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

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

that's funny because I heard him equated with Hitler all the time and I've heard basically all of the things you describe
maybe because I think both political parties are batshit crazy I don't just tune it out like everybody else seems to

[paft.livejournal.com]

a: that's funny because I heard him equated with Hitler all the time...

So did I. I also heard Nixon, Clinton, etc. compared with HItler. Escalating this to "he's a domestic enemy in league with our enemies and plotting to deliberately destroying the country," however, is another thing entirely.

a: and I've heard basically all of the things you describe

Bullsh*t. Do tell where you heard calls for secession from Democrats during the Bush administration, and fill us in on liberals emptying gun store shelves. Those things did NOT happen.

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

Ok, liberals don't often buy guns, but it seems that what you are insinuating is that massive amounts of conservatives are "buying up guns" and talking about secession in some sort of attempt to start ad army and start a new country. What you are doing is pulling people out of the fringes and attempting to represent the entire republican party (or even specifically the tea partiers). You are arguing that the entirety of the movement is wrong because of their methods.

You also must have missed all of the "Bush is a terrorist" stuff people wore, said, and rallied about. "Domestic enemy" is a lot more softball than "terrorist."

[paft.livejournal.com]

a: Ok, liberals don't often buy guns, but it seems that what you are insinuating is that massive amounts of conservatives are "buying up guns"

Enough were buying up guns to empty gun store shelves of guns and ammo about the time of Obama's election.

a: and talking about secession in some sort of attempt to start ad army and start a new country.

What do you think "secession" involves?

a: What you are doing is pulling people out of the fringes and attempting to represent the entire republican party (or even specifically the tea partiers).

"Out of the fringes?" The Texas governor invoked secession. And Rush Limbaugh seems to be running the Republican party.

a: You also must have missed all of the "Bush is a terrorist" stuff people wore, said, and rallied about. "Domestic enemy" is a lot more softball than "terrorist."

Not when it's accompanied by guns and threats of secession. What the tea party movement is promoting is the notion that Obama has committed a crime simply being elected and enacting legislation they dislike.

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

Secession involves states or territories leaving the union. I didn't say that it didn't. What you are suggesting is that all these people who have been buying more ammo are intending to use it to start a war, and I think that is pretty ridiculous accusation, at least in terms of the masses.

I don't understand what the sales of ammunition and guns has to do with what we're talking about, anyway, unless you are suggesting that conservatives are planning on a large scale to start a war. Gun owners feared increases in taxes on ammunition or tougher gun laws, so sales when up. I do not believe anybody other than maybe a few stray crazies is stockpiling for a militia.

Now that you have admitted that you were wrong about the rhetoric by anti-Bush people (without directly admitting it, of course), you are still saying that this situation is different because some of these people are gun owners and some of these people have mentioned the idea of seceding. However, until you have evidence of these things occurring together (with the result you are insinuating), they are all just separate things you disagree with.

[paft.livejournal.com]

a: Secession involves states or territories leaving the union. I didn't say that it didn't. What you are suggesting is that all these people who have been buying more ammo are intending to use it to start a war, and I think that is pretty ridiculous accusation, at least in terms of the masses.

No, I don't believe every person buying guns is doing so because they plan to start CWII. I'm more concerned about the combination of weapons and overheated rhetoric resulting in a replay of what we saw in the '90s -- a l wannabe revolutionaries setting off bombs, shooting at people, or committing other crimes.

a: you are still saying that this situation is different because some of these people are gun owners and some of these people have mentioned the idea of seceding. However, until you have evidence of these things occurring together (with the result you are insinuating), they are all just separate things you disagree with.

You think the people who talk about secession don't also invoke guns?

Free Republic Thread on Secession:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2190050/posts?page=51

Comments from the thread:

After all, where would the bulk of loyalty of armed civilians lie? Yes, with the cause of overthrow of tyranny. T

What we in MI need is a FReeper in TX that will sponsor us.
I have a camper, a generator and enough guns for every member of my family. If someone will sponsor an out of state FReeper, we will be strong.

“With riots fomented by ACORN over housing and the breakdown of law, including food riots, 0 could do that and take guns as a result.” Correction - zero could **try** to take guns, but sending his ACORN / Muslim thugs door to door hear to try and take them would be the fuse to start the whole thing, and give us some much needed live target practice.

if it comes to it, you would be welcome with us in TX. Of course, we also have our own guns and ammo, and can reload.

Obama could never win a civil war as long as the people are armed. What he forgets is that we don’t have to go to war against the federal paramilitary force. We only have to take out their leaders. Kill a few hundred prominent ‘Rats and his dreams of a Marxist United States folds like a house of cards.

HA the left fight, they’re cowards who gang up on elderly folk who are alone.
Seeing as they’re against guns then what will they fight with?

If all 0bama can round up for his secret police are ACORN community organizers, that fight would last less than 5 minutes. If that is all what the Kenyan Man-Child has as troops, I could empty all the bars of middle aged patrons in Pittsburgh, arm them with M1 Garands and shotguns and the fire fight wouldn't last 3 minutes.

Note this well:
Of all the things being done and said, there is NOTHING be said as loudly about gun rights. We hear about nationalizing banks and more welfare and how we must sacrifice. You would think these, as Dan puts it, Dhimmicrats would have added some sort of antigun legislation in the stimulus package. That such a thing, at least as far as I have read, is NOT there is very, very suspicious.

Take a look at this - It would have to have been planned before Obongo took office, though. National Guard practicing collecting guns and going door to door looking for a gun dealer to take place in Iowa on April 4.

[mahnmut.livejournal.com]

Nope. Bush was the Antichrist. Now Obama has taken his place on the Throne of Darkness.