THere must be something in the GOP's water, creating so manhy NIMRODS. On Mon, Mar 22, 2010 at 3:40 PM, Keith Johnson <keithbjohn...@comcast.net>wrote:
> > > Ah hell. Another ignorant buffoon from my beloved home state. So, "i meant > to say 'It's a baby killer', not *you're* a baby killer"? Oh, well, that > makes everything okay... :( > > ************************************* > > Last night, as the clock approached midnight and the long House debate on > health > care reform was finally winding down, Rep. Bart Stupak stepped to the > microphone on the floor of the chamber to deliver his remarks. As the famously > anti-abortion > congressman<http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/news/ynews/ts_ynews/storytext/ynews_ts1298/35556201/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/ynews/ynews_ts1220>was > denouncing a measure to kill the deal he'd struck earlier in the day for > President Obama to issue an executive order reiterating that no federal > funds would pay for abortions, a voice suddenly shouted "Baby > killer!"<http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/news/ynews/ts_ynews/storytext/ynews_ts1298/35556201/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/ynews/ynews_ts1293>from > the GOP side of the House floor. > > > Today, after a flurry of media questions about the identity of the > shouter<http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/news/ynews/ts_ynews/storytext/ynews_ts1298/35556201/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/ynews/ynews_ts1293>, > GOP Texas Rep. Randy Neugebauer stepped > forward<http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/ynews/ts_ynews/storytext/ynews_ts1298/35556201/SIG=13e5i5r91/*http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/03/texas-rep-neugebauer-i-exclaimed-the-phrase-its-a-baby-killer.php>as > the offending shouter—though he stipulated he actually shouted, "It's a > baby killer," in reference to the unamended health care bill, and has > since apologized to Stupak for any suggestion that he personally was > responsible for the killing of babies. > > Neugebauer's confession will help speed the episode's exit from the news > cycle—particularly once President Obama signs the health care bill into law > and Congress moves on to fresh controversies. But the "Baby killer furor" > highlights a far more serious, long-term political dilemma for the > Republicans: how to appear to be a respectable Party capable of governing > while also providing political shelter for the highly motivated, though > vocally disruptive, protest wing of the party associated with the Tea Party > movement. While many commentators are forecasting trouble ahead for > Democrats<http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/ynews/ts_ynews/storytext/ynews_ts1298/35556201/SIG=122vjnqgg/*http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/22/health/policy/22assess.html?hp>identified > with the health care bill, the GOP faces some major issues of its > own. > > Just look at the past weekend: Thousands of Tea Party protesters descended > on Washington in an attempt to "kill the bill." It was an impressive turnout > for a quickly organized protest —but coverage of the event soon was > dominated by reports that some demonstrators had hurled racial and > homophobic > epithets<http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/ynews/ts_ynews/storytext/ynews_ts1298/35556201/SIG=11r2ttqk9/*http://www.tnr.com/blog/the-treatment/breaking-ugly-scene>at > Democratic lawmakers as they entered the Capitol. > > Nor were the passionate displays limited to the protestors outside. Even > after admonishing members of his caucus to "behave like > grown-ups"<http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/ynews/ts_ynews/storytext/ynews_ts1298/35556201/SIG=13evm35jc/*http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/88155-boehner-to-gop-lawmakers-behave-like-grown-ups?page=4>during > the epic health care floor debate, Majority Leader John > Boehner let loose with a cry of "Hell no!" in his own fiery floor > speech<http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/news/ynews/ts_ynews/storytext/ynews_ts1298/35556201/*http://news.yahoo.com/video/politics-15749652/18741638>denouncing > the Democrats' handling of the legislative process. > > Also noteworthy: Kentucky Congressman Geoff Davis unveiled a > flag<http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/ynews/ts_ynews/storytext/ynews_ts1298/35556201/SIG=13bi5bjgf/*http://cincinnati.com/blogs/nkypolitics/2010/03/21/davis-health-care-vote-a-turning-point-for-our-nation/>on > the Capitol balcony featuring the "Don't Tread on Me" slogan famously > used by past revolutionary militia groups. > > The alliance between conservative lawmakers and movement activists was > famously sealed in the wake of Rep. Joe Wilson's now-famous "You lie!" > shout during an address by President Obama to both chambers of Congress. > > > The incident earned some tut-tutting from party and congressional leaders, > but Wilson saw his fundraising numbers skyrocket with Tea Party donations > after his outburst on the floor. Additionally, Wilson's Senate colleague > from South Carolina, Jim DeMint—who authored a > book<http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/ynews/ts_ynews/storytext/ynews_ts1298/35556201/SIG=12d94jv9h/*http://www.amazon.com/Saving-Freedom-Americas-Slide-Socialism/dp/0805449574>denouncing > "America's slide into socialism" —also sought to amp up activist > support with the challenge to make health care into the Obama > administration's Waterloo, an assertion the left is having some fun with on > his Facebook > page<http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/ynews/ts_ynews/storytext/ynews_ts1298/35556201/SIG=12kus2bah/*http://blog.windycitywatch.com/2010/03/lol-jim-demints-facebook-page-is-being.html>today. > > But one prominent conservative commentator—former Bush speechwriter David > Frum<http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/ynews/ts_ynews/storytext/ynews_ts1298/35556201/SIG=1134b6127/*http://www.frumforum.com/waterloo>—argues > that last night's vote was an enormous political reversal for Republicans. > Saying that the Republicans went for "all the marbles" by unanimously > opposing the bill and refusing to compromise in any way—fueling activist > fury at the same time—he writes: > > > So today's defeat for free-market economics and Republican values is a > huge win for the conservative entertainment industry. Their listeners and > viewers will now be even more enraged, even more frustrated, even more > disappointed in everybody except the responsibility-free talkers on > television and radio. For them, it's mission accomplished. For the cause > they purport to represent, it's Waterloo all right: ours. > > Frum's assessment actually echoes a warning call that conservative writer > William > Kristol advanced in a famous > memo<http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/ynews/ts_ynews/storytext/ynews_ts1298/35556201/SIG=138t4f3at/*http://theplumline.whorunsgov.com/bill-kristols-1993-memo-calling-for-gop-to-block-health-care-reform/>preaching > hard opposition to President > Clinton's 1993 health care reform bill. Kristol then cautioned that party > leaders couldn't afford to let any version of the measure pass, lest the > provisions of the bill create powerful new political alliances for the > Democrats, as had happened after the passage of Social Security and Medicare > in prior battles over federal entitlements. (It should be noted that this > morning Kristol appears to be backing > away<http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/ynews/ts_ynews/storytext/ynews_ts1298/35556201/SIG=13o202vdm/*http://washingtonindependent.com/79959/bill-kristol-health-care-reform-was-obamas-version-of-napoleons-russia-campaign>from > his past prediction of > GOP doom and gloom if the Democrats successfully passed health care reform > .) > > Kristol's strategy of going all-in on opposing health care proved a > political winner then: GOP opposition—combined with internal Democratic > political tensions—defeated Clinton's bill and set the stage for the 1994 > Republican > Revolution. In losing the vote this time out via a strategy of strict > opposition, Frum argues that the GOP has left itself little in the way of > legislative achievement to run on in future campaigns, an assessment at > least one other conservative commentator agrees > with<http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/ynews/ts_ynews/storytext/ynews_ts1298/35556201/SIG=12klppbvv/*http://douthat.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/03/22/did-the-republicans-blunder-revisited/>. > Liberal pundits, meanwhile, are offering tongue-in-cheek > accolades<http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/ynews/ts_ynews/storytext/ynews_ts1298/35556201/SIG=12nppss5n/*http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2010-03-21/how-the-gop-made-it-happen/>to > the "unsung hero of comprehensive reform": Republican leaders who refused > to work to make the bill more moderate, thus unifying the fractious > Democrats. > > > In many ways, the dilemma faced by modern Republicans is similar to the one > Democrats faced in the '60s and '70s with the Vietnam-era anti-war movement. > While the confrontation-minded (and media-friendly) activists garnered > headlines and caused widespread disruption, the Democrats succumbed to > damaging leadership divisions on the war—and in the process, allowed > Republicans to tag them with sinister hippie and New Left leanings ever > since. The challenge for Republicans going forward is to avoid the same > undertow from its activist base—to establish majorities in Washington and > not let the unsavory aspects of the fringe haunt them for decades to come. > > > In the short term, though, the GOP doesn't seem to be in much of a mood for > introspection—at least not to judge by the remarks of the party's 2008 > standard bearer, Arizona Sen. John McCain, who had previously made a mark > as a compromise-minded lawmaker. "There will be no cooperation for the rest > of the year," McCain said during an > interview<http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/ynews/ts_ynews/storytext/ynews_ts1298/35556201/SIG=13h93addu/*http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/88285-mccain-dont-expect-gop-cooperation-the-rest-of-this-year>with > The Hill. "[The > Democrats] have poisoned the well in what they've done and how they've > done it." > > > – Brett Michael Dykes is a national affairs writer for Yahoo! News. > > >
