Rep. Blackburn Won't Pledge To Stop Calling Obama A Socialist

Rep. Marsha Blackburn, one of the most prominent flamethrowers in the House of Representatives, simply could not commit herself on Thursday to no longer call President Obama a socialist or a tyrant.

Appearing at the Bloomberg Washington Summit, the Tennessee Republican was asked whether she disapproved of some of the more vitriolic rhetoric heard at conservative town-hall or tea-party protests.

"I think many of us would appreciate having a more civil tone here in Washington," Blackburn responded. "And what we would love to see is less partisanship; and individuals coming to the table and sitting down and working in a bipartisan manner. That is one of the items that has been so frustrating in dealing with the health care bill."

Nice dodge. Gary Flake, an employee of Microsoft and the person who posed the question, kept at it. Will you, he asked, "no longer endorse the words and language of socialism and evil and tyranny and things like that."

"What I will tell you --" Blackburn replied, carefully choosing her words.

"-- Is a crisp answer?" chimed in Flake.

"What I will be happy to tell you is that the American people are very frustrated," replied Blackburn, getting a big flummoxed. "And what I can speak to is for me. And what I think to do is to represent my constituents in ways that are going to honor the fact that they have elected me and that they have sent me here. They want to see action... They are frustrated with Washington D.C. as a whole. And what we need to do is make certain that we as representatives coming here are able to sit down and work on these issues and work these problems out."

With that, the interview ended. Unbeknown to both parties at the time was that a local official from Blackburn's home state had just thrown another rhetorical haymaker at the White House. Rep. Richard Floyd, a Republican member of the Tennessee House of Representatives, blasted out an email on Thursday afternoon warning about "what socialist leader Obama and his gang of thugs are trying to do to this country." Floyd was worried, for some odd reason, that Obama was trying to take away people's firearms.

Comments

[NewOrleans4Obama]

12:41 AM on 02/08/2010

At the GOP question/a­nswer she had to read from a note card to regurgitat­e her tired talking points. Political hack.

[WalidMaaytah]

08:13 AM on 11/17/2009

Another shallow, vindictive and insignific­ant blabbermou­th who wants to be on TV, like the other Republican bimbos we came to be too familiar with, and the only way to do it is to badmouth the President with inane, meaningles­s and hateful words. Simply pathetic!

[SocialistBoy]

10:53 PM on 11/16/2009

Ms. Blackburn is a Ho!!!! How's that for name-calli­ng??

[Flymast]

07:21 PM on 11/16/2009

Just pure racism and nothing else.

[joanno]

05:03 PM on 11/16/2009

She;s too enchaned with herself to be reflective­.

[King Keith]

01:02 PM on 11/16/2009

Well from what I can see from my vantage point here in Nashville is that Blackburn is really trying to secure her place on Mt. Dumbassmor­e next to Bauchmann and Palin. She is also trying to build up her base with the local Council of Conservati­ve Clansman and the Teabaggers­. Marsha Blackburn you are the worst.

[CyrusBeaucephus]

12:45 PM on 11/16/2009

Less partisansh­ip, eh? then shut your ugly gob

[bulfinch]

11:30 AM on 11/16/2009

If she makes the promise, I'll promise to stop calling her a silly clown.

[tmo7734]

11:25 AM on 11/16/2009

Blackburn is a member of the lunatic fringe of the Republican party who must be run out of government­. Her nonsense has no place in the U.S. Congress.

[BrianMark]

11:06 AM on 11/16/2009

Obama is a Socialist. When he said "fundament­ally remake America," on the campaign trail what did you all think he was talking about? The carpets at the White House?

No, the plan is to remake our society. Good idea? Bad idea? I say bad, many others, especially here, like the idea.

[CyrusBeaucephus]

11:17 AM on 11/16/2009

Well then I guess you need to start winning elections. sore loser

[SocialistBoy]

11:01 PM on 11/16/2009

You're to the congregati­on here Hoss. I'm happy being anything , but a Bushite!!! Got it??

[odyssey58]

08:05 PM on 11/14/2009

What's wrong with being socialist? The citizens of socialist European countries are healthier, happier, smarter and better educated, and they live longer. They are free to attend any university that will accept them at little cost. They are free to switch jobs without worrying about health insurance. Nobody goes bankrupt due to medical bills. What's wrong with that?
Many Americans are completely ignorant of what socialism is. They use the term as a put down without really knowing what they're saying. Why I am I not surprised?
We are prisoners of our own ignorance. We'll continue to go bankrupt from illness and education will be unaffordab­le for many.

[bulfinch]

11:31 AM on 11/16/2009

Good post.

[QuanticoCat]

05:31 PM on 11/16/2009

I had no idea Socialism was so perfect. You really aren't able to see any potential downside, even if you try really hard?

[CO2feedsPlants]

07:30 PM on 11/14/2009

why should she NOT call him a socialist? Barry IS a socialist.

[lthuedk 1]

03:56 PM on 11/14/2009

It's tough to cleanse the Fox Stain from one's brain, I suppose.

http://www­.light-to-­dark.com/m­urdochs_en­slaved_red­_states.ht­ml

[MurrayAbraham]

02:26 PM on 11/14/2009

And that is news?

[sadwolf1]

01:39 PM on 11/14/2009

Fear and hate ---that's all you have to offer? Could the Republican­s be any less productive­?