Posted on 09/17/2009 6:03:08 AM PDT by Tolik
It was certainly uncouth of Rep. Joe Wilson (R., S.C.) to scream, “You lie!” at his commander-in-chief in the middle of Barack Obama’s recent health-care speech before a joint session of Congress.
And others who keep insisting that the president doesn’t have an authentic U.S. birth certificate clearly come off as unhinged — much like just-resigned White House green-jobs czar Van Jones does for having signed his name to a petition stating that the Bush administration may have allowed the 9/11 murders of 3,000 people to happen.
During his speech the other night, the president calmly called for a new civility — although he had just accused his opponents of dissimulation in their attack on his health-care plan, while himself presenting many dubious suppositions as fact.
Over the last three decades, we saw vicious attacks on Ronald Reagan and on Bill Clinton, and their tough replies in turn. But recently the vicious rhetoric has escalated far beyond anything in the past. The smears seem reminiscent more of the brawling on the eve of the Civil War, or the nastiness during the 1960s that took decades to heal.
No one knows what the rules of engagement are now. Republicans have not forgotten that Democratic legislators loudly booed Bush during his 2005 State of the Union. Howard Dean, chairman of the Democratic party, not long ago boasted, “I hate Republicans!” Around the same time, The New Republic magazine published an article entitled “Why I Hate George W. Bush.”
Major politicians such as former vice president Al Gore, Sen. Robert Byrd (D., W.Va.), and former senator John Glenn (D., Ohio), have compared George W. Bush or his supporters to Nazis or the brown shirts. A major publishing house released a novel about killing President Bush; a movie won a prize at the Toronto Film Festival with the same theme. Bush Derangement Syndrome was no joke.
What exactly has gone wrong?
A number of things. For years, liberals were out of power. They became increasingly shrill in their frustration at George W. Bush — who seemed to set them off like no other Republican in memory.
Now that Democrats control both the Congress and the presidency, they are once more the establishment. Yet suddenly they have become angered that some conservatives, in tit-for-tat fashion, would dare resort to some of the crassness that was used to defame Bush — when any means were felt necessary to achieve the noble ends of opposing his policies.
Commentary, of course, has changed. The need for constant controversy on 24/7 cable television, nonstop blogging, and ratings-driven talk radio ensure first thoughts are aired — before more sober second ones can rein in the emotion. News is entertainment. Anger sells. Slurs, not reflection, win ratings.
Many political hit men and talking heads are also baby boomers. They cut their teeth on coarse, anything-goes Vietnam War protests. These aging children of protest still haven’t quite figured out that they are now supposed to be sober seniors teaching younger generations the vital rules of decorum. Instead, our teachers themselves still need to be taught manners.
Another cause of the new rudeness is that the country is fragmenting. Almost every issue is dissected by its effect not on the American people as a whole, but rather on a particular constituency defined by race, class, or gender. The louder and more melodramatic the accusation, the more attention and federal money follow.
Yet, just as even the gory gladiators at Rome, in their blood-soaked arena, followed a few rules, perhaps we can at least do the same:
Don’t call anyone a Nazi or brown shirt. Avoid shouting down a public official. Remember that there usually aren’t clear good and bad political choices, just bad and worse ones. Don’t get outraged at a slur against your team if you once made the same sort of one against the opposition.
And, most of all, remember that while we’re shouting at each other, the country is at war and piling up debt at the rate of $2 trillion a year — while plenty of rivals and enemies abroad are smiling as never before.
http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/victordavishanson/index:
Just a partial list. Much more at the link: http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/victordavishanson/index
Ping !
Let me know if you want in or out. Links:
FR Index of his articles: http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/victordavishanson/index NRO archive: http://author.nationalreview.com/?q=MjI1MQ== Pajamasmedia: http://pajamasmedia.com/victordavishanson/ His website: http://victorhanson.com/
Unless they work for MSNBC, then they are undeniably Obama brown shirters.
“It was certainly uncouth of Rep. Joe Wilson (R., S.C.) to scream, “You lie!” at his commander-in-chief”
Obama is NOT Joe Wilson’s commander-in-chief. He is CIC for military as it is a military title. If President were CIC of us all we would be under a dictatorship. Gross ignorance to think that a congressman is under command of the President.
My guess is there would be a whole bunch of disgruntled folks bickering about decorum had they been around a couple hundred years ago. Stupid didn’t have a chance on the floor of the house in the beginning. It would have been great fun to see some of the founders take these folks to task LOL.
******
* FACTS: The legislation Obama was pushing at the time of the “flap” did not state illegal aliens are not covered, therefore by default they were covered!
* Also a Republican amendment stating that was VOTED DOWN by the Democrat majority, why if the legislation already disallowed it?
* The CRS (Congressional Research Service) agrees that Illegals are/were covered under the then-present HR-3200.
* Obama called the legislators liars FIRST. A President can call people in a Joint Session of Congress liars and is not “admonished” but someone calls him a liar after he does that and that breaks the rules? Transcript from his speech:
Obama: "Some of people’s concerns have grown out of bogus claims spread by those whose only agenda is to kill reform at any cost. The best example is the claim, made not just by radio and cable talk show hosts, but by prominent politicians, that we plan to set up panels of bureaucrats with the power to kill off senior citizens.
"Now, such a charge would be laughable if it weren’t so cynical and irresponsible. It is a lie plain and simple. Now… Now, there are also those who claim that our reform efforts would insure illegal immigrants. This, too, is false. The reforms — the reforms I’m proposing would not apply to those who are here illegally."
(UNKNOWN): That’s a lie. <- (Joe Wilson)
* Also, on the Friday afternoon “document dump” from the White House, the “language” of the bill was changed to disallow health care for illegal aliens.
* And now the Hispanic Caucus is no longer supporting the bill because it doesn't cover illegals. How much proof do we need, folks?
*****
Bottom line: Do your OWN research ... and get in their face.
Yes I caught that same blatant mistake as I began to read the article, and was immediately turned off. VDH is better than that.
Wondering how he could screw up that way, or was he purposely implying a dictatorship? The balance of the article doesn’t support that assumption.
I go along with this. But let's also stop calling people racists for disagreeing with a policy decision.
Or maybe these folks should get a thicker skin. Anyone ever watch the goings on in the British House of Parliament? The Prime Minister questions? We look like stuffed shirts compared to them.
I think we are on the verge of the break down of civil society. Fringe Minorities are trying to run the country their way and it just doesn’t work when the majority rules.
Disenfranchise the majority and there will always be a backlash.
It’s a fact of life. There will always be a minority of some group. Income. Race. Rural vs Urban. Elections.
Freedom is the ultimate empowerment that raises status.
He’s really going on about this. Odd, really, for a man with such historical knowledge to consider a cry of “Liar” to a politician to be extreme and uncivil behavior.
I guess it just shows that even the smartest and best-educated people can fixate weirdly on something picayune.
“It was certainly uncouth of Rep. Joe Wilson (R., S.C.) to scream, “You lie!” at his commander-in-chief “
Mr. Hanson, you are now considered to be my ormerly favorite author. Sad that you think the President commands the Congress and from that simple admission of ignorance and blatant non-understanding of how our system of government works, I will ignore what you say from this point on.
Shame.
Yeah! I should have read the posts, I just sort of the same thing.
I expected more out of VDH than this.
“It was certainly uncouth of Rep. Joe Wilson (R., S.C.) to scream, “You lie!”
#####
Compared to what?
Has VDH ever seen the behavior of the supposedly more civililized British at your average meeting of the House of Commons?
The intial affront took place when Obama blatantly lied to Congress and the American people about what was and was not in the bill. To sit in silence would have been “uncouth.” Why is it appropriate to applaud and sing the praises of the speaker when you agree with him, but one cannot show displeasure when you disagree? This sounds more like the rules that governed the former Supreme Soviet.
Thank you -- now I don't have to post!
Well...maybe this:
others who keep insisting that the president doesn’t have an authentic U.S. birth certificate clearly come off as unhinged
VDH was once one of my favorite reads. If he intends to continue making statements like the one above, he will be off my reading list.
If he has seen an authentic U.S. birth certificate for the pres__ent, then he should share it with us. Until then perhaps it would be best to stay away from that particular topic.
pres__ent = president without the ID
Unless VDH has seen Obama's long-form Birth Certificate and can vouch for it this is just ludicrous.
Along with the CIC crack, VDH is not having a good day here.
“If he has seen an authentic U.S. birth certificate for the pres__ent, then he should share it with us.”
Indeed.
And the same goes for Malkin, Coulter, Limbaugh and other media elites who have dissed this issue because.....well...just because.
Not one of them has offered a concrete evidence-based reason for doing so.
“I go along with this. But let’s also stop calling people racists for disagreeing with a policy decision.”
Yes. And Hanson has a post on that as well: The “Racism” Canard [Victor Davis Hanson on Carter, MSM charge: racists oppose Obama and Obamacare] http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2341903/posts
Some are made uncomfortable with “vigorous” confrontation- Hanson appears to be one of those.
For YEARS, “we the people” have slunk away when called liars and racists, been effectively shut up when disagreeing with the left. We who are conservative, or worse-Christian, have been called every imaginable name, lied about and made fun of and completely disregarded. Perhaps, we have decided to take the fight to THEM for a change. If it gets raucous, might I suggest that those whose sensibilities are too tender, put their hands over their ears and hum “la-la-la” to themselves. OR- they might grow a pair and join in.
It is WELL past time for the people to take their country back, and if the feelings of those on the left get hurt?- oh well. I think the Founders would approve.
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