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If they keep this up, the party will be over (CHICAGO SUN-TIMES THREATENS THE GOP)
Chicago Sun-Times ^ | August 4, 2009 | John Barron, Tom McNamee, Don Hayner, Andrew Herrman

Posted on 08/04/2009 10:10:56 AM PDT by Chi-townChief

In case you haven't heard, President Obama is a member of a secret Kenyan terrorist cell who is scheming to dispatch waves of government bureaucrats to tell grandmas and grandpas how to off themselves.

Such is the intellectual weight of a segment of the Republican Party these days.

Or as one commentator recently put it, the GOP has decided "to double down on crazy."

We're talking about two controversies here, one involving the so-called birther movement, which questions the citizenship of the president; the other involving mandatory "end-of-life" counseling that's supposedly part of the president's health care plan.

The controversies are such nonsense that we hesitate to discuss them at all. But both issues, like some crazed killer at the end of a slasher movie, just won't die. And they speak to a broader, troubling trend within the GOP.

To recap, briefly:

• The birther movement questions whether President Obama was born in the United States, and thus legitimately elected president. His birth certificate and every piece of credible evidence show he was born in Hawaii. But for the folks in the birther movement, no piece of evidence is ever enough.

What's more, for some in the movement, the questions about Obama's citizenship lead to greater suspicions about him, including whether he's secretly an agent for a foreign government, sort of like Laurence Harvey in the 1962 movie thriller, "The Manchurian Candidate."

We're not making this up.

• The mandatory "end-of-life" counseling controversy is not a direct attack on the president but effectively paints his and the Democrats' health care proposal as a secret plan to peddle suicide to senior citizens.

Some commentators, led by Betsy McCaughey, the former lieutenant governor of New York, hit the airwaves recently to claim that under the Obama plan, people enrolled in Medicare would be required to submit to counseling every five years that would tell them how to end their lives sooner.

In fact, the bill requires Medicare to cover the costs of voluntary advice sessions for seniors who want to find out about living wills, powers of attorney, health care proxies and similar issues. We believe these planning steps are good things, not only for seniors, but for their families.

The AARP thinks so too. It lobbied for the provision. And the last time we checked, the AARP isn't into killing off its membership.

Both the "end-of-life" critics and the birther movement should be part of the lunatic fringe, but they've found a home in the GOP.

Instead of shunning them, some elected Republican officials and party standard bearers have embraced them. The left has its share of loonies, too, but hasn't given them this sort of bear hug.

On the issue of Obama's citizenship, several Republican congressman have signed on to a bill that would require presidential candidates to produce a copy of their birth certificates.

This is nothing but a sop to the birther movement.

On the health care front, former Republican Sen. Fred Thompson featured McCaughey on his radio show, and from there, her "end-of-life" comments caught fire, spreading quickly to Sean Hannity's and Rush Limbaugh's programs, among other conservative outlets.

The GOP needs to be a vigorous, substantive party. It must try to win back voters with the strength, not the scariness, of its ideas.

When elements of the party embrace such claptrap, it does the GOP itself -- and the country -- no favors.


TOPICS: Editorial; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections; US: Illinois
KEYWORDS: 2012; aarp; agenda; allahpundit; birthers; charlesjohnson; democrats; denialaintariver; dncmediamachine; endoflife; enemedia; euthenasia; forcedtermination; gop; hillary; hotair; lefties; lgf; liberalfascism; liberalmedia; mediabias; mediaelite; msm; obamabrownshirts; obamedia; pigressives; pravdamedia; pumas; rats; suicide
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To: Chi-townChief
On the issue of Obama's citizenship, several Republican congressman have signed on to a bill that would require presidential candidates to produce a copy of their birth certificates.

HELL YES they should all be required a certified copy of their original birth certificates! How can they possibly call that legislation "sop"? Being a natural born citizen is Constitutional requirement.

More evidence that the American journalism died with the 2008 campaign.

21 posted on 08/04/2009 10:20:18 AM PDT by Cyropaedia ("Virtue cannot separate itself from reality without becoming a principal of evil...".)
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To: Chi-townChief
But both issues, like some crazed killer at the end of a slasher movie, just won't die

and why do you think that is genius? Could it be that there might actually be something to both of these issues?

Reminds me of the nay-sayers when The Enquirer first published it's story about John Edward's secret love child...we all know how that turned out don't we?

22 posted on 08/04/2009 10:21:50 AM PDT by NMEwithin
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To: Chi-townChief
the other involving mandatory "end-of-life" counseling that's supposedly part of the president's health care plan.

Nothing supposedly about it.

What the HELL is the matter with these people?

23 posted on 08/04/2009 10:22:11 AM PDT by Puppage (You may disagree with what I have to say, but I shall defend to your death my right to say it)
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To: Jeff Head
This entire origin issue for Obama is a simple thing to put to rest. The real issue, more and more, is simply why he will not do so.

There is no mystery there. He tries to paint all his opposition as irrational based on the actions of a very small part of the opposition movement. There are a lot of legit questions but there are even more irrational people. On a cost per vote gained basis it's probably worth more to pay his lawyers to keep it shut.
24 posted on 08/04/2009 10:22:40 AM PDT by TomOnTheRun
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To: Chi-townChief
His birth certificate and every piece of credible evidence show he was born in Hawaii

His birth certificate? I must've missed that when it was released.

25 posted on 08/04/2009 10:23:48 AM PDT by Wardenclyffe
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To: Chi-townChief
Good gosh...need Gandhi say more:

Photobucket

26 posted on 08/04/2009 10:24:07 AM PDT by IrishPennant (We hang the petty thieves and appoint the great ones to public office. ~Aesop)
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To: Chi-townChief

“”These guys sure don’t seem to mind selling themselves out for Barry and crew. “”

While I’m sending different provisions of H3200 to congressional members for clarification, I’ll do the same “for” these guys. I want answers in PLAIN ENGLISH and in 25 words or less. I think all congressional offices should be bombarded with separate questions asking them to explain what it is we’re looking at. Just pick any section and ask the question!! I am NOT going to give them the page or line number - let them look for it!


27 posted on 08/04/2009 10:24:29 AM PDT by Thank You Rush
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To: Chi-townChief

This article and many more from the bought and paid for Socialist Leftist Press, and the usual suspects of the MSM television, and radio propagandist resources are working overtime to berate, belittle, and boogar-up all opposition to their fast tracked road-to-Hell Socialist agenda.

Pay no heed.


28 posted on 08/04/2009 10:25:17 AM PDT by rockinqsranch (Dems, Libs, Socialists...Call 'em What you Will, They ALL have Fairies Living In Their Trees.)
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To: bareford101

• The mandatory “end-of-life” counseling controversy is not a direct attack on the president but effectively paints his and the Democrats’ health care proposal as a secret plan to peddle suicide to senior citizens.

Some commentators, led by Betsy McCaughey, the former lieutenant governor of New York, hit the airwaves recently to claim that under the Obama plan, people enrolled in Medicare would be required to submit to counseling every five years that would tell them how to end their lives sooner.

In fact, the bill requires Medicare to cover the costs of voluntary advice sessions for seniors who want to find out about living wills, powers of attorney, health care proxies and similar issues. We believe these planning steps are good things, not only for seniors, but for their families.

The AARP thinks so too. It lobbied for the provision. And the last time we checked, the AARP isn’t into killing off its membership.


Sure did hit a nerve above!!!.

Funny, if it was BUSH who was obfuscating & refusing to allow for release of documents, the media would be all over him and supporting the investigations not attacking those who would simply ask the question, why won’t he release anything?!


29 posted on 08/04/2009 10:25:55 AM PDT by Freedom56v2 ("If you think healthcare is expensive now, just wait till it is free! "~ PJ O'Rourke)
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To: pnh102

AARP.....what happens to all their money when the “old geezers” die off from lack of medical care.

reminds me of the Abortionists. Kill off their own off spring.
now BAARP wants it’s members to just die.


30 posted on 08/04/2009 10:27:07 AM PDT by Marty62
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To: Marty62
AARP.....what happens to all their money when the “old geezers” die off from lack of medical care.

Don't worry. Anyone who supports the administration will get the best health care that's left. As for the rest of us, we're all dead.

31 posted on 08/04/2009 10:29:11 AM PDT by pnh102 (Regarding liberalism, always attribute to malice what you think can be explained by stupidity. - Me)
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To: Chi-townChief

Well, what else did we really expect from the Chicago Sun-Times? To print a newspaper, they have to play the game as it’s played in slimy Chicago.

Besides, the long form birth certificate has not been released.


32 posted on 08/04/2009 10:30:35 AM PDT by BertWheeler (Dance and the world dances with you...)
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To: Chi-townChief
Like the Obama Administration, the Sun-Times is operating at a deficit. The stock of it's parent company Sun-Times Media Group Inc. (SUTMQ) is trading today at .014 which is about 16 percent up from yesterday's .002. The only hope for this financial black hole is a government newspaper bailout.

It's astounding that it took four Sun-Times “reporters” to write an obvious cut-and-paste article. Sadly, that is the state of reporting today: google-cut-paste. Thirty years ago the news media would have exhaustively investigated the Obama birth issue until it was settled.

33 posted on 08/04/2009 10:32:01 AM PDT by Brad from Tennessee (A politician can't give you anything he hasn't first stolen from you.)
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To: Chi-townChief

Yeah, yeah. This will destroy the party but Democrat’s who accused Bush of staging 9-11 for personal gain caused what harm again? LOL

Meanwhile who’s leading in the NJ and Virgina races right now? Who’s ahead on Rass’ congressional ballot?


34 posted on 08/04/2009 10:32:22 AM PDT by Soul Seeker
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To: Chi-townChief
These guys should worry more about their own "intellectual weight".

Exhibit A: it took four of them to write such a silly article.

35 posted on 08/04/2009 10:33:07 AM PDT by wny
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To: All

Cost of long form birth certificate-$12

Cost of fighting multiple “natural born” lawsuits-$800,000

Getting called a “KOOK” for simply wondering why Obama won’t spend the $12 instead of $800,000....PRICELESS!!!!


36 posted on 08/04/2009 10:34:26 AM PDT by icwhatudo (For every clinic bombed or burned, 17 to 18 churches are burned down. MSM? MSM?)
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To: Chi-townChief
Was this paper involved in clearing the decks for Obama in his earlier races (forcing his opponents out of the race) or was that only The Chicago Tribune?

Obama will be the first president to have historical markers marking his place of birth in three locations--two hospitals in Honolulu and one in Kenya.

I don't think this issue would have been raised if Obama gave the impression of being a patriotic American. That photo from before the election where he had his hands in the "urinal gesture" when everyone else had his or her hand over his or her heart for the national anthem or pledge of allegiance showed his lack of respect for the US flag.

37 posted on 08/04/2009 10:34:32 AM PDT by Verginius Rufus
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To: Chi-townChief

They need FOUR guys to write this crap? Oh, that’s right - products of Chicago education!


38 posted on 08/04/2009 10:37:45 AM PDT by matginzac
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To: roses of sharon

BTTT!


39 posted on 08/04/2009 10:41:23 AM PDT by Paul Ross (Ronald Reagan-1987:"We are always willing to be trade partners but never trade patsies.")
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To: roses of sharon

Wow, great article!


40 posted on 08/04/2009 10:42:35 AM PDT by piytar (Take back the language: Obama axing Chrystler dealers based on political donations is REAL fascism!)
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