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.
And others who keep insisting that the president doesn’t have an authentic U.S. birth certificate clearly come off as unhinged
That would melt away if Zero would just show the thing instead of fighting it....
Interesting contrast between the two. The Houses of Parliament is amazingly rowdy: but a Prime Minister who was caught misleading the British Parliament would be gone already.
Whereas: the American House and Senate routinely strain at gnats while letting through camels.
is amazingly rowdy = are amazingly rowdy, sheesh.
VDH is absolutely right. Frankly, I think it’s high time that a lot of conservatives grow up. There are literally hundreds of legitimate reasons to oppose Obama’s agenda. Let’s focus on those, instead of wasting our time on birth certificate fantasies and engaging in the rhetorical equivalent of snapping each others’ butts with towels in the locker room.
Isn’t Joe Wilson retired military?
Agree! I've been turned off by all of them for some time now. Had they done their jobs, prior to the '08 election when we were feeding them all the information, he would not be soiling the people's house as we type.
I certainly disagree with him. And I guess he forgot the animosity towards Richard Nixon.
When our media celebrates an Iraqi who threw a shoe at our President Bush, I see no reason to exhibit any civility towards them or their fellow travellers, the dems in government.
I have mixed feelings about this one from VDH. I’m not at all convinced that his “taking the high road” approach will pay off. Sad, but the reality seems otherwise. Sometime you have to get dirty, get down in the trenches, and fight it out.
Doesn’t seem “blatant”. At worst, the wrong word “his” instead of “the”.
He is “the commander in chief” for all of us, even if he isn’t OUR “commander in chief”.
And he is the commander-in-chief for military folks, both active and reserve.
It is not about growing up -- it is about the CONSTITUTION!
Calling Obama a liar was not uncouth.
Interrupting a speech was.
Imagine if every time someone was speaking on the house floor, another member was allowed to yell out whatever they wanted.
There would be no way to have a civilized debate.
When the Democrats booed Bush, we all knew that was wrong. Even though members have traditionally been allowed to interrupt speeches for clapping, booing the president was an interruption that could not be allowed to go unanswered.
If Wilson had yelled out “yes they are”, it still would have been unacceptable from a civility perspective.
Now, in my opinion if the President gets to come into the house and make a speech that isn’t his constitutionally mandated State of the Union, and you want it to be under the normal rules of the house, members aught to be able to call point-of-order if the President lies during his speech, especially if he calls members of the house liars.
I think the use of a joint session to deliver a political speech was a dispicable act by the president and the democrats in congress.
Anyway, we don’t want the next conservative President to be interrupted with shouts of “liar” every 10 seconds during the first SOTU address.
The shrillness and insults don’t bother me. I’m bothered only by avoidance and covering-up of the truth, or should we say just lack of analysis where truth is the objective.
I agree as well, except that I have no problem with pursuing the matter as a factual inquiry, until we are certain there is a birth certificate or that it is clear that no question remains.
But to insist, as some birthers do, that they know the truth in the absense of evidence doesn’t help the cause.
Absense of evidence is not evidence of absense. So sure, most people believe that the evidence presented by Obama proves he was born in Hawaii — some people legitimately ask the question whether the proof given is adequate. Asking the question isn’t a problem.
But to then say that, since they don’t believe the evidence is adequate, it must be false, and therefore he must have been born elsewhere, is assuming facts not in evidence.
The problem is that the ones that push this to the limit, that scream at anybody like Hanson here who doesn’t go along with them, make it impossible for any serious national figure to ask the question at all, because that person will be lumped in with those who have already judged and sentenced without evidence.
Anyway, Hanson’s bigger fight is that there is a growing minority on the conservative side who have decided, after decades of KNOWING that the liberals incivility was proof they had no real ideas, that they should emulate the liberals.
Jerry Springer is to blame here, folks.
The reason is simple
1. The train has left the station. Even if the truthers are 100% correct, the Dems got away with it. The country would be plunged into a cataclysm bigger than standoff between Gore and Bush that in the eyes of Gore’s supporters was never resolved. Remember how Nixon walked away after apparent theft of votes in favor of JFK? Why did he do it? For the sake of the country. He was a much bigger man than Gore, who did not do the same, and Nixon’s case was much stronger than Gore’s. Festering Bush-hate was a direct result of Gore’s actions.
So, for the sake of the country - better not to continue.
2. From the point of view of political pragmatism. To win means to win the votes of voters. Besides political junkies like us here, for the vast majority of people it’s not an issue. If we want to attract them to conservatism we better not to look crazy. You don’t think its crazy, but they do. And we can’t win without attracting people to conservatism.
Malkin, Coulter, Limbaugh and many other respected conservatives are not RINO’s. You might disagree with them, but their point is solid. The stuff I wrote above in my own words is what I heard from them and others in different ways, but you get the picture.
Now, my own opinion is that there is something not quite right with the birth certificate. What exactly? I have no idea. But I agree that we have so many facts and actions of Obama and his administration that are fundamentally opposite to ours and fundamentally wrong for the country, that we have more than enough to fight for besides the birth certificate. The art of war: pick your fights wisely.
“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 - - - “
Why do people extoll Victor Davis Hanson?
Sorry VDH, but I part company with you here. The dhimmicrats control the podium and the state0owned media and they are using both as a bludgeon against America.
We can choose to be polite or we can choose to fight. I’m going to fight them every inch...no surrender...no defeat...no retreat!
If you read him for the last 8 years you would know. I disagree with him on Joe Wilson, and if you follow the link to his pajamas media blog you will read a hundred well argumented disagreements from people who go there to read his opinion.
I found that once in a while I have to disagree with Rush, Steyn, Sowell, Krauthammer, Malkin, Levin, Prager, Jonah Goldberg, Bill Whittle, Walter Williams, Orson Scott Card, etc, etc.
No, it's not about the Constitution, for the simple fact that to date, none of the "Birthers" have provided any more substantial evidence for their position than fake BCs on Ebay and a whole lot of rumour-mongering.
Granted, if real, actual, substantial evidence was shown which proved that BHO didn't have a genuine American BC, and was in fact born in Kenya, then yes, I'll be the first to demand his resignation. In fact, I will shove you out of the way and trample the hood of your car in my zeal to be first in line to do so. But until then, simply argument and imagination is not the same thing as "proof." Don't confuse the two.
Depends on how you define the word "military": Air Force Reserve Judge Advocate General. Yes, he wore a uniform and swore an oath but he was not likely to be shot at in anger. Your call...
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