Free Speech

[Mythsaje]

To me that's what this MoveOn vote comes down to. What business did the Republicans have bringing this to the floor when they've collectively ignored the vile commentary of such illuminaries as Limbaugh, Coulter, and Malkin for the past several years. You know, the ones that suggest that someone should bomb San Francisco, for example?

The response from the Democrats should have been, without any hint of subtlety, "we're not even going to discuss this stupidity. As long as THESE people can say whatever the heck they want, even if it is blatantly offensive to a LOT more people than the MoveOn ad, we're going to operate under the assumption that MoveOn is simply exercising its 1st Amendment rights. Oh, yeah, we get that you don't really LIKE the 1st Amendment. At all. Except when it's people saying things you're thinking but don't have the guts to say yourselves. Do the world a favor, will you? Sit down and shut up for a change."

This whole vote was just another exercise in Feeding the Monster. The Repugs continue to get away with steering the debate because no one seems capable of jerking, or being willing to jerk, the wheel from their hands.

I realize that in the scheme of things, it seems pretty small. But, on the other hand, it's just another great example of how the Democrats seem strategically and tactically blind. If nothing else, it would have been a great opportunity to shift the focus to some of the things being said on the RIGHT that should probably have been condemned at the time. Or any time, for that matter.

If what MoveOn said was worthy of condemnation (an idea which, in my mind, is dubious at best), then surely there are a thousand things that have been said by other people equally deserving of it. Why not make use of the opportunity?

That's the problem here. They don't seem to know how to fight back effectively. They need political self-defense lessons. They need to learn to turn the GOP tactics around and use it to OUR advantage.

This was political theater, plain and simple. But the problem is, in my mind, that the GOP was allowed, once again, to write the script.


edited to fix an error

[Skidmore]

1. K&R because Dems should have had more brains than this.

[redqueen]

2. Republicans didn't get it to the floor.

HOW did this bill get to the floor?

:shrug:

[Mythsaje]

4. They brought it...

The Dems let them.

I don't understand why.

[Rex]

3. Congressional Repukes have destroyed the institution, this is par

for the course IMO.