Brave Sir Donkey Ran Away
By Mitch Berg
Vulnerable Democrats are afraid Obamacare is going to drag them underwater this fall:
Tough votes for Obama’s health care plan have further complicated the re-election prospects of dozens of already vulnerable freshman and second-term Democrats. There’s even a chance the party could lose control of one or both houses in the midterm elections.
And the nervous Reps are responding like Brave Sir Robin; they’re running away from their constituents:
In districts and states where the overhaul was most controversial, town-hall meetings have been replaced with tightly controlled business roundtables and other gatherings with voters.
In Nevada, first-term Democratic Rep. Dina Titus defended her vote for the health care bill in a newspaper piece she co-wrote and in a meeting with female doctors. Facing a vigorous GOP challenge from a Republican physician, she acknowledged treading carefully.
“It’s more of a teaching tour than a selling tour,” she said of her recent appearances.
Expect to see lots of tightly-controlled, “on message” events, and virtually no meetings with uncontrolled groups of peasants. Er, voters.
The obvious answer is this; if the Dems are too cowardly to face the people and answer for the damage they’ve wrought, the Republicans will have to do it for them. Have town-hall meetings, Republicans.
In fact, have ’em in front of your opponents’ offices.
April 8th, 2010 at 9:29 am
It seems the only running away in Minnesota is Kline and Paulsen running away from Bachmann’s repeal bill.
http://minnesotaindependent.com/57055/kline-paulsen-missing-from-bachmann-repeal-bill
Come on GOP grassroots go to work on these two laggards.
April 8th, 2010 at 9:32 am
First of all – posting the Mindy as a source is a primary sign of a weak argument.
Yeah, there are Republicans with different points of view on how to go forward on recovering from Obamacare. It’ll be a spirited debate.
One thing’s for sure; it won’t be settled via billions of dollars of graft to buy votes!
April 8th, 2010 at 9:54 am
A better sign of a weak agrument is bad-mouthing a source without disputing the accuracy of the facts it reports.
“there are Republicans with different points of view on how to go forward on recovering from Obamacare” What does that even mean?
“It’ll be a spirited debate”. What is there to debate? Isn’t it an unconsitutional socialist monstrosity that means the end of the America we grew up in?
What parts of the bill can a responsible GOPer be in favor of keeping?
April 8th, 2010 at 10:00 am
Apparently the rot has spread beyond MN and you don’t have to just trust Mindy:
http://thehill.com/homenews/house/91047-internal-grumbling-on-gops-healthcare-message-intensifies
“Every GOP lawmaker rejected the Democrats’ bill last month, but the party is now split on whether to call for a full repeal of the new law.”
April 8th, 2010 at 10:10 am
Right. Split. Big whoop, there’s more than one approach!
That’s politics!
April 8th, 2010 at 10:13 am
A better sign of a weak agrument is bad-mouthing a source without disputing the accuracy of the facts it reports.
Yeah, true. But if the report (no, I didn’t read it) was remotely like what you said it was (which, no offense, is always a bad assumption with you), then they got it all wrong.
What does that even mean?
Read it again. Or I’ll write slower. It’s perfectly clear.
What is there to debate? Isn’t it an unconsitutional socialist monstrosity that means the end of the America we grew up in?
You’re being obtuse again.
What parts of the bill can a responsible GOPer be in favor of keeping?
IMO, none. It all needs to be repealed, and preferably burned in an incinerator. If I were in Congress, I’d be with Bachmann on this one.
Not everyone in the GOP agrees. That’s what happens when you don’t have George Soros telling you what to think.So the GOP will work it all out – no doubt refining its positions leading up to and after November.
And, by the way, we’ll sort it out without calling our opponents ugly names, defaming them, or threatening to move to France if we lose.
April 8th, 2010 at 10:18 am
That was a pretty good threadjacking. Anyway, back on topic:
I think the DFL needs to fly their freak flag high on this. They’ve solved healthcare. Just ask them. No reason for Tim Walz to hide on this one. It was a genius move and he should stride boldly to the podium and give all us wingnuts the what-for. In fact, I recommend that he put an exclamation point on his name, a la Betty! McCollum.
April 8th, 2010 at 10:22 am
“You’re being obtuse again”
Well that will teach me to paraphrase the leading lights of the conservative movement.
So Kline and Paulsen are not “responsible GOPers”, does not sound like there is much reason for a GOPer to get out and vote for them. Vote GOP, we will keep Obamacare in place, but at least we won’t be happy doing it.
April 8th, 2010 at 10:27 am
Bravely bold Sir Robin
Rode forth from Camelot.
He was not afraid to die,
Oh brave Sir Robin.
He was not at all afraid
To be killed in nasty ways.
Brave, brave, brave, brave Sir Robin.
He was not in the least bit scared
To be mashed into a pulp.
Or to have his eyes gouged out,
And his elbows broken.
To have his kneecaps split
And his body burned away,
And his limbs all hacked and mangled
Brave Sir Robin.
Oops. Guess I’ll be hearing from the FBI now.
April 8th, 2010 at 10:33 am
RickDFL said:
“Well that will teach me …”
I seriously doubt that you can be taught, RickDFL.
April 8th, 2010 at 10:37 am
Say DFLDick?
Do you wake up this stupid, or do you have to work yourself up to it?
Listen, dolt.
Your assnozzle party of Scrubs has set a new national record for taking a huge victory straight into the toilet. The people back home can’t wait to get right up into the grills of their stinking Democrat representatives and set them straight….and your rat faced hero’s are scurrying for their union hall holes for cover.
Next year the party of Scrubs will be put back into it’s accustomed basement office suites, but in the mean time, please take our permission to sit down and STFU as a given.
April 8th, 2010 at 10:37 am
I seriously doubt that you can be taught, RickDFL.
Not even to fetch a stick. Too busy chasing his own tail.
April 8th, 2010 at 12:07 pm
“What parts of the bill can a responsible GOPer be in favor of keeping?”
Nothing that takes years before it kicks in, if it were that important we wouldn’t need to wait years.
I’m in favor of buying across state lines, portability, and flexibility not to buy certain mandated coverage…
April 8th, 2010 at 12:09 pm
Any bill repealing the Health Care law would have to be signed by the president.
Who will still be president for 2 more years after midterms.
So repeal talk now, or its use as a legitimate midterm campaign issue is dumb.
Not as dumb as DFL activist comment trolls, but still dumb.
April 8th, 2010 at 12:41 pm
“What parts of the bill can a responsible GOPer be in favor of keeping?
IMO, none. It all needs to be repealed, and preferably burned in an incinerator. If I were in Congress, I’d be with Bachmann on this one.”
My preference would be to burn it around a stake which has the bastards that voted for it tied to.
They can run away for now but soon they’ll have to answer during debates followed by the polling booth!
April 8th, 2010 at 1:02 pm
Guys, guys, you’re missing the point. The debate is over.
Mitch criticized Democrats who are afraid to meet the public to defend their President’s greatest accomplishment.
Rick destroyed Mitch for criticizing Democrats by pointing out that some Republicans disagree on how to mitigate the disaster – whether to sign on with Bachmann or take some other approach.
It’s a brilliant debating tactic known as Moral Equivalence. One of your guys did something I didn’t like but which was vaguely similar to conduct my guys did that you don’t like; therefore you have no moral standing and can’t criticize any of my guys for anything, ever.
The truth that Democrat legislators are running away from their party leader’s greatest achievement doesn’t matter because you lack standing to mention it.
.
April 8th, 2010 at 1:18 pm
Watch, by summer they’ll sound like Python characters; “run away, run away!!!!”.
April 8th, 2010 at 1:42 pm
They already are, Scott… President Obama pooh-poohs the idea that his people treat him like the Messiah.
Obama supporters: “I say you are, lord, and I should know… I’ve followed a few.”
April 8th, 2010 at 2:25 pm
Democrat talking point….”We know of three Republicans, including Nixon, who called for nationalized health care in the past. Therefore, all Republicans today have to support socialized medicine.”
April 8th, 2010 at 2:30 pm
Nixon once said “I am a Keynesian”. Therefore, all Republicans must be Keynesians, or they are teh heppocrreet.
April 8th, 2010 at 2:40 pm
But Teddy was a Republican… Reagan was not a true Republican!!!
April 8th, 2010 at 3:58 pm
LearnedFoot Says:
April 8th, 2010 at 12:09 pm
Any bill repealing the Health Care law would have to be signed by the president.
LF : That’s assuming that we follow the Constitution. As our esteemed Democrat Congressman Phil Hare, we need not concern ourselves with such trivialities.
We need not worry about such stuff. Whether it be in the Constitution, Bill of Rights, Declaration of Independence, my 3rd grade report on Aardvarks, the Monroe Doctrine, Playboy December 1983 issue, etc etc etc….it’s all the same, and it doesn’t matter!!
April 8th, 2010 at 9:02 pm
“I Don’t Care About the Constitution” – US Rep. Phil Hare (D-IL)
http://stark-raving-sane-dont-go-in.blogspot.com/2010/04/democrats-dont-care-if-they-shred.html
April 8th, 2010 at 9:07 pm
President Obama pooh-poohs the idea that his people treat him like the Messiah.
Deegee/peevee/ayebee/flush have yet to have any criticism or skepticism toward Obama.
April 9th, 2010 at 2:15 am
KR, since you don’t read Penigma anymore, you’re not in a position to speak with any authority on what Pen or I have written about Obama.
The company where the mine deaths occurred has an abysmal safety record compared to other coal mining operations.
Supposedly internal documents indicate that the company made the decision that it was cheaper to pay fines than to comply with safety requirements. If that is true, IF, then I hope they are shut down, and reopened under different people. We do not as a country or society hold life that cheaply. It also suggests that pure free market mechanisms without some regulation is insufficient to protect people from being killed by bad management.
The Bush administration had a reputation for lax safety enforcement in mining, as in other industries. Supposedly the Obama administration has been tougher on enforcing safety in mines.
If that is true, that there is now tougher enforcement, it prompts the question then why did this still happen, when it appears the deaths were avoidable? I don’t know the answer to that, yet.
Safety, people’s lives, shouldn’t be dependent on politics – but it seems that it is. Perhaps we can agree that lives come first, politics should come second.
April 9th, 2010 at 7:20 am
It’s actually comforting to hear Democrats confirm that the mine disaster is Bush’s fault, even though it occured 15 months into Obama’s watch.
This firmly establishes the principle that actions and failures of the predecessor are the cause of any disaster that occurs in the new administration.
Now, let’s talk about 9-11, Jamie Gorlick, and Bill Clinton.
.
April 9th, 2010 at 10:36 am
Deegee/peevee/ayebee/flush have yet to have any criticism or skepticism toward Obama.
Princess Fairy Pants:
http://grumpyoldmen3.blogspot.com/2010/02/princess-fairy-pants-picture.html
April 9th, 2010 at 12:49 pm
Dog Gone Says: “The Bush administration had a reputation for lax safety enforcement in mining, as in other industries. Supposedly the Obama administration has been tougher on enforcing safety in mines.”
B.S. DG, where’s the proof?
Dog Gone Says: “Safety, people’s lives, shouldn’t be dependent on politics – but it seems that it is.”
Certainly holds true for the unborn, eh DG?
April 9th, 2010 at 1:01 pm
DG,
The Bush administration had a reputation for lax safety enforcement in mining, as in other industries
Did it, then?
The Bush Administration didn’t really do a whole lot, “positive” or negative, with the bureaucracy. So I’d like to know where you got that conclusion, and based on what metrics.
Because I’m sorry, DG, but that smells like an unexamined Media Matters chanting point.
Feel free to prove me wrong.