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Weak Knees

by: PaulHodes

Wed Jul 21, 2010 at 16:12:55 PM EDT
( - promoted by Jennifer Daler)

As I was reading about the Shirley Sherrod issue today, there was one thing that really struck me.

I'm sick and tired of Democrats getting weak knees every time the right-wing media flexes their muscles.
PaulHodes :: Weak Knees
The firing of Sherrod over what turned out to be a heavily (and deceptively) edited video of her remarks is the latest example. When the far right bulldozes, too many of us buckle.

Democrats need to stop panicking every time we find the right-wing media in our face. The only way to beat back the misinformation they spread is by calling them out and holding them accountable - not caving to pressure from their echo chambers.

We have no excuse for not fully understanding what the far-right is capable of in terms of hateful and deceitful rhetoric. From Glenn Beck to Rush Limbaugh to Andrew Breitbart - they've shown us time and again exactly how willing they are to distort the truth.

During the health care debate they brought us "death panels," a "socialist state" and "pulling the plug on grandma." We watched as they singlehandedly destroyed the honest conversation we were trying to have with the American public about how to fix a system rigged for the special interests and against the American people.

The bottom line is that the longer we let the right-wing media control our political rhetoric by spreading misinformation, the more we fail to deliver the change we promised and fight for our progressive ideals.

And every time we respond to their attacks with weak knees and cowering in the corner, we give them credibility. Even worse - we encourage them to keep it up.

When faced with a bully, we progressives should stand and fight - not run and hide.

(Cross-posted at Daily Kos)
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , (All Tags)
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Weak Knees | 17 comments
Get this message blasting! (0.00 / 0)
Get this message to the Monitor, the Telegraph - any NH media that you can, not just online. Get some fire showing to the public! Call on every Republican in New Hampshire to denounce deceitful media tactics, call out Breitbart and Fox by name, and make it clear that none of your potential opponents has the energy, the commitment, and the moral courage to represent New Hampshire in the Senate!

(Also cross-posted at Daily Kos)

Only the left protects anyone's rights.

This is "Fired Up!" n/t (4.00 / 1)


Whack-a-mole, anyone?
backbone (4.00 / 1)
and a backbeat!

Annie 2012!
Energizing the bass (4.00 / 1)
and that rhymes with "grace" and not, well, you know...

Republicans believe government is bad - then they get into office and prove it.
[ Parent ]
Why Didn't I Expect (0.00 / 0)
Paul would be the first Democratic office-holder to say this in public?

A liberal listens to a conservative and says "You may have a couple of points there.  Let's try to compromise.

A leftist listens to a conservative and says "Your ideas are ridiculous.  Shut up and listen."

Thank you Congressman (0.00 / 0)
I could not agree more.

And kudos to Tom Vilsack for coming around and taking responsibility.

USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack told reporters late Wednesday that he called Sherrod to apologize and "to make sure she understood I regretted the circumstances and that I accepted full responsibility for them."

http://www.ajc.com/news/white-...

I think I will hold back on kudos for now. (4.00 / 3)

Pretty easy to say your sorry when its your only option.

That said, the far right has once again played a racist card and they need to be held accountable.

While I think who ever was responsible for the firing needs a spine transplant, their failure is many magnitudes lesser than the despicable racism shown by Breitbord and the willingness of Fox to jump right in.

"But, in the unlikely story that is America, there has never been anything false about hope." Si se puede. Yes we can.  

[ Parent ]
Could we, please, stop calling them "right"? (0.00 / 0)
These people are liars.  There's not a shred of ideology involved.  "Bully" is probably the best term.  Never mind that TR appended it to "pulpit" at one time.
[ Parent ]
We should say "conservative" (0.00 / 0)
When we call these people "right-wingers" we make it sound as if there is a separate, smaller, seedier group that is not the same as the "conservative" lawmakers, special interests and pundits who are registered Republicans.  I know there are plenty of good Republicans and plenty of honest conservatives with valid viewpoints, but they have vilified the "Democrat Party" and and used "liberal" as a pejorative for too long while being able to maintain "conservative" as something positive.  It's time to call these people what they call themselves, not "right-wing", but "conservatives" and "Republicans" and let the public see what those things really stand for.
[ Parent ]
Just say 'Republicans' (0.00 / 0)
'Republican,' 'Democrat,' 'right-wing,' 'left-wing,' 'liberal' and 'progressive' are all terms that are tied in the public consciousness to politics. If you say 'Person X is [one of those]' then that means you're discussing their politics. But 'conservative' still has a dual meaning that gets some people to respond differently - 'not wanting things to change' rather than 'deeply engaged in right-wing ideology.' That's a large part of why 'conservative' tends to do so well in self-reported ideology surveys. Oddly enough, this year Democrats actually represent that kind of 'conservative.'

The representative group of the Republican Party today is the Tea Party. They want to radically change how Americans live their lives, from how our children are educated (abolishing the Department of Education) to how we get our food (abolishing farm subsidies and FDA oversight) to how we breathe our air (abolishing the EPA). They're an extremist group of wild-eyed radicals, not a conservative group in the apolitical sense. 'Right-wing extremist' is the best way to describe them; 'conservative' gives them a false veneer of stability.

Only the left protects anyone's rights.

[ Parent ]
Point taken (4.00 / 1)
But I stick by my kudos for Vilsack. He reversed a publicly announced position.

I'm sort of hoping this episode will be the end of Breitbart. But I'll believe that when I see it.


[ Parent ]
You said it, brother (0.00 / 0)
n/t
You go, Paul (4.00 / 2)
I am so tired of not taking them on.  They are just getting more and more hateful, and this country is a lot better than that.  I watch that stupid Jim Bender ad and I want to vomit, it is so completely stupid.  And all the rest of them, lies, lies, lies.  Can we pretty please just call them what they are, LIES?
Either my resolution to watch less cable news is catching up with me (4.00 / 3)
Or Paul Hodes should be on television far more often than he is.

--
@DougLindner
Yup (4.00 / 3)

This lady Shirley Sherrod reminds me a little of Rosa Parks. She quietly and with dignity drew a line and forced us go look at our own stupidity. She refused to be thrown under the bus.

Not the first time otherwise smart people have panicked and failed to do their homework  before reacting badly.  This time someone pushed back.

 



"When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on."  Franklin D. Roosevelt    

always wondered what a Vilsack held (0.00 / 0)
not much, apparently, but contrition.

Annie 2012!
Ben Franklin said (0.00 / 0)
" We are all born ignorant but one must work hard to remain stupid."
The number of viewers that Fox touts it has doesn't mean it is credible! Bens words just may reflect reality.

"THE WELFARE OF EACH OF US IS DEPENDENT FUNDAMENTALLY ON THE WELFARE OF ALL OF US." Teddy Roosevelt
Weak Knees | 17 comments

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