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Tuesday, August 04, 2009

Republican Hooligans and Fools

Good Morning Papamoka Bloggers! What do you guys make of the latest Republican demonstrations at town halls across America, so reminiscent of the Spring "Tea Parties" featuring hundreds of America's finest citizens? I know I'm getting very tired of today's juvenile Republican antics. Their love of democracy is only surpassed by their love of shouting and drowning out our individual right to congregate and debate.

They are making a big splash in the media, but they still look like a bunch of FOOLS! To suggest they're coming across as a productive opposition to a serious debate is laughable. I'm pretty sure ordinary citizens observing the health care debate from the sidelines consider them distractions - since despite what Republicans are saying in the media, most Americans do consider health care a serious issue that needs repair.

In my opinion, which of course is what this blog is all about, I see them as loud-mouthed bullies, pure and simple. They are no different then children who scream to make their point, pouting if they don't get their way. They may see themselves as a determined opposition who will drown out those they disagree with, but the rest of us see them as fools who refuse to sit down and discuss a very serious issue.

I'm pretty sure most Americans see them as irrational. Most of us are smart enough to realize they didn't shout over the past eight years or so when the Republicans were spending more than at any other time in history.

Where were they when the Republicans passed the last health care bills? Where were they when their own political party funneled hundreds of billions of government tax money into the hands of the pharmaceuticals (prescription drug benefits) and private health insurance companies (Medicare Plus) under George W. Bush and the Republicans? Why didn't they shout about spending then?

They were SILENT! SHEEP! OBEDIENT MORONS! The damn hypocrites. They have no credibility when it comes to lecturing us on how to spend tax dollars.

They're trying to shout-down a debate about health care - insurance - reform when most Americans want and need to talk about the issue. Republicans may feel empowered by the demonstrations (if you listen to Pat Robertson and others), but the rest of us only see a bunch of loud-mouthed fools trying to take away our microphones, or whatever else we need to make ourselves heard in this very important debate.

The bottom-line is that Republicans want to spend-spend-spend when they're in power, doing everything they can to help their own constituencies such as corporations, the wealthy and the military-industrial crowd, but do everything they can to shut down ANY spending when not in power.

It doesn't even seem to matter if we're trying to reform a system that is threatening America's ability to pay down past Republican debt, guarantee our competitive place in the world (other countries have affordable health care, giving them a competitive edge), and much more. They don't seem to care about those points. They just ignore those very important national security considerations.

Oh yes, and they - incredibly - have the gall to treat all government money as though it were their own. The really disgusting part is that we're trying to spend American money to save American lives, and they still object.

They won't object when it comes to spending money on weaponry, but will fight tooth and nail to prevent children and poorer Americans from being able to purchase affordable - reformed - health insurance. It's clear from the "debates" so far they are prepared to lie and lie and lie. They keep telling INCREDIBLE LIES!

They keep saying that Democrats are trying to take away your health insurance as it exists today (LIE!), kill your grandmother by recommending euthanasia (LIE!), bring about socialized medicine (LIE!), fund abortions (LIE!), and my favorite, suggest that poor people will be shipped to better neighborhood hospitals reminiscent of the busing scares decades ago.

It's clear the Republicans and their industry allies will stop at nothing to shut-down debate about health insurance reform. They will do everything they can to muddy the waters and make Americans fear change. They may be more Rovian, but by and large they are using the same basic tactics they used when trying to kill Social Security, Medicare and every other major program that helped civilize our great country. It's time people wise-up when it comes to Republicans.

The simple truth is the rest of us need to stay focused. Just like when we were in school, we cannot allow a few bullies to derail education, evolution and advancement for the rest of us. We need to use whatever means at our disposal to continue debate and get our message across that we voted for change and health care/insurance reform is one of the most important parts of that change.

We need to fight against their hooliganism. We need to treat Republican bullies the same way we treat angry children - either ignore them, and if they don't listen to reason, send them away.

Their screaming didn't work during the campaign at the McCain and Palin rallies, so hopefully it won't work now. My recommendation is to stand-up to them. I know I will. Don't allow them to silence our debate. It would be a crime to allow ourselves to be cowered by people who have no place in a modern, civilized political debate.

Whether it's a "tea partier," a "birther," a "deather," or whatever comes next (how about throwing furniture like in the picture), today's Republicans are looking more and more like a party for both hooligans and fools.

Michael Boh
Papamoka's Left Coast Contributor
from Our Rants & Raves Blog

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Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Cost of the Iraq War

Just a little something to make you go hmmmmm? These films are made by a company called Brave New Films and frankly I can't argue with them.

Thanks for the tip Jim!



Papamoka

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Friday, June 13, 2008

Tim Russert Death


Tim Russert from Meet the Press and the NBC MSNBC News Chief has passed away at 58. He was an amazing man and an inspirational character in the news. In all the years of my life I have never seen a person that was able to get to the truth in politics so clearly.

My heart felt prayers are with his family and many friends around the media. His many friends great and small, I’m sure are saddened at the loss of a man with such kind greatness.

He was one in a million and will be sorely missed. God bless you Tim Russert…

Papamoka

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Tuesday, January 15, 2008

McCain Swift Boated in South Carolina


One thing that makes me sick to my stomach is very much personal attacks on a persons character and state of mind while in service to our nation in the United States armed forces. I’m not by any means a supporter of John McCain but I am a very strong defender of Veterans and our military troops. John McCain has no shame in his military record and his lengthy stay at the Hanoi Hilton was not and should not be up for discussion by extremist from any political faction.

How do you stomach anyone that attacks a man that was tortured as a prisoner of war, or POW for short if you are a political hack writer that thinks McCain was a coward in Vietnam for being tortured. I don’t think it is fair to compare John McCain to John Kerry but they are both and will always be men that served proudly in defense of their country. Now they are both Veterans of political hacks looking to toss the vote as well.

Over at the New York Times they have this to say about it…

McCain Campaign Responds to Attack
By Michael Cooper


CHARLESTON, S.C. – The polls had not even closed in Michigan yet when the McCain campaign worked Tuesday evening to repel an attack here in South Carolina, where a brutally negative campaign derailed Senator John McCain’s candidacy in 2000.

The campaign, which has vowed not to take any attacks lying down this time around, said in a statement that a group calling itself “Vietnam Veterans Against McCain” had sent out a negative mailing about Mr. McCain to South Carolina voters.

“Today, a shadowy political organization calling itself ‘Vietnam Veterans Against McCain’ launched a vicious attack on John McCain in an attempt to impugn his character in the closing days of the South Carolina Republican Primary,” Orson Swindle, who was a fellow prisoner of war in Vietnam with Mr. McCain, said in a statement put out by the campaign. “The group claims that John McCain turned his back on his fellow POWs in order to save his own skin.”

“Nothing could be further from the truth,” Mr. Swindle, a former assistant commerce secretary, said in the statement. “I know because I was there. The truth is, the North Vietnamese offered John McCain early release, and he refused.”
- New York Times

For all I know Vietnam Veterans Against John McCain attacking the Senator and his military record is just one guy with a computer. Then again maybe it is a few people with a grudge or a mission to wake up the Republican vote? I tend to believe it is the former as in the Catholic League with its one man protest against Kathy Griffin of the D List fame.

This reminds me that the Karl Rove (Who should be in an orange jumpsuit in prison) of the first W election is alive and well which leads me to wonder where the money is coming from to pay for this smear campaign against McCain? We all know what the Bush election people did with push polls to discredit McCain in 2000 and this will play into those same polls. I for one would not be surprised at the true source of the money but it would be wrong to speculate at this point.

Gerard "Jerry" W. Kiley is the founder of this group and I am not questioning his service in Vietnam. I’m proud of him for it but I don’t see how that service is relevant to his bashing of John McCain’s. John McCain was a Prisoner of War and Mr. Kiley was not. Maybe the main stream press like the New York Times and the Washington Post need to look into this mans background and simply report what they find. I’d send my crack team of reporters but my five year old with a crayon might need some help with her letters, staying in the lines and… well you get the idea.

I don’t care for yellow journalism and I care less for yellow bashing of any Veteran from any source. Republican or Democrat victims of this kind of politics is wrong. Even if the time they served was forty years ago or two hundred years ago. Being thankful for the service and sacrifice they all paid is who we as a people are today.

Holy Crap! I just defended a Republican. I’m off to church to say a few Hail Mary’s and Our Father’s. Up is down and Right is Left and cats and dog’s are no longer fighting.

Then again I’m thankful to all Veterans and McCain has and will always be a Veteran in my eyes no matter how nutty he can be. I’ll defend him any day over the nut jobs from any source when they attack his military service, be they illegitimate whacko’s on the internet or main stream press. John McCain has a voice in 2008 and not 1968 politics and that is what is important today.

That’s another ten Hail Mary’s for me… Thank you very much Senator John McCain.

Papamoka
Cross posted at Michael Linn Jones.com and Bring IT ON!

Feel free to link to this post...
Interesting reads on this topic...
Blue Gal, Red State (Amazing info packed post)

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