Republicans and Their Strategic Fainting Spells

The minor dust-up in the House of Representatives today is a "controversy" over some hyperbolic rhetoric used by Alan Grayson, a freshman Democrat. Grayson, a favorite amongst progressives for his Howard Dean-ish traits of plain-spokenness and contempt for village protocol, spoke on the House floor and said that the Republican health care plan was "Don't get sick." And if you do? "Die quickly."

Here is the YouTube:

Of course, today Republicans are running about like headless Chicken Littles, telling anyone that will listen how mean and nasty Representative Grayson's comments were.

Funny, when I asked scores of Republicans what they thought about Rush Limbaugh's comments regarding Nazism -- specifically that Nancy Pelosi had a lot in common with Adolph Hitler and that ObamaCare -- nationalized medicine -- is akin to Nazi policy, well, the very same folks so upset today had very little to say:

Comments

[MissKatelynne]

05:38 PM on 10/01/2009

I love how our congress, one of the biggest powers in deciding our country's policies is playing childish games and making fun of eachother like school kids instead of actually passing any laws. way to go Congress, Make us proud!

[jsgaetano]

04:44 PM on 10/01/2009

Someone should keep a list- the Goopers LITERALLY whine about something silly and irrelevant every single day.

How can anyone take them seriously when we're constantly pelted with their shrill, puling whining? And yet amazingly, they don't understand why they can't win elections. Whine harder, guys... I'm sure that will help.

[TRex86]

03:48 PM on 10/01/2009

I have to hand it to the Republicans. They are gifted at making something out of nothing. Their propaganda apparatus is a well oiled machine that can spit out malefactions ad hoc and ad lib. I stand in admiration and amazement at the shockingly low quality of their elected Representatives: Boehner, Bachmann, Trent Franks, Eric Cohen, the two Kings, and so many more. Room temperature IQ's across the board, yet they have ground the government to a halt. They come from gerrymandered districts that corkscrew across vast swathes of Democrats to create safe havens for loyal apparatchiki, who can't even consistently agree with themselves. The beauty of Republicanism is its conceptual simplicity: make the rich richer. All else is window-dressing. It's not hard to follow a script written by the masterminds. Obama is a Nazi-socialist-Communist, who pals around with terrorists, euthanizes the elderly and wants sex education in elementary school. Oh, and (pssst!) he's black and won't show his birth certificate. Nuff said.

[CaveatMagnusFrater]

12:43 PM on 10/01/2009

Finally, Rep. Kucinich doesn't have to tell all of the truths himself.

[ej3]

12:35 PM on 10/01/2009

It's refreshing to hear the truth and makes the Peoples house sound like the People's house.

[rughead23]

11:59 AM on 10/01/2009

Tougher to get stuck in the mudd with an independent rear axel. Republicans seem to be stearing their way through this term like the old tonka trucks that couldn't be turned very well.

[missmanners]

11:39 AM on 10/01/2009

Rep Grayson's next poster should have a picture of Kyl with the words:

The Gop are against maternity care.

They want you to have your babies at home.

[write2bheard]

11:26 AM on 10/01/2009

Thank you Rep Grayson - enough of this bipartisanship crap - it simply won't work if only one party is trying. Pretty soon we will be personifying that old time-worn definition of insanity - keep doing the same thing expecting different results. Why do Dems keep beating that dead horse? Jump over them and keep on stepping!

[Jaxy]

09:22 AM on 10/01/2009

That video clip was great! These GOP so-called "leaders" are cowards of the first order.

Loud, malicious and prevaricating while amongst their fellow thugs and dingbats. But they flee like a vampire in the presence of a garlic clove, as soon as they are confronted or challenged.

[profitforless]

08:12 AM on 10/01/2009

Hypocrisy – the new GOP slogan

[Tim303]

01:52 AM on 10/01/2009

Wow. Silence is consent.

[msgirlintn]

01:36 AM on 10/01/2009

That video is priceless. The Repubs must think America won't see or will forget this video and all the ones on the house floor speaking against health reform. Thanks so much for this. Wish Huff Post had posted it in a more prominent place so everyone could see it.

[LateBoomer2]

12:09 AM on 10/01/2009

Wow, those Repub "leaders" sure are hypocrites. Not news.

But that video sure is some darn embarrassin' s**t. Thanks Stark. Yer awesome.

[Balzac]

10:03 PM on 09/30/2009

I'd also like to say that Representative Alan Grayson from Florida is a real representative. Wow, imagine that - a Democrat with guts and a spine, saying it directly. He didn't use any ugly rhetoric at all, he only told the truth directly. Congressional democrats should take heart and follow his example.

[Balzac]

11:01 PM on 09/30/2009

Except for the word "holocaust", which was a minor mistake in the context he used it. Otherwise, perfect.

[Jimboy17]

12:01 PM on 10/01/2009

Well, when thousands of folks are dying because of lack of access or ability to pay for care in the world's most developed nation, that is about as near to a holocaust as you can get. Would you prefer class war?

[Balzac]

10:01 PM on 09/30/2009

Clap...Clap...Clap... [Huge applause follows] Thank you again Mike Stark. Keepin' it real, holdin' it down.

This is how it's done, folks. In person, on the record, pointed, direct questions for our "representatives".

Mike Stark turned Bill O'Reilly's own formula right back on him, standing on face-to-face with Bill O'Reilly in front of his house. It was retaliation for O'Reilly sending his Fox Noise goon-squad to interrogate the CEO of Jet Blue at his home.

I still remember when about half of DailyKos.com denounced Mike for his direct approach. We need more journalists to do exactly what Mike Stark does. Mike Stark is what John Stossel pretends to be.

Stark deserves a cable TV show, and I think it must happen eventually, after years of doing this kind of work. At least a big syndicated radio show so he can receive proportional appreciation for the work he does.