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What kinds of examples do you have where one side of the political aisle seems to willfully misunderstand another?
Limbaugh's "I hope Obama fails" is one of them. That's taken as Limbaugh saying he hopes America fails, when it was never anything other than Limbaugh's statement that the thinks that Obama's policies would be wrong for America so he hopes Obama can't do what Limbaugh thinks would be hurtful.
Here's another one which I learned from the NPR site. So yea NPR. I'm not always saying "Yea NPR" but this was a good example.
Obama Chooses Republicans' Words Carefully To Say They're Playing Politics : The Two-Way : NPR
In a Politico story that was posted late last evening, a "senior House Republican aide who requested anonymity to discuss the matter freely" is quoted as saying:
"Obama is on the ropes; why do we appear ready to hand him a win?"
There's a second part to that aide's quote, though:
"I just don't want to co-own the economy by having to tout that we passed a jobs bill that won't work or at least won't do enough."
So that's another example where people are thinking about what is best for America and honestly believe that Obama's plans don't address it ... but the words were spun to say that they were putting politics ahead of accomplishing good things.
What other examples have you seen? Either direction ....
It ain't rocket science, y'all.
What kinds of examples do you have where one side of the political aisle seems to willfully misunderstand another?
I'm sure the list is endless. One frequent target for deliberate distortion I just saw referenced again today was Pelosi's speech to county-level officials:
"We have to do this in partnership [across levels of government], and I wanted to bring up to date on where we see it from here. The final health care legislation that will soon be passed by Congress will deliver successful reform at the local level. It will offer paid for investments that will improve health care services and coverage for millions more Americans. It will make significant investments in innovation, prevention, wellness and offer robust support for public health infrastructure. It will dramatically expand investments into community health centers. That means a dramatic expansion in the number of patients community health centers can see and ultimately healthier communities. Our bill will significantly reduce uncompensated care for hospitals.
"You've heard about the controversies within the bill, the process about the bill, one or the other. But I don't know if you have heard that it is legislation for the future, not just about health care for America, but about a healthier America, where preventive care is not something that you have to pay a deductible for or out of pocket. Prevention, prevention, prevention -- it's about diet, not diabetes. It's going to be very, very exciting. But we have to pass the bill so that you can find out what is in it, away from the fog of the controversy."
I disagree with your assessment of both of those quotes. Limbaugh saying he hopes Obama fails does equate to wanting the country to fail. maybe that's not what he meant, but it comes across that way. If Obama fails, then the country fails. Period.
Then there's the anonymous quote. Taking the whole quote in context doesn't help. Either way, the aid is saying that the GOP is not willing to help the Dems pass the bill. If they want to debate it, fine, but hat's not what the aid said.
It's not too hard to figure out the GOP's strategy. All one has to do is go back and read the quote from Mitch MConnell - "The single most important thing we want to achieve is for President Obama to be a one-term president."
End of story.
Déjà vu!
With the current horrid state of affairs, O will be and should be a one term president. His failed policies and business inexperience are a couple of the reasons. There are a myriad of others also.
With the current horrid state of affairs, O will be and should be a one term president. His failed policies and business inexperience are a couple of the reasons. There are a myriad of others also.
But the role of the republicans is to sharpen the democrats and the role of the democrats is to temper the republicans, not to undermine at all costs.
Both need to start considering my grandchildren a little more and think about raising campaign money a whole lot less.
Simple taxes = Fair taxes.
The time to end the corruption caused by our complicated tax code of favoritism is NOW.
The whole quote should be provided, so that people can judge.
Of course the aid is saying that the GOP is not willing to help pass the bill. Because the bill is not a good one. That part of the quote should be included.
The GOP should not help Obama push the country off a cliff.
And no, wanting Obama to fail is not wanting America to fail. Did you want Bush to succeed with his plan to partially privatize social security? We on the right listened to what Obama had in mind for America. Unlike the people who went around with with a drug-like euphoric smile on their face chanting "hope and change", WE actually listened to the man.
Cap and trade? Bankrupt the coal industry? Take over 1/6th of the economy with no appreciation of the unintended consequences?
OF COURSE we wanted to stop what we knew Obama was planning.
Stopping Obama, or at least slowing him down = helping America not slide too far off the cliff while we wait for people to wake up out of whatever mass hypnosis they were under which allowed them to elect Obama.
Disagreeing with Obama and disagreeing with the Dems and disagreeing with you does not equal wanting America to fail.
It means that we have different ideas of what is needed for the success of America, and as Americans we have the right to express them.
And as intelligent human beings we can hope that the media and our President won't take our words out of context and present them in a manner which is 180 degrees from how we intended them.
But as we have seen over and over, this is not something we can expect from this President. Over and over he puts words into our mouths that we didn't say. Over and over he mischaracterizes the aims of conservatives.
I've never seen a politician speak so much. And I've never seen a politician so fond of straw men. As an American citizen, I think I have the right not to have my President so willfully misstate what I am saying and thinking and working for.
But since this President can't seem to help himself from misstating what I believe to further his own efforts to keep himself in office, that's just one more reason to hope he fails.
The hope and change drug fest is over. When even NPR can tell - sometimes - that Obama is spinning shamelessly that means that the country is close to being on the right track.
The role of the republicans is to sharpen the democrats, not to ensure failure. This is the spirit of compromise.
The two parties are supposed to bring balance to each other. Instead of gutting the regulations proposed by democrats that ensure things like food safety, clean water and breathable air, the republicans are supposed to bring manageability to the paperwork and common business sense to the overall picture, with an ideology of 'conserving' resources, because it is so true that, left to its own devices, human industry by it's very nature of focusing on feeding itself daily would foul the planet and waste the resources that our children deserve to have left to them.
The conservatives are supposed to be above the daily grind with an eye on conservation of resources and future economic development, carefully spending The Peoples resources on infrastructure, and they're failing just as miserably as the social democrats, whose job it is to carefully spend The Peoples resources on necessary but unprofitable things like primary education and healthcare for poor kids, which, if neglected, have their own economic ramifications.
Both are failing for the exact same reasons: Corruption & Money - including personal money, tax favoritism and blowing lobbyists for campaign money.
the republicans are supposed to bring manageability to the paperwork and common business sense to the overall picture
Conservatives shouldn't just settle for the role of effectively managing bad programs after Democrats vote them in.
Conservatives shouldn't just settle for the role of effectively managing bad programs after Democrats vote them in.
Is it preferable to manage them poorly?
Conservatives shouldn't just settle for the role of effectively managing bad programs after Democrats vote them in.
Is it preferable to manage them poorly?
lol .... of course not. That I did not say.
It's not too late to nip Obamacare in the bud though. C'mon SCOTUS!!!
Conservatives shouldn't just settle for the role of effectively managing bad programs after Democrats vote them in.
Is it preferable to manage them poorly?
lol .... of course not. That I did not say.
Is it preferable to manage them poorly?
lol .... of course not. That I did not say.
Good. There are a number of Republican governors who are stepping up to ensure that implementation goes well, instead of attempting to sabotage it as some prefer. They ought to be commended.
What kinds of examples do you have where one side of the political aisle seems to willfully misunderstand another?
I'm sure the list is endless. One frequent target for deliberate distortion I just saw referenced again today was Pelosi's speech to county-level officials:
"We have to do this in partnership [across levels of government], and I wanted to bring up to date on where we see it from here. The final health care legislation that will soon be passed by Congress will deliver successful reform at the local level. It will offer paid for investments that will improve health care services and coverage for millions more Americans. It will make significant investments in innovation, prevention, wellness and offer robust support for public health infrastructure. It will dramatically expand investments into community health centers. That means a dramatic expansion in the number of patients community health centers can see and ultimately healthier communities. Our bill will significantly reduce uncompensated care for hospitals.
"You've heard about the controversies within the bill, the process about the bill, one or the other. But I don't know if you have heard that it is legislation for the future, not just about health care for America, but about a healthier America, where preventive care is not something that you have to pay a deductible for or out of pocket. Prevention, prevention, prevention -- it's about diet, not diabetes. It's going to be very, very exciting. But we have to pass the bill so that you can find out what is in it, away from the fog of the controversy."
Hate admitting it aloud, but that's a good example.
I'm sure the list is endless. One frequent target for deliberate distortion I just saw referenced again today was Pelosi's speech to county-level officials:
"We have to do this in partnership [across levels of government], and I wanted to bring up to date on where we see it from here. The final health care legislation that will soon be passed by Congress will deliver successful reform at the local level. It will offer paid for investments that will improve health care services and coverage for millions more Americans. It will make significant investments in innovation, prevention, wellness and offer robust support for public health infrastructure. It will dramatically expand investments into community health centers. That means a dramatic expansion in the number of patients community health centers can see and ultimately healthier communities. Our bill will significantly reduce uncompensated care for hospitals.
"You've heard about the controversies within the bill, the process about the bill, one or the other. But I don't know if you have heard that it is legislation for the future, not just about health care for America, but about a healthier America, where preventive care is not something that you have to pay a deductible for or out of pocket. Prevention, prevention, prevention -- it's about diet, not diabetes. It's going to be very, very exciting. But we have to pass the bill so that you can find out what is in it, away from the fog of the controversy."
Hate admitting it aloud, but that's a good example.
Really? I don't see that as a good example because what was said is what she meant: we need to pass the bill to find out what's in it. I don't know another way to take that....
The role of the republicans is to sharpen the democrats, not to ensure failure. This is the spirit of compromise.
The two parties are supposed to bring balance to each other. Instead of gutting the regulations proposed by democrats that ensure things like food safety, clean water and breathable air, the republicans are supposed to bring manageability to the paperwork and common business sense to the overall picture, with an ideology of 'conserving' resources, because it is so true that, left to its own devices, human industry by it's very nature of focusing on feeding itself daily would foul the planet and waste the resources that our children deserve to have left to them.
The conservatives are supposed to be above the daily grind with an eye on conservation of resources and future economic development, carefully spending The Peoples resources on infrastructure, and they're failing just as miserably as the social democrats, whose job it is to carefully spend The Peoples resources on necessary but unprofitable things like primary education and healthcare for poor kids, which, if neglected, have their own economic ramifications.
Both are failing for the exact same reasons: Corruption & Money - including personal money, tax favoritism and blowing lobbyists for campaign money.
Good points. But this part gave me a bit of a chill:
the republicans are supposed to bring manageability to the paperwork and common business sense to the overall picture
Conservatives shouldn't just settle for the role of effectively managing bad programs after Democrats vote them in.
Just because Obama & Pelosi made a successful end run around the people's will in spite of so many people being against Obamacare that even Massachusetts voted Republican ... that doesn't mean we should have to be stuck with it.
Maybe we will be. Maybe it will survive the Supreme Court. Maybe enough people will quickly enough get used to the new perks. Maybe enough states will say, "We've already spent all this money implementing the program, we might as well go through with it even though it was ill-conceived."
But I'm not willing to concede it yet.
Basically at this point I'm rooting for SCOTUS to declare it unconstitutional because of the profound Constitution-negating ramifications which would result from allowing the Commerce Clause to be used in that way.
But if they let it go, that doesn't mean I'm willing to roll over and settle for the position of "manager" trying to implement Obamacare efficiently.
I understand your side just fine. Mitch's number one priority is to see Obama be a one-term pres (not to get the economy going again); Limbaugh wants to see Obama fail (which means the country fails); and the GOP aid, and those he speaks for, don't want to work with Obama because they aren't willing to give hima victory. It's pretty clear. But if you want to delude yourself, have at it. Thanks for playing.
*sigh*
Thank you for showing you're not willing to listen to what people are really saying.
We're not demons. You're not demons. We need to realize that about each other. We don't want America to fail. You don't want America to fail.
We just have fundamentally different ideas about what leads to success.
lol .... of course not. That I did not say.
Good. There are a number of Republican governors who are stepping up to ensure that implementation goes well, instead of attempting to sabotage it as some prefer. They ought to be commended.
They've been ordered to build a gallows, so they'll try to build a good one.
Still hoping for a stay of execution from the SCOTUS!!!!
I understand your side just fine. Mitch's number one priority is to see Obama be a one-term pres (not to get the economy going again); Limbaugh wants to see Obama fail (which means the country fails); and the GOP aid, and those he speaks for, don't want to work with Obama because they aren't willing to give hima victory. It's pretty clear. But if you want to delude yourself, have at it. Thanks for playing.
