I was too young and too obscure to make Richard Nixon’s enemies list back in the day. Not yet out of my teens, my attendance at subversive rallies against the Vietnam War and my contributions to a wildly anti-Nixon publication at my high school we bravely called The Truth just weren’t enough to bring me to the attention of Charles Colson. Thus, I never had a chance to get my name listed along with other great Americans like Ted Kennedy, Paul Newman, and Joe Namath.More at the link.
I was a good little radical back then, mouthing all the idiocy we heard our elders spouting about evil corporations, evil conservatives, and the evil, evil military. Alas, the world passed me by and the one great opportunity of a lifetime to be recognized as an enemy of the state was lost.
Until now.
Having since grown up, gotten a job, and been disabused of the idea that there is, in fact, such a thing as a free lunch — along with other magical ideas liberals hold — you can imagine my delight when I heard that President Obama is going to be starting an enemies list of his own.
This time, I am absolutely determined to make the grade. Nothing will stand in my way. Come hell or high water, I am going to get my name on that list if I have to camp out in front of the office of Linda Douglass, communications director for the White House Office of Health Reform, until she slaps my moniker on that list just to get rid of me.
Douglass, who used to spout liberal agitprop for ABC News, now does something very similar for President Obama. Concerned that opponents of health care were disseminating information about the bill that fell outside the official White House-approved talking points, she made a nice little home video priming her charges for the work ahead. Then she had one of her flunkies ask the millions of Obamabots who still think their Dear Leader can do no wrong to report fellow citizens to the White House who weren’t making approved statements about the president’s plan ...
Image Credit: Atlas Shrugs, "Liar-in-Chief Incites His Thugs, Warns Adversaries "I don't mind cleaning up after them, but don't do a lot of talking".
12 comments:
Scaremonger much, Donald?
If you guys could find even ONE indication that they were gathering names, I would still think you guys were nutcakes. But you can't. They're NOT collecting names. This ISN'T about the people making these claims. All they did was request that people forward the disinformation that they're seeing, and it's not about reporting the people behind it. And this is the same thing they did last year during the campaign. It's an attempt to stop lies before they can spread. Like the lie about teaching oldies to euthanize every five years. That's a complete and total lie with no basis in reality and the Whitehouse wants to know about it in order to set the record straight. It's about correcting misinformation, not about gathering an enemy's list. Any reasonable person would understand that.
And come on, Donald. Think about it: You're posting this anti-Obama stuff with your own name and people know what you look like and where you work. Similarly, the guys at RedState are well-known and easily found, while bloggers like Michelle Malkin appear on television regularly. Even "anonymous" bloggers could be found by their IP address. So why would this stuff need to be reported to the Whitehouse? If they were looking for you, they already know everything they need. A simple Google search would find them the most influential bloggers and their work would be done, and they wouldn't have needed to request that people send anything in. And yet no conservative bloggers are being rounded up. And I promise you that the moment bloggers start going missing, I would most definitely abandon Obama and join your crazy group. But that's NOT happening and it's NOT going to happen. Just like it didn't happen during the 90's when you guys were warning us about the black helicopters and jackbooted thugs we were told Clinton was going to send to get us. Or don't you remember that these same people were calling Clinton a murdering Soviet spy who was going to destroy America...during a period which turned out to be one of the biggest economic booms in our history. Either Clinton was the worst spy ever or...the rightwing scaremongers were nutballs. Just like they're nutballs now.
And if Obama isn't interested in influential conservative bloggers, then they'd DEFINITELY not be interested in some individual who happens to send an email to someone else. That's just stupid. Come on, Donald. Be the voice of reason. Your conservative brethren are going batshit crazy and you're just egging them on. This will only end in disaster for you. The Obama=Nazi thing is bad enough, but this is only going to get worse unless you guys start putting on the brakes.
I don't even know why I'm bothering, as I'm quite sure that rightwing anger only makes Obama's job easier. But all the same, I still somehow hold out hope that you're better than the freaks at RedState and might be reasonable. I have no problem with you being conservative or opposing Obama's plans, but please try to use a little rationality before passing on these entirely stupid conspiracies about an enemy's list, or the crazy stuff about Obama wanting to kill old people. You're just embarrassing yourself.
I must say I am now a proud member of MOB.
Must
Oust
Barry
-Dave
Hey Bio(degraded)brain,
Don't you have an appointment with some of Obamma's union thugs to beat up black conservatives and elderly Americans at your local tea party an/or town hall meeting?
It's hilarious that, eight months into this fraud of an administration, now that Obama has proven beyond all doubt that he is a radical, far-left, freedom-hating pathological liar, that you are still on the internet defending this clown.
I think that formaldehyde your brain has been floating in has finally taken its toll.
-Dave
Dave - Funny, I thought it was hilarious that you and your small minority of liars continue to ratchet up the crazy in hopes that rational people might finally start listening to you. Look, if calling him a socialist didn't scare them, and calling him a fascist didn't scare them, and calling him a Nazi didn't scare them, I'm not sure why you guys bother with the name-calling. All you're doing is showing what angry freaks you are. And good for you. The angrier you are, the easier it is for us to take over the country and euthanize your family. You're on my enemies list, pal, and you'll be the first against the euthanization wall.
And sure, you guys keep lying about "Obamacare" having anything to do with euthanasia, yet you call Obama "pathological." Right. Hell, there isn't even any such thing as "Obamacare" and that has many liberals upset. They're mad that Obama hasn't developed his own comprehensive plan, but instead is allowing Congress to write the plan. But you guys exist in your own little sub-reality in which Obama has a comprehensive plan he's pushing, so such facts are beyond your understanding. You've been lied to repeatedly about this legislation, yet all you can do is attack Obama instead of the people lying to you.
But please, post for me the actual words of the legislation you're talking about and we can have a discussion. I'm willing to listen to reason. But so far, you guys CAN'T post words of any actual legislation and have no reasonable argument to make. All you can do is scaremonger about Obama killing old people. Pathetic.
And you didn't address my point: There is no enemies list, nor a need for an enemies list. You guys are pissing yourselves over nothing.
The BIG LIE
"I will not raise taxes on people earning less than $250,000 a year."
One Term President
Rick - Are they raising taxes on those making less than $250k? I've heard conservatives trying to scare people about that, yet Obama has flatly denied it.
As this article from August 4 says:
White House press secretary Robert Gibbs restated the assurance after Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner and National Economic Council Director Larry Summers appeared Sunday to leave open the possibility Obama would tap middle-class Americans' income to reduce the deficit or help pay for a health insurance overhaul.
"I'm going to deal with this, and I'll do this one more time," Gibbs said after repeated questions from reporters about the differences between the economists and Obama. "The president was clear. He made a commitment in the campaign. That commitment stands."
[....]
"The president was clear during the campaign about his commitment on not raising taxes on middle-class families," Gibbs said. "And I don't think any economist would believe that in the environment that we're in raising taxes on middle-class families would make any sense, and the president agrees."
And that was just four days ago. Do you know of anything to the contrary, or are you referring to the same scary lies conservative leaders keep feeding you? Which are part of the same lies they're making about the "death panels" which supposedly will determine who gets health care, and the lies about us wanting to kill old people. But please, go ahead and believe the people who keep lying to you. If you enjoy being schooled by liberals, I guess I can't stop you.
And again, I notice you completely ignore my point again, regarding the so-called "enemies list" you've been tricked about. There's no indication whatsoever that this is happening, yet conservatives are pissing themselves just thinking about it. If only they made security blankets for adults...
It's about correcting misinformation, not about gathering an enemy's list. Any reasonable person would understand that.
This seems, to me, to be a completely ridiculous claim. If, by your reasoning, they don't need to gather names because the people like Donald, Malkin, and other bloggers can be easily found, how much more easily found are the "rumors"?
There simply isn't a reason to send the emails of "fishy" content to the White House. The arguments are already known, as evidenced by the fact that the White House feels like it needs to respond in the first place.
If, by your reasoning, they don't need to gather names because the people like Donald, Malkin, and other bloggers can be easily found, how much more easily found are the "rumors"?
Uh, these bloggers have been around for years and can be easily found, while new rumors are created every day and it can take days or weeks before they're widely known.
Like Sarah Palin's so-called "death panel" which her son would need to "stand in front of" to determine if he gets healthcare based upon his productivity. Even conservative bloggers admit that there's no plan for a "death panel" and no plan to base coverage on "productivity," yet Palin believed it all the same; based upon a speech from Rep. Bachmann, which was also wrong.
It only took one day to create that myth and get it spread; yet it was entirely false with zero basis in reality. And then there were the lies about the government sending bureaucrats to old people's homes every five years to pressure them to kill themselves. Or that they'd be "compelled" to have end-of-life counseling. Or suggesting that "end-of-life" counseling is the same as euthanasia; when it was really just about creating a Living Will. And it was all based upon a provision which will allow doctors to be paid by Medicare to provide these services; which is a clear BENEFIT to the elderly, as it saves them money for a much needed service.
Or the lie that Rahm Emanuel's brother is Obama's "top medical advisor."
And then there's the lie I saw repeatedly yesterday, which states that page 354 of Waxman's healthcare plan would deny coverage to people with special needs. In reality, that page merely stated the eligibility period for people to enroll in the Special Needs Plan. And the Whitehouse needs to hear this misinformation early, in order to combat them. This lie in particular was debunked on a government website which addressed a long list of lies being disseminated by email.
And that's the entire intent of Obama's request for "fishy" emails. Not to collect an enemies list or stifle dissent, but merely so they can put out rebuttals to these false emails as soon as possible. Anyone who suggests otherwise is a tinfoil wearing weirdo.
Uh, these bloggers have been around for years and can be easily found, while new rumors are created every day and it can take days or weeks before they're widely known.
What are you talking about? Let's stay in reality and think big picture. Do you really think Obama is so concerned that "new rumors are created every day" that he's going to set up a website so he can refute them? Do you really think you're going to see some White House website that tries to pick apart every rumor that occurs on the Internet and is somehow updated daily in order to keep up?
Not only would it be a colossal waste of time and money, it wouldn't do anything to further any sort of understanding. It's a total sideshow with no benefits whatsoever.
Obama may not be gathering an "enemies list" (that is irrational as well, in my opinion), but it's completely useless and yet another example of the stupidity and waste by the government.
It would be far better to actually discuss health care reform, taking the time to gather data, hear from all sides, and show some rationality, than to ram something down the throats of all America.
Do you really think Obama is so concerned that "new rumors are created every day" that he's going to set up a website so he can refute them?
Yes, because that's exactly what this is. Not that I think they combat EVERY rumor, but yes, the intent of the website is to debunk new rumors as soon as possible. They did the same thing during the campaign last year. And just so it's clear, I linked to a webpage that was specifically written to combat one particular email. And I was glad for that, as conservatives were feeding people a rumor that I couldn't debunk until I saw the webpage with the right answer. And now I've passed the correct information along to my readers, as well as Donald's. Mission accomplished.
And if nothing else, you should consider this an example of the Obama Admin listening to conservative concerns.
Beyond that, I don't see how anything's being rammed down anyone's throats. Look, there is no "Obama plan." There are various plans being worked on by various people in Congress and your favorite congressman can be a part of it he wants. But most Republican congressmen want nothing to do with it, and oppose it on principle. They don't want a better bill, they want NO bill. They know the only way to stop it is to keep insisting that it's going too fast and to keep putting on the brakes. And while that's probably their best political strategy, that also means they get no say in what's in the bill. But that's not Obama's fault, as he wants Republican input; but not if it means the bill is watered down too much. If nothing else, Obama wants bipartisan cover for the bill and Republicans won't give it to him. But again, that's not Obama's fault.
Finally, if you agree that the "enemies list" is fake, you need to tell Donald about it. That's the whole point of this post, as well as many other posts he's written about it. And my main comment here was meant to debunk that. It looks like you're in agreement with me, at least as far as the absurdity of this being about the creation of some "enemies list." Donald also linked to another conservative who also agreed that there was no enemies list . Yet somehow, it hasn't sunk in yet. The "enemies list" thing was yet more scaremongering, meant to stifle debate, rather than engage in it.
BTW, I really appreciate you responding to what I wrote. Too many conservatives just insult me and don't address anything I wrote. I don't mind insults, but I prefer dialogue.
Yes, because that's exactly what this is. Not that I think they combat EVERY rumor, but yes, the intent of the website is to debunk new rumors as soon as possible.
Well, I guess we'll have to disagree on that point. I think the point of their website is not to debunk rumors, but rather to propagandize their position.
Beyond that, I don't see how anything's being rammed down anyone's throats.
Perhaps we live in different realities. I see Obama and Congress trying to cobble together a bill and get it passed before the August break. It didn't happen, but they tried. Obama pushed as hard a he could. Trying to completely alter the health care in this country in a matter of months is, to me, ramming it down our throats.
But most Republican congressmen want nothing to do with it, and oppose it on principle.
If the principle is to keep government small, free markets healthy, and try to avoid the government intrusion into areas it has no competency in, then I would agree with them.
They don't want a better bill, they want NO bill.
I believe this is patently false. There have been numerous attempts at reforming portions of health care by Republicans, many in torte reform. (Though, I should mention I'm not a registered Republican, so they're not my congressman in the sense of being a part of the same party affiliation. Just making sure the facts are straight.) Saying they want NO bill is just false, and is no better than the "lies" that the White House is supposedly debunking.
This is the kind of discussion that goes no where. If you want to discuss health care reform, then discuss the particulars. Don't just feed the machine of "they're liars - no they're liars".
DFS - I understand everything you're saying. Like you calling the website propaganda is totally understandable. But all the same, the "propaganda" is meant to combat what is in the emails being sent around. So if you're willing to agree that this is our propaganda meant to combat your propaganda, then we're in complete agreement; even if I think the website has truths and you might agree with the emails. But as you said, this wasn't about collecting names for a list, as many conservatives insisted; and that's the main point. This is about Obama selling his plan, not about stifling debate.
As for me saying they want "no bill," I was referring to them not wanting any bill that Democrats were willing to pass. I wasn't trying to suggest that you guys couldn't come up with your own bill, if you were allowed to do it your way. I just meant that they aren't trying to tweak our plan to make it less liberal. And let me tell you, most liberals are happy about that and don't want Republicans mucking up the bill.
But then again, why do you think Republicans could come up with their own bill? Republicans controlled the Whitehouse and Congress for years, yet DIDN'T do any sort of reform, so I'm not so sure how much I'm willing to concede on this. Honestly, Republicans in Congress totally rooked you guys. They were so scared about doing anything that they did almost nothing, beyond war, tax cuts, and the Patriot Act. The rest of the time they spent demonizing Democrats and blaming us because they couldn't get anything done. If they wanted to fix our healthcare problems, they had their chance. And now you're complaining because our guy is doing what he said he'd do. Jealous?
Anyway, I hate to do this to you, as I know we're supposed to hate each other, but I think we're pretty much in agreement with what we're discussing. I have no delusion that we'll agree on ideology or that you'll support Obama's plan, but I'm just glad to meet a conservative who doesn't think I'm an evil nihilist Obamabot. Quite refreshing.
Post a Comment