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Posted on 11/02/2009 8:25:34 AM PST by rabscuttle385
Senator Lieberman’s threat to filibuster the health-care bill isn’t a betrayal of the Democratic Party, says Meghan McCain—it’s a sign of courage. And we need more of it.
BY MEGHAN MCCAIN
A few weeks ago, I gave a speech at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and one of the questions I was asked was: Aside from your father, who are your favorite senators and politicians?
Without hesitation, I said that I admire South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham and Connecticut’s Joe Lieberman. Now before my fellow Republicans start panicking at my fondness for two independent, moderate, and dare I say maverick senators, let me state that it’s no secret I have an aversion to partisan politics and extremism—on both sides of the aisle.
Recently there has been talk of a “moderate bloodletting” within the GOP, but I think it is very clear that this attrition is happening to both parties. And the extreme, vitriolic reaction by so many Democrats to Senator Lieberman’s announcement last week that he would join a Republican filibuster if a public option was included in the final health-care bill is yet another example of how this is not just a Republican problem. Everyone from Paul Begala to Stephen Colbert immediately started dogpiling on the senator. God forbid any politician from either side dares reach across party lines and refuses to placate the partisan faithful.
The older generation needs to understand that my generation does not respond well to anger, hate, and personal attacks. We are a generation of communicators, and to us, actions speak louder than loud words. Perpetuating negativity will only result in the tuning out of another generation of voters, and we simply can’t afford that. I find it especially ironic that most of those who criticize Senator Lieberman more often than not have never run for elected office. But as the old saying goes, those that can’t do, criticize.
Let’s face it, it’s easy to preach to the converted and many people have mastered the art of the negative sound bite. If I want to hear the liberal bias, I will turn on MSNBC. If I want to hear conservative dogma, I will turn on Fox. But where do people go to listen to the Joe Liebermans of the world? Where can we hear voices that dare to cross party lines, think outside the box, and say what they truly believe? If this country wants to simply be a place of extreme partisan politics, I think we are well on our way. If people like Senator Lieberman are treated with such disrespect for daring to be true to their political beliefs, there will really be no hope for independent thinkers of my generation to be inspired to join the political process.
And for the record, Senator Lieberman is now an even greater source of inspiration and comfort to me in politics.
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Why are we supposed to care what that idiot says?
... keep right on listening to the voices in my own head, the way Daddy does!
Joe Lieberman is not a Democrat. He got kicked out of the Party by the Rat Machine. He defying the Democrat leadership and got re-elected anyway. He sides with the Party on many votes but he is not OF the Party anymore.
He doesn't "cross party lines" because he's an independent.
No one is listening to you . . . since when did you become some sort of measuring stick on the GOP? Go back home to AZ and take your Daddy with you.
Please, PUH-LEASE tell me why ANYTHING this fat, future Chik-Fil-A “kow”, has to say that will EVER be of ANY consequence?
No Meghan, those who can’t just live off their parents’ money and complain...a lot.
Meghan McWho??
Figures that Meghan McLame would be in love with Lindsay Graham.
Want to take bets on when will this fatty do a lesbian kiss for more attention?
Maybe start a pool, akin to the Superbowl.
Some yaehoos need to leave her physical characteristics out of it. Is this a 6th Grade classroom? Do they like to sound like DemocRATs? Maybe some posters should go over to moveon where they specialize in that degraded stuff.
I know how hard my maid work!!
she and her worthless liberal father should stfu and register as dims... or better yet COMMIES!
LLS
Fat, bleached blondes with average IQ’s are so fascinating. I could listen to them all day.
I don't know Meghan, seems your generation went overwhelmingly for Barry 'Ceaser' Soetoro in 2008. Just sayin'
“Figures that Meghan McLame would be in love with Lindsay Graham.”
What’s not to love ... he’s a gay liberal.
Wow, this woman is stupid.
Because she speaks for a lot of people who inhabit the political center. She's quite correct about the fact that the extremes of both parties are marginalizing themselves by their antics.
I am sorry, I don’t think she speaks for anyone but herself.
Go regulate somewhere else, toolboy. The only thing keeping her "in the game" are the charateristics which she was born with. Like, who her daddy is, the fact that she is young , blonde, and has large melons, and that she talks like a valley girl. She's the Lindsy Lohan of the Washington elite set , so why should we keep this erudite? Give us a break..
The arrogance of these people is just amazing. Little Rich Brat, thinks she is as important as say Paris Hilton??? No way, Paris at least knows she is a blonde ditz and is for sale to the highest bidder.
Uh, except that the leader of the oppositon, an extremist, is in the White House. Should we play by Versailles rules ?
Like father....like daughter...two idiots!
If you look up "Fag Hag" in the dictionary, you'll see Meghan's picture.
We should play to win ... which, in case you missed it, we're not.
why does anyone even post what she says....
We can’t win if vacuous McCain surrogates like this dumb blonde and her acolyte idol Lindsy Graham get all the attention from the media while law abiding “teabaggers” (CNN’s favorite term) get ignored. Couch potatoes are generally ignored, story of the world.
Why, exactly, does the little sow get any coverage at all? What has she done, other than bash conservatism? Oh, right.
Yeah, well, unfortunately that is what passes for "thought" among a certain segment of self-professed "conservatives."
"Teabaggers" get ignored because they're not taken seriously. You might start thinking about why that should be ... and I'll recommend that you shouldn't reflexively blame CNN for it, because there's a fundamental issue here.
I'll start things off with a leading question.
What, precisely, do the "teabaggers" propose to do, besides venting their frustration and anger?
Seriously: is there anything resembling a coherent political strategy to go along with these protests? (And no, expressing frustration and anger -- however legitimate -- is not a political strategy.)
Why should CNN, or anybody for that matter, take seriously a crowd of folks who lack any stated political program to go along with their protests?
And for the record, Senator Lieberman is now an even greater source of inspiration and comfort to me in politics.
I disagree with Senator lieberman on many, many issues. But at least he was willing to stand up to his own party and stick with his convictions. I know he compromised many of his major views to run with Gore, but he has been willing to risk losing his committees and even his career over principles. Hopefully, Miss McCain can learn something from that.
Lesson one should be stop criticizing everyone who has a view based on principles until you actually get principles of your own. It doesn't take principles to snuggle up to the witches on The View and let them lead you around like a trained puppy. It takes principles to tell them that they are wrong on every single issue and treated your own father like dirt. Or did the memory of your dear father's humiliation fade away when the glow of the camera lights fell on your face?
“Nonstatist hasn’t created a page.”
Figures.
Because this is not a "top-down" organized movement , orchestrated by billionaire hedge fund atheists with tons of secretly laundered monies, but a nascent movement based on an intuitive distrust and fear of enormous deficit spending and out of control power hungry autocrats . Because the current Republican machinery was perverted by 8 yrs of big government "Republicans" who ignored deficit spending and growth of government.
Leaders will emerge eventually, and the "movement" will be folded into the existing political machinery (probably anyway), but only an absolute fool or Soros tool would ignore the legitimate angst of people who play by the rules and don't care for the current subversion going on . Without passion, all you have is the Elks Club or something like that.
Why does anyone care what this witch thinks?
How pompous. This is what every young nitwit in every generation has said -- "MY generation, blah blah blah -- until they finally grow up and realize people are people and always will be.
That should bother you.
Leaders will emerge eventually, and the "movement" will be folded into the existing political machinery (probably anyway), but only an absolute fool or Soros tool would ignore the legitimate angst of people who play by the rules and don't care for the current subversion going on.
It is helpful, when confronted by a statement like that, to recall the difference between the American and French Revolutions. Ours was built on a coherent political foundation; our system was not simply invented after the fact. By contrast, the French Revolution was built on angst, which was co-opted by the nice people who instituted the Reign of Terror.
She's describing a real political phenomenon, however. You can dismiss it ... but it would be a mistake to do so.
I expect her to go for Levi J. Both appear to have the same IQ.
Is that just insufficient for you, or are you being obtuse?
She is a shallow twit. If the "teabaggers" cant stop Card Check, Capn Trade and Health Care, her fellow sensitive 20 somethings are going to feel it sharply in their wallet. Unfortunately, its going to be too tough to roll back by then.
Listening to PC types like yourself, I half wouldnt mind seeing these spoiled brats learn the hard way. The libs definitely have the power to ram this all through; only a loud opposition will make them stop and think.
All well and good, but in a practical sense ... so the hell what?
I'm saying that angst -- no matter how justified -- is still just angst.
Angst will have no serious political effect unless and until there is a coherent political strategy in place to channel that angst into something useful.
Alternatively, that angst may be co-opted by a person or group whose intentions are less wholesome, and more self-serving, than those of the protestors.
Is that just insufficient for you, or are you being obtuse?
Hm. It's easy to spot the brainless. They typically resort to vapidities such as, "PC types like yourself," or "RINO" or whatever.
It beats thinking, I guess.
But Limbaugh is right, many Democrat incumbents will be swept away in '010 if they get their agenda through, regardless of the "leadership" vacuum. You dont want that to happen, do you?
Whatever you say, Scozzafava
I'm saying it's not an effective political movement right now, because it's just a bunch of folks who are upset.
And you agree with me on that ... and for some unknown reason it doesn't seem to bother you that you belong to a politically ineffective movement.
You're pissed at CNN for not taking your seriously ... but why should they, when they know that you're not an effective political force?
Folks love to talk about how liberals are motivated by their emotions rather than by rational thought. Unfortunately, people like you are proof that this phenomenon is not isolated to the left.
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