Stunning Craven Cynicism…or Sheer Idiocy?

Filling WoodStein’s Shoes

Among the DOJ emails released by Congress yesterday involving the U.S. attorney firings was this hard-hitting gem from then-Washington Post reporter (now Washington Times executive editor) John Solomon to a department flack:

Of course, the White House counsel’s office had to sign off. Of course, an administration in its last two years looks for some fresh blood to inject into jobs. Of course, DOJ’s analysis of prosecutors goes beyond performance evaluations to achievements or failures on policy issues like immigration.

I think we can get this just right with your help.

There was also a White House email where officials were discussing an alleged offer from National Review’s Rich Lowry to help defend Tim Griffin, the Karl Rove protege and former RNC oppo researcher who was installed as the replacement for one of the fired U.S. attorneys in Arkansas.
http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/week_2009_08_09.php
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Leaked Email: CNBC Went To Tea Partiers Looking for Angry Protests
http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/08/email_tea_baggers_hoping_for_riot_at_rep_scotts_to.php

The Time magazine/Obama socialized medicine scheme: Obama lied. Grandma died.

Is Max Baucus so good at holding his nose that he’s going to stand for this? Either Grassley relents or he hits the road. Then I’d use this as a lever on the likes of Snowe, Collins and Nelson. Do they really want to take the side of the Flat Earthers?

(In real life, of course, a perfectly benign provision on payment for end-of-life counseling will be deleted from the House versions of the bill, and the nutcases will claim a scalp.)

Rick Hertzberg recently posted a discussion on his blog of how disfunctional our government is in comparison to those of most other first world nations, and why we can’t seem to do even what’s staring-us-in-the-face necessary. First thing we do, let’s abolish the Senate.

I had no idea Sarah Palin called her credibility “Grandmother”. Thank you for sharing this information.

Major political mistake. The administration now has all of the political ammunition it needs if it wants to ram a bill home without any Republican support. This was likely going to happen anyway in order to get a decent bill passed, but Grassley has now given them a ton of political cover (“We wanted to work with them, but when the lead negotiator of the Senate Finance Committee says to one of his constituents…”). You screwed this one up, Chuck, and you will pay for it. The only way you could have killed this bill is to appear remotely reasonable and speak it vague generalities. You’re going to sell your soul and lose at the same time. Well done.

I think it’s both/and. At least Murkowski had the sense to distance herself from deatherism, but I’m sure Rush will have something to say to her.

Yep. Not only is it an embarrassingly ridiculous statement on Grassley’s part, it’s terrible political strategy as well.

And following on that note, Greg Sargent highlights a bill from 2007 co-sponsored by Sen. Isakson (R-GA) that would have taken the “end-of-life” planning idea much farther than any current proposal.

And what will Grassley say to his fellow Republican, Sen, Murkowski of Alaska who said:

“It does us no good to incite fear in people by saying that there’s these end-of-life provisions, these death panels,” Murkowski told a crowd of about 130 at the Dena’ina Civic and Convention Center.

But Chuck seems content to lie his sorry old a** off…

Michael Steele has also climbed on the “death panel” bus — these people continue to shock me. These are very sad days and it’s unclear how to combat outright lies. I don’t think Swampland will be much help, unfortunately. How about a Time Magazine link:

Thanks, Joe. More outrage, please. ’nuff said.

OT but necessary for our sanity – can you make sure we have a “1000 words” photo to rip and tear this friday (with KT out)? Can Brooks pick something, or perhaps you or Amy hit the WH secret photo vault? Thanks.

It is one of life’s little ironies that Grassley is famous for pushing legislation to punish fraud committed against the US Government. But committing fraud directly on the citizens is just fine.

i actually watched the townhall online this morning. i was quite disappointed. but for some reason, because there was not much shouting, you wouldn’t have a clue if charles grassley had a town hall meeting this morning where he strenuously refused to stand up for the bill he’s writing.

Yes.

Unless the media shoots this rumor down, and hard, it’s going to persist. At the very least, this sort of stupidity could be left the RW fringe. The sort of people who believe that Obama is the antichrist, well, there’s no reasoning with them.

Lots of good blogging today from Joe and Karen and even Amy on these healthcare lies. If only one of you knew someone at a major weekly news magazine who could cover this story. Oh wait…

Seriously, I expect to see a cover article on Time in the coming weeks that clearly debunks these lies and names whose been spreading them and why. I suggest a cover with big red letters “REPUBLICAN HEALTHCARE LIES”.
I know it probably won’t sell like Michael Jackson on the cover but I’d buy the issue.

Again seriously, All of the news media (tv, newspapers, mags) have done a horrible job covering health care reform. You have the platform to inform the actual public on this issue (as opposed to us few readers of this blog). Do it.

Surprise! Grassley is a dishonest man who is dedicated to stopping reform at all costs.
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Now who was it on Swampland insisting that Grassley is negotiating in good faith?

“Good faith” only goes so far before the health care industry contributions kick in.

I’m starting to see some of the rowdier town hall anti-health care attendees getting interviewed on MSM and CNN. The interviewer feeds their own words back to them and then slowly picks apart all of their logic until only their stunning ignorance is left on display. Good times!

We can longer afford to make a distinction between anti-democratic insanity and the political party that gives it safe haven. Republicanism needs to be destroyed.

Joe: excuse my cynicism. Grassley has always been a hypocrite; and he has a pretty good record on double talk. In fact Baucus and Grassley deserve each other. If the President trusts either of these men to deal on health care issues with integrity then he does not understand the sheen of hypocrisy that covers all the members of the Senate Finace Committee. Both these guys are awash in Health Care cash.

Addendum:

Well said. The most important domestic issue of our time is being delivered by the media in one of three ways: 1) he said/she said false equivalence; 2) meta gossip from 30,000 feet – think Politico – about the political implications of people believing lies; or 3) Posting YouTube clips of the Freakshow and claim that the Republicans are “driving the debate.” It would be nice to add 4) Give the American people the facts, call something intentionally untrue a “lie,” and report on the progress of the different bills (i.e., this would allow for their holy grail of nonsense — the masturbatory process story). And this inability to tell the truth and call these cynics out (Limbaugh, etc.) is going to lead to violence. Someone will get hurt or killed, and the media will wonder how “it could have ever gotten so far!” Don’t say that these crazies aren’t warning you guys: http://washingtonindependent.com/54885/death-to-obama-sign-pops-up-at-cardin-town-hall

I vote for both: Cynicism and idiocy.

By the way, I am confused by the Republicans. During the Terry Schaivo debacle, they were for government intervention into end of life decisions. Now they have flip flopped. Go figure.

I think you could ask if Michael Scherer is guilty of stunning craven cynicism or sheer lunacy as well. He downplays the “deathers” like Grasserly, Isakson, Palin, Limbaugh, Beck, Steele, Bachmann, etc, etc. by calling them a “narrow slice” of Americans.
While 20 or 30% or whatever they are might be a “narrow slice”, the massive problems these guys are causing with their hateful ignorance won’t go away until organizations like Time stop pretending that the stupidity isn’t structural to exactly 50% of our major political parties. Pretending the hate and stupid is due to a few bad apples doesn’t do anything but encourage them to be even more hateful and stupid.

Maybe if real conservatives Barry Goldwater and Bill Miller were alive they’d disavow what’s called the Republican Party today. Certainly Miller’s daughter has.

Here it is, our very own KT:
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http://swampland.blogs.time.com/2009/07/24/health-care-are-the-republicans-negotiating-for-real/
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“I have a great deal of admiration for their courage. You have the far left criticizing certain Democrats. These guys, I saw what’s going on, at least with Senator Grassley in Iowa. They’re showing, in the face of heavy criticism from their own leadership, but clearly back home and from very conservative right-wing groups, a tremendous sense of both public courage and principled action. And I really do believe that. Whether it all works in the end or not, and whether we agree on all the policy choices they made, they are trying. I believe they are sitting there for the right reasons and trying to do the right thing, even if we may not agree on all the items.

I think in the face of a tremendous amount of pressure, political pressure, they are acting very principled, and I think with a sincere sense of public responsibility—agreement or no agreement.”

- Rahm Emanuel
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I’m not saying it is worth settling for, but if there’s a good bill that both sides can support, that’s a GOOD thing. And the point of this post is that the White House–at this point–thinks some Republicans are negotiating in good faith, and at great risk to their own political careers.

-Karen Tumulty, 8:01 pm

Max Baucus only holds his nose when he talks to Democrats. He and Grassley are wearing the same uniform – “Moderate Health Care Reform” – and batting for the same team – No health care reform, unless a “reform” can be found that enriches the insurers and makes the system worse.
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Baucus is a lost cause. The question is whether Reid and Obama are going to stand for this.

What do we want?
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An insurance exec debating between a vacation to Europe or paying for our operation.
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When do we want it?
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Now!

I wonder if Tumulty will mention Grassley’s dogged fight for health care reform in her poignant column about her brother in law’s death. Naw, she wouldn’t get a book deal if she did.

“Joe: excuse my cynicism. Grassley has always been a hypocrite; and he has a pretty good record on double talk. ”

Thank you. Why does it seems so hard for reporters to point simple facts out.

Least surprising news of the century: The America hating Communist Party USA has given its full endorsement to Obama’s socialized medicine scheme.
http://cpusa.org/article/view/1063

Goldwater’s grandchildren disavowed the Republican party before the 2008 election by stating that it was no longer the party of their grandfather. They presented a nice step-by-step comparison of where it had strayed from the principles he believed in.

Reading that and watching some more of these town hall clips, I’m curious about a “socialism” related question myself: Does the Secret Service accept private donations? I’m not really kidding.

Admit it. The republican party as currently configured doesn’t deserve a vote from anyone. Let’s stop pretending that they’re going to regain their footing and get off the crazy train. They’re not. They’re riding that train right off a cliff. The least we can do is stand by the tracks and cheer as they plummet off the precipice. Crazy is as crazy does.

Textee is one of the more rational republicans. That’s how far they have gone.

You’re barely exaggerating. A fine statesman like Jon Huntsman is a wide-eyed, crazy lefty to them, and probably even Goldwater would be a RINO. Tea and Cake or Death, indeed.

Grassley has 2.5 million reasons to sabotage health care reform.

Hey folks, his fearmongering doesn’t come cheap – the insurance industry paid 2.5 million for the lies. He sold his reputation for lobbyists money. He’s shameless.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/13/health/13clinic.html?_r=1&hp
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Just to make the point that we do need health reform and we need it urgently.

As for Grassley, he should be drummed out of politics, but he’s telling the lies his GOP base wants to hear. The media will mostly pretend that Grassley is being “bipartisan” or else ignore this grotesque display of corruption and deceit.
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What some people are underestimating is the cunning of Murkowski. Her aim is not to be reasonable about health reform which she denounces in suitably vague terms. She’s taking her chance to present Palin as a nut, and cast herself in a reasonable light, while still peddling falsehoods about healthcare. It’s a very smart, and ultimately very irresponsible way of killing two birds with one stone. Remember what followed her denunciation of Palin:
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“I’ll be honest with you,” Murkowski said. “There are things that are in this bill that are bad enough that we don’t need to be making things up.
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Watch for Murkowski to be the “reasonable” face of the GOP, and to vote against health care reform at the last minute, crocodile tears streaming down her face.

I disagree with your assessment of Murkowski. I think this is based on the fact that they are mortal enemies after what Sarah did to her old man, and Lisa has subsequently *never* resisted an opportunity to twist the knife in. If she takes on – by name – some of the sitting senator’s lies, then I will take her seriously. My guess is that she had to be talked down from endorsing Obama last October purely to destroy the imbecilic Mrs. Palin.

Yeah. Stay classy there Cincy.

And Grassley is a moderate who is a key member of the reform negotiating team in the Senate? And he is repeating Sarah Palin’s debunked lies? Wow…

http://www.political-buzz.com/

Are you trying to be funny? Or are you actually brain damaged?

pflatley – you actually agree with my assessment of what Murkowski is doing to Palin and why. As for the “sitting senator” – in Alaska, she is that Senator, unless you want her to denounce what little Begich has said. If you mean that she should denounce Grassley -no, she won’t do that. Her strategy will be, as I said, to denounce Palin, make herself look reasonable, and then to vote against healthcare anyway. That’s exactly the point of her comments: Palin is a kook, but hey, even though Palin is a kook, there’s lots of scary stuff in these bills. Basically it’s a refinement of the standard GOP position, with a neat twist to nail her old enemy now that Palin is going down. And no, she would never have endorsed Obama, because that would have angered enough of her own GOP voters to make her life difficult. She does carry the burden of being Corrupt Frank’s girl, and so she’s going to walk the GOP line very carefully. Palin just gave her a free hit, and she took it, that’s all.

if it helps, think of him as Snake-in-the-Grassley.

Yeah, he’s negotiating on the good faith that if he continues to convince the public that the government is going to control whether they live or die, he’ll faithfully receive wads of cash in his pockets.

[...] going to pull the plug on grandma” and Joe Klein called Grassley’s comments “sheer idiocy” – the senator “either (a) hasn’t the vaguest notion of what’s in the [...]