There are apparently two kinds of people who are very vocal about not wanting any sort of health care reform.
One is real, the other isn't.
The real ones are mostly angry white people, many of whom would be opposed to anything proposed by the Obama administration.
Those folks are getting scary, many of them carrying guns to town hall meetings and bearing signs like the one in the picture that implies a message that Obama's blood should flow.
If you're not familiar with the reference, Thomas Jefferson once said that it was necessary from time to time to water the tree of liberty with "the blood of patriots and tyrants."
I'm sure this isn't true of all of them, but it's very apparent from some of the right-wing Websites, not to mention the words and signs of the protesters themselves, that there is more than a little racism involved here. Some of these people just cannot tolerate the idea that a black man is the face America shows the world.
Actually, they're not the worst. As vile and as ignorant as racism is, at least these folks are out there showing their true colors. The second type of protesters aren't even that; many of them have been recruited or hired by right-wing politicos or the insurance companies to derail reform. They're supposed to make it look like the grass roots are rising up against Obama, but it's actually a charade that Mother Jones magazine exposed 10 years ago.
It's called "astroturf" protests, aka fake grass roots.
These are the people carrying signs about death panels, or keeping government out of Medicare, or other ridiculous arguments.
It's time for supporters of reform to start turning those tactics against the people using them. Democrats need to get a lot more "in your face" with Republicans and stop treating lies as if they needed to be argued.
Why not just call a lie a lie?
Why not just call the people spouting them liars?
It's really the only tactic they fear.
Posts
8 comments:
Michael,I am so upset with you, I just inadvertently wiped out my first response.
You disrespectfully dismissed all protesters as racist, ignorant, stupid, and conniving.
My sister and her husband are white, but not racists. It's insulting to read your comments because even though they voted for President Obama, they are among those who are struggling with his proposals.
My sister is a legislative analyst. Her husband is a lawyer who does a lot of pro bono work and neither is stupid or ignorant, but they have read the actual bills. they know far more about this than i do -- they know far, far more than anyone in the media who's commenting on the grassroots movement.
I went last month to a rally -- and the people I saw were not ignorant or stupid or eveil.
They're weren't all white. They weren't racists and they weren't all evil.
You have seriously maligned a lot of people. You can and should disagree with them on the issues. But you go too far.
I've read you for almost two years. I think I know you.
Something is definitely wrong. Since the spring you've been allowing more anger and bitterness and just plain contempt to leak into your blogs.
You're becoming as extremist in your views, as unrelenting, as uncompromising, as bitter and extremists as media people from both extremes -- Glenn Beck, Rachel Maddow, Bill Maher, Sean Hannity, Rush Limbaugh, and Keith Olbermann.
They're not only extremists who engage in the not-so-subtle art of character assassination, they're simply poor writers.
(Even though I don't like her or most of her opinions, Ann Coulter and you are far better writers than any of the others, but you're both dismissing, disrespecting, and generally destroying through character assassination anyone who happens to disagree with you.)
Is that what you want?
Do you want to be viewed as a demagogue like Coulter or Beck or Olbermann?
I don't think that should be your aim or your result.
You have been much more objective and cool and clever than the group above. You used to be.
All I see now is venom and anger and bitterness about virtually everything except your daughter and granddaughter.
You hate California, you hate Republicans, you hate anyone who holds a different view from you.
Shame on you.
What? Were you raised by savage wolves?
Of course not.
I haven't lead a bevy of my friends to your blog site to have you insult them because they don't share the same view on all topics as you do.
It's one thing to advocate a position. It's quite different to tear down anyone who disagrees with you.
You're in serious danger of becoming a demagogue.
That's not the Mike Rappaport I have come to know and respect so much.
And to have you cast such ugly aspersions about her and Bill is simply appalling.
There are Democrats who don't agree with Rep. Pelosi or Senator Reid.
Where are the moderates? Has everyone become insane?
Why are you so uncivil on such an important issue.
When you join the fray and start calling for trench warfare, I am more than shocked. i am appalled that you would paint my sister and brother-in-law with such a sweeping and condemning brush.
Eveleyn
Wow.
I was just about to go to bed -- after five hours of Warcraft, and I thought I'd check the blogsite.
Wow.
Evelyn is really upset.
That's a first.
Mike, you might consider that you're not getting the whole story.
My brother works for CNN. He told me the woman who challenged Barney Frank was NOT a Republican or a libertarian but rather a Lyndon LaRouche Democrat.
In the full video (which is available still on the website Allahpundit), the crazy lady says, "This policy has... already has been defeated by LaRouche." She also underscores this nutty claim by stating the U.S. has "30% real unemployment".
The last time I checked, Republicans and Democrats universally agree that LaRouche drones are nut jobs. They're still Democrats, though, who are so extreme that they only want a government-controlled plan for health care. They want no other options.
When you vilify and condemn protesters as racists, ignorant, simple, evil, ignorant and fascists, you do what you hate Limbaugh and Hannity for doing -- you totally and completely distort the issue.
I kinda understand why Evelyn is so hopped up.
You just dissed her kin.
I know you didn't mean to, but you did imply, if not outright state that the town hall protesters were "vile and ignorant racists or worse .... they were 'AstroTurf' phonies."
Talk about painting everyone with the same brush.
(I suspect that Ms. Evelyn has some differences with her sister on this issue, but she's not about to let her be vilified as ignorant, stupid, or evil.)
Jeff, in Pomona
unemployment IS higher than reported.
just post a job and count how many show up to apply...
i find mike rappaport's articles[the ones i skim] depressing.
it is HIS depression that shows.
i feel like he has no clue what life is like off the internet.
i also have detected anger towards women....
i think mike needs a change of scenery or sumthin.
i do appreciate his way of getting others to comment on his ideas !?!
times are changing...
the people are speaking out.
alot.
nan.
I looked back at what I had written and I can't agree with you, Evelyn.
I didn't diss everyone. I even said things like "I'm sure this isn't true of all of them."
Seriously, if I am "angry or depressed," it's seeing efforts at any sort of true reform blunted or derailed.
Sorry.
Mike, you don't need a more criticism leveled at you.
You have your opinion and a somewhat less than gracious way of characterizing people who you don't agree with, but that's your choice.
One thing I think you are seriously underestimating, though, is the amount of anger -- real anger -- that is fomenting in the electorate.
Not just the nutz in the Republican Guard, er... Party .... but moderate Democrats and middle of the road people who voted Democratic the last election.
Unless this anger is properly addressed (and your way, my friend, will only antagonize the problem, advocating even more strident opposition to protesters), I foresee the Dems losing 30-50 seats in the 2010 election.
You know, Limbaugh and his cronies really don't need to say or do anything. The Democratic Party when it's in power is all too successful at splintering and fragmenting its coalition.
The problem as I see it is that the extremists in both parties have taken over: what we need is a new political party that stakes out the middle ground, a little south of left of center and a little north of right of center.
The problem with that is to effectually make that happen, you would need people with LOTS of money to step forward and put together a party apparatus and guiding ideology to help lead the majority of people in this country out of the trap we're in: government by oafs frozen by extremists in their parties holding them hostage.
RANDY
Evelyn wrote: "You're becoming as extremist in your views, as unrelenting, as uncompromising, as bitter and extremists as media people from both extremes -- Glenn Beck, Rachel Maddow, Bill Maher, Sean Hannity, Rush Limbaugh, and Keith Olbermann."
That pretty much covers it.
Unless you're effusing about your daughter and granddaughter, you seem to be becoming the latest anger man.
Maybe you should go to your window, open it, stick your head outside and yell, "I'm as mad as hell, and I'm not going to take it any more."
For all the good that will do.
AMY
Mike you wrote "There are apparently two kinds of people who are very vocal about not wanting any sort of health care reform.
One is real, the other isn't.
The real ones are mostly angry white people, many of whom would be opposed to anything proposed by the Obama administration."
That pretty much says that everyone reacting negatively to the Democrat's floating, but extreme proposals is a racist.
That is not true.
that is a lie.
Pure and simple.
A.S.
Evelyn, I just noticed you misspelled your own name.
You must have been frosted.
Just to quiet things down some more, I don't think Mike was INTENTIONALLY showing disrespect.
He has a habit sometimes of farting in the room and blaming someone else.
Don't take it personally.
Jeff, in Pomona
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