(Minority Whip Steny) Hoyer: Bush deserves respect (re: Colbert)

[sabra]

http://www.hillnews.com/thehill/export/TheHill/News/Frontpage/050306/hoyer.html

Hoyer: Bush deserves respect

House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) took on a rare role yesterday as a defender of President Bush.

Hoyer came to the defense of the commander in chief after Saturday’s White House Correspondents’ Association dinner, where the president took a drubbing from comedian Stephen Colbert.

“I thought some of it was funny, but I think it got a little rough,” Hoyer said. “He is the president of the United States, and he deserves some respect.”

“I’m certainly not a defender of the administration,” Hoyer reassured stunned observers, but Colbert “crossed the line” with many jokes that were “in bad taste.”

[ixion]

1. but you ARE a * defender... and certainly NOT a member

of the opposition. :grr:

[Cha]

2. It was the truth, stupid..sorry

if you found the truth in bad taste.

What did you think when imushead attacked Clinton personally, eh, steny?

[NYC Liberal]

3. Telling Bush to "Go Fuck Yourself" wouldn't have been out of line

for all he's done, quite frankly. And I would have applauded.

[Tiggeroshii]

4. Keeping it alive

...dont'cha lovit?

[AnnieBW]

5. He's My Congresscritter

And a serious DINO. The only reasons he keeps getting elected is that the Repugs in Maryland keep running crazy RW fundies in my district, and he looks out for the Federal employees, of which there are many in this district. I'd love for some progressive to challenge him, but we've got to get rid of the DINO in our State Senate first. }(

[Voltaire99]

24. Vote Green

With Democrats like him, who needs Republicans?

[GoddessOfGuinness]

85. Mine too...

His environmental record is so-so at best. :(

The Green party could make some real headway in this district if they were more aggressive.

[Sperk]

6. WE.."THE PEOPLE" deserve respect...the CONSTITUTION deserves

respect!!! ANYONE in office who is not doing EVERYTHING in their power to remove these enemies of the State from office are equally guilty!!!!!

[The Wielding Truth]

76. Since when has BushCo respected us?

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

7. Colbert was smart.

He knows what the country wants and he gave it to us in spades.

His legend is sealed.

[Wickerman]

8. Nice work, Hoyer

If I hadn't seen it, I would sure be interested in seeing now!

:thumbsup:

[951-Riverside]

9. I wonder if Hoyer posted here that night

I swear some spineless coward posted the same thing here.

[Media_Lies_Daily]

10. Hoyer can take a running leap. Totally worthless.

[xray s]

11. Screw you Steny

Respect Bush? The clown who joked couldn't fine the WMD's at one of the previous WH correspondents dinners? You laughed your ass off at that joke, didn't you Steny?

Get some balls or get out of the game.

[fshrink]

12. This man does not deserve any respect whatsoever.

[Mojambo]

13. Now now now. We HAVE to support Democrats no matter what they say or do.

:sarcasm:

What kind of name is Steny anyway?

[bdamomma]

16. Steny is of the jewish persuasion.

[54anickel]

22. I don't know, but at first glance, my mind wandered to Ren and Stimpy

then I got side-tracked to some stupid FAQ page on Ren and Stimpy and now I've completely lost track of what this thread was about.....

Oh yeah, some DINO doing what just comes naturally - apologizing for the truth. :eyes:

[bdamomma]

14. Oh geez

what the hell is the matter with these guys, kissing up to this criminal, just because he is President, who has shamed the office does not mean everyone has to kiss his ass. We hold our officials on a pedestal when is this going to end.

[Jacobin]

15. Are these farking morons suffering from the Stockholm Syndrome?

WTF?

Respect? Like Clinton got????

[lastknowngood]

17. This guy use to be a dem but he is retiring this year so he has

done everything to suck up the repugs and corps he can. Bush deserves no respect he is destroying my country, rapeing the constitution and destroying the Bill of Rights.

[CoffeeCat]

18. WTF? "Crossed the line" is the circulated WH talking point...

...why in the hell is a Dem toeing the line for BushCo?

Why even bring this up? What is the point?

Number one...Colbert did not "cross the line." He spoke the truth, during a comedy routine that is famous for bashing. Just ask pResident Clinton.

Why would this Dem bring up this subject. It's not like someone asked him his opinion. He chose to opine. This is really strange.

I've heard "crossed the line" so many times...I'm sick of it. It's a Rovian talking point.

I wonder what they're blackmailing this Dem for!

[daleo]

81. There is no "line" in a country with free speech

Particularly for comedians.

[journalist3072]

19. Ok, I have a question for deal ol' Steny

Where were you, Steny, during the Clinton years?

Did you talk about President Clinton deserving respect when Ann Coulter called him and First Lady Hillary Clinton "white trash" on MSNBC?

Where were you when John McCain said the reason Chelsea Clinton, the First Daughter, was so ugly was because "Janet Reno is her father."

And tell me, Steny, where were you when Rush Limbaugh said the Clinton White House had a new dog and held up a picture of 13-year old Chelsea?

And more recently, where were you when Michael Savage said the only reason Clinton survived heart surgery was because "hell was full."

Hmmm...I'm just wondering, Steny Where were you?

[Mz Pip]

20. Why? Bush doesn't respect us.

We're all terrorist sympathizers because we disagree with him. Why in the world should he be given respect just by virtue of occupying th Oval Office. And I mean that literally. That's what he does - occupy.

Taking us to war on false premises is in much greater bad taste than anything Colbert did.

Mz Pip
:dem:

[area51]

21. * deserves respect?

Bullshit. You have to EARN respect, & that's something * will NEVER do.

[leesa]

23. Mass murderers deserve no respect

[wordpix]

64. ditto shredders of Constitution who sign statements they won't allow

certain laws passed by Congress, without vetoing them. It's past time to Chimpeach King George.

:mad: :puke: :argh:

[Voltaire99]

25. Want a crawling worm

Illustrating, again, that voting for appeasers is as bad as voting for a real Republican.

[SLCPUNK]

26. He is breaking

My heart.

Bush has shown no respect towards the military men and women who defend this country.

He has shown no respect towards our Constitution.

He has shown no respect towards international law.

He has shown no respect towards the civilians in the middle east.

He has shown no respect for those who seek the truth.

Too friggin bad if he does not like what was said! It's a lot lighter then he would get from me.

[zreosumgame]

27. Whiney gets the same reaction Steven got from me

snicker, snort Oh dear god tell those freaks!

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

[TankLV]

28. Again, another DEMOCRAT gives the WAR CRIMINAL cover!

Memo to Democrats everywhere: If you are ever tempted to say ANYTHING nice about a repuke -

just SHUT THE FUCK UP!

God, how simple can this concept be?!?!?!

It's fucking PINK TUTU DINOS like this that make me seethe with anger!

And this jerkwad expects MY support?!

[AX10]

29. Bush has disrepected America!

Why don't we hear about that Steny??? Hoyer needs to be replaced, NOW!

[HuffleClaw]

30. oh puke

idiot.

[hatrack]

31. Go fuck yourself, Steny

Yeah, he takes repeated big smelly dumps on the Constitution and then rubs the shit-stained remnants of the founding document of this country in your face and in all our faces but he still "deserves respect"?

Bite me.

[Sinti]

32. Ya gotta consider the source

this the same dude who is trying to repeal the 22nd Amendment and takes leisurely cruises funded by Diebold to talk about voting technology.

I spent a good part of my youth in PG County, this guy used to be a human being, or so we thought. I'm still trying to figure out whether he was a really good actor, we were really dumb, or he's been replaced with an animatronic *-sucking look alike.

[Amonester]

33. First of all, ** is not the President, Al Gore was elected President.

Yup. ** and his corrupted cronie$ not only $tole President Gore's election, they $tole President Kerry's election too!

Now: why should any honest taxpayer ever respect elections' robbers (and all the other crime$ they commit ever since)?

Since when should the victims have to respect the criminal$ who never stop robbing them day in, day out, 24/7??

WRITE TO HIM!!

[AndyTiedye]

34. The pResident Should Be Accorded The Kind of Respect…

…that one would give a

[6000eliot]

35. Is this how they're going to try to rehabilitate the turd's image?

That dick-head has gotten nothing but passes for HIS ENTIRE LIFE. It's about time somebody forced him to hear what a douche bag he is and what a mess he's made of this country and the world. What is there to defend?

[IntravenousDemilo]

36. Since when does the OFFICE of the President of the US automatically demand

respect? Isn't it only as respectworthy as its occupant?

[bdamomma]

57. I totally agree

Steny what do they have on you, for you to kiss up. Respect the jerk who is plunging us into debit, death and destruction, give me a break.

[ShortnFiery]

37. What a MorAn!

They all LOVE their Corporate Masters and sucking up to that government teat that * is privatizing at every single opportunity.

I'd like to know what these smarmy representatives invest their money in ... could it be in war machine stocks?

[Vidar]

38. Whip for our side?

[Mokito]

39. If * is deserving of anything...

it's a free ticket to The Netherlands*.



*Wardrobe and accommodation on a full pension basis included
*Duration of stay may vary

[anotherdrew]

40. GET RID OF THIS HACK! he doesn't speak for this party, how can he be whip?

n/t

[LibertyorDeath]

41. This person claims to be a Democrat...he should hang his head in shame

If ever their was an American politician deserving of every ounce of Derision
"We The People" can muster it's this Thug foisted on the people in 2000
& then again by Diebold in 2004.

He is a sickening display of ineptitude & corruption "Thee Worst president in modern world history bar none.

I have your respect right here you sycophantic piece of shit.

[radfringe]

42. took a day longer than I expected

but yeah - Colbert becomes an issue in Congress...

what's next? a constitutional amendment banning jokes about president?

it will probably become part of "RESPECTING AMERICA AMENDMENT" that will include No Gay marriage may include the telling of jokes in English only about the president while burning the flag ..

gee, it's not like there's anything important going on like gas prices, Iran, Iran, prescription drug snafu, economy (for us little folks), FEMA, immigration, borderland security, deficits/budget, lobbying/corruption.....

[truthisfreedom]

43. bush is the decider... Hoyer's not the defender...

we're the victims.

[SoCalDem]

44. Oh Puhleeeeeaze!

So did Clinton, but that never stopped a certain senator from hinting that he would be shot if he went to said senator's state..or from hounding the whole Clinton family.. even his dying mother

shame on ANY democrat who 'covers' for the stick-up-their-asses republicans.

[Minnesota Libra]

45. Anyone have an email address for Hoyer???? nt

[Amonester]

47. Website here (found on the DU Research Forum)... Let's DU this

http://hoyerforcongress.com/

Write to him, en masse.

[Minnesota Libra]

50. Thank you - yes I wrote to him and................

.....basically told him he was a gutless wonder.:applause:

[bdamomma]

58. Steny likes to hear from his own constituents

I couldn't get through to send him a note, not accepting from other states, what a coward.

[Minnesota Libra]

62. Try the reply just above my "Thank You" comment for email, it worked......

.....for me and I am not in Maine at all.

[Jeff In Milwaukee]

89. My Response to Rep. Hoyer

Rep Hoyer, apparently you're a little unclear on the difference between a President and a King. A King is above reproach and beyond the questioning of his mere subjects. Your comments regarding Stephen Colbert's routine at the White House Correspondents Dinner would suggest that you don't think the President should be criticized.

It's not like Colbert called the President "a lying scumbag." Your Republican colleague from Indiana, Rep. Dan Burton, used just that phrase to describe President Bill Clinton -- yet curiously went completely unrebuked by you courtesy-loving conservatives.

Colbert in "bad taste?" If Colbert had made repeated vulgar references to the President's sexual activities, as Don Imus did to Bill Clinton while Mrs. Clinton sat only a few feet away, that would have been in really, really bad taste. But Imus, like Burton, has yet to hear a syllable, much less a word, of outrage from all those tasteful conservatives in the Republican Party.

The President deserves respect? I suppose he does because he's the President, after all. You, on the other hand, are a craven windbag who would gladly allow Karl Rove to do him bareback if it would protect his phony job.

So kiss my ass, OK?

[Minnesota Libra]

90. You go buddy - that's the best reply I've read yet!!!! YOU WIN!!! nt

[brentspeak]

87. Let's not

Speak for yourself. We're Democrats, not sheep who march in lockstep to the latest liberal fad.

[reichstag911]

52. Here's one to his Congressional (public) office,...

...rather than the campaign (non-public) office: http://www.hoyer.house.gov/contact/email.asp . But we need a ZIP in his district...Bueller...Bueller...anyone?

[karlrschneider]

65. DC address courtesy of congress.org

1705 LHOB
Washington, D.C. 20515-2005
Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]

[cosmicdot]

86. re wHoyer's zipcode: here's what I've done in the past

go to the congresscritter's main contact page, and look for district offices

in Hoyer's case, he has 2 offices: 20770 and 20602

sometimes I've run into more than one member using a particular zip code, in which case, I have entered the 4 digit zip code extension of '-0001' with good results ... but, 20770 will work in Hoyer's case. Just change the defaulted name/state/zipcode on the email the congressman page to yours ... there's a state pull-down menu

this wHoyer thing is so aggravating ... it reminds me of the DLC/DINOs' 'Dean doesn't speak for me' sabaotaging of our hopes for change ...

People like Steny have been in office for years without Internet oversight. In Hoyer's cse: 13 terms!. The Internet's microscope on their every political move these days must be a cramp in their accustomed style and M.O.


Stephen Colbert speaks for me!

[tanyev]

46. If Hoyer and the rest of Congress had been doing the job they're

SUPPOSED to do for the last five years it wouldn't have been necessary for a comedian to use a social event to say a whole lot of things that needed to be said. STFU, Hoyer.

[myrna minx]

48. Wow. It doesn't take long for the Dems fall all over themselves

to hand wring about *backfire.* I guess we better pass all of those tax cuts now, right Steny? It would be disrespectful to the president if we didn't, right Steny? :puke:

[shrike]

49. And Clinton got called a rapist by every Tom, Dick and Larry

on talk radio.

Respect -- yeah.

[bleedingheart]

51. I am just sick of these spineless Dems...

[Southsideirish]

68. Me, too. There is always one weasel to suck up to the emperor with no

clothes/brains. I never liked this guy.

[sakabatou]

53. Apologist!

:grr:

[Javamancer]

54. "many jokes" in bad taste? generalizations are easy to make

but he needs to specifically enumerate which jokes he found offensive if he's going to be making such accusations. Of course, he won't, because nothing Colbert said actually "crossed the line" -- it was satirical truth, and the best defense against slander is the provable truth.

[Jack Rabbit]

55. Bush deserves no repect

and he is not the President of the United States. He is a dictator who siezed power after losing an election.

[DrZeeLit]

56. Yeah, like the unconditional respect for Clinton as President???

Hmm, yeah, they did that, didn't they? Respect him? No overblown jokes in his face? No snide comments? No rudeness?
Yeah, I remember that. They were so, so, so.... respectful.
Yeah.

[Kablooie]

59. If he doensn't respect our rule of law he doesn't deserve respect!

[DoveTurnedHawk]

60. Nominated

Not because Hoyer is great, but because everyone should know about this so we can flood Hoyer with complaints.

DTH

[Protagoras]

61. Respect is the one thing I'm certain GWB does not deserve

but I suspect he won't get most of what he does deserve.

[JNelson6563]

63. *strolls in, smiling*

*hands Steny a tall glass of ShutTheFuckUp*

*strolls out*

[confludemocrat]

66. A beltway-insider defends another beltway-insider. Figures

and if the democrats think they will win by default (and that defending this murderer in any way at all is something they have the luxury to do), they better think again

[zann725]

67. But Colbert repeated SEVERAL times in skit how much he admire "The Man"...

Saying so (repeatedly), makes it so...right? That IS the Repug way, right?

Clearly Colbert respected the Prez, or he would've really gotten tough. If anything, he 'softened' the edges of his normal style. Perhaps that's why "some people say" Colbert's 'humor' just didn't 'work' well that night.

I've watched the video several times, and most of the jokes had the bulk of people laughing, or nervously shifting (afraid of the reprecussion of SC's humor). Only once or twice, did I see a slight delay in response from audience...but Colbert's style IS extremely intelligent, often including a quick left-curve ball ending...that catches even the news-savvy listener off-guard a few moments to entirely capture.

The only "line" Colbert crossed was "telling Truth to Power"...which is an idea/quote often-used and endorsed by MY Prez., John Kerry.

[tanyev]

72. Shades of "Brutus is an honorable man."

[JerseygirlCT]

69. I so disagree

respect is earned.

Colbert didn't curse at him, or throw things at him. That's about the extent of the respect the position is automatically due. The rest is about the character (or lack thereof) of the current President.

And since he lowers himself to appear in public so rarely, he'd better start getting used to hearing from his subjects when the oppotunity arises.

Besides, I'm betting he had to go home and have the humor explained to him. I doubt he's that sharp.

[JerseygirlCT]

70. One more thing:

those barbs wouldn't have existed or couldn't have, if Bush hadn't behaved so atrociously in office. Had he behaved honorably, there wouldn't be anything to hit him with.

[Generator]

71. Respect is earned

Didn't everyone that's ever lived have a parent tell them THAT?

And Bush has proven he has no respect for everything we hold sacred from disent-which you could label Colbert's speech to torturing people in our name. He has not earned our respect. I don't think they get how angry we are with a fury that is purely justified.
"Our" representives seem to think it's just another day. Bush has no respect for law. Bush has no respect for the constitution, none for Congress, none for voting rights. The list is so long it takes my breath away. I'm furious that the Dems we have continue to defend someone that didn't even get rightly elected.

How much of the Emperor's fancy clothes can they continue to admire? Maybe they are complicit and know it because you cannot continue to defend this administration and be innocent of the crimes it has committed. There is no excuse anymore.

[Dr Fate]

73. Thanks for the free press - But tell me, which jokes were bad taste?

What "crossed the line?"

The one about the Hindenberg?

The gut joke?

The jokes about FOX & the spell-checking press corp?

The jokes about the Plame incident?

This Hoyer guy is either an idiot or a liar. Nothing crossed the line- if it did, he did not identify it.

Hoyer is a spineless ASS KISSER. Colbert did not curse, raise his voice, or lie. He was respectful- it was a roast for cring out loud.

[stanwyck]

74. Would he have said the same

to Ben Franklin, Patrick Henry, Thomas Paine, Thomas Jefferson, or any of the other founding fathers who spoke out against a repressive government?
His statemenets are un-American. And unpatriotic.
Colbert expressed dissent.
The highest form of patriotism.

[Dr Fate]

77. He does not know who any of those people are.

Well, I take that back, he knows who they are in a Hollywood, school house rock sense.

I mean to say he has never READ anything they wrote, obviously.

[tonekat]

75. Hey Steny, Bite Me!

How convenient that this mealy mouth Hoyer has forgotten the incredibly distasteful stuff said about the Clintons with the blessing of the repukes!

[Strawman]

78. Ride that wave and smile for the camera, whore!

Get your mug on TV and show everyone what a "moderate" you are!

If only you have onions half the size of Colberts, Hoyer.

[Dr Fate]

79. Oh- if only he would say it on TV- more free press for Colbert!

As it is, he said it in an interview to a beltway publication.

[daleo]

80. It was a gutsy performance by Colbert

I suspect the establishment is going to try to make him an "un-person". But, he draws in viewers, and advertisers need that...

[Dr Fate]

82. A lot more gutsy than this Hoyer (R)- whoever he is. n/t

n/t

[zara]

83. Hard to be a Democrat with "Leaders" like Hoyer

[EndElectoral]

84. How about GW show the people some respect! Bravo Colbert!

[mmonk]

88. Remember everybody,

don't get too mad at DINO's. Support all of them because they're not as bad as liberal republicans. Don't be liberal "extremists" or purists. O8) :sarcasm: