Posted on 03/23/2010 7:47:02 AM PDT by SmithL
The verbal nastiness that has shadowed the health care reform debate peaked as the bill rumbled to a finish, with opponents shouting racial epithets and spitting at members of the Congressional Black Caucus while yelling anti-gay slurs at Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass.
Members of Congress were hardly more civil to each other, with one anti-abortion GOP congressman decrying the legislation by shouting "It's a baby killer" on the floor of Congress.
While the remarks were repugnant to many people, First Amendment experts say the outbursts were protected speech because they didn't inspire immediate violence, said David L. Hudson Jr., a scholar at the nonpartisan First Amendment Center in Nashville.
But the overheated rhetoric could lead to political damage for those who oppose the health care reform plan.
"They're going to lose their audience," said Phyllis Gerstenfeld, a professor of criminal justice at Cal State Stanislaus who has studied hate speech. "At this point, to get ears, they're going to have to seem sympathetic."
Added UC Berkeley linguist and author Geoffrey Nunberg: "This way of talking is not going to serve the needs of people who are trying to appeal to independent voters."
Political rhetoric has become increasingly polarized over the past two decades and took an unusually nasty tenor late in the 2008 presidential campaign.
That carried over into the health care debate beginning in 2009, from raucous Tea Party-led protests at congressional town hall meetings to Rep. Joe Wilson, R-S.C., shouting "You lie!" during President Obama's health care address to Congress in September.
On Sunday, Rep. Randy Neugebauer, R-Texas, shouted "It's a baby killer" on the House floor as Rep. Bart Stupak, D-Mich., commented on the health care bill after deciding to support the measure after leading a group of anti-abortion lawmakers to oppose it. On Tuesday, Neugebauer apologized...
(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...
On Saturday, protesters outside the Capitol opposing health care reform yelled "Kill the bill," followed by "n-" at black Reps. John Lewis D-Ga., a civil rights icon, and Andre Carson, D-Ind., witnesses said.You Lie!
Show us the tape, or STFU.
LOL! A whiner from Than Franthithco. The place where hippies spit on returning Nam vets. ROTFL!
We’re not worried about nasty rhetoric.
THE AMERICAN PEOPLE HAVE FIGURED OUT THAT THIS ISSUE IS NOW ABOUT FREEDOM - NOT HEALTHCARE
I disagree.
Now....pissing all over the Constitution and the “Will of the People”...that’s another story.
Keep digging, Comrades. Keep digging.
I see the democrat talking points have gone out.
Warn republicans that they’ll harm themselves if they oppose the socialized medicine.
LOL
Impressive credentials.
Oooh, someone used a bad word, so that proves we need to sieze 1/5th of the economy. Journalist, what they don’t know never bothers them.
It is interesting how the left is putting out this lie and re reporting it as fact when there is NOTHING to prove that it ever happened. It’s all coming from the Congressmen themselves. It’s their tactic to try and smear those opposed to the bill. But that is how the left operates.
YOU DO LIE. STFU
>> Garofoli: with opponents shouting racial epithets and spitting at members of the Congressional Black Caucus while yelling anti-gay slurs at Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass.
It’s my understanding this never happened.
Is this guys trying to make a fallacy a truth in history?
If you encountered someone that was responsible for dragging your children and grandchildren off to slavery,
you’d be “a bit passionate” towards them as well.
“The verbal nastiness that has shadowed the health care reform debate peaked as the bill rumbled to a finish, with opponents shouting racial epithets and spitting at members of the Congressional Black Caucus while yelling anti-gay slurs at Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass. “
YOU LIE!!
guys -> guy
By the way, I’m done giving a damn what the left thinks of me. Think me nasty, think me a jerk, think me crazy, I just don’t care anymore. I’ll fight you crazy and all you leftist commies!
this morning on WMAL, the hosts said there is a video of this incident showing Bwarney Frank yelling “F...You” to a protester. The hosts were of the opinion this whole thing was a democrat setup because the congressional group chose to walk through - and taunt - the crowd instead of using the tunnel to go to their offices.
I hope someone can find this video of Barney telling an American rally protester “F... You”
You gotta be kidding.
From John Burton to Pete Stark, the disgusting Dems have used violent obscenities to bully and intimidate their way into getting other people's money into their own pockets.
What a joke. Pot, meet Kettle.
see the above
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