The GOP’s Basiji target ‘Cap and Tr-8-tors’
After eight Republican congressmen voted in favor of the climate change bill (it passed by seven votes), the GOP’s ideological militia — its own rhetorical Basiji, you might say — took after them with a vengeance. The eight defectors were denounced as “quisling Republicans,” as the “Cap and Tr-8-tors,” as “backstabbing, turncoat Rinos.” They’re even peddling bumper stickers denouncing the turncoats by name.
At Politico, Bruce Bartlett, the former Reagan official and longtime conservative think tanker, explores what that kind of reaction by his conservative friends might mean to the future of their party.
“If any of my friends had bothered to try and understand why these Republicans voted contrary to gods of talk radio who now control the Republican Party they would see that they were simply reacting to the demands of their constituents. Since when did it become unacceptable to do what one’s constituents want a member of Congress to do?
The fact is that Obama carried the districts of all but one of these Republicans—in most cases substantially. (Rep. Chris Smith of New Jersey is the exception.) For example, Rep. Mark Kirk’s Illinois district went for Obama by a 61% to 38% margin.”
If the party faithful target those eight, as the Basiji demand, the Republicans could lose those marginal districts or even drive the current occupants to switch parties. And that, Bartlett concludes, “is why the Democrats control Congress and why Republicans won’t for a long time to come.”
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336 comments Add your comment
Seek and ye shall Find
June 29th, 2009
7:08 am
We got it now. Keep Peronism in check — don’t elect a Republican.
Kamchak
June 29th, 2009
7:09 am
“teleprompter” tee hee hee
Stratfor wife
Rightwing Troll
June 29th, 2009
7:17 am
RW,
Exactly! It’s time we took the fight to them before we have to fight them on our shores… Before mushroom clouds appear over our cities.
Rightwing Troll
June 29th, 2009
7:21 am
RW, I also agree with you on the whole “freedom of the press” thing. The press shouldn’t be freed at all, they are too dangerous to be set free. They should be detained indefinitely, lest they also decide to bomb a godly real American city full of conservative voting real Americans.
I Report :-) You Whine :-(
June 29th, 2009
7:29 am
TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras — A military coup has divided Honduras between two leaders — one recognized by world bodies and another backed by the country’s congress, courts and military.-Urinal
Yeah, “world leaders like the stooges Castro and Chavez.
eewwwww
RW-(the original)
June 29th, 2009
7:39 am
Whatever happened to Bookman outing these name changing posers?
yeah right
June 29th, 2009
7:52 am
Hope. Change. Sure.
ken
June 29th, 2009
7:53 am
Hey amvet, How do retired people get a retirement check WITHOUT BIG BUSINESS ? You are just another democrat that does not understand basic economics.
TnGelding
June 29th, 2009
7:54 am
RW-(the original)
June 29th, 2009
7:06 am
You aren’t reading the same press that I am. The media is against whoever is in power and have been very critical of Obama and his policies.
Normal
June 29th, 2009
7:55 am
OK, OK…I admit it…I’m really Whiner…So sorry…
Normal
June 29th, 2009
7:56 am
KEN, How many big business’e actually give retirement checks anymore…Just askin’…
TnGelding
June 29th, 2009
7:57 am
ken
June 29th, 2009
7:53 am
We’ve seen what happens to big business when consumers stop buying their goods and services, and they recklessly abandon sound investment practices. You have to have the total package.
Doggone/GA
June 29th, 2009
7:59 am
“How do retired people get a retirement check WITHOUT BIG BUSINESS ?”
How do the employees of small businesses get a retirement check?
Seek and ye shall Find
June 29th, 2009
8:01 am
Well, I’m just glad that Jay has not decided to “out” the poseurs. As for the “posers”, what posers? I ask you repeatedly, don’t explain it?
.
DB, Gwinnettian
June 29th, 2009
8:05 am
I am Spartacus.
The media is against whoever is in power and have been very critical of Obama and his policies.
RW’s been watching/reading the media that tells him the media is in the bag for Obama. That’s how it works.
Paul
June 29th, 2009
8:12 am
G’morning, DB, Gwinnettian
Some of the mainstream media have raised such concerns. A notable recent one was the past editor of the San Fransisco Chronicle who wrote Pres Obama and the media should get a room. I believe it was Pew Research who said during the first few months of the Obama Administration, favorable reporting was about twice the rate as during the Bush or Clinton Administration first terms.
What’s that rule of thumb? “When Saturday Night Live starts making fun of it, you know you’re on to something.”
Kamchak
June 29th, 2009
8:13 am
“RW’s been watching/reading the media that tells him the media is in the bag for Obama.”
Musta been on Powerline blogs.
Shawny
June 29th, 2009
8:16 am
Human caused climate change is a farce. See here how Obama is suppressing dissent:
http://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2009/06/023915.php
“Carlin and Davidson go on to recite the scientific work that shows rather clearly that human activity is a minor factor, at most, in climate change–which has, of course, been occurring from the beginning of Earth’s history to the present. ”
So, Jay, you talk about the 7 republicans that voted for it being targeted. To see how BAD this legislation is, consider the 44 dems that voted AGAINST it, here:
http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2009/roll477.xml
Normal
June 29th, 2009
8:17 am
I put this song in downstairs because it was written around 1960 and is still applicable today. It’s a metaphor for the real problem. The problem of “We have no answers, y’all”. And since we have no answers, I’m going to adopt the posture of Alfred E. Neuman…What? Me worry?!
It’s the only thing to do…
———————
The song was sung by the Kingston Trio…Read and enjoy…Just askin’…
They are rioting in Africa,
There are starving in Spain,
There’s hurricanes in Florida,
and Texas need rain…
The whole world is festering with unhappy souls,
The French hate the Germans, the Germans hate the Poles.
Italians hate Yugoslavs, South Africans hate the Dutch,
And I don’t like anybody very much!
But we can be tranquil, and thankful, and proud..
For man is endowed with a mushroom shaped cloud.
And we know for certain on some lovely day,
Someone will set the spark off…and we will all be blown away!
They’re rioting in Africa, there’s strife in Iran,
What nature doesn’t do to us will be done by our fellow man!!!
—-
Bye now…Just sayin’
ken
June 29th, 2009
8:19 am
Normal, you missed the point. When big business makes a profit, the stock is bought by pensions funds ( teachers, state workers etc ) as an investment. That being said, company profits are way down , consequently the future does not look good for future retirees. We need big business.
Paul
June 29th, 2009
8:20 am
Normal
I’d given up looking for that song. Thanks!
But I do believe they sang “Italians hate the Yugoslobs.” Kinda went with the theme of the song.
DB, Gwinnettian
June 29th, 2009
8:25 am
Looks like the Democrats have their own Basij who brand all who do not share the party line as traitors.
Mike, funny thing is, the word “traitor” doesn’t actually appear anywhere in that thread.
That word means something. Calling an elected official a “traitor” is equivalent to saying he/she has committed a capital offense. It’s like, oh, calling a doc performing legal procedures a “murderer”?
Paul
June 29th, 2009
8:32 am
DB, Gwinnettian
Thought you might enjoy another ‘incitement/responsible/murder” cartoon – from an historical perspective, that is!
http://www.chron.com/apps/comics/showComick.mpl?date=20090629&name=Mallard_Fillmore
reality
June 29th, 2009
8:41 am
I guess all the libs here are too stupid to work. Just sit in your mamas basement and post crap all day long. No wonder the taxpayers have to support your lazy rears.
Rightwing Troll
June 29th, 2009
8:50 am
reality,
I couldn’t agree with you more. Good thing you and I have jobs where we can post here all day instead of doing the work we’re getting paid to do.
TGT
June 29th, 2009
8:55 am
Jay wants evidence of liberals labeling the 44 Dems voting against the cap-and-tax as ‘traitors’ and ‘betrayers’? Look no further than today’s Paul Krugman column in the NY Times. True, he doesn’t specifically call out the 44 Dems. However, he labels most all of those voting against the cap-and-tax as ‘traitors’ and accuses them of ‘betrayal.’
Also, just a few months ago, Obama said that his administration will “base our public policies on the soundest science.” However, this does not seem to be the case when it comes to the science of climate change that doesn’t support the current liberal view that ‘global warming’ is mans fault.
TnGelding
June 29th, 2009
9:19 am
DB, Gwinnettian
June 29th, 2009
8:05 am
Well, they appeared to be at one time. But not anymore.
AmVet
June 29th, 2009
9:19 am
“Hey amvet, How do retired people get a retirement check WITHOUT BIG BUSINESS ?”
They start their own business like I did kenny. How about you? (I know, I know, it’s likely a complete waste to even attempt to engage a rude boor like you.)
So here we have yet another one of these Johnny-come-latelies to a conversation (the corporate destruction of capitalism in this instance) who, try to take it hostage by going off the red herring deep end about pensions.
Brilliant. Scintillating. Erudite.
“You are just another democrat that does not understand basic economics.”
Just another democrat? Man. Had you an inkling of what I have written here for many, many months you would fully understand, as the rest of us do that you, obviously have no idea of what you write. But have no problem blustering away like an unknowing fool…
But that is pretty obvious from the rest of your writings…
DB, Gwinnettian
June 29th, 2009
9:26 am
Paul @ 8.32, per usual MF fails on several levels.
1) contrary to what’s implied in the ‘toon you’ve linked, I have every confidence that the southern-sympathizing press c. 1856 did, in fact, hold abolitionists and their rhetoric responsible for John Brown’s gang-banging; and
2) I challenge you to find any TV broadcaster using the words “just as responsible” to describe O’Reilly and his pro-criminalization ilk’s culpability in Dr. Tiller’s murder. (some stray blogger, a letter-writer? sure. But nobody that an armchair observer is going to hear from a TV broadcaster, no.
(I used to think MF stood for something else, but in this ‘toon’s case, it’s Massive Fail.)
TnGelding
June 29th, 2009
9:38 am
reality
June 29th, 2009
8:41 am
Thanks for your “guess” and your opinion.
DB, Gwinnettian
June 29th, 2009
9:46 am
Oh, one last thing about our mikey:
you still want to make the absurd argument that liberals are more tolerant of those who don’t hew to party line.
Of course not only did Jay not ever say that, or anything especially like that, but it wasn’t even the point of his post, which mikey seems to have completely missed, covering as it did the prospects for GOP success in 2010 if they continue eating their own like this.
pat
June 29th, 2009
9:49 am
This legislation is the worst thing I have seen. Rather than discuss the actual points in the legislation, the best you lot can do is turn into another republican bash fest, because that does a lot of good. What kind of people are you anyway? I figure in middle school you get to feel cool if you out insult other kids, but you are supposed to be grown ups.
This legislation has a fatal flaw and it will cripple the economy for years to come for one simple reason. It “buys and sells” something that isn’t a product, cannot be consumed or used and provides no useful benefit what so ever. All it’s going to do is drive what little industry is left out of the country and leave us with huge bills to pay. You cannot ignore basic economic precepts when requiring the buying and selling of subjective intangibles.
No I beseech you to leave you head dutifully in the sand and go blame Bush for everything. Just make sure you have plenty of Vaseline (which will also go up in price) on hand.
Paul
June 29th, 2009
9:53 am
DB, Gwinnettian
Your point one: nice thesis. Be interesting to find out if it has a basis in fact.
Point 2: You serious? Granted, you used the phrase “just as responsible” so if there’s a cite that says ‘responsible’ but not ‘just as’ or ‘as responsible’ but not ‘just as’ is that okay? How about:
[[KEITH OLBERMANN: Finally tonight, our number one story and the very serious, very unsettling part the Fox News Channel played in the assassination of Dr. George Tiller, a horrifying realization that a television figure can be a facilitator for domestic terrorism
This was underscored, proved even, today when a man named Frank Schaeffer wrote for the Huffington Post that, as a former member of the anti-abortion, activist far right he believes he, quote, "shares the blame for the murder of Dr. Tiller," as we believe here does Fox News Channel. ]]
Is ’shares the blame’ close enough?
md
June 29th, 2009
10:03 am
“The media is against whoever is in power and have been very critical of Obama and his policies”
Must not be talking about the Obama media. The one owned by GE and the Apostle Immelt that sits at the right hand of the annointed one and has GE execs positioned to become very wealthy if cap and trade is shoved down our throats. Funny how Fox is demonized for being “biased”, yet never any talk about NBC. Wonder why?
DB, Gwinnettian
June 29th, 2009
12:00 pm
Is ’shares the blame’ close enough?
Well no, it’s not. “Just as responsible” indicates equivalence. We speak far more casually of sharing blame for unwanted occurances.
Furthermore, if it were that phrase that stuck in MF’s craw, he surely would’ve used it in the ‘toon. Fact is, he’s making stuff up.
Stupid isn't patriotic
June 29th, 2009
3:02 pm
Three congressmen from New Jersey voted for this because Edison’s state has a high percentage of engineers and scientists. The Republicans up there are fiscally conservative but they don’t consider ignorance or stupidity to be admirable values.