6.23.2005

Political Irreverence

I’m done with neocons.

Republicans it’s time to take back your Party.

Karl Rove should apologize and resign or President Bush should have the patriotism to fire him.

"Conservatives saw the savagery of 9/11 in the attacks and prepared for war; liberals saw the savagery of the 9/11 attacks and wanted to prepare indictments and offer therapy and understanding for our attackers,” said Rove yesterday.

Totally disgusting.

I spend half my time working with Republicans. The vast majority of them are caring, fun-loving, great Americans. A small percentage is neocon fed and hates anything that does not agree with them. Reagan called the neocons the “crazies in the basement.” Why couldn’t George W. Bush leave them there?

Pretty soon there won’t be any true Republicans left.

Right now, the Republicans-- because of the neocons-- think they have a monopoly on God. As if God has anything to do with American political parties. Now, and mainly because of the black eye Republicans received over the block of Bolton, Karl Rove wants to turn the attention back to 9/11. The neocons want to portray any form of dissent as unpatriotic, and as a means to aid the enemy.

First of all, just like not all Republicans are neocons, not all Democrats are liberals. And for that matter, please explain to me what a liberal is anyway. However, Rove and so many others try to paint the Dems as this weak liberal party. I go out of my way many times to make the distinction between neocons and Republicans. I’m not so sure I’m going to do it anymore.

Second, trying to politicize 9/11 for political gain, and that is exactly what Rove has done and continues to do, minimizes that tragedy and the sacrifice of those who have responded with complete valor. Republicans, you don’t own 9/11. That tragedy is not only yours. It’s not a political centerpiece. Do not minimize this debate to be about how manly and strong the Republican Party is. Do not use the unity of 9/11 to polarize this country anymore than it already is.

Republicans, your political trash talk is doing more to demoralize this country than anything that you define as liberal.

If Rove and the neocons want to take this debate back to 9/11, and how and why we are at war today because of that attack, then I’m all for it. Because then maybe we can really talk about why we are in Iraq, a country that had absolutely nothing to do with 9/11, and a war a majority of Americans do not support. But to rinse this country with the bloody rags of neocon hate speech is appalling to me and the millions who voted against Bush and his puppet regime.

Yes, this is a rant. And long overdue.

Dems, have a backbone this time.

Update: No sooner than I get this post published and then I discover that a group of Republicans have already started to take back their party. Gun Toting Liberal has the link and I must admit I'm in total agreement with GTL and any Republican that wants the true progressive Republican Party back. Thanks to GTL for alerting me to the RINOs. I'm all for no more wacko's. This is also a great post, and credit to GTL.

8 comments:

Sminklemeyer said...

This is totally different but those comments kind of remind of John Rocker, the Atlanta Braves pitcher who was quoted in Sports Illustrated as to being a prejudice a-hole. I think I'll take the middle ground here, and just read the flood of soon-to-be comments.

CaliValleyGirl said...

I had to laugh at your opener: "I’m done with neocons."

Like you ever liked them anyways!

Yeah, it's totally disgraceful. It's almost as bad as making Hitler comparisons. But maybe it's like Godwin's Law, and the first person who invokes such a comparison has actually lost the argument. So maybe it's a good sign!

Craig said...

To begin with, I want to say that I understand the comments that Dick Durbin spoke last week. He didn't mean to compare our troops to atrocious historical rulers, but simply the tactics. Even so, the comparison was out of line, not the speech.

That being said, I also take the same approach to Rove. He is correct when he says "Conservatives saw the savagery of 9/11 in the attacks and prepared for war; liberals saw the savagery of the 9/11 attacks and wanted to prepare indictments...". However, he does get off course with the rest of his sentence. Just like with the first World Trade Center bombing and the way those terrorists were handled, I beleive most liberals would have liked to put the terrorists in court, not recognize the attack for what it was, a declaration of war.

I would really like to see a stop to this kind of language on both sides of the aisle. Just because liberals want to indict terrorists in courts, and neo-cons want to wage war, we both agree that something must be done. We tried the indictments in 1993-95. This time we are trying war, only history will tell who was successful.

dav said...

"Conservatives saw the savagery of 9/11 in the attacks and prepared for war;

Well for a start this is complete bullshit. We know that preparations for war were being made long before 9/11. This is the sort of John Wayne, gun toting, revenge saga guff that passes for patriotism thesedays.

and I not a fan of patriotism.

"Patriotism in its simplest, clearest, and most indubitable signification is nothing else but a means of obtaining for the rulers their ambitions and covetous desires, and for the ruled the abdication of human dignity, reason, and conscience, and a slavish enthralment to those in power. And as such it is recommended wherever it is preached. Patriotism is slavery." Tolstoy

On the other hand, if one agrees with his statement, then should you not be applauding the Iraqi insurgency for their defense against western imperialism.

Cooper said...

If the mindless masses didn't suck it up they wouldn't do it.
The people can stop it.

The GTL™ said...

Thank you for the link, my friend. I really appreciate the fact that you read my blog regularly and offer your oppinions on there. I value them greatly. Blog ON, and let's take America back.

Chris said...

Thanks everyone for reading and commenting.

I had to be out of town for some business and I haven't had a chance to read this blog or anyone else's for the last couple days.

I have like a few seconds here to thank everyone and just add some of my own comments.

After I wrote this post, I wasn't sure that I should have done it. It was written mainly out of anger over some stupid neocon's statements. I should have taking the higher ground and just ignored Rove's comments-- sorta like Alice suggested. It's just that I'm so tired of neocons getting away with the labels, name calling, false accusations and never ever having to answer to or apologize for it.

Just for the record, Rove's comments are totally incorrect. To label the opposing minority party as enemy helping traitors is dirty, historically inaccurate and only shows Rove's discomfort with the current political situation, which is Bush's pathetic handling of everything since Jan. 2001.

I also want to draw notice to something very distinct. When Democrats say something they probably should not have, they apologize and do so numerous times (i.e., Durbin). When Republicans rattle from the mouth and say things which are meant to drive wedges and create hostility, no matter their validity, they many times refuse to apologize or even admit that they were wrong. They think admitting that they are wrong only shows weakness, and how can the party of maleness, the party of all the tough people be weak?

Rove was wrong. He is the president's chief political advisor. He speaks for the president. Wherever he goes he represents the president. Unless the president tells us otherwise, Rove's comments are the presidents. If Bush allows his chief political advisor to label the opposing party as traitor's and terrorists sympathizers then I want nothing to do with a political party that allows such. Rove and Bush are wrong, dead wrong.

Again, I don't normally just generalize all Republicans or conservatives for something that one of their wacko's did. I think I have on many occassions made the distinction between the Republican Party and those who speak political hatred. Yes the same is true for Democrats as well. But when someone as close to the president as Rove is, says and does what he did, I do draw a line.

Thanks to everyone. I promise on Sunday I am going to make my rounds and catch up on my reading.

Household6 said...

MJ -
Don't worry about your comments or rant. I've been worried about the Republican party for several years now and I've been a registered Republican since I was old enough to vote.

I'm with CVG, his comments are disgraceful & after reading about someone who just lost a close friend of theirs while out on patrol together makes me even more made at his comments.

Thanks for the link to GTL, I'd like to see a Republican party that I can actually stand!

HH6
AKA Miss Stella