Pelosi/Hoyer op-ed in Monday USATODAY calls townhall protesters 'un-American'

[jefferson_dem]

... Developing...

According to sludge.

LOL. :popcorn: anyone.

[Arkana]

1. Is Pelosi doing this on purpose?

[jefferson_dem]

4. I'll withhold judgment until I see the Op-Ed but I hope this isn't shark-jumping.

Obviously, sludge may be taking shit out of context. The wingnuts have already started going ape-shit apoplectic.

[BlooInBloo]

2. Yah - like I'm fucking stupid enough to accept drudge's characterization.

[NYC_SKP]

3. Rat Bastard. It's "developing", not a live link to anything, speculation.

Nonetheless, :popcorn:

[grantcart]

5. Maybe she read this: John Adams and growing Republican Un Americanism..

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x8576689

[Cha]

6. And, it's not "unAmerican" to shut down

the very American Town Hall Meeting? How would mccain have liked it if bullies had come to his meets and disrupted so no one could debate?

[Arkana]

7. They did--but they were his supporters at the time.

[cravermi]

8. Drudge/Repugs Purposely Misinterpreting the USAToday Op-Ed

This is my first ever post to DU so bare with me.

Here is the address to the Pelosi/Hoyer Op-Ed in today's USAToday:

http://blogs.usatoday.com/oped/2009/08/unamerican-attacks-cant-derail-health-care-debate-.html

The use of the term "Un-American" appears in the article only once as follows:

"These disruptions are occurring because opponents are afraid not just of differing views — but of the facts themselves. Drowning out opposing views is simply un-American. Drowning out the facts is how we failed at this task for decades."

Drudge/Repugs/Freepers are already spinning this as Pelosi/Hoyer think that people who oppose HCR are un-American.

Pelosi/Hoyer are NOT calling the protestors un-American but stating, accurately, that protesting for the sake of drowning out the other side's views is un-American. It is not civil discourse. I highly doubt that the tactics being used by the Repugs were on display at the Constitutional Convention. They love to wrap themselves in the US constitution and American flag but have no appreciation for the civility in which our founding fathers debated the very freedoms that they enjoy today.

As is evidenced throughout DU, there are several things for people to be concerned with regarding the various pieces of HCR legislation currently be debated in Congress. For example, there are differeing views on how we should pay for the reforms (e.g., taxes on the wealthy, taxes on the so-called cadillac health plans, etc.). We have some support among Democrats for co-ops while most other Democrats support a robust public option. Let's not forget Progressives who are advocating a single-payer system.

However, instead of debating these types of issues/concerns, we have to spend our time and effort responding to the lunacy from the right-wing with their attacks on HCR ranging from euthanasia or so-called "Palin" death panels, government-run HC or socialism (although they love their medicare), and tax payer money to be spent on insuring illegal aliens.

Of course, no right-wing attack is complete without injecting good old abortion into the debate. In case the lies about tax-funded abortions being included in HCR doesn't stir the pot, the right-wing would like us to believe that legislation will allow abortions to be performed at school health clinics.

I have come to the conclusion that it is just impossible to deal in logic and reason with these people. They are selfish and determined to win at all costs regardless of the consequences. They have dragged the debate into the gutter.

I wonder, if in order to win, do we as Democrats have to sink to their level? At this point, I don't know if it is worth it or not.

[Jennicut]

9. Welcome to DU and thanks for the interpretation of the article

Never trust Sludge to report anything fairly.

[Cali_Democrat]

12. Welcome to DU

[Proud Liberal Dem]

15. Drowning out opposing viewpoints IS un-American IMHO

It certainly doesn't seem to me to be what the founders intended. I think that they expected political debate to certainly be raucous sometimes but I don't think that they would consider the use of brownshirt-style tactics in what are supposed to be free and public forums for our
representatives to hear our concerns to be conducive to democracy in general. It's not fair IMHO to have people at these forums who, by all accounts, are intentionally preventing the free exchange of ideas and concerns.

[vaberella]

10. Reading anything sludge puts out makes my Perrier lose it's fizz. n/t

[Quantess]

11. Sorry, I had to Unrecommend this.

I hope you understand. :)

[jefferson_dem]

13. Totally.

If I could un-rec my own posts...I would this time. :)

[and-justice-for-all]

14. ugh, sludge

:puke:

[Craftsman]

16. A reminder

"I am sick and tired of people who say that if you debate and disagree with this administration somehow you're not patriotic. We should stand up and say we are Americans and we have a right to debate and disagree with any administration." Hillary Clinton - March 2003