I picked this up from Josh Marshall a few days ago who got the lead from some other sources. This is something that I think sums up my whole astonishment towards the Republican Party.
Senator Elizabeth Dole, who is heading the 2006 Republican Senatorial Committee, in an email geared to Republican supporters, disclosed what Republicans (I say Republicans because Mrs. Dole is in a leadership position and when she speaks she speaks for the entire Republican Party unless Ken Mehlman directs us otherwise) admit to being their platform for the 2006 midterm elections:
"If Democrats take control of the Senate in '06, they will cancel the Bush tax cuts, allow liberal activist judges to run our courts and undermine all Republican efforts to win the War on Terror. Even worse they will call for endless congressional investigations and possibly call for the impeachment of President Bush!"
This from the same Party that raised taxes in 1990. The same Party the Supreme Court-- the same activist judicial system Republicans scorn-- ruled to be in power in 2000, the same Party that ordered the invasion of Iraq-- a country which had absolutely nothing to do with 9/11 and the same place that the recent Republican led administration admitted is becoming a safe-haven for terrorists; in addition to being from the same Republican Party that allied itself with Saddam Hussein and bin Laden in the 80s inexplicably creating both madmen, and the exact same Party that did indeed call for and enact an unprecedented independent investigation into a president and ultimately his impeachment. Dole is rallying against the very same actions in which the Republican Party has been engaging in since Ronald Reagan, throughout the 90s and well into today.
On another level, Josh rightfully comments that once again the Republican Party is labeling the Democrats as “surrendering to the terrorists.” I gotta go a little further than that, though, with this desperate and ignorant statement by the Republican Party.
Although I disagree on a very basic fundamental level with the Republican Party, I do in no way have the desire, the strategic positioning or the logical understanding to want to reduce an entire political Party to being on the same cognitive, incoherent level as the enemy that this nation fights. Yet the Republican Party, since dissent and opposition has steadily grown towards President Bush’s ill-planned invasion of Iraq, has not stopped at labeling anyone who disagrees whether it’s the opposition party or a wacko walking down the street as being “terrorist sympathizers,” “cut and run losers,” “anti-American,” or “un-patriotic” scum. Even though Republicans have largely practiced and mastered the behavior they don't want any other party to engage in, and benefited from the judicial system they despise which placed them in power.
Time and time again, Republicans are allowed to get away with this sort of rhetoric without many in the media picking up on it, or even more sadly without the Democrats hitting back. I’m tired of it.
What is truly sad is that I personally know a lot of Republicans who make no distinction between Democrats and the enemy (here is a great example). This is evident from Dole's email because this is what they run their campaigns with also. Why are they allowed to get away with this?
Tags:
Bush, Dole, Shameful, Josh Marshall, Talking Points Memo,
7 comments:
It didn't work then and, if they can't take advantage of the very obvious faults -of this administration and the Republican party in general- to promote their cause, their platform, (whatever the hell that is because frankly it is rather vague and not all that cohesive at this time), their ideas, and their ideals then they may well be bum fuck out of luck the next time around as well.
It's all about perception and what they( the dems) don't seem to understand is that the country may well be seeing the faults, mistakes, and downright corruption that has taken place over the reign of this administration but if they do not take advantage of this right now the machine could well turn things around and the fickle public may, again, see things in a different way.
Sitting back and watching the fall of an empire, instead of taking part in a war which will take it down, is a sure way to guarantee that the empire will come back stronger than before.
"Why are they allowed to get away with this?" Because we are becoming a Nation that is losing our common sense... our right or morality and intelligance. We are now becoming a nation of "Ima Whiner and My Rights"... Screw everything that our forefathers before us worked so hard for.
oops... intelligence... SEEEE WHAT I MEAN!!!!
If the Democrats really want to be taken seriously on national security again they have to stop making it harder for us to catch terrorists/foil terrorist plots and/or inflame anti-American hatred overseas.
Some examples:
Opposing the NSA wiretapping program; Fighting al Qaeda means being able to know with whom they communicate within the United States.
Making a big deal out of (a non-issue) Abu Ghraib; inflamming anti-American hatred on a non-story as this was particularly shameful.
Largely opposing Guantanamo Bay (until they saw it for themselves); the Democrats accused the Administration of mistreatment until a delegation went down to Cuba to see for themselves. Now, even Sheila Jackson Lee approves of Gitmo.
Opposing the Patriot Act; the centerpiece of counter-terrorism efforts in the global War On Terror and the primary reason why we haven't been hit again since 2001.
Insuring the removal of the public library provision of the renewed Patriot Act; The 9/11 hijackers used internet access at America's public libraries to communicate with each other and to buy airline tickets. Prohibiting this from the Patriot Act is more than I can understand. Additionally, no one has ever proven that the Justice Department seized the library records of even one American citizen.
This is a black and white issue. Either you are actively fighting terrorism or you are not. The Democrats hate President Bush, but that's a bad excuse for not being tough on the enemy.
Kent, you just laid out the exact type of rhetoric that makes Republicans look like a bunch of media-spinning, propagandist, lying bunch of douche bags. Allow me to explain.
You:Democrats oppose NSA wiretapping.
Reality: Bullshit. Democrats, libertarians, Greens, and others do NOT oppose wiretapping on any legal level whatsoever. What we are asking for the Bush administration to do is follow the law, and the Constitution. This President has expanded federal government/presidential powers (you know, the ones the small-government Republicans are supporting) like no other, and it trashes everything we stand for as a country. And might I remind you, conservatives were outraged when they found out Clinton was LEGALLY using the NSA to wiretap with court approval, and now suddenly when your president takes it an illegal step further and bypasses the law, its ok?
So, when Democrats (and even Republicans) stand up against these violations, we're told we're helping the enemy and hurting national security? That totally derails the merits of arguing legal wiretapping, and instead brings absolute rage from those being accused of "helping the enemy," and that's fucking ridiculous. Grow the fuck up.
You: Democrats have inflamed anti-Americanism for being outraged by torture of very Iraqis we're trying to liberate.
Reality:Are you fucking kidding me? Your administration has set up a situation in which American law, and international law have been violated, innocent people have been tortured, raped and killed, and you're blaming the Democrats? Do you really believe that raping people with glow sticks, beating prisoners who have nothing to do with the resistance in Iraq, and leading naked prisoners around by leashes is not a big deal to the entire world community, let alone the Muslim world in the Middle East? Do you honestly feel that fucking someone in the ass with a glowstick doesn't enrage Muslims, but asking the government to stop doing that does? Can everyone take a look at the reasoning this guy is using and tell me why you don't understand why people on my side can't understand why Bush's approval rating is as high as 33%?
You:Democrats Oppose the Patriot Act.
Reality: You're a liar. Democrats do not oppose the act -the oppose less than 10% of the entire act, concentrating on provisions giving unprecedented expansion of Federal Government to spy on Americans, and invade their homes without probable cause, warrants or any other legal means by which the Constitution was written to protect.
As for Gitmo, do you realize the incredible lack of terrorist-related people we have in that prison? I don't care if Sheila Jackson took a shovel and helped build the prison herself - we are holding people in prisons without charging them with anything or following any rule of law given to detainment of human beings! How is that ok with you? If they're terrorists, then try them and throw them in prison for the rest of their lives?! Bad idea?
Honestly - to mirror your statement. White privileged, cigar smoking Republican assholes will never be taken seriously until they start understanding that swift-boating everyone that disagrees with their law breaking policies doesn't necessarily mean Democrats hate America or are terrorists.
But people like you enable guys like me to draw fuel for this fight every single time I see type of disgusting shit you published above, so I thank you for keeping the flames of hatred toward the Republican party stronger than ever.
Let's review again:
[1] The FISA judges agree with the NSA eavesdropping program. The Bush Administration is following the law. Americans are not being spied upon. Rather, the NSA is monitoring communications between known terrorists abroad and terrorist contact within the United States, which no reasonable American opposes. Get your facts straight. Next.
[2] International laws violated? Name one. Adopting America-hating European talking points only exposes you to be a lazy, non-thinker. Next.
[3] Attempting to water down the Patriot Act is tantamount to opposing it. Playing politics with national security is what Democrats do best. Next.
[4] Gitmo. Suppose we're still gleaning intelligence from these detainees? That's the entire point of Gitmo. Actionable intelligence. Think back to the last time Democrats were in charge. How did you guys fight terrorism? Short answer: You didn't. Which is why Clinton and Gore are largely responsible for 9/11. Next.
The fact remains that in terms of fighting the global War On Terror, the silly Democrats are obsessed and paralyzed with process, more concerned with the rights of the bad guys than the rights of Americans to be safe. The world passes you by as you talk and talk and talk. The Democrats talk about everything because they don't have a plan for anything.
Rather than wasting your time 'drawing fuel' you should support your President and your troops. When it comes to supporting your country in a time of war you are a miserable failure. You, others like you and the leaders of your so-called Democratic party are no different from the al Qaeda thugs seeking to destroy America.
For future comments, I'd caution you against using the words 'honestly,' and 'reality' in your comments because you are clearly unfamiliar with the definitions of both.
Normally I would pull the plug on the nice little debate taking place. But this time I think I will let it go. Though Jeremy, you need to chill a tad. Do keep it civil. Jaz at Philosophix would call me a hypocrit for not deleting your comments.
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