The Silence of the Republicans

The Republican shenanigans during President Obama's speech to Congress last week, including, but not limited to, Representative Joe Wilson (R-SC) yelling "you lie," while extraordinarily disrespectful of the presidency, the Congress, and not least the American people, follows directly from a pattern of behavior by Republican leaders or by ordinary Americans, facilitated and encouraged by the Republican Party and affiliated groups. The behavior itself should not be too surprising, the failure of almost any major Republican leaders to speak out against this behavior, may not be surprising, but is certainly noteworthy.

A clear line can be drawn from the red-baiting and Muslim-baiting of Obama during the campaign, to the birther movement, to shouting down Democratic members of Congress at town hall meetings to the accusation that the President of the United States was a Nazi because he sought to expand health care to a greater number of Americans to Joe Wilson's behavior last week. Parenthetically, it should be noted that other American presidents who have sought to expand health care coverage to more Americans include Franklin Roosevelt and Harry Truman, two presidents whose anti-Nazi credentials are reasonably strong.

The Republicans, to their credit, have done a remarkable job of lowering the bar for what passes as acceptable political dialog in recent months. It is hard to believe that only a few months ago people were outraged that Rush Limbaugh, the blowhard in chief of the right wing of the Republican Party, suggested that he wanted to see President Obama fail. After what we have seen the last few months, Limbaugh's comments seem positively bipartisan in nature.

Opponents of President Obama would almost certainly point out, not inaccurately, that criticism of President Bush was also particularly harsh and nasty, suggesting that this all is simply part of the give and take of politics today. This idea is appealing because it makes it possible to avoid confronting just how troubling the recent behavior of the Republican Party has been. However, the suggestion of a equivalence between the anti-Bush voices from 2001-2008 and the anti-Obama voices of today is false. The primary reason for this is that the venom directed against President Bush, while strong and at times genuinely hateful, came from the far left and the most intense opponents to the war. It did not come from the leadership of the Democratic Party, nor did it have the approval, tacit or otherwise, of that leadership.

It is worth remembering that Nancy Pelosi, who is frequently portrayed by her Republican opponents as some kind of dangerous radical, was targeted by the anti-war movement because of her unwillingness to move ahead with efforts to impeach President Bush after she became speaker of the house following the Democrats' 2006 victory. Similarly, the Democratic Party did not organize people to compare Bush to Hitler, to question the legitimacy of his presidency or to shout down representatives of the administration or Republican members of congress at meetings throughout the country. These things, to be sure, all did occur, but the Democratic Party neither organized nor supported these efforts.

This is why the Joe Wilson incident is so revealing. Wilson is not a right wing activist who might or might not be affiliated with the party. He is an elected leader of the party, who works closely, every day with other elected leaders of the party, yet he somehow thought that kind of behavior was appropriate. Similarly, other elected leaders of the party had thought it was somehow appropriate to stand quietly by as the president of the US was called a Nazi.

If anybody was so hopeful that they believed that the Republican Party leadership did not like the level of nastiness we have seen in recent months, they must now abandon that hope. It is hard to imagine that had a Democratic member of either house of Congress shouted "you lie" at President Bush during an address to congress in 2007-2008 we would have heard silence from Nancy Pelosi or Harry Reid of the kind we have heard from the Republican leadership. Importantly, while it can be argued, although probably wrongly, that the anti-Obama fervor is no worse than the anti-Bush feelings of a few years ago, it cannot be argued that the two parties have engaged in this rhetoric in the same way.

All of this raises the question of what has happened to the Republican moderates. We know that ideological moderates are few and far between in the Republican Party these days, but what about people within the party who, regardless of their ideological views, believe that there are certain lines -- calling people Nazis, shouting down elected officials, interrupting the president to call him a liar -- which should not be crossed.? The answer seems to be that even these voices either no longer exist in the Republican Party or are too frightened to step forward.

Comments

[cipher6]

Jim McDermott
Mr. Speaker, this administration is out of control. They have made obeying the law a thing of the past.
They have implemented ``the big lie'' theory of communications. This theory takes propaganda to a whole new level.
House of Representatives - June 18, 2004
Page: H4563

Mr. DeFAZIO:
Mr. Speaker, Chief of Staff Scooter Libby, the chief architect of the lies and deceptions about weapons of mass destruction
October 07, 2004
Page: H9366

Ms. MIKULSKI:
Well, from the very beginning, everything the Congress and the American people have been told by this administration has proven not to be so. It has either been an outright lie or dangerously incompetent.
January 11, 2007
Page: S410

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia
Did this administration and this President mislead, deceive, lie ; or did they just fail to tell the truth?
October 07, 2004
Page: H8643

CHARLES B. RANGEL
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2005
the President's lies are perpetuated at the local level...

The President has still not told anyone the real reason we are in Iraq. He has not told the truth
Page: E2379


CHARLES RANGEL
THURSDAY, MARCH 30, 2006
I can find nothing good about the lies , the deliberate effort made by the Vice President.­..

It is clear to me that the Vice President should be removed from office if he does not have sufficient patriotism and good grace to resign for the good of the country.
Page: E481

[labrown]

Wilson's comment inspired a national dialogue without which most lazy Americans would have gone back to their tv shows and bought Obama's line whole and never known that the bill has no mechansism to prevent illegals from applying and that two attempts to create such a mechansim was shot down by house Dems, this notwithstanding a possible amnesty bill which would negate such a mechanism and/or SC rulings as well. Wilson was right whether he is a racist or not! I don't know if he is a racist but I would take an honest racist over a dishonest progressive any day of the week!

[StanMann]

Is Romney salting political seats with his supporters and Bain buddies?

Karl Rove and Mitt are tossing a fund raiser for Romney’s former presidential consultant Barbara Comstock.
Comstock assisted the defense teams of both I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby[2] and former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay.[7] In 2005, Comstock was hired by Dan Glickman to lobby on behalf of the Motion Picture Association of America.[8­]
Comstock was a consultant on the presidential campaign of Mitt Romney[1]
Stephen Pagliuca a former Bain buddy of Mitt Romney, as well as Mitt Romney e-mailed his friends and thousands of supporters in California Tuesday to share why he's backing Meg Whitman for governor, also a strong Romney supporter as well as working at Bain with Mitt.

[jimbeaux1961]

The Republican Party is a goner. Demographics simply won't support a party that is so blatantly racist. The average Republican is over 60 years old! Which also means, of course, that the average Republican is ALREADY on government healthcare; Medicare.

[gabemill]

Firstly, we don't hear from repubs because the real leader...r­ush, would destroy them and they know it
We also don't hear from them because they are spineless hypocrites who elevate themselves (in their warped sense of reality) by opposing anything this administration proposes. For nothing...­...against everything.
What "value" do they uphold or demonstrate by their despicable avoidance of common decency?

[BobSacomano]

You really have to wonder about all the talk of revolution and the warnings of these teabagging clones that there is some sort of day of reckoning looming. Revolution? Over Obama's effort to make sure most Americans have health insurance available in case of catastrophic illness? Most economists agreed that a stimulus was needed to save the country from economic collapse. I even gave 'W' the benefit of the doubt on that one.

People, this is bigotry and racism - and if they want to try to overthrow the government for that reason they will certainly find out how quickly they'll regret supporting the Bush/Cheney EIT's and their indefinite detention policies for enemies of the US.

[kellysmalltowngirl]

Great point. I bet they didn't think those policies would be used against them,, be careful what you wish for, for you will surely get it.

[bujudude]

During the height of the AIDS crisis in the 1980's, many activists displayed the words: "Silence equals death", and I see this phrase just as applicable to our current political crisis, albeit for entirely different reasons.

How many contemporary Republicans actually agree with the birthers, the tea baggers, the town hall disrupters, Joe Wilson, Michelle Bachman, FOX "news" or Rush Limbaugh? Obviously, those on the far right are in complete agreement, but are the dwindling base of moderates on the fence about this, or are just too intimidated to speak up and speak out? Their silence is deafening and only by publicly telling off the voices of obstructionist demagogues can the Republican party have any chance of not becoming a permanent minority party, or ceasing to exist altogether.

[BBHounds]

Well said. I hope some are listening.

[hatmadder]

Cosign!

[BBHounds]

I hope the Secret Service is paying attention to all of the actions and hate speech that is constantly being spit out by Republicans and their supporters.

Some of the people we are seeing and hearing from are not just making idle comments they are committing treason and need to be investigated, and arrested. Moreover, that includes the repugnant republicans and their talking heads like Limbaugh, Hannity, and Beck.

This country held a lawful, democratic election. Barack Obama won. He won, he is our President, and he is entitled to the respect that office deserves.

Do you people that hate him want some kook to do something horrible, and are you willing to take responsibility for the part you played?

Stop this, stop it now.

And to the Joe Wilson’s out there…you own this atmosphere of hate…you own the results.

[EbonBear]

There are still a few moderates in the Republican party. On the national stage, you're pretty much limited to Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins but at a state level, there's still quite a few reasonable ones quietly hoping the storm passes overhead. Since the political centre has been dragged so far to the right (Obama, in reality a moderate, portrayed as some mutant communist/­socialist/­fascist crossbreed); most of the reasonable ones are just keeping quiet in the hope that they won't be drummed out of teh party for being too moderate.

[Gregory Woodhouse]

I agree. Obama is a moderate, and clearly so. But that doesn't stop the right wing from trying to paint him as the most liberal president ever. What more evidence do we need that facts are irrelevant (to them)?

[EbonBear]

I figured that some time ago. Facts and truth are irrelevent, power is all that matters (of course, teh Dems are only slightly better).

[bighat]

Much anger is directed toward Obama and the democrats because they are in charge. Before much anger was directed toward Bush and the republicans.

A few republicans are trying to get their 15 minutes of fame. But that fame is fleeting because they may make the news but the stories have no legs because they are not representing anyone but themselves.

Listening to Beck, Limbaugh, Hannity etc are not going to give the answers to people who want the truth. Even polls no longer indicate what people are feeling. The questions seem designed by focus groups to evoke a certain answer.

Journalists and people who write opinions are going to have to use shoe leather to find out what is going on in America. Actually attend the rallies. Both the liberal and conservative. Talk to real people not pundits.

IMO and the people I speak to people are fed up with congress (both parties) and possibly politics in general. They believe their needs are not being met. Their reps are not representing the constituency or even the country. Whether true or not it has been reported so much that our representatives are beholden to corporations the legend has become fact. Bailouts and takeover of GM seem to confirm this fact.

We may very well see many of the old guard replaced. Especially those leaders who make the news every now and then such as Harry Reid

[StanMann]

I agree people are fed up with both parties

[dagmaclugh39]

Don't be suckerd in by the so-called "Independent Movement" touted by Lou Dobbs and his ilk. Republicans are organized and in lockstep. On the other hand, the Demcratic Party is a coalition of many groups not always in agreement with each other. Promoting "Independents" amounts to peeling off marginal Democratic voters, thus strengthening the Republican Party.

[Fi]

I agree, people like Mitt Romney have been conspicuous by their absence, my only fear is someone will start something that cannot be contained and all will end very badly.

[Kate Zeiss]

I agree with you, Fi - the frightening thing is that Beck, Limbaugh and the rest of the noise machine don't have to persuade millions of people - just one mentally ill sociopath can do the job and their paranoid, conspiracy theories are particularly appealing to that audience.

[bowthai]

You speak too late. 'Something' has already been started. It was on full display during the election and has continued, intensified, and morphed into another creature since then.

[StanMann]

Mitt Romney is absent because he is being challenged else where about his families Russian associatons, and questions being raised about the role of his bundler David Fischer.

Glenn Beck is working a opening for Brother Romney.

With by the way, Obama is playing into.

[DeloresT]

Where are the respectful GOP members? He (Jack Kemp) died several month ago. There are no more. If there are any , they are scared of RushBeck.

[Timothy2700]

They (Repubs leaders) could care less. They feel the same way as their supporters­..so why would they try to "calm down" the message.

[knuckledragger345231]

duh

[Transcendentobserver]

Not entirely true. Unlike the Democratic leadership, Congressional Republicans are led by the lowest common denominators of their sad party. The few responsible senators and congressmen so understandably fear the wrath of the lunatic fringe in challenging such tactics--some facing primary challenges in primaries and caucuses by the wingnuts--that they are forced to display their disdain more subtly. Sen. Hatch from Utah (acknowledged by Pres. Obama as responsible for passage of health care for children and moving speaker at Kennedy' s funeral) is vociferously condemned by the right wing of his party in super conservative Utah, and his senior colleague, Sen. Bennett, is being challenged for an inadequate but reasonable healthcare reform alternative he jointly filed with Sen. Wyden (D) by his right wing opponent for the GOP nomination. He is also taken to task for joining with 4 other Republicans in a standing ovation to Pres. Obama at his healthcare speech to Congress.

[whit4brains]

I've been wondering where they are myself.

[runfastandwin]

I choose no longer exist. Which is good, since it means the party is soon to follow.