WaitWut?
July 13, 2010 9:04 PM in reply to gayinmt
What he meant by "free to be whatever you want" was "free to be whatever you want as long as the Christian Reich approves."
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navamske
July 13, 2010 11:47 PM in reply to WaitWut?
Lifestyles of the Reich and Fascist
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chameleon
July 14, 2010 9:08 AM in reply to navamske
Oh that was cute....
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ariuszme
July 13, 2010 7:43 PM
emm yum, I just love the GOP party.
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AJM
July 14, 2010 12:01 AM in reply to ariuszme
Let me correct that for you: GOBP.
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ariuszme
July 13, 2010 7:46 PM
I have 2 semi off topics to state:
1) Fox fake News is single handidly actually destroying this country. I'd like to know when someone, anyone, is going to do something about it.
2) Michele Bachmann's Campaign mgr and Finance director quit. One has to wonder the real reason asto why.
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Marinus van der Lubbe
July 13, 2010 8:21 PM in reply to ariuszme
I just read that article in the StarTribune online. She has gone through 5 Chief of Staff people. Obviously, it hasnt hurt her as she still reigns in her domain of weirdness!
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pbuchberg
July 13, 2010 8:23 PM
You can laugh at the Republicans all you want--the fact is, if are sick and have no health care, you will probably spend a lot of time praying. Obama has taken us away from God.
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The Commenter Formerly Known as NCSteve
July 13, 2010 8:55 PM in reply to pbuchberg
Um, what? God doesn't want people to have health care?
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WaitWut?
July 13, 2010 9:09 PM in reply to The Commenter Formerly Known as NCSteve
I think he/she was implying that if we DO have health care and are healthy (thanks to Obamacare) that we will spend less time praying. So...Pres. Obama is destroying our relationship with God by making it unnecessary for us to chat with him/her/it.
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cwnidog
July 13, 2010 11:43 PM in reply to The Commenter Formerly Known as NCSteve
Just faith healers, everything else (you know, the stuff that actually works) comes from the devil. We know this because the sooner you die, the sooner you get to go to heaven and see Baby Jeebus, or go to H-E-double hockey sticks for the eternal torment that your unbelieving soul deserves.
See, get your head right and all becomes clear.
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MassDem
July 13, 2010 10:14 PM in reply to pbuchberg
Because people will be healthier, and, therefore spend less time begging for their life, we are taking you away from your God? Maybe you can pray for brain you delusional nitwit.
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pbuchberg
July 14, 2010 4:25 PM in reply to MassDem
Relax, it was a joke.
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nonnymouse
July 13, 2010 11:56 PM in reply to pbuchberg
It's always seemed to me that if one REALLY believed in "God" then any health care would be a no-no as any sickness suffered would be a punishment from "God", and trying to contravene it would opposing "God".
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slb
July 14, 2010 4:37 AM in reply to nonnymouse
I believe you are describing one of the significant tenets of Christian Science. Mary Baker Eddy got there ahead of you.
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mcjam
July 14, 2010 8:11 AM in reply to nonnymouse
And if you think about it, all this "god's will" tripe is the opposite of "freedom".... there's just so many cognitively dissonant thoughts just rattling around in their cranial maracas.
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Peter Principle
July 13, 2010 9:00 PM
Of course, that also includes the freedom to be a complete and utter fuckwad -- a freedom which this guy appears determined to exercise each and every day of his pathetic, useless, excrement-smeared life.
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tiowally
July 14, 2010 12:05 AM
As a devoted Pastafarian I'm all for religious freedom. My objection lies in underwriting it. It's time to end tax-exempt status for all religious organizations across the board. It's a fucking business — the selling of blue skies — and should be treated as such. If they want to run a soup kitchen as a 501c3 fine. But tax the property, tax the income, etc. Churches in America, in all of their glorious destructiveness, have gotten a free ride long enough.
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NotBornEveryMinute
July 14, 2010 2:10 AM in reply to tiowally
Amen, brother!
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mcjam
July 14, 2010 8:15 AM in reply to tiowally
Excellent turn of phrase...the selling of blue skies...apt yet poetic, too.
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Leftflank
July 14, 2010 12:28 AM
Once you go wack, there's no coming back.
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Mary Alice
July 14, 2010 1:24 AM
What a goober...............
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stlounick
July 14, 2010 9:50 AM
Russ will win his seat again. What's going on is more devious. One of the most conservative Catholic areas in the nation is right in Russ' district--but not in enough numbers to defeat Russ (gerrymandering certainly took care of that concern!).
But there is a US Senate race expected to be very close. Martin is a throwaway candidate who is to rile up the Repubs to turnout for a midterm. Their votes are needed for a statewide win--just as Robin Carnahan needs all the Dems outside of St Louis and Kansas City to show up at the polls. Martin has also called Robin Carnahan "the devil".
I'll expect more intimidation by these a$$holes as we start serious campaigning for votes in the next few weeks. They certainly showed up in the 2008 primary and general election.
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