Debbie Wasserman Schultz ‘disappointed’ by Alan Grayson email
Source: Politico
DNC Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz said she is disappointed in the use of that imagery with regards to a controversial fundraising email sent by Democratic Rep. Alan Grayson that compared the tea party to the Ku Klux Klan.
Obviously I am disappointed in the use of that imagery. Both sides need to dial back that kind of rhetoric and look to bring more civility into politics, Wasserman Schultz said in a statement.
Obviously I am disappointed in the use of that imagery. Both sides need to dial back that kind of rhetoric and look to bring more civility into politics, Wasserman Schultz said in a statement.
On Tuesday, former Rep. Allen West criticized both President Barack Obama and leading Democrats, including Wasserman Schultz, for their silence on the email and its rhetoric.
Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2013/10/debbie-wasserman-schultz-alan-grayson-tea-party-email-98743.html
Full article.
Wolf Frankula
(3,609 posts)Debbie, you can't be civil with a mad dog. And let the teabaggers whine about being compared to the Ku Klutz Klown. I say if the sheet fits, wear it.
Wolf
snappyturtle
(14,656 posts)bjobotts
(9,141 posts)bjobotts
(9,141 posts)DonCoquixote
(13,616 posts)is a bunch of rabid GOP mad Dogs, fed on by the Tea Party.
warrant46
(2,205 posts)Wait== Wait=== Holder won't let her
rhett o rick
(55,981 posts)to deny it to the 99%.
Debbie doesnt want to upset her conservative comrades in arms.
warrant46
(2,205 posts)solarhydrocan
(551 posts)Sen. Elizabeth Warren Takes Dig at Pro-Legalization Senate Candidate Dan Winslow
by Erik Altieri, NORML Communications Director
March 19, 2013
Addressing the crowd, Senator Warren said, I advise everyone to pay very close attention to Dan Winslows platform. He has a 100 percent ranking from the gun lobby and hes for the legalization of marijuana. He wants us armed and stoned.
http://blog.norml.org/2013/03/19/sen-elizabeth-warren-takes-dig-at-pro-legalization-senate-candidate-dan-winslow/
rhett o rick
(55,981 posts)And give me a link explaining how Fredrick Douglas doesnt support legalized weed.
cyclezealot
(4,802 posts)As if being nice , will stop them from NOT being nice.
yurbud
(39,405 posts)decades with disastrous results.
Even if Grayson went too far in this instance, any change from losing tactics is welcome.
Scuba
(53,475 posts)trumad
(41,692 posts)Yo Debbie.... I will try to say this as polite as I can. Fuck you.
abq e streeter
(7,658 posts)trumad
(41,692 posts)Agree?
abq e streeter
(7,658 posts)trumad
(41,692 posts)We're on to something.
abq e streeter
(7,658 posts)just had noticed a few times here and there where I strongly disagreed with you. I couldn't even begin to guess any specific thing, and again, being here on DU means we agree ,and probably very strongly, on most things.
trumad
(41,692 posts)Awww good.
TheMastersNemesis
(10,602 posts)They just don't know how to fight back and that is the problem. People do not respect it when you let someone beat on you. I would be more vicious than Grayson myself.
After all they have said about Obama the verbal brass knuckles come out. I am with. Debbie Screw you. NO civility with them they will cause a depression given a chance. Bed bugs are a higher form of life than tea baggers.
trumad
(41,692 posts)Carry the battle to them. Don't let them bring it to you. Put them on the defensive and don't ever apologize for anything.
Harry S. Truman
Paladin
(28,297 posts)Conservatives depend on liberal wimping-out to prevail, time and time again. Why the hell should we adhere to good conduct rules which the right wing flushed down the toilet, decades ago? Bravo, Rep. Grayson, and encore.
tblue
(16,350 posts)She's useless.
DonCoquixote
(13,616 posts)I could understand if this was maybe, California, but Florida democrats are known nation and world wide as being the weakest, milquetoast party around. They insult us, they slap us, they send letters to newspaper openl;y discussing how to use 'stand your ground" laws to kill us, and we say "thank you sir, can we have another."
Debbie, get out of my state.
beerandjesus
(1,301 posts)...though I have to admit, I only know him from the spelling bee and the GOP Wheel of Misfortune.
Of course, Alan Grayson is amazing.
tblue
(16,350 posts)NOT!!!
She's a Bluedog. Barely passable.
PFunk
(876 posts)IMO it's Debby and her DINO bunch that makes folks like Grayson much needed to counter them.
Baitball Blogger
(46,820 posts)More capitulating Democrats.
DonCoquixote
(13,616 posts)we buy the guillotine, sharpen it, and put our own head in the basket. For an example, see how thin the margins were for the governor's race, how many votes were in question, and how quick alex sink conceded, which of course, got us Governor Rick Scott, who represent the hard right end of the Tea Party!
abq e streeter
(7,658 posts)can stop comparing you to them.
LoisB
(7,276 posts)beerandjesus
(1,301 posts)...and take the moral high ground when they start working in 50 states, and not leaving whole sections of the country for the baggers.
Chakab
(1,727 posts)These people have shown open contempt for the party and the President. They are a bunch of vile bigots and lunatics. Democrats are the only ones bound to these so-called rules of civility.
shraby
(21,946 posts)like it is.
The republicans never do that, so anything they say stands.
Spitfire of ATJ
(32,723 posts)trumad
(41,692 posts)Controversy arose in March 2008 when she announced that she would be unable to campaign against South Florida Republican representatives Lincoln Diaz-Balart, Mario Diaz-Balart and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen because of her good friendship with them.[24] Wasserman Schultz and Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL) are both on the LGBT Equality Caucus of which Wasserman Schultz is the Vice Chair.
Wiki
Heather MC
(8,084 posts)the Confederate Flag?
Solly Mack
(90,814 posts)DonCoquixote
(13,616 posts)(Disclaimer, the following is a Florida Democrat venting at one of the main reasons why the Florida Democrats suck, which is why Florida tends to suck! Those offended may want to turn away now.)
OK Debbie, let's talk.
I was willing to swallow my pride when they gave you the job that should be Howard Dean's. After all, anytime a Democratic woman is in power, it does make the GOP go ape, which makes them easier prey. I was willing to forget all those times you supported arch GOP Nazis like your "good friends" Mario Diaz-Balart and Illeana Ros=Lethen, two GOP who helped the party take over the state by running liberals out of South Florida. I was willing to forget they way you helped backstab Kendrick Meek by supporting Charlie Crist "I am not a democrat yet" senate run, which of course pandered to many in South Florida still angry that Hillary was not coronated, and wanted to avenge their fury by voting for the white guy. Of course, Marco Rubio and the Tea party are still smoking cigars and thanking you for letting Meek be thrown to the PUMAS. Yes, I was willing to choke all of thos down, the fact that with your willingness to defend the GOP, and stifle anyone that challenged their utter dominace of this state, for the good of the party as a whole.
However, you attacked someone who is not merely one of the few liberal voices in Florida, but also in the nation. I see this pattern too many times, and I saw it when he was getting challenged, where you did not lift one finger to help a DEMOCRAT keep a precious seat in congress. The fact is Debbie, you are the very example of a DINO: democrat in name only. What is sad is that you kiss up to the very people that, when you are up for election, will use every damned trick in the book, and will have you burnt at the stake!
Debbie, my dear, you are a disgrace. I know you are already talking about Hillary in 2016. Let's just say you are one more symbol of the forces the real democrats will use when we primary Hillary, and any other DINO who has abused our capacity for patience and self-sacrfice.
Plucketeer
(12,882 posts)God forbid Debbie and the namby-pambies get a look at what a REAL Dem - brandishing spit, vinegar and stinging truths - looks like. We wouldn't wanna appear contentious and underhanded like the other team. We like to lose with grace and elan.
NorthCarolina
(11,197 posts)I couldn't agree more.
sabrina 1
(62,325 posts)and to say we are disappointed in her is putting it mildly. I have never seen her stand up for a real Democrat.
Go Alan Grayson! We need hundreds of him in Congress and far, far fewer Debbies who cave every time they get the chance making the job of real Dems like Grayson that much harder.
Plucketeer
(12,882 posts)is THIS the best the party can do for a spokesperson??? The FIRST thing that comes to mind is that famous cartoon with the donkeys all incredulous at the sight of a spine.
PeteSelman
(1,508 posts)Something the center right party leadership is completely uninterested in.
hay rick
(7,688 posts)Allen who? Let's pretend West is some kind of arbiter of morality in politics. Ignoring this clownish publicity hound would have been the better option.
dembotoz
(16,874 posts)debbie grow a spine
Francois Jeopardy
(40 posts)IcyPeas
(21,966 posts)denouncing that Larry Klayman idiot for his statements?
yuiyoshida
(41,878 posts)is getting old.
oswaldactedalone
(3,491 posts)or support our guys. We don't need a bunch of mamby pamby whiners leading our party. I'm sick of Rethug crap and we need to dish it out as hard and as fast as we can.
mimi85
(1,805 posts)some Jewish folks off and I don't blame them. I think Debbie is great, Politico kinda sucks and West def sucks!
Myrina
(12,296 posts)Just ... STFU, Debbie. Please.
leftyohiolib
(5,917 posts)rigging as conspiracy theories
JDPriestly
(57,936 posts)Grayson's comments are simply true. And it is time for Democrats to face it. The Republican Party has been overtaken by the vestiges of the Klan.
Ikonoklast
(23,973 posts)Get with the program, or step off, DLC Debbie.
The party is moving in a new direction, and it just might not be the one you're headed.
MsPithy
(809 posts)why the confederate flag was waved in front of the White House. Why isn't every republican being asked to denounce this act of sedition?
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-partisan/wp/2013/10/14/ugly-rebel-yell-in-front-of-the-white-house/
pa28
(6,145 posts)She reminds me of Terry McAuliffe. Good at being a cipher in the middle and raising funds but totally useless when it comes to engaging Republicans and recognizing we are in a fight.
dorkzilla
(5,141 posts)Francois Jeopardy
(40 posts)Screw you, I say accelerate. Take it beyond the red!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
stillcool
(32,626 posts)I can't believe how worked up you all get over nothing. Bash & trash over this?
bullwinkle428
(20,632 posts)The Wizard
(12,563 posts)Telling the truth about bigoted scumbags does not require an apology. Stop kissing the asses of those who would knife you in the back.
If kowtowing to swine is what you have to do to keep your job you're in the wrong line of work. When you back down to bullies they win. Alan Grayson is right. Allen West is wrong.
Bluenorthwest
(45,319 posts)If Joseph Goebbels was around, hed be very proud of the Democrat party, because they have an incredible propaganda machine. Allen West
I must confess, when I see anyone with an Obama 2012 bumper sticker, I recognize them as a threat to the gene pool. Allen West
And of course Mr West on Debbie herself:
You have proven repeatedly that you are not a Lady, therefore, shall not be afforded due respect from me!
DonCoquixote
(13,616 posts)so true
Phlem
(6,323 posts)This Democrat is done with third way DLC'ers so your opinion has no bearing on ANYTHING!
Oh and STFU asshole.
-p
zeemike
(18,998 posts)And give me a break, after we practically begged the right wingers to tone down the rhetoric they kicked it up a notch, and every time you say shit like that they kick it up again, because they see you as a weakling, and I am beginning to believe they are right.
BRING BACK HOWARD DEAN...
PS...I just sent an email to the DLC and told her so...I think we all should.
Spitfire of ATJ
(32,723 posts)tularetom
(23,664 posts)But when she does it the day after the self loathing Allen West condemns the email, it looks like she really cares what a shithouse rat like West thinks.
In all honesty however did you really expect any better from her?
haikugal
(6,476 posts)we need Graysons voice...We need more voices like Graysons. Corporate dems, DLC types don't speak for me, he does.
amb123
(1,581 posts)and someone demanded that I apologize for comparing the Tea Party to the KKK, no matter who, my answer to them would be . . .
YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE TO KILL ME FIRST!
The Truth must be spoken and not apologized for.
Francois Jeopardy
(40 posts)idwiyo
(5,113 posts)ForgoTheConsequence
(4,869 posts)I wouldn't expect anything other than this false equivalency bullshit from her. We need people who are willing to fight. No more of this timid nicey nice liberal bullshit. It has NEVER worked. You don't fight right-wing racists by being complacent and having dialog over milk and cookies.
get the red out
(13,468 posts)Liberals have tried to be civil and it does not work with these people. Besides,Rep Grayson was absolutely correct in creating this imagery, the only thing missing from that Teabilly gathering in front of the White House a couple of weeks ago were white sheets, they had the confederate flag!
I am tired of Democrats being scared of addressing what we are actually dealing with.
2Design
(9,099 posts)Those who twist this to be like Sarah Palin and gun targets or any other crap the tea baggers has thrown is trying to say we are not allow to speak truth because they lie
DonCoquixote
(13,616 posts)I would love to see some of this new "center" group suck up some of our driftwood like Debbie.
stupidicus
(2,570 posts)can kiss my ass and call it a love story. We need more like him, not less.
Civility is way overrated these days, and has been for a long time now.
The biggest source of incivility is the endless lying/dishonesty and whatnot by those Grayson targeted, and their allies. The turning the cheek thing that a lack of reciprocation/the enabling of silence are, and the worst, the "let's be nice to the _______" BS she offered up here, is merely an invitation to them to slap both cheeks off at the earliest available opportunity. It encourages rather than discourages their abusive rhetoric and behavior.
I was hoping that the infanticidal marxist muslim born in Kenya who's the terrorists best friend and his minions would have learned that lesson by now. The only reason the public doesn't see it as more of a problem is because dems have been their whipping boys for so long, it's been normalized. That's why Grayson and his efforts stick out like a sore thumb, kinda like the way that lamb taking a whip to the moneychangers in the "good book" does.
Lint Head
(15,064 posts)We don't use horses and buggies for our main transportation and we now have what some modern humans call cameras, computers and the internet.
I heard people saying things today that I have not heard since March 15, 1960, when I was marching to try to get off the back of the bus. House Majority Whip James Clybourn at a Tea Party rally earlier this year.
The KKK is probably embarrassed they didn't think of some of this garbage.
Brigid
(17,621 posts)They're just not wearing the white sheets.
marble falls
(57,838 posts)in the Tea Party.
heaven05
(18,124 posts)they ARE the modern klan that NEVER went away and that have been emboldened by RW hatemongers in CONGRESS and on television and radio.Grayson is right.
hollowdweller
(4,229 posts)Wasserman HAS to do what she's doing but I think Grayson is funny as hell.
Also, seriously, when you consider "you lie" and " I can't even stand to look at you" and just the stuff that the GOP says about Obama every day Graysons remark seems tame.
But I love the way he always delivers it with a straight face and totally deadpan while you know inside he's laughing his ass off.
TheKentuckian
(25,035 posts)She and those like her are probably even more dangerous to broad prosperity and self determination than the opposition.
PD Turk
(1,289 posts)I could give a shit what "disappoints " her. Alan is telling it like it is. Go Alan !!
TheCowsCameHome
(40,169 posts)being compared to the teabaggers.
melody
(12,365 posts)They are every bit as bad as the Klan. Alan is just speaking the truth.
beachbum bob
(10,437 posts)As well as the others who wish to be non-confrontational democrats. No small wonder Obama's numbers go up when he is tough
Purveyor
(29,876 posts)appacom
(296 posts)Enough of the bullshit . Grayson called it, and now everybody needs to stop ignoring the elephant in the room.
Pab Sungenis
(9,612 posts)Rain Mcloud
(812 posts)wherein he stated that what America needs is 100 more in Congress like Jesse Helms.
I will wait for a minute for that to sink in.....................
Of all the people who should be demanding Cruz walk back that statement,i would think that Allen West would be just one of potentially hundreds of republicans(unashamedly self proclaimed republicans)but Mr.West having the most right to an apology.
Ten years ago Trent Lott came out and sang the praises of another racist dixiecrat,Strom Thurmond on his birthday.
The backlash was so strong not only from the left but also from the right,that Lott had to step down.
I might remind the head of a so called faction of the blue dog democrats that playing nice with the two headed attack dogs is what brought us to this particular juncture in history.
16 Trillion in debt.
Unemployment at 7.5%(unofficially de-rated because of those who have given up hope and are probably homeless).
In the midst of a job killing sequester.
A Congress being controlled by a minority who will not allow anyone to govern.
Two illegal wars.
One Impeachment.
Stolen election.
Voter suppression.
Torture as a means of interrogation.
Wiretapping of every American with a data connection.
De-regulation of every industry including the banking industry.
American Manufacturing jobs shipped overseas.
Retirement funds of American workers pillaged for profit.
Weakening of workers rights(Union Busting and Right to Work)
And the list goes on but i think i have made a point.
This happened while the democratic party was trying to pull its head out of its ass,wondering why people did not like them anymore.
Nobody likes a loser especially one who throws the food on the fire and then wants to go through your pantry to stoke the fire with again.
This is how they won over a majority on schemes that the village idiot would not fall for.
So.....
When will it be time to stop playing nice?
When our grandkids are going to work in factories for 15 hour days and six days a week instead of school?
When we are engaged in a global war to create a corporate empire?
When the smog is so thick you cannot see a hand in front of your face?
When going to vote is illegal?
When State Religion is instituted?
30 Years ago would have been about right to just say no to their Astrological bullshit!
We would not be in the goddamndest fix that we are in today,if Truman had been around.
Get Thee back to Wall Street what spat your incompetent ass out!
Grayson for DNC Chairman!
bowens43
(16,064 posts)rhett o rick
(55,981 posts)than they Blue Dogs.
kath
(10,565 posts)Are WAY damned disappointed with YOU.
valerief
(53,235 posts)HooptieWagon
(17,064 posts)She's a RW DLCer.
Ruby the Liberal
(26,219 posts)former Rep. Allen West
former Rep. Allen West
former Rep. Allen West
That doesn't get old. More like this, Florida. Please and thank you.
Octafish
(55,745 posts)The Chair of the Democratic National Committee is completely unaware of one of the biggest stories of the Obama years
Glenn Greenwald
theguardian.com, Friday 19 October 2012 20.38 EDT
On 29 May 2012, the New York Times published a remarkable 6,000-word story on its front page about what it termed President Obama's "kill list". It detailed the president's personal role in deciding which individuals will end up being targeted for assassination by the CIA based on Obama's secret, unchecked decree that they are "terrorists" and deserve to die.
Based on interviews with "three dozen of his current and former advisers", the Times' Jo Becker and Scott Shane provided extraordinary detail about Obama's actions, including how he "por[es] over terrorist suspects' biographies on what one official calls the macabre 'baseball cards'" and how he "insist[s] on approving every new name on an expanding 'kill list'". At a weekly White House meeting dubbed "Terror Tuesdays", Obama then decides who will die without a whiff of due process, transparency or oversight. It was this process that resulted in the death of US citizen Anwar Awlaki in Yemen, and then two weeks later, the killing of his 16-year-old American son, Abdulrahman, by drone.
The Times "kill list" story made a huge impact and was widely discussed and condemned by media figures, politicians, analysts, and commentators. Among other outlets, the New York Times itself harshly editorialized against Obama's program in an editorial entitled "Too Much Power For a President", denouncing the revelations as "very troubling" and argued: "No one in that position should be able to unilaterally order the killing of American citizens or foreigners located far from a battlefield - depriving Americans of their due-process rights - without the consent of someone outside his political inner circle."
That Obama has a "kill list" has been known since January, 2010, and has been widely reported and discussed in every major American newspaper since April 2010. A major controversy over chronic White House leaks often featured complaints about this article (New York Times, 5 June 2012: "Senators to Open Inquiry Into 'Kill List' and Iran Security Leaks" . The Attorney General, Eric Holder, gave a major speech defending it.
But Debbie Wasserman Schultz, the Democratic Congresswoman from Florida and the Chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee, does not know about any of this. She has never heard of any of it. She has managed to remain completely ignorant about the fact that President Obama has asserted and exercised the power to secretly place human beings, including US citizens, on his "kill list" and then order the CIA to extinguish their lives.
CONTINUED...
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2012/oct/20/wasserman-schultz-kill-list
Mnpaul
(3,655 posts)about her Republican friends, the ones she refused to campaign against. That alone should have disqualified her from any leadership position. She is a disaster on the talk shows because she never gives a straight answer. It is always long winded talking points.
The Wizard
(12,563 posts)teabaggers were the same as the Klan. He said they were as popular as the Klan. Republicans like to play the victim and demand an apology. The difference between the Klan and the baggers is the Klan is more honest. If they thought they could do it with impunity, they'd be yelling ni66er on the street corners.
kiranon
(1,727 posts)The time for ignoring the Tea Party's similarity to fascism is over. Perhaps Italy's version of fascism may be more accurate but Rep. Grayson is saying what needs to be said.
Bradical79
(4,490 posts)Of all the unquestionably KKK/racist/confederate imagery use by tea party leadership and followers, with each image and quote sourced. Probably wouldn't be to hard for one of his staffers or someone here to whip up.
ReRe
(10,597 posts)Third Way Debbie.
Well, Debbie, your fellow Democrats are more than a bit disappointed in you for uttering those words. You could have just siad, "You'll have to ask Rep Grayson about that... I can not speak for him." You need to resign honey. You're sweet, I love you, but you're just not suited for this position as the Chairman of the Democratic party. You're more suited to be the Chairman of the "Little Ladies" caucus. On your way out the door, nominate Alan Grayson to take you place. Toodle-doo!
DonCoquixote
(13,616 posts)dobleremolque
(496 posts)her fellow Floridian and GOP congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen? What's up with that? What DOES that "d" in DNC stand for anyway?
BuelahWitch
(9,083 posts)Sometimes they seem as limp as a wet dishrag.
lostincalifornia
(3,639 posts)Did you NOT learn anything from the government shutdown?
The creeps backed down when we stood up for what was right
Owl
(3,647 posts)24601
(3,967 posts)by itself, that won't retake the House of Representatives. Voters from the center of the political spectrum are what is needed for a Democratic majority. Red meat for the party faithful on either side tends to alienate the middle.
MissMillie
(38,629 posts)I'm as progressive as anyone else here on this board. I'm probably in the 95th percentile of "progressiveness"
But while the "blue" people relish how Grayson's comments sound to "blue" ears, they need to also consider how "purple" people might cringe, and at how "red" people will use them as a fund-raising tool.
While taking the high road is always the morally right thing to do, it's often the politically expedient thing to do as well.
JimboBillyBubbaBob
(1,389 posts)aren't they led by the Imperial Wizard Jim Demint and the Grand Dragon Ted Cruz? What's the problem?
BuelahWitch
(9,083 posts)This woman shouldn't be allowed as Democratic Chair!
ZomBoy
(36 posts)Nothing else goes along with the narrative of the MSM.
Tigress DEM
(7,887 posts)longship
(40,416 posts)Wouldn't be the first time.
Hey Debbie! What about the fifty state strategy for 2014????
Didn't think so. I knew you were no Howard Dean.
BTW, Debbie. It helps if Democrats stick together and not air their dirty laundry in public. You have a problem with Grayson? Talk to him, not to the media. If I were him, I'd respond with:
"Hey Debbie! How about a fifty state strategy for 2014?"
Didn't think so.
summerintx
(27 posts)I disagree with the majority of comments here. NOT because I am a fan of the DNC chairwoman. I agree that the timing suggests she could be reacting to (gag) Allen West's criticism. I also totally agree we need Howard Dean back.
BUT, the problem with fighting the Rethug's incivility with our own inflammatory rhetoric is that it adds to a very combustible mix in society.
It feeds a disturbing level of rage that evidence shows is connected to the rise in workplace violence. I've noticed the climate created is contagious. Doesn't being on the receiving end of incivility make you stew and rage, at least to some degree?
As incivility spreads, people seem to be less and less able to give one another the benefit of the doubt. I see it spreading into unlikely areas of society removed from the political realm, just like a cancer.
Unbridled incivility is a cause of increasing social unrest and violence. Responding to their incivility with our own is definitely counter productive. That DOES NOT mean being a door mat, or weak. It takes great strength and presence of mind to stand up for our principles firmly but within the bounds of civility. Think about Martin Luther King and the Civil Rights Movement.
It makes independent observers more likely to realize we are right and they are wrong. We win people over when we don't stoop to their ugliness. Conversely, it drives people away when we resort to those tactics.
Do you think Grayson persuades anyone except those who already believe? In my experience in my local area, such behavior is so easy to dislike and then use to tar an issue or candidate of the same party with that it doesn't help our cause. Quite the opposite.
DonCoquixote
(13,616 posts)And I remember full well how in the early days of The Obama admin, I got slammed and called every name in the book because I thought, and still think, that obama was trying to establish this civil level of discourse.
The problem is, the Tea Party knows that they do not have to pretend to want civility. They can say things that most countries would reward with jail time or the gallows, be incompetent in their jobs, and still get the Koches of the world shoveling money! As much as we hate it, we know Ted Cruz is going to his district, and will be showered with cheers and gold.
When the person has NO reason, not even fear, to act civil, then you have to fight hard, because the Koches and others have sucessfully made politeness a form of capitulation. It also helps that the centrist dems have so soiled the idea of balance, have so often used this to help their GOP friends beat the left up, that the very idea of civil discourse is questionable. Why should we listen to Debbie or Hillary tell us we need to behave, when we know that they will NOT make the GOP behave at all! It's like the GOP is trying to hang us from a tree, and the Debbies of the world are chiding us for not politely letting them put the noose around our neck!
Sorry, but if we use the idea that the "mythical center" will hate us if we act like Democrats, which sadly, has been the hippie-punching mantra since Bill Clinton, we willlose, because the center does nto respect anything but force, which is why they have yieleded to the GOP so much. Not sayign we need to be trotsyites, but they need to know that, while MLK types will appeal to those moral arcs of the universe, there are a few malcolm X's that will remember the way the nice people were thrown out of the building.
summerintx
(27 posts)I'm not saying to not fight hard. But you can fight hard without getting in the gutter. Passion and fierce determination are absolutely called for. No backing down, and no giving up.
But our use of incivility 1) allows our opponents to justify their behavior; 2) alienates potential allies; 3) does not get us to a better place; and 4) hurts our own core and renders us less effective.
It's a worse world if all of us are resorting to vicious lies, smears, and insults - and it's more dangerous, angrier, more violent.
MLK fought injustice - but with words and satyagraha (moral force), not violence. Harder but better. Had he used violence or even angry rhetoric, would we have come as far as we have - even though we still have a long, long way to go?
Would we admire him? I wouldn't. He's admirable for many reasons, including that he called to our better natures.
MissMillie
(38,629 posts)Someone else brought up the political expediency of Grayson's comments, and the two of you are spot on.
NuttyFluffers
(6,811 posts)that's how those who are prone to follow work. they want to be led. they want to feel safe behind a fighter.
Grayson is the absolutely correct voice to persuade others. it already worked for the batshit insane, as our past history tells us. and it worked in spades during Dean's 50 state strategy, which we idiotically abandoned.
it is sheer madness to assume being strong will hurt us among the vapid and undecided.
the correct answer has been apparent for years. it takes willful blindness to ignore it.
Wiki Wookie
(5 posts)Allen West; the man who denied being drummed out of the military for allegedly torturing fellow soldiers, allegedly abused his own wife, was laughed out of any relevance after claiming his security clearance was higher than the president's clearance, and how many other instances of mental instability now allegedly wasn't fired after calling a woman a JAP and telling her to shut up? Sure, and Ted Cruz understands the message behind "Green Eggs & Ham" and makes racist barbs at fellow workers? that disgusting and degenerate Allen West?!
http://wp.me/p18r3p-16C
"Far Right Whackjob Allen West Turns Out to Be Antisemitic, Right Wing PJ Media Shocked! "
Nite Owl
(11,303 posts)being civil gets us nothing. It has never stopped the GOP from vicious lies and bigotry. This is the only way they know because they are such utter failures.
merrily
(45,251 posts)blkmusclmachine
(16,149 posts)Yeah, ain't gonna happen....
Francois Jeopardy
(40 posts)Trend the heading on Twitter to support Congressman Grayson !!! Or lets set a Rec record by rec-ing this thread: http://www.democraticunderground.com/10023908755
Enthusiast
(50,983 posts)And I am disappointed in Debbie Wasserman Schultz. Again.
truthisfreedom
(23,174 posts)Someone figured out how to explain how truly marginalized the 'baggers are.
sendero
(28,552 posts).... Yes Debbie, but only Democrats actually do.
If the Tea Party doesn't like being compared to the KKK perhaps they should stop acting like the KKK.
Javaman
(62,546 posts)yeah that always works.
Debbie needs to answer the clue phone.
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