Ever since he delivered his stemwinder on March 19 in Virginia, it's been clear that Barack Obama is going to win a historic victory on health care. But even as Democrats prepare to celebrate the passage of the bill, they should reflect on their own record over the past several months. Instead of focusing on their adversaries from the right, they've devoted much of their energies to assailing the president for either going too far or not far enough on the issue of health care. But the venom directed yesterday at John Lewis, Emanuel Cleaver, and Barney Frank by Tea Party protesters should serve as a wake-up call.
As the Democrats pass what is a fairly conservative program, the right is lurching further and further into the breakdown lane. At bottom, it cannot accept the legitimacy of Obama's election. Unable to assail his impeccable personal life, it's demonizing him as a socialist and communist instead.
But that looks mild compared to the abuse showered on Lewis yesterday. The epithets spewed by the Tea Party bigots are not protests. They are defamation.
They are also a sign of why the movement is likely to fracture into its constituent hatreds. No, not all members of the Tea Party are racists, but a number of racists are clearly members of the party. As they rant about Wall Street and the Federal Reserve, the only thing missing is complaints about Jewish bankers, but that's probably not far off.
Democrats should seize this moment to rally around Obama. Though the right is claiming that the passage of health care will ignite a firestorm of indignation and lead to renewed Republican control of Congress, it ain't necessarily so. In this case, the wish is the father of the thought. The swing voters may yet be swinging back to the Democrats, but only if Obama and Congress pass real financial reforms and if the economy continues to show signs of improving.
The key to a Democratic recovery, of course, depends on Obama and his formidable oratorical powers. As the midterm elections loom, the best defense remains a good offense. If he wants to go down in history for more than health care, he will have to stay on the offensive.
Their problem ?
Not enough ba//z to stand up to the GOP .....
As for campaigning to repeal Health Care, I can't wait to see GOP candidates try - tell those seniors that you're going to eliminate the $250 they get to fill the doughnut hole. Tell working families that you want to allow insurance companies to knock them off their roles for pre-existing conditions.
The GOP campaigned very hard in the 30's through the 50's (it was written into their national platform untill Eisenhower took it off) to eliminate Social Security - they didn't do so well then..
Sticks and stones may break my bones, but epithets are intangible vocalized expressions incapable of inflicting physical impairment. Say what?
The epithets spewed by the Tea Party bigots are not protests. They are defamation.
Spelt, d.e.s.p.e.r.a.t.i.o.n.
“the best defense”
Is the enemy’s offensiveness?
be wrong but these republican's make me so proud of the intelligence
of some of the American public. :(
http://newleftmedia.com/
The mainstream media continues to gloss over the mean-spirited actions of the tea-partiers. We must do our part to pass evidence of this misbehavior around so that everyone will know about it and be aware of how dangerous and miserable these people are......many of them are the "Ghosts of Mississippi"...
This is radically right wing, this is pure fascism.
>They'll never govern again if they follow the Tea party / Fox Noise base.
>They'll never govern again if they ignore the Tea party / Fox Noise base.
Karl Rove and Rupert Murdoch have, amazingly, destroyed the American Republican party.
On this beautiful first day of Spring, I say to them : THANK YOU.
As for how things will play out next November, you might find the post-Massachusetts-special-election poll results at http://act.boldprogressives.org/cms/sign/mapollresults/ instructive. Granted that when Obama's out in public lying through his teeth he still sways the credulous, but even that may not be sufficient to avoid a well-deserved Democratic blood-bath next November.
For the life of me I can not think of a parallel to this;"cut off your nose" behavior of yours. As much as I hate to do this, I guess I just have to use that old time worn phrase one more time.
The difference is they're not in the White House.
Michael Steel looked like a deer caught in the headlights when it was pointed out that this bill os MORE MODERATE than what Reagan felt needed to be done.
And John Boehner - when has the truth ever crossed his lips- working the same doomsday statements that have no basis in truth. And as usual he stands by the tired line that we have the best health care in the world - & I love this one "heads of State come to the United States for treatment". Yes and Yes - but our current system works ONLY if you have $$$$ (LOTS of $$$$) or a health care plan such as the one John Boehner benefits from.
If our system were that great we wouldn't rank #1 in spending of GPD (15.8%), 3rd in per capita spending ($3,076 per person) and yet rank 49th in life expectancy (78.11 years) [(behind {GASP} Canada - which by the way ranks 9th in per capita spending ($2,587 per person), 7th in GDP (10% of GDP) and 8th in life expectancy (81.23 years)].