"I’d have been willing to bet that we had a national consensus on the undesirability of a congressman yelling out 'You lie!' during an address by the president of the United States."
Gail Collins
NYT 9/12/09
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/12/opinion/12collins.html
Gail, Gail, Gail; where have you been? I would have taken that bet in a heartbeat! Had you in mind a wager of a size that would have allowed me to pay my health insurance premium this month? You had? Drat; yet another missed opportunity in a life full of them.
In fact, I would have quickly jumped on the contrapositive in any proposed wager that started out, "I'll bet that we have a national consensus on..."
(A digressive note to sticklers of the mathematically literate variety: I don't actually recall the distinctions between reverse, inverse, converse and contrapositive, and thus it's highly likely I've misused "contrapositive". I apologize, but I really liked the feel of the world when I rolled it around on my tongue and figured it was close enough. Sue me.)
The only thing more predictable than that this clown (I may properly call a US Congressman a clown under the New Protocol, may I not?) would become a wing-nut hero, is...um...uh...er...hmmmm. Actually I can't think of anything more predictable.
My other great regret, in addition to missing the opportunity to separate you from a few bucks, is that the New Protocol was not in place during the Bush years. Can you imagine him addressing Congress and someone jumping up and yelling "You lie!" every time he did? It would have looked like a giant whack-a-mole game! Cracks me up just thinking about it.
By the way; what's the deal with these fake "Joes" the Rushfoxicans keep trotting out? First there was the presumptive nominee for Secretary of the Treasury, "Joe the Plumber", whose name was actually Sam and who wasn't really a plumber; now we've got good ol' reg'lar guy "Joe" Wilson whose actual name is Addison Graves Wilson Sr.
You neednt' answer; that was a rhetorical question, of course. In the good old days, before the dumb fucks finally figured out that there weren't enough rich WASPs to allow them to win elections reliably as their real selves, fronting their real agendas, Addison Graves Wilson Sr would have been a classic moniker for a Republican, and would have been borne with pride. Now...not so much. Pass the pickled pig balls, Janey Sue.
Let us state the obvious every chance we get. These people, the "tea baggers" and such, who are partly funded by the "health" insurance lobby, or their surrogates, as part of a well researched marketing campaign (suckers!), are an angry and misguided mob that in a previous generation might have come out at night in white sheets and burned crosses on other people's lawns. They HATE the fact that a non-white guy is president of the United States and want him to fail so that they can say "told you so".
ReplyDeleteAnd then along comes Mr. Wilson, whose name is not even really "Joe". Mr. Wilson was an unknown and undistinguished Congressman from South Carolina, who got the 15 minutes of notoriety that he so desperately wanted. He also got the media all worked up about a childish outburst so that a successful Presidential address to Congress would be overshadowed by his planned antics (the media is so gullible).
70% of the American people support a public option for health insurance coverage. That terrifies a very profitable and powerful business lobby. They will do anything and use anyone to stop real reform. They will even fund extremist groups to create a media circus. Side shows like the "tea bag" events and Mr. Wilson's outburst take the focus away from the real debate of a serious national issue and play into the hands of the opponents of reform. Let us all be very clear about what is happening here.
Bill Sampson
New York, NY
right wing screaming idiots...what else is new??...........political discourse in america is in the sewer..the rush, glen, sean and bill sewer of foxen screaming mentally ill stupidity.....lies: so what?? ..who cares??.......we are talking to a dumbed down trailer court nation and they don't know the difference anyway...praise the lord and pass the ammunition....
ReplyDeleteEd C
Mill Valley, CA
Addison Graves Wilson Sr. is simply another unfettered and ill-mannered Republican desperado who is determined to turn the Grand Obstructionist Party (GOP)into the Grand Old Buffoons (GOB).
ReplyDeleteI feel for him, because I heard that his life is hard, given that he is forced to share a single brain cell with Sarah Palin. This fate would cause anyone to have “spontaneous” eruptions; sort of the verbal equivalent of projectile vomiting, and producing just as much meaningful matter.
Dana,
Orange County, California
If a congressman screamed at Bush - would Cheney have claimed a national security breach and ordered him to rendition in Syria ?
ReplyDeleteAll that indignant sense of patriotism that Republicans used as political leverage, to bully, silence and intimidate media- is now totally gone. Secession, violence against federal authority and gross disrespect for the office of president is the new looney patriotism.
How pathetic to imagine Texas and South Carolina 'on their own'- 'free from US governance. They'd have so little capacity to sustain themselves that they might need foreign aid !
These right wing panicky tantrums do suggest impaired reality-testing and emotional disorder.
Sara
Oakland, CA
Wilson's (won't dignify him with Mr.) outburst exposed the raw edge of partisan politics infecting this country at an alarming rate! In the 21st century there are still significant elements of the population, represented in congress, still stuck in the civil war mentality, unable to accept that a Black American (not African-American)is President and leader of the Democratic Free World! The republicans (though publicly indignant) are privately congratulating Wilson for his insensitive outbursts. They are well on their way to reducing the party of Lincoln to a footnote in history as their true motives, motivations and racist undertones expose them for the stiff,uncompromising, moralistic, judgmental, hypocritical, insensitive and uncompassionate flesh they represent; claiming "GOD" to be on "THEIR" side! What audacity to believe only "THEY" know the will of GOD! I seem to remember the same invocation as the "Shock and Awe" fell on Kabul and Baghdad! Who (it appears now as historical fact) were the liars? Not just perceived lies . . . proven! WMD? none! Mobile Biological factories? NONE! Nuclear threat? ZERO! Chemical Weapons? ancient, degraded and useless (what few they found). All were manufactured lies to make the Big swaggering, tough talking Texans (bring'em on) appear even More Macho than they already genuinely (if mistakenly) believed and projected! It's time for the republicans to clam up and reassess their base, then forge a new trail toward political bi-partisanship. I find it ironic that the very bible-thumpers who profess their pious faith in public are the same ones who reflect intolerance, racism and hatred they preach to supposedly oppose and find reprehensible! If you are squirming a bit right now, feeling a twinge of guilt, you may want to review your belief system. What differentiates the republican base from Islamic fundamentalists? From this observers perspective: NOTHING! God-fearing republicans hiding behind 'White-sheets' are no different than the Turban-wearing Muslim fundamentalist ideologues! Each one has missed the message of their respective Profits: Love, Peace, Co-existence, service to fellow man regardless of belief!
ReplyDeleteWilson's outburst is just the tip of the iceberg, spread under the surface of partisan politics in America and, like Rome, the Ottomans, Soviets and the British empires, our influence and power will suddenly collapse leaving us to flounder and shrink in our ignorance and ego-centrism all the while wondering why! Look no further than that image staring back at you in the mirror.
By the way, I am an American! Male, and incidentally white, oh and a former republican. The republicans deserted ME! Not the opposite! To quote Edward R Murrow's closing remark, "Good Night, and Good Luck"! This country and it's politics NEED it!
Megoptera
California
YouTube has a revealing video of Joe Wilson extensively quoting the Bible at a government committee meeting. Joe Wilson is the poster boy for the wingnut religious-right, far right, never wrong, conservative Republican (p)Arty. Here is the definitive core of the "Want our cake and eat it, too" shrieking ninnies at clown hall meetings (with unconcealed weapons, of course). If Americans don't allow the likes of Joe Wilson to RAM the Christian Bible down our throats, we are un-American. This just makes me want to hurl! When did the Joe Wilsons disengage their brains (if they actually HAVE brains) in order to reinvent our Constitutional, separation of church and state Democracy? Just where do they get off?
ReplyDeletedcc
Arizona
The issue that the Republicans have is not that they believe that the President is a liar, a Muslim, a socialist, Hitler or any of the other labels that they have tried to tag him with. It is simply that he is black and therefore in their eyes unfit to lead the country, talk to their children, etc.
ReplyDeleteThis is the source of their outrage. The irony is that the elephants in the room are unable to publically address the elephant in the room.
PS
Florida