How to Discreetly Feed The Beast

[paft.livejournal.com]

Recently, Eric Cantor provided a textbook example of how the GOP has been countenancing (and therefore encouraging) extremist rhetoric while pretending not to countenance (and therefore encourage) extremist rhetoric.

Right Wing Heritage Foundation Speech 5/4/10

Audience member at Heritage Foundation: My question is – and this is something I personally don’t understand…. in light of what Obama has done to leave us vulnerable, to cut defense spending, to make us vulnerable to our outside enemies, to slight our allies. How…what would he have to do differently to be defined as a domestic enemy?”

(Laughter and applause from audience.)



Eric Cantor (smiling, after waiting for the claps to die down) Listen, let me respond very forthright to that. No one thinks that the president is a domestic enemy. (boos) It is important, it is important, it is important for us to remember, we have the freedom of discourse in this country. And the president’s policies, the administration’s priorities, in my opinion, do not reflect the common sense conservative traditions on which the greatness of this country was built…

Here, Cantor makes a statement that’s been demonstrated to be untrue in the seconds before he made it, and is again demonstrated to be untrue by the audience reaction after he makes it.

“No one thinks the president is a domestic enemy.”

No one? Someone just said he did -- and a bunch of other people just applauded him for it.

A “forthright response” would be to say, “No, the president is not a domestic enemy merely because we disagree with his policies.”

But Cantor just couldn't say that. He knew being that "forthright" might have gotten him booed off the stage by those "no ones" who've been incited by the inflammatory rhetoric the GOP has been banking and encouraging for twenty years.

Comments

[badlydrawnjeff.livejournal.com]

"No one" is clearly "no one serious." And it was a forthright response - those applauding the guy who claimed it or booing Cantor aren't anybody worth noting.

[mahnmut.livejournal.com]

I thought everyone is worth noting.

[paft.livejournal.com]

Some of those "no ones" have a national audience.

If they were really "no ones," Eric Cantor would have unequivocally stamped that "domestic enemy" crap flat. He didn't because he knew those "no ones" are now the Republican party base.

[telemann.livejournal.com]

At least during the 2008 campaign, Senator McCain had the sense to take the microphone from the crazy lady.

[squidb0i.livejournal.com]

/post

[dreadfulpenny81.livejournal.com]

I didn't see anything wrong with Cantor's answer. He said the President is not a domestic enemy. The Left should be satisfied with that. What I DO have a problem with is what he starts saying at 1:55 (ends at about 2:06). It's like he's saying that if the Republicans didn't have the majority, they would be passing incoherent legislation. That's not what people want, and he should have chosen his words more carefully in that respect.

And paft, just a tip: it's probably not gonna be considered plagiarism since you're re-posting something you've already written, but it might be nice if you cited a source since you're pretty much copying and pasting entries from another blog you posted to days ago.

http://torchwood-us.com/2010/05/05/eric-cantor-feeds-the-beast-while-pretending-not-to-feed-the-beast/

[paft.livejournal.com]

No,actually he didn't. He said, after someone accused the president of being a domestic enemy and several people applauded the idea, "no one believes the president is a domestic enemy" a statement completely unconnected to reality in that he's talking with an individual who thinks the president is a domestic enemy, who is surrounded by people who also think the president is a domestic enemy. He then followed it up with a diatribe against the administration peppered with the buzzwords that are red meat to the rabid "The president is a traitor" tribe -- "unfettered power," "critical crossroads as far as our national security," "take this country back..."

"Take this country back?" From whom? From other Americans who disagree with them? It doesn't belong to us as well as to them? They're being denied this country in some manner?

[paft.livejournal.com]

mvl: it's probably not gonna be considered plagiarism

VBG. "Probably?"

[ex-restless.livejournal.com]

Wait, she wrote the post you're linking, and you're asking her to cite it, and using the word "probably" as to whether or not it could be plagiarism? Am I missing something?

[mahnmut.livejournal.com]

OMG how dare she cross-post her own post? Srsly.

[allhatnocattle.livejournal.com]

Is it the way he says it, or what he infers?

[drcruel.livejournal.com]

Well, saying, "Nobody believes the President is a domestic enemy" is hardly the same thing as saying, "The President is not a domestic enemy." Cantor could and should have been more of a man, the way ke McCain was when he took the mic from the crazy chick.

[policraticus.livejournal.com]

2000-2008

Heated rhetoric about the president being an enemy of the people, the Constitution, human rights, etc., etc.: The highest form of patriotism, speaking truth to power, keeping it real.

2008-present

Heated rhetoric about the president being an enemy of the people, the Constitution, personal liberty, etc., etc.: Extremism, threatening, probable racism, incipit fascim? Whatever it is, it is double-plus bad.

[http://users.livejournal.com/aviation_/]

YAY this was what I was gonna say

[paft.livejournal.com]

I attended many anti war and anti-Bush rallies. I never once heard him described as a "domestic enemy." The worst I heard was that Bush's legalization of torture qualified him as a war criminal.

Nor did I hear calls for secession. Nor were liberals buying up guns. Nor did I hear anyone claim that our goal should be to "destroy conservatism" as I've heard tea partiers saying that their goal is to "destroy leftism."

Those are not minor differences.

[telemann.livejournal.com]

The Secret Service would disagree with you at least on one point: Obama has a record number of death threats. So take off those tea-colored glasses, sport.

[gunslnger.livejournal.com]

Minor nit: double-plus ungood. "bad" is not a word.

[mrbogey.livejournal.com]

So.. you ever gonna treat us to an essay you wrote blaming the Tea Party for the Times Square bomber?

[paft.livejournal.com]

And what essay was that?

[readherring.livejournal.com]

I'd say that was more of a discreet pander to the beast. Although the net effect might be the same.

[the-rukh.livejournal.com]

Well it aint the whole blowjob, just a flick of the wrist, see.

[prader.livejournal.com]

“No, the president is not a domestic enemy merely because we disagree with his policies.”

We should have a post on whether or not the President is a domestic enemy. I know it's not how you intended it, but when I read your words put in his mouth "merely because..." I can't help but want to get at the bottom of why the President is a domestic enemy then, if it's not just because we disagree with his policies.

Delusions, insanity

[reality-hammer.livejournal.com]

Recently, paft has been passing off her delusions as snippets of alleged happenings in our universe. This post is merely the latest example of this unfortunate series of events.

Re: Delusions, insanity

[meus-ovatio.livejournal.com]

It isn't insanity, it's just identity-politics gone awry.

[headhouse.livejournal.com]

At this point, do I really even have to point out the double standard behavior you're exhibiting?

Rhetorical question. I notice someone else already has.

[kinvore.livejournal.com]

Relax, they are just taking their country back. To 1850.

[abomvubuso.livejournal.com]

History is cyclical anyway.

[gunslnger.livejournal.com]

First, "encouraging" is not logically derived from "countenancing".

Second, it's not surprising that you don't understand the joke.

Domestic enemies

[sophia-sadek.livejournal.com]

The idea that someone like Obama can be a domestic enemy reminds me of Nixon' enemies list and the way that the House Committee on un-American activities went on a hunt for domestic "enemies." Yes, there are domestic enemies of the Constitution such as the bonehead who asked the question. When he says "our allies," I wonder which military dictators he refers to. Certainly, he doesn't mean allies of the US, but allies of himself and his narrow minded faction.