More Republican Patriotism
I think a lot of us were stunned yesterday not by Chicago losing their Olympic bid, but at the glee to which the right reacted to the news. If we examine the record, should we really be surprised? It started on January 20 with Rush Limbaugh’s “I hope he fails,” which was echoed approvingly by all the Limbaugh wannabes. One poster as Daily Kos points out that conservatives have taken the call for America’s failure to heart and have opposed the following:
Bill Clinton freeing American journalists from North Korea
Marines rescuing Americans from Somali pirates
Rescuing American automobile manufacturers
Health care for all Americans
An American city hosting the Olympics
However it is getting more serious than just rooting for American’s failure rhetorically. Texas governor Rick Perry has even spoken in support of secession and other Republicans have talked about invoking the 10th amendment in order to disobey the laws of the land. Eric Kleefeld at Talking Points Memo finds that Republicans are also trying to conduct their own diplomacy contrary to the diplomacy of the United States:
• Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC) is visiting Honduras in order to support the recent military coup against a leftist president, which has been opposed by the Obama administration and all the surrounding countries in the region. (Late Update: DeMint’s office says he is not taking sides during his visit to the current Honduran leadership, denying the New York Times reports that this was his intention.)
• Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-OK) will be going to the upcoming climate change conference in Copenhagen, bringing a “Truth Squad” to tell foreign officials there that the American government will not take any action: “Now, I want to make sure that those attending the Copenhagen conference know what is really happening in the United States Senate.”
• House Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R-VA) traveled to Israel, where he spoke out against President Obama’s opposition to expanded settlements. He also defended Israel on the eviction of two Arab families from a house in east Jerusalem, which had been criticized by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
• Rep. Mark Kirk (R-IL) boasted in June that he told Chinese officials not to trust America’s budget numbers. “One of the messages I had — because we need to build trust and confidence in our number one creditor,” said Kirk, “is that the budget numbers that the US government had put forward should not be believed.” Since then, he has declared his candidacy for U.S. Senate.
So some well-connected Chi-Town hustlers will miss out on some easy money. When is Tony Rezko getting his pardon?
How much political capital was expended on this fiasco?
@AD “How much political capital was expended on this fiasco?”
Actually, very little. Obama did enough to claim that he tried. Had he not gone he would have been blamed for sleeping on the job. In fact, he comes off as a sympathetic figure in this case…
The big losers in all of this are the right wing conservatives who were forced to resort to socialist type arguments (e.g. It was South America’s turn) to defend their apparent lack of patriotism.
Are conservatives allowed to dissent on anything while still being considered patriotic? Or do you demand that we become the party of “Yawsuh, Massa Barack”?
In other words, do you believe that America should have two parties with different views of how the country should be run, or do you believe there should be a ruling party and an echo of that party?
One party should not work to thwart the other party simply because it is the other party. What if democrats actively worked to thwart republicans when the were trying to end slavery…. oh wait they did.. how’d that end for the south? NO one asks that you bend over and take it, as Rush keeps blabbering in a stoned rage….. just stop being little bitches.
btw, wasn’t it a republican who said politics stops at the border? So glad you repukes can remember that when a democratic president leaves the country.
you all exist simply to stop the will of the people.
Barack Obama is the will of the people, deal with it. BTW hows life in the concentration camp? you’re there arent you? it’s that bad isn’t it?
@RWR “Are conservatives allowed to dissent on anything while still being considered patriotic?”
By all means dissent. But be careful how you do it and if you do, please do so for good reasons. Hoping Obama fails when he is pursuing the best interest of the nation is NOT honorable. It is NOT patriotic.
In fact, why don’t you leave the American flag for the real patriots, and go wave some yellow thing, or maybe the Stars and Bars.
Stop being silly RWR, but I guess that’s your stock in trade. Yes, Republicans are allowed to dissent. They’re supposed to. But dissent acutally means offering different ideas and not just cheerleading for failure. What Republicans seem to be doing is taking their domestic disputes outside the borders and are trying to undermine the U.S. internationally.
No. Republicans aren’t allowed to dissent. Just bend over.
Now, let’s not entertain RWR in this stupid discussion in the third thread in as many days.
Seig heil, there, buddy.
Excellent idea, PM. There are places where this zero sum mindset is welcome.
can i get a conservative “whaaaaa”?