Across this great nation, far-right Republicans and conservatives continue to engage in the politics of fear and smear with regard to health care.
Media Matters for America has begun a list to document the extremist language being used by many of those on the far right. And, not surprisingly, some of the worst offenders are Rush Limbaugh and Fox News. This is, of course, no big surprise. Limbaugh and Fox News have been working overtime defending pretty much anything coming from the far right and demonizing just about everything coming from the far left. At least Limbaugh is honest about being dangerously hateful and conservative. With him, what you see is what you get. Fox News, on the other hand, lies about being fair and balanced while being anything but fair and balanced.
Health care has driven the far right to sanity’s breaking point. The right wing has mobilized in an effort to do everything within its power (using its public relations team, Fox News, to get it done).
Here are a few of the insane comments from some on the far right:
RUSH LIMBAUGH: “Mullah Nancy Bin Pelosi … is no different” than those who “convince all these people to put bombs on their kids.”
LIMBAUGH: Democrats are “the kamikaze party.”
ANDREW BREITBART: Calls President Obama “Suicide-Bomber-In-Chief.”
MONICA CROWLEY: Health care reform is Democrats’ “suicide mission.”
Limbaugh is an unpatriotic extremist, Breitbart is a nut and an extremist and Crowley is just …. Monica Crowley (if you have seen her on Fox News you know how little she really has to offer that is positive and fair).
These are but a VERY few samples of hate speech compiled by Media Matters for America illustrating the lengths to which far-right conservatives will go to derail health care and demonize opponents.
What is considered anti-American behavior these days?
It seems, increasingly so, that the line is being blurred as far as anti-American activity is concerned.
Many conservatives (who clearly do not have the best interests of this country at heart … particularly on this issue) actively were cheerleading against the United States of America in its effort to secure the 2016 Olympics and bashing a great American city like Chicago in the process.
This is from Media Matters for America:
Conservative media figures have celebrated the International Olympic Committee’s elimination of Chicago’s bid to host the 2016 Summer Olympics and used the event to bash President Obama, who flew to Copenhagen to lobby IOC members on behalf of Chicago’s bid. For instance, Glenn Beck called the news that Chicago’s bid had failed “so sweet,” Rush Limbaugh declared himself “happy” and “gleeful” with the results, and Matt Drudge proclaimed: “World rejects Obama.”
Right wingers have been pleased to see Americans fail in their bid to host the Olympics.
Why should career haters like Limbaugh, Beck and Drudge care about the hard work that so many good people in this country put in to try and bring the 2016 Olympic Games to the United States of America.
Many of these are the same people, with a stunning hypocrisy, have strongly criticized President Obama for supposedly not standing up for America. These same “great Americans” have been campaigning against this country getting the Olympics.
Here are some of the samples of right-wing glee over the U.S. losing from those “great Americans” out there:
Rush Limbaugh: For those “upset that I sound gleeful — I am. I don’t deny it. I’m happy.” On his radio program, Limbaugh stated: “Folks, the ego has landed. The world has rejected Obama. Chicago, the least number of votes, first elimination in the round of voting for the Olympics in 2016. … When you stop to think about it, folks, doesn’t it make sense? Our president, Barack Hussein Obama — mmm, mmm, mmm, Barack Hussein Obama mmm, mmm, mmm — had been running around the world for nine months telling everybody how much our country sucks. He’s been running around the world apologizing for the United States of America. Why would anybody award the Olympics to such a crappy place as the United States of America?” Later in the program, after reading a series of headlines about Chicago’s elimination, Limbaugh explained why he is “gleeful” and “happy” about the failure of its Olympic bid …
Michelle Malkin: “Goodbye, ‘Yes We Can.’ Hello, ‘No, You Can’t.’ “ Fox News contributor Michelle Malkin wrote: “Goodbye, ‘Yes We Can.’ Hello, ‘No, You Can’t.’ Like Icarus, President Obama’s giddy ego flight has ended with melted wax and fallen wings. This is a big win and a massive relief for taxpayers. But Chicago cronies are not going to take this well. Gird your loins.”
Beck: “Oh, it’s so sweet” that Chicago’s bid failed; “savor this moment.” On his radio program, Beck said: “Do not go anywhere. Don’t — do not look at the screen. Don’t — don’t go to any other radio stations. Nothing. You don’t want to hear this news — I mean, please, please let me break this news to you. Oh, it’s so sweet.” After a commercial break, Beck’s producer stated that “the first round of voting is up for the Olympic games, and the first city” — at which point Beck interrupted, saying, “Wait! Wait for it! Wait for it. Enjoy this — savor this moment.” The producer continued, “And the first city to be eliminated is Chicago.” Beck later asked his producer if Chicago’s elimination was proof that Obama had “failed.” [Premiere Radio Networks' The Glenn Beck Show, 10/2/09]
The greatness of this country is that it allows people like this, individuals who actively cheer against our country and the hard-working people of our country, to have such great platforms.
It shows the bitterness and sour grapes that people like Limbaugh, Malkin, Drudge and Beck are happy to see the country fail if it helps their far-right political agenda.
So, the greatness of this country means we have to take the good with the bad. But, this is really bad.
It’s good, in the long run, for Democrats.
With all of this hate, the Republican Party will continue to shrink and become marginalized.
Losing this one battle (disappointing as it is for some) may help the Left win the war.
I spotted this from a blog posted by Crooks and Liars regarding idiotic comments made by nuts on the far right comparing President Obama to Hitler and likening the Democrats to the Nazis. This is from a segment of Rachel Maddow’s MSNBC evening show (as she interviewed author Franklin Schaeffer.
MADDOW: Do you think that calling the president a Nazi, calling the president Hitler, is an implicit call for politically-motivated violence?
SCHAEFFER: Yes I do. In fact, this rings a big bell with me, because my dad, who was a right-wing evangelical leader, wrote a book called A Christian Manifesto — it sold over a million copies. And in that book he compared anyone who was pro-abortion to the Nazi Germans, and he said that using violence or force to overthrow Nazi Germany would have been appropriate for Christians, including the assassination of Hitler. He compared the Supreme Court’s actions on abortion to that. And that has been a note that has been following the right wing movement that my father and I helped start in an evangelical context all the way.
So what’s really being said here is two messages. There is the message to the predominantly white, middle-aged crowds of people screaming at these meetings, trying to shut them down, but there’s also a coded message to what I would call the loony tunes — the fruit loops on the side. It’s really like playing Russian Roulette — you put a cartridge in the chamber, you spin, and once in awhile it goes off.
And we saw that happen with Dr. Tiller, we’ve seen it happen numerous times with the violence against political leaders, whether it’s Martin Luther King or whoever it might be. We have a history of being a well-armed, violent country. And so really, I think that these calls are incredibly irresponsible.
The good news is that it shows a desperation. The far right knows they have lost, they’ve lost the hearts and minds of most American people, for instance, who want health care. But they also know that they have a large group of people who are not well-informed, who listen to only their own sources, who buy the lies — for instance, all this nonsense about euthanasia being mandatory, and all the rest of it. And these people can be energized to go out and do really dreadful things.
And we’ve seen it in front of abortion clinics, I’m afraid we’re going to see it with some of our political leaders. And the Glenn Becks of this world literally are responsible for unleashing what I regard as an anti-democratic, anti-American movement in this country. It is trying to shut down legitimate debate, and replace it with straight-out intimidation.
The talk has become very dangerous, and the good people on the right need to step forward, listen to conscience and tone it down.
Persuasiveness comes not necessarily from who talks the loudest, but who talks smartest.
The crazed birthers (many of whom probably see themselves as good Americans) have indirectly been extremely critical of the United States of America as well as its president and its commander-in-chief, Barack Obama.
Are these individuals just raising questions or are they anti-American? Are these individuals disrespecting our nation and badmouthing our country for partisan political purposes?
Sandy Gholston
