The Left Discovers Manners (when it’s convenient)
Isn’t it odd that the left has suddenly discovered manners and civility; the left that routinely shouts down and hurls epithets at those they disagree with; throws pies at Ann Coulter (I know Ann can be a bit sarcastic and abrasive at times, but please, I’ve never known her to be violent), or shout down David Horowitz when he tries to speak at an American campus. Yes, I heard it on MSNBC: the protesters against Obama’s health care plan, that mob of un-American activists, lacks manners. Isn’t it great? It means that conservatives will no longer be called Nazis or racists, or otherwise shouted down when they try to speak in public because low and behold, the left has discovered manners! Not likely!
Nancy Pelosi and Steny Hoyer wrote in USA Today:
“These disruptions are occurring because opponents are afraid not just of differing views — but of the facts themselves. Drowning out opposing views is simply un-American.”
The facts, who’s afraid of the facts? Obama, meanwhile is asking his legions to turn in the names of those Americans who are distorting the “facts” about his health care reform, you know, anything “fishy” their friends or neighbors might be saying, and report them to flag@whitehouse.gov. I won’t go into the numerous factual distortions put out by Obama and his minions, but consider one thing: can anyone point to a government entitlement that has ever saved money? I think that’s beyond distortion and rises to the level of an outright lie! And as far as all those “unreasonable” fears that Americans have, about losing their current healthcare, their access to their doctor, their right to life-sustaining treatment when they’re elderly, well, how many of you want to take Obama’s word that there’s nothing to worry about? After all, isn’t ObamaCare inspired by nationalized health care in Canada, Britain, and France? Correct me if I’m wrong.
And where does this notion come from that health care is a right? I’ve searched my Constitution and I wasn’t able to come up with any such right. The proponents of health care “rights” are free to begin petitioning to amend the Constitution if they believe so fiercely in that right. (By the way, there is a difference between health care and health insurance.) Meanwhile I’ve seen distortions on the tube such as what would you do if you found someone bleeding from an accident? People have a right to emergency care if they’re injured or even ill, but what does that have to do with a right to health insurance for everyone including illegal aliens?
Apparently, only the left has a right to dissent. As Lorie Byrd has written in “The Democrats’ Credibility Gap on Free Speech” (Townhall.com, August 11, 2009):
It is hard to listen to Democrats squeal with indignation about their freedom of speech being stifled when they control the White House and the Congress, and when in the past, their supporters are the ones who did so much to crush conservative dissent . Remember when conservative author and columnist Ann Coulter had two pies thrown at her during a speech at the University of Arizona to College Republicans? At least she was able to speak. There are many examples of conservatives being denied the right to speak at public universities by liberal protesters, in some cases due to violence or the threat of violence.
When former Colorado congressman Tom Tancredo tried to speak at the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill on the issue of in-state tuition for illegal immigrants earlier this year, “Hundreds of protesters converged on Bingham Hall, shouting profanities and accusations of racism while Tancredo and the student who introduced him tried to speak. Minutes into the speech, a protester pounded a window of the classroom until the glass shattered, prompting Tancredo to flee and campus police to shut down the event.”
William Jacobson put things into perspective when he wrote, “So this is what it comes to. After eight years of protesters hanging George Bush in effigy, calling him a Nazi, disrupting conservative speeches on campuses by taking over stages or throwing pies, creating websites and movies that wished for Bush’s death, and a myriad of other indignities…. After all this time, Nancy Pelosi and Steny Hoyer discover what it means to be ‘Un-American.’”
By the way, have you all seen those pictures of the orchestrated “Astroturf” (according to Robert Gibbs) protestors (“Nancy and the Astroturfers”)?
Notice how the protestors against ObamaCare carry hand-made signs whereas the supporters of ObamaCare have manufactured signs and t-shirts saying “I’m a Health Care Voter.” Who’s the Astroturf here?
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Comments
The link to Nancy and the astroturfers was a great addition to your post. The pictures speak a thousand words. The left claims all the people are for the chief occupiers plan but it would appear that few ever show up to defend his plan. makes you kinda wonder about the numbers doesn’t it. Then again why wonder when have the numbers for the left ever lined up with reality.
“Apparently only the left has a right to dissent.”
But surely that comes as no surprise, Mark. They eviscerated all the other rights via extra-Constitutional action, so we’ve retreated to the soapbox and the ballot box. Well, illegal immigration and vote fraud will undo the usefulness of the ballot box, if they haven’t already. So there’s just one more obstacle to surmount!
Nothing much surprises me when it comes to the double standards and hypocrisy of the left! Maybe they’ve finally awakened the sleeping giant of middle American public opinion. We can hope.
So I know this won’t get me anywhere, but don’t you have to take a position on whether these kinds of interruptions are acceptable or not? Otherwise, aren’t you playing the exact same game your disparaging:: it’s okay when my team interrupts but not when your team does it?
If I were a betting man, I’d put down $100 that you won’t answer with a basic standard that applies to both sides.
Well, what do you believe in Mavis? I think that when people actually try and prevent someone from being heard, left or right, they should be removed from the audience. But I also think that there’s a vast difference between a situation where it’s a meeting of the people and those who are their so-called representatives versus someone who has no power over the audience but just wants to get a chance to speak in a civil environment. While the townhall meetings were loud and uproarious I don’t think they actually prevented anyone from speaking; in other words, the Congressmen got an earful, but they weren’t forced to leave or assaulted. Interruptions are one thing; assault and violence are another. Are you willing, along with what I assume are your left wing compatriots, to sign up to an agreement that you won’t shout down, throw pies at, assault or otherwise interfere with conservative speakers on campus? I think you guys just aren’t used to having non-leftists (I won’t call them conservatives because I really don’t know what their politics are) speaking out and criticizing your side, you’re so used to dominating in the media (6 TV channels vs. 1), newspapers, and campus, that you don’t know what to make of this: Only the left should be able to dissent, right?
The left’s double standard has never been clearer than right now with all these angry Americans at the town halls. By “angry Americans” I mean those who want answers about certain aspects of ObamaCare. It is clearly the right of the citizens to know what their so-called public servants are up to.
Well, it’s a standard. It’s awfully convenient and I don’t think the power angle is correct at all, but it’s a standard. I think a better version of what you’re saying is simply that elected officials should have to put up with more crap than other public figures. That makes some sense. I would add another layer and say that interrupting ordinary citizens is worse than drowning out somebody with a national television show.
So you want my views. Well, obviously throwing pies isn’t appropriate. I’m a little more of a free speech guy so I think it’s fine if people want to yell and scream and disrupt a speaker. Then whoever is hosting can have the loudmouth removed. I’m good with all of it.
What I don’t get is how you can square that standard with the Republican only town halls Pres Bush held for his SS proposal.
Well, I don’t really. I never was much of a Bush supporter. I don’t even recall those Bush townhalls so you’ve got me on that one; so if you’re right, both Bush and Obama (referring to the latter’s staged townhall) managed/manipulated the press with staged townhalls. Where I think the double standard is particularly egregious is when all these far left talking heads and politicians start calling the anti-ObamaCare protesters anti-American, Nazis, etc. when, for pete’s sake if you’ve seen clips of these meetings, they’re mostly a bunch of senior citizens! Hide the women and children folks, there’s gangs of roving senior citizens out there!! And there was of course nary a peep out of all these leftists when their fellow travelers were shouting down and threatening Tancredo, Coulter, Horowitz and whoever else on the right dared to speak at one of our so-called institutions of higher learning, where civil debate is supposed to be a given.
Fair enough. Obama’s town halls are also political stunts – even if opponents aren’t banned. He’s got one coming up in a conservative part of Monatana – let’s see what happens there.
I don’t really like calling anyone un-American so I have nothing good to say about those comments.
It’s pretty disingenuous to pretend that all the protesters are simply senior citizens who are being called Nazis by there opponents. Some of them are painting swasticas, carrying weapons, and saying some outrageous things. You are not responsible for those people and neither are the other demonstrators who don’t do those things, but don’t defend them.
I’m not defending them. I saw one guy who showed up with a gun outside in a state, New Hampshire, where he’s permitted to carry, and a sign advocating revolution, admittedly a bit over the top, and sure, there may be a few extremists out there with signs, but what left wing demonstration hasn’t included extremists?
The point is, for those talking heads and politicians who did so, don’t tarnish the whole lot with a few extremists, when anybody can see that most of those inside the townhalls causing the so-called ruckus were senior citizens.
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