Today, editorial writer Charles Lane wrote an opinion piece for the Washington Post in which he (correctly) points out what a political blunder it is for the Democrats to start describing the Tea Party as “terrorists.” But in so doing, he carelessly repeated an earlier slandering of the Tea Party.
I quickly tracked down the Post‘s contact form for Lane, and just now zipped him this email:
Dear Mr. Lane,
Regarding your opinion piece today in the Washington Post entitled “Tea Party terror?” about the new incivility in political discourse:
Your basic premise — that it’s a strategic mistake for the Democrats to demonize their political opponents as “terrorists” — is a valid premise. But unfortunately in the first paragraph you already undermine your thesis by parroting an untruth that itself was part of an earlier round of demonization.
You say,
“If liberals believe anything, it is that the right is either solely, or mostly, responsible for the degradation of political discourse in America. And they are surely correct to condemn such ugly rhetorical excesses as the Obama-is-Hitler placards that flowered across the land in the summer of 2009.”
Now, I dare you to peruse these two blog posts I made in 2009 in response to that false charge, and tell me if it was the right or the left who started calling the president “Hitler,” and which side is the most extreme:
Bush as Hitler, Swastika-Mania: A Retrospective
Death Threats Against Bush at Protests Ignored for Years
Furthermore, you certainly must know as well as anyone that the false charge that the Tea Party was displaying “Obama=Hitler” signs was roundly debunked at the time: turns out that 99% of such signs depicted in the media were being displayed by Lyndon LaRouche proponents who showed up uninvited at Tea Party events and who were most definitely not in any way connected with the Tea Party (the LaRouche group is a bizarre left-leaning conspiracy cult). Yet even so, the charge (that the Tea Party degraded itself en masse by comparing Obama to Hitler) was run up the flagpole, everybody in the media saluted, and then it was instantly ossified as fact, despite being almost instantly disproven by various blogs (including mine).
Not only that, but the same LaRouchites frequently show up at left-wing rallies too, but no one ever condemns the left because of it — such as in this picture I recently took at an anti-war rally:
Your opinion piece would have been praiseworthy had it not repeated a partisan lie in the first statement.
In reply, this authentic Tea Party sign sums up the attitude most weary Tea Partiers have at this point:
The authentic tea party sign says it all. Yes, let us laugh at their hypocracy when they cry about names they have been called (or imagine they have been called), while indulging in calling us vile names. But don’t expect them to stop. And, more importantly, don’t be brushed back from using legitimate names against them. If it sounds Marxist, do not be afraid to say so. If it looks like socialized medicine, go ahead and say so. Or if it looks more like fascistic (read Liberal Fascism before you assume this terms applies to Hitler as opposed to Mussolini) medicine then by all means say so. Some have bent over backwards to avoid using such words, even inventing new ones like statist. Let us just call things what they are. They are the enemies of freedom and we need not pretend they are just nice, likable but misguided folks.
The “terrorist” narrative is allows them to accept the idea that we’re dangerous and should be rounded up.
An actual terrorist is someone who uses violence to influence public policy. Since when does the Tea Party do that?
Leftists calling the tea party a terrorist organization is appropriate because the tea party does indeed strike terror in the hearts and minds of the lefties.
The word ‘statist’ has been around for hundreds of years: http://amzn.to/nOK7eV
In simple terms, it’s Party A getting Party B to do something for Party C. Oy vey!
If they libs can’t figure out what a terrorist is, maybe they should ask Nick Berg.
How about asking Bill Ayers and Bernardine Dohrn?
I have yet to hear about a single Tea Partier flying an airplane into a building or setting off a suicide bomb in a crowded pizza parlor. Yet I have heard about terrorists doing that stuff.
Hardly equivalent.
but as Sarah said, if we were terrorists, Obama would be inviting us to the birthday party.
The tea party idea is mostly a fear construct created by clever liberal politicos to keep their flyover country-phobic cadres mentally confused. It has some grounding in reality, the tea parties exist to some degree, but mostly its size in the press is exaggerated. The press still believes the so-called compromise was falling to the hands of the tea parties, although in reality it was a middle finger to people who believe, like Obama used to do, that deficits are harmful to markets. There is no “free” money (unless you are a bankster).
The reverse version of this game is done by business p.r. groups. Whenever discussion of cutting spending is done, they make sure to flood the debate that “it is all about entitlements”, to scare away examination of ethanol, military, golbal warming, you name it any money. Then the clones start wailing about senior citizens and so on about social security account balances 30 years from now, without noticing their tax “cuts” are being financed by social security revenues presently.
The whole game in Washington is how to raid social security. Obama, always hostile to the aged, tried to dumb his way to a social security raid by his “Deficit Commission” rigged to blame social security. That failed, he will keep trying, and the Republicans will gleefully follow, dumbly.
“but mostly its size in the press is exaggerated.”
I’ll tell you what’s not exaggerated….200,000,000 guns in the hands of American patriots.
With Promise Keepers vowing never to turn their arms against American citizens.
We did it once…..and succeeded.
I think you mean Oath Keepers; Promise Keepers is a religious organization if I recall correctly.
And as far as Oath Keepers are concerned, I will trust former and present military, but will NOT trust those veterans who went into law enforcement. If they were keeping their oath to uphold the Constitution, they’d not be on the team that enforces so much that is un-Constitutional.
Youre 100% right
Most Cops today will turn Full-On Facist Enforcers on a dime, in the blink of an eye, at the drop of a hat.
They they are full of contempt for us,
They hate us as much as the Democrats do.
They have access to paramilitary equipment THEY’LL never have taken away…They love the Robocop Muscle Suits, SMG’s and free luch too much to let the Constitution stand in their way.
Expect the “Oath Keepers” to be the FIRST ONES they go after, just to show us “nobody is on our side”
JN
” There is no “free” money (unless you are a bankster).”
Or unless you are a teacher, getting “stimulus” funds.
Or unless you are a cop, in police departments getting “stimulus” funds.
Or unless you are some other make-work government toadie, getting “stimulus” funds.
Or maybe a Union Auto Worker, paid with “stimulus” funds, for that low quality, overpriced piece of crap the markets have rejected.
Or unless you are a politician, getting Union Donations from ALL of the above, as a “thank you” for raping the taxpayers, one more time for them.
Yup, their aint no “free money” Unless youre a Democrat….
Then all the (other peoples) money in the world is yours.
For free.
“…the tea parties exist to some degree, but mostly its size in the press is exaggerated.”
Not sure where you are getting your information, but polls have generally indicated a significant number of Americans support or tend to support the Tea Party.
The media, however, overstates or dismisses their numbers based on how they wish to present the story.
In the matter of the debt ceiling, the media went with a “small, obstinate group of obstructionists who refuse to allow Obama to save the country from Republican terrorists.” When the media wishes to push any new Obama social program, the Tea Party is “proof that America is still a very racist country.”
The election results also indicate that you are understating Tea Party support. Politicians know why they got elected– it is their business to know that. That is why the Tea Party has influence with Congress, not because politicians are confused about how much Tea Party support there is.
Obama is so much more dangerous than anyone that is part of the LaRouche group. Just because the participants here at Pajamas Media are in bondage to their fears of being labeled racist and refusing to cover the multiple experts testimony pointing out the FORGED document Obama released on April 27th doesn’t negate that CRIME. This is so much more serious than anything that has ever happened here in America, including the 911 terrorist event. This guy is using his office and his enablers (40 CZARS) to destroy America. It is intentional. The man has been using a FRAUDULENT SS# and the Social Security Administration KNOWS it to be so, that’s pretty damn pathetic. This man has FRAUDULENTLY registered with the Selective Service and they KNOW it to be so also. President Obama’s entire life is fabricated, thus the forged birth certivicate, forged SS# and forged Selective Service registration. The media is brain dead, there are a million reasons why they should be covering this story and they refuse to do so. WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED to ALL of you. Shame on your sorry asses.
As a side note; it is odd the the freaks who call conservatives nazi’s, putting Larouche aside, are the ones who crave control and limitless power. A hangover from the thirties when goons of the nazi’s and goons of the communists fought as rivals ? Also, a feature of stupidity and hate. The Left, they got it all.
As to Lane, at least he had the decency to speak out on the deranged hate of so called liberals, important because he is a WaPo biggie.
WTG Mr Zombie.
If only we could return to the civility of the Bush years. By the looks of the attacks from the left over the past few months, it looks like we have.
Nice. Who knows, maybe Lane will take a look?
Excellent! Thank you, Zombie. I had the same thought when I read Lane’s editorial. Lane is still suffering from a bit of denial himself, apparently.
The Democrats’ “terrorist” meme will accomplish two things: first, Tea Partiers, and all the other people who are disgusted with the way Washington is doing things these days will remember that the Democratic-Powers-That-Be called them “terrorists” and “Hezbollah” and “Taliban”. Second, they will no longer pay attention to people who use those terms regarding American citizens.
The Democratic Party “leadership” has dug a grave I’m pretty sure the rank and file don’t want to step into.
RebeccaH
“The Democratic Party “leadership” has dug a grave…”
Bull…
Its not their grave, its their RAMPART
They called good soldeirs ‘Baby Killers” and spat on them when they came home.
They planted BOMBS and KILLED people over POLITICS.
They created artificial racist hoaxes, and have never been taken to task for it.
The leadership knows what its doing, and its “rank and file” are hardcore believers. They’ve all suceeded by being evil, doing evil things, with no apology at all for it.
Teachers, Professors, civil servants, cops. The Media, the “youth” hipsters, scateboard punks, college kids and radical vegans, all taught to, or re-enforcing, their systemic organizational hatred for us. Now add big business(Mandatory GE lightbulbs anyone?)the Auto industry, and the Medical Industry as chips on their side of the table.
Thats a pretty diverse, extremly well entrenched (right down to your local school board) set of immovable objects. They have innumerable LAYERS of defenses to styme us at every turn, and they HATE EVERYTHING ABOUT US.
The debt they’ve placed upon us is now over 100% of our GDP.
Putting AMERICA in a grave they dug is not their Achillies heel…
Its their VICTORY,
“The LaRouche group is a bizarre left-leaning conspiracy cult.” I would also like to add that they are a gang of thugs.
I dont care for them eiher…
But I remember an election cycle, where Lyndon himself was narrating a paid for political infomercial on Major Network Television, live I believe, from his PRISON CELL….
Had to shake my head and say:
“geez, if THATS not evidence of political freedom in America, nothing is”
Made an S.F. observation: Obama-Biden bumper sticker = Angry Driver. Maybe that ought to be a bumper sticker for B.O.’s O-B motorists.
Those stickers are probably on the bumpers of Priuseseses (Priae?), or Subaru Foresters driven by angry females with VERY short hair.
What’s that supposed to mean? I’m a female, drive a Prius, and have short hair. Please explain. I haven’t taken offense, YET.
Karla, you may be the “wierd one” that is the anomaly. I’ve noticed a very high correlation between the “angry drivers” and the stereotype given that happens to also describe yourself.
No need to get angry, actually, be glad the stereotype does NOT fit you. It does fir many others, all too often.
In reality, I’d postulate that the very fact you are posting here says more about your character and views than your outward appearance does.
One man’s terrorist, another man’s freedom fighter.
Hail to the Minutemen, America’s original anti-Brit terrorists.
Hail to Samuel Adams’s TeaBagger terrorists, America’s freedom fighters.
Hail to the TeaPartiers, America’s 21st century freedom fighters against the encroachment of power hungry Washington politicians.
*To a Democrat a “terrorist is a person who wants Government to live within their taxable means
*To a Democrat a Muslim who shoots US soldiers on a base is a right wing extremeist
*To a Democrat who votes for a war and changes his mind the President lied
*To a Democrat an Intervention is not a War and requires no Congressional approval
*To a Democrat spending cuts of any kind are Draconian
*To a Democrat taxes are revenue and people who pay taxes are Un Patriotic
*To a Democrat a law is something to be read AFTER it’s passage
*To a Democrat a law passed by the House is Dead On Arrival
*To a Democrat left is right and right is wrong
*To a Democrat a Republican is a Republican’t
*To a Democrat birth control and air are free
*To a Democrat both birth and breathing need to be regulated by the EPA
*To a Democrat religious expression is offensive. A gay rights parade with naked people exposing themselves to children is freedom of expression
etcetcetcetc………………………..
txdollarbill: “To a Democrat a law passed by the House is Dead On Arrival”
I liked your post — but, and I may be wrong, isn’t what the house passes a bill? When does it become law? After both houses and the president sign off?
Or after a veto override if the president vetoes it?
All of the Tea Party members have the liberals and the far-left on the run. They simply don’t know what to do with them. They yell at them, they scream at them, they call them names in the media, and get elected represnetatives to call them everything from Nazis and Brown Shirts, to terrorists and un-American. The far-left and the liberals are literally foaming at the mouth because they can’t understand the Tea Parties. With all this bitter bile being thrown at them by the main stream media you would think they would simply sit down and shut up, right?
Well, let me tell you something all you far-left liberal turds. The Tea Parties are here to stay, we are not going anywhere, and if you think 2010 was bad for the Democratic Party, just wait for 2012. We’re over here and we will not stop until a conservative government (Congress and the White House) start reducing the size and spending of the Federal Government.
Deal with it.
Nice work, Zombie. Short and to the point.
If I might pick a nit, I’d suggest linking the first pic to its photo essay – if there is one. Otherwise, someone might suggest the pic is from some right-winger rally.
Well, if you look carefully at the picture, it includes someone wearing a t-shirt that says “Stop Israeli war crimes in GAZA” and holding a sign that says “PEACE” along with a peace sign. I thought it was pretty obvious what kind of protester that is.
But, for the record, here it is in context:
San Francisco “Anti-War” Rally: The New Communist/Truth/Jihad Alliance — March 20, 2010
‘Your basic premise — that it’s a strategic mistake for the Democrats to demonize their political opponents as “terrorists” — is a valid premise.’
Considering that it’s coming from a political organization that used terror and mass-murder to create and maintain the Jim Crow system, it’s mostly hilarious.
And, comparing Obama to Hitler might be a bit over the top, but comparing the Democrat Party to the Italian fascists or to terrorists sure isn’t. The most you can say for the Dem-scum is that they haven’t behaved like fascists or terrorists for the past few years.
Yes, but you see, the Dems will argue that everything changed in 1964.
Sure, between 1850 and 1964, the Democratic party was the party of slavery, the KKK, racism, Jim Crow, terror tactics, etc. etc. That’s common knowledge. But, they will now argue, in 1964 with the whole Civil Rights/Goldwater/Dixiecrat crisis, the political poles shifted, and all the “bad” southern Democrats, all those racists etc., fled the party and eventually all became Republicans. So that they will claim the modern-day Republican party is the direct descendant of the pre-1964 Democratic party. Or at least partly is. And that all the “oppressed minorities” after 1964 switched to the Democratic party.
Until the Republicans come up with a sufficiently devastating rebuttal, the 21st-century Dems will stick to this claim.
My suggestion for a rebuttal: The policies of the modern Democratic party are a form of “soft racism” that is actually enslaving the underclass economically just as bad as the KKK was back in the days of Democratic terrorism. And that the paternalistic condescending “we know better” attitude Dems have toward blacks is an echo of the way slave-owners treated their slaves. So that the party’s stripes haven’t actually changed at all — just put on a different mask.
“Yes, but you see, the Dems will argue that everything changed in 1964.”
And, that could be true. But, I still don’t trust them.
The Dems have often acted EXACTLY like fascists/terrorists, the Republicans not so much (either pre 1960s, OR post 1960s, despite the babble the Dems sometimes put out about the political shift that took place in the American South about that time).
I believe that the Dems tendency to behave like fascists is rooted in the belief systems of their party and its membership…and I don’t believe they’ve changed much since the 1860s.
Dems are the party of gun control. States with the most gun control have the lowest rates of civilian firearms ownership.
http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/states-with-stricter-gun-control-laws-are-less-safe/
States with the most gun control have the highest rates of black homicide.
http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/states-with-stricter-gun-control-laws-are-less-safe/2/
Gun control was promoted by Dems post-Bellum as a way to keep blacks disarmed. Disarmed blacks were easier to terrorize by the KKK. American gun control has always been racially motivated, beginning in the colonial period.
Dems are still racist.
I get tired of that old argument and agree that the dems just changed the packaging to make an old policy seem fresh and new. In doing so they got black people to willingly come back to the plantation and for just a little hooch and a boobtube they will keep their masters in power forever.
As to the south changing their stripes – well they did. The old ways died out with the new generation. Odd thing, though, they still register as democrats (they’re still mad about that war and all) but they vote republican. Which is why dems scream fraud every election.
Zombie,
“Until the Republicans come up with a sufficiently devastating rebuttal, the 21st-century Dems will stick to this claim.”
The Truth, unfortunately, is neither sufficient or devastating.
The Truth, simply, just is…
And Mark Twain’s “theory of relativity” is all we need to know about politics, to explain why the Dems have so much power.
And we are taxed beyond 100% GDP
Mr. Z, how can you expect any supposed D.C. pundit who would actually put in his column “I don’t know exactly what the Tea Party is, or which Republicans belong to it.” to have any idea of the truth. It’s a shame that Dr. Krauthammer actually has to sit next to this moron.
Boy, I have always thought it would be a fun thing to issue a challenge to the Left.
Let them come up with their most vile examples of Righties slinging the mud and the violent rhetoric.
Then, let us (the Right) do the same thing against the Lefties.
Each side has to condense the soundbites into a three-minute YouTube video. Then, we broadcast and compare the results.
There is INFINITELY more disgusting vile talk coming from the Left… all up and down it’s rank and file… and from bigger names in the party and leadership. Grrr.
Whenever I hear that equivocating (“Well, both sides are guilty.”) I wanna scream.
In response to similar comments by David Ignatius of the same rag — he wrote something like “there are Islamic terrorists and also European terrorists” — I sent him the following email: “Can you count?”
The late Nico Colchester nailed it. The most meaningful continuum is not “left — right” (which meet and are indistinguishable from one another at the top if we more accurately think instead of a circle with “totalitarian” at the north pole and “classical liberal” at the south pole) but rather “crunchy — soggy”. People like Charles Lane and David Ignatius are so soggy, squishy and wet that I cannot understand why anyone takes them seriously.
“Let them come up with their most vile examples of Righties slinging the mud and the violent rhetoric.”
I’ll be happy to volunteer as an example of a mud-slinging righty.
As far as I’m concerned, leftists are pond scum at best, and I ain’t shy about saying it.
Intellectual Bankruptcy. I listen to congress, and I remember working in a psychiatric ward many years ago when I was studing to become a Doctor. I watched the patients after they had a shock treatment. I hear the workd Terroist used to describe Right and Reason. I say to myself The Second Titanic has left the Port New Captain same rats on board. and I hear Axelrod. and I wonder if he knows hot to Spell cat –C A T –This Congress Would get lost inside a telephone booth. They have faked Reality so long for 30 years or more, and guess what Reality will not permit. I see now The Second Titanic taking on Water, and guess what 310 million people on board and not enough life rafts. What A Joke This Country Has Become.