If any liberal ever speaks out against the Bush regime, the right wingers out there almost immediately call them a hater. That’s what Scott Graves at Red County referred to me in a response to a comment I posted awhile back.
I was reviewing a story at the California Progress Report this evening about the California Republican Assembly meeting in San Francisco this weekend, and this photo caught my eye.ÂÂ
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I’m not so sure we’re ready to be called “TheCommunistOC”; but maybe Chris could work on that.
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Come on Dan … Democrats and Republicans act in almost the exact same way toward each other. I know you’ve seen the Democratic bumper stickers regarding Bush and Republicans. I know Republicans who call Democrats commies and Democrats who call Republicans fascists or Nazis or racists. It’s a stretch to try to get on a moral high horse here.
–Steven Greenhut
Steve — those Democratic bumper stickers are few and far between here in the Red County. I’ve got a simple “Hillary for President” sticker on my car and I can’t fill up the tank without getting some snide remark. Drive up to LA, and you’ll see more stickers that deride Bush and the Republicans. Down here, there are still a ton of W’04 ovals to be seen.
The bumper stickers at Rep conventions are tame in comparison to the ones at Dem convention – but maybe you call those “funny.” A different group, a different sense of humor.
Steve —
who does the “Empty Suit” feature in the Opinion Section Sunday; noticed that Barack Obama won two weeks in a row. If Ronaldn Reagan uttered these same words, I’m sure it would be cause for high praise.
Don’t forget we Dems being called “traitors” when we were against the war in Iraq. Or that we are “unpatriotic” when we speak out against a GWB policy. Of course, if Clinton or Obama get into the White House, Fox News and their sheep will suddenly be against executive privledge or signing statements because it’s not is not open government or goes against one thing or another. Hypocrites all…
Dan —
The feature criticizes Obama’s empty rhetoric. I think he does have substance and I like him better than Hillary or McCain, but much of what he says is uplifting but essentially empty. It’s not my feature, by the way, but I don’t recall you ever complaining about my attacks on Republicans, such as when I referred to Giuliani as Il Duce and wrote that McCain was most likely to blow up the world.
Do you really think that criticism of rhetoric is the same as hate-mongering? I have noticed rather harsh rhetoric from this site directed against people with whom you disagree, myself included. You’ve even taken the tack — which I find funny and am not insulted by — of photoshopping people in ways that are rather derogatory. Even your post about the nasty Republicans referred to the Bush “regime.”
That’s all well within the boundaries of discourse,. That’s why I read this site. But you’re acting like a pure partisan here — when your opponents engage in sharp criticism you are appalled, but when you and your side acts this way, it’s OK. I simply think you should recognize that no side has a corner on nastiness in the political realm. (Check out that Clinton-released photo of Obama on Drudge for an example.)
–Steven Greenhut
“Life’s a bitch, don’t vote for one”? is not the same as criticizing President Bush for getting us into this lousy war. One is hating on someone for being FEMALE and the other is hating on the fact that this guy got uns into a useless war, is syping on Americans and trying to save the telcoms from breaking of CONSTITUTIONAL laws, has used his own political agenda to squash facts about publicn health, the environment, etc.
It is not the same.
Do you really think that criticism of rhetoric is the same as hate-mongering?
(No, I don’t)
I have noticed rather harsh rhetoric from this site directed against people with whom you disagree, myself included
(I haven’t disagreed with you in quite some time; as far as harsh rhetoric, I prefer the term “fighting fire with fire.”)
. You’ve even taken the tack  which I find funny and am not insulted by  of photoshopping people in ways that are rather derogatory. (Not me, I don’t know how to use Photoshop)
Even your post about the nasty Republicans referred to the Bush “regime.†(It is a regime, but I can use administration)
Greenhut shows some spunk, and I have to give him props for not being a partisan hack like so many of the Fox-watching, Rush-listening dittoheads.
Nevertheless, the false equivalency between the right and left is a typical journalistic failure.
We’ve seen what Republicans do when they are in power, and we’re fed up with the incompetent crony capitalism, the incredible growth in spending, and the massive borrowing from the Chinese to prop up their tax cuts for the rich.
All they have left as a platform is hatred of “liberalism” and fear-mongering in defiance of the Constitution and its guarantees of our personal freedoms.
I’m probably as outspoken as anyone about how much I hate these asshats and their contempt for our Constititution and competent government.
“our lives our fortunes, and our sacred honor”. That’s what the signers of the Declaration of Independence pledge, and that is our responsibility this year to defeat the Republican establishment that has dishonored their pledge to uphold the Constititution.
Please folks, stop the whining. This is a contact sport and Steve is right, dirty hits are a bi-partisan tradition. You don’t like “Life’s a bitch, don’t vote for one” try these top 10 blue bumper stickers that I submit, are the same, sick”
10. Bush Sucks Dick—Cheney too
9. My child is an honor student. My president is a moron.
8. Drunken frat boy drives country into ditch.
7. Ted Bundy was a Republican.
6. The road to hell is paved with Republicans.
5. If you can read this you’re not the president.
4. Somewhere in Texas a village is missing its idiot.
3. GOP= Gay Old Pedophiles
2. Bush-Cheney-Most hated world leaders since Hitler.
1. (Picture of Bush) -Call the village. I found their idiot.
And that’s just bumper stickers!
Of course the Republicans have the attack quips down to a science(Rush Limbaugh harder on hillary then the bumper sticker in question, calling her a “testicle lockbox.”) But the point is that Democrats have been as mean to Bush as the Republicans were to Clinton in the bumper sticker wars.
I understand the tactical reasons why people will cry about some of these stickers–or photos distributed to the press; it puts the opponent on the defensive–hence Obama’s campaign whining about the stupid distribution by someone in the Clinton camp of Obama in tribal dress. . But unless you are wiling to be critical of some of the shots from the blue side, put a sock in it. If the picture or bumper sticker is offensive it will cost votes.
I must not get out much. I haven’t seen the bumper stickers from either side. But I admit I lauged out loud at BR’s no. 9.
I actually go to the bumper sticker sites; they make great gag gifts for friends and I have to confess, I have only seen sticker #1. So BR, where are these stickers to be found?
My whole point guys; Republicans are just as guilty of political hate speech as any liberal is. Nice to see that old Chestnut about Liberals being Communists still gets traction in our red county.
i have 4 stickers on my truck, to the far left i have a yellow ribbon that says “bring them home” in the middle i have a “jail tan nguyen” sticker, second to the right i have a sticker that looks like a bush/cheney sticker but it says “bush/orwell 1984” and it has an upside down flag on it and the far right i have a “w” with the circle and slash across it. sometimes people pull next to me and give me a thumbs up and some have flipped me off it doesnt matter. yes, i’m a hater.
re: Aunt Millie…
“We’ve seen what Republicans do when they are in power, and we’re fed up with the incompetent crony capitalism, the incredible growth in spending, and the massive borrowing from the Chinese to prop up their tax cuts for the rich.”
And:
It “is our responsibility this year to defeat the Republican establishment that has dishonored their pledge to uphold the Constititution.”
I agree…I, too, am fed up with how much the Republicans have spent, and the chafing of our liberties. But why is it that I must vote for an incredible government run spending scheme called “Universal Healthcare” just to change that?
Neither side gets my support…all I see is trading one crony system for another…
Dan— To be fair, most of these I have seen either on cars or on political tables north of the Tehachapis. A couple down here at the last Democratic State Convention . A different state, at least state of mind in the north. But then, I’ve never seen the Life’s a bitch one down here either. #2 was actually being passed out by volunteers at a Minnesota Democratic-Farmer labor party HQ until the negative publicity led party bigshots to shut down the operation. I suspect the Dems here in the OC fear paint being scratched or sugar in their gas tank if some of the above were put on. My bet is the Life’s a bitch sticker would stay on for some time in San Francisco. A “Spell checks says Obama is Osama” bumper sticker would probably have a San Francisco half life of 30 minutes before being ripped off the car..
so what does the broken window and sugar in the gas tank say to you about this. I have never thought about stealing a campaign sign or damaging a car with the “wrong” bumper stickers. And we’re not going to change a lot of minds that are already made up.
Rush Limbaugh said this last week after the McCain Lobbyist story broke in the NY Times:
LIMBAUGH: The important question for John McCain today is is he going to learn the right lesson from this and what is the lesson? ***The lesson is liberals are to be defeated.*** You cannot walk across the aisle with them; you cannot reach across the aisle. You cannot welcome their media members on your bus and get all cozy with them and expect eternal love from them. You are a Republican. Whether you are a conservative Republican or not, you are a Republican. And at some point the people you cozy up to, either to do legislation or to get cozy media stories are going to turn on you. ***They are snakes.*** And if the right lesson is not learned from this, uh then it will have proved to be of no value. It’s a great opportunity her for Sen. McCain to learn the right lesson, understand who his friends are and who his enemies are. And he’s had that backwards, for way too long.
I for one am tired of taking this sort of treatment from those on the right and am happy to give it right back. Bipartisanship requires compromise from two sides. Let me know when the Right is willing to do so.
Dan, do you think people on the left don’t mete out equal justice to whom they feel are political sinners? Personally, I think the Right is more vicious but that may simply be a reflection of me hearing them more often due to their virtual hegemony when it comes to talk successful radio and tv shows.
Rush, as the infamous Minnesota candidate for U.S. Senate put it, is a big fat idiot. But play with the above commentary and you could easily find Ralph Nader. Go to a California Democratic Party Convention and the comments towards Republicans make “snake” sound mild. A lot of folks in no mood to compromise. Even John Edwards chided Obama for wanting to invite corporations into the room to talk. Or recall the Radio City Music Hall fundraiser in 2004. Whoopi Goldberg makes pretty vulgar references to Bush and her “bush”. John Cougar Melencamp called Busy a “cheap thug,” and Chevy Chase blurted out that Bush was “as bright as an egg timer’. All under the watchful eyes and ears of John Kerry and John Edwards, neither of whom made one objection. In fact, Kerry praised each performance asconveying ” the heart and the soul of the country.”
By all means, give it right back. I look forward to reading your giving it back even when I don’t agree. It’s one of the nice things about this blue county blog in the midst of the Red Sea–you fight back. My point was not to stop fighting back but that this particular battle is one where your left flank is not doing you any favors..
Duly noted BR.