Katrina vanden Heuvel: After Hardball

[marmar]

from The Nation:



After Hardball
posted by Katrina vanden Heuvel on 10/23/2008 @ 4:03pm


Last Friday, one of the guests preceding my segment on MSNBC's Hardball was a then-little known Congresswoman from Minnesota named Michele Bachmann.

She's not little known now.

Bachmann said of Barack Obama, "I‘m very concerned that he may have anti-American views." She then called on the media to "take a great look at the views of the people in Congress and find out, are they pro-America or anti-America?"

I've heard a lot of toxic words in my time as Editor of The Nation. The magazine and its editors have been called un-American, unpatriotic, America- haters, and worse. But Bachmann's name-calling, and brazen channeling of Joe McCarthy made me angry. Really angry. When Matthews turned to me for my response I told him exactly what I was feeling, "Chris, I fear for my country…. This is a politics, at a moment of extreme economic pain in this country, that is incendiary, that is so debased that I‘m kind of almost having a hard time breathing, because I think it's very scary, because this is a country I love."

I said what I believed, nothing more. Bachmann's over-the-top baiting angered many Americans who've had it with the fearmongering and division that has characterized our politics for too long. That emotion poured forth in e-mails which I was extremely moved to receive from so many people – across the country – who wanted to tell me that they shared my views and were grateful that I had expressed the fear and outrage they feel about this kind of poisonous politics. Here are some excerpts from those notes:

Paul in California wrote: "…You make me proud to be an American. Keep it up, we are with you." And from Autumn in Kansas: "Thank you Katrina, for sticking up for all of us out there that might be perceived as ‘anti-American' by the likes of Rep. Bachmann." Jan in Arizona: "That took guts. We know how upset you were and want to support you…. So just a note of thanks." And from Brad in Chicago: "Thank you for sounding the alarm bell, and for speaking for us all." ......(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.thenation.com/blogs/edcut/375366

[gratuitous]

1. Katrina vanden Heuvel is a national treasure

And after reading her account of her own words, I am left with a couple of questions. Sure, once you've seen the right thing to do, it makes it easier. So why didn't Chris Matthews say something like that on his own when talking directly to Bachmann? In the clips I saw, he certainly badgered Bachmann with several questions. But instead of waiting for the communications link delay, he kept hectoring her with repeated questions, cutting Bachmann off several times. But in all his verbiage, there was no betrayal (if you'll forgive the word) of a feeling that Matthews might have harbored the same feelings that vanden Heuvel expressed so well in just a few short sentences.

[malaise]

2. Since Friday I've been of the view that Katrina's outrage

was the key to exposing that Bachmann right wing lunatic. She is a national treasure.

[lebkuchen]

7. Yes, it was extremely genuine/heartfelt

Since I couldn't express my anger to Chris over Bachmann's words, I'm glad Katrina, who had the opportunity, didn't squander that opportunity. She spoke for me. When I'm angry, I can be very articulate. Katrina was that.

BTW, I've read that El has had very little face-time w/Bachmann and the public in debates. The time he has been afforded was very frustrating for him because of Bachmann's blatant racist commentary on immigrants, even exploiting, for political self-promotion, a tragic accident caused by an immigrant. It was nauseating, and by all accounts, El was nonplussed with Bachmann's commentary.

She's political toast after 4 Nov.

[malaise]

8. That would be great news

Go El.

[snappyturtle]

3. K&R

[DrDan]

4. excellent article - K&R

go Katrina!

Excellent, mature response to a real nut. It needed to be said.

[NoSheep]

5. Here's some video. I'm at work so can't hear it. Is it the incident?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QrdPT7RaVDw&feature=related

[mmonk]

11. Yep

[BrklynLiberal]

6. Katrina vanden Heuval and The Nation are outstanding examples of the best this

coutnry has to offer.

[lynettebro440]

9. I love her

she couldn't hold herself back that night, if she would have been sitting next to the bitch she would have taken her out....wish that would have happened.

[MadMaddie]

10. Man she was great! And it was a rightous anger....an anger that

is moving across this country.