Full Text of Senator Whitehouse's Healthcare Speech
Carroll Andrew Morse
Senator Sheldon Whitehouse’s floor speech on healthcare from Sunday has been receiving national blogospheric attention since the quote below, broadcast on C-SPAN, was picked up by the Washington Times...
Why all this discord and discourtesy, all this unprecedented, destructive action? All to break the momentum of our new, young President. They are desperate to break this President. They have ardent supporters who are nearly hysterical at the very election of President Barack Obama: the ``birthers,'' the fanatics, the people running around in rightwing militias and Aryan support groups. It is unbearable to them that President Barack Obama should exist. That is one powerful reason.
The full text of the speech, taken directly from
the Congressional Record, is posted below the fold.
I believe that the “they” referred to by Senator Whitehouse are Senate Republicans, meaning that the Senator is not saying that all opponents of healthcare reform are birthers, fanatics, and/or rightwing militiamen (and militiawomen) -- only that support from birthers, fanatics, and rightwing militiamen (and militiawomen) is significant enough to merit mention in the assessment of Senate Republican motives.
Of course, opposition to the Democratic Party's plans for building healthcare reform around an employment-based system that's liked by no one -- except for, apparently, Congressional Democrats and insurance companies -- is very widespread...
The latest Rasmussen Reports weekly tracking update shows that 41% of voters nationwide favor the bill and 55% are opposed. Those figures are essentially unchanged from a week ago. This the fifth straight week with support for the legislation between 38% and 41%....Most voters (54%) believe they personally will be worse off if the legislation passes.
...so if the Senator stands by his position that birthers, fanatics, and/or rightwing militiamen (and militiawomen) form a significant base of opposition to Democratic health "reform", will he let us know how much of the 55% of the population reported by Rasmussen to be skeptical of the current "reform" plan he believes to be members of extremist factions?
Or is expressing opposition to the Democratic party's belief that everything can be improved by higher taxes and more government control now enough, by itself, to make you a fanatic?
ADDENDUM:
The Washington Post's Dana Milbank picks up on a couple of historical references that I had passed over (full text of the speech below the fold, if you don't believe that they're all there)...
Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (R.I.) had just delivered an overwrought jeremiad comparing the Republicans to Nazis on Kristallnacht, lynch mobs of the South, and bloodthirsty crowds of the French Revolution.
"Too many colleagues are embarked on a desperate, no-holds-barred mission of propaganda, obstruction and fear," he said. "History cautions us of the excesses to which these malignant, vindictive passions can ultimately lead. Tumbrils have rolled through taunting crowds. Broken glass has sparkled in darkened streets. Strange fruit has hung from southern trees." Assuming the role of Old Testament prophet, Whitehouse promised a "day of judgment" and a "day of reckoning" for Republicans.
Asking for a bill to be read and deliberated before being voted on is on par with racial lynchings, anti-Jewish pogroms and the guillotine?
Mr. WHITEHOUSE. Madam President, I thank Chairman Baucus.
As we are here in the Senate today, Washington rests under a blanket of snow, reminding us here of the Christmas spirit across the Nation, the spirit that is bringing families happily together for the holidays. Unfortunately, a different spirit has descended on this Senate. The spirit that has descended on the Senate is one described by Chief Justice John Marshall back in the Burr trial: “those malignant and vindictive passions which . . . rage in the bosoms of contending parties struggling for power.”
Two-time Pulitzer Prize winner Richard Hofstadter captured some examples in his famous essay, “The Paranoid Style in American Politics.” The malignant and vindictive passions often arise, he points out, when an aggrieved minority believes that “America has been largely taken away from them and their kind, though they are determined to try to repossess it and to prevent the final destructive act of subversion.”
Does that sound familiar in this health care debate? Forty years ago, he wrote that. Hofstadter continued, those aggrieved fear what he described as “the now familiar sustained conspiracy”--familiar then, 40 years ago; persistent now--whose supposed purpose, Hofstadter described, is “to undermine free capitalism, to bring the economy under the direction of the federal government, and to pave the way for socialism. . . .” Again, familiar words here today.
More than 50 years ago, he wrote of the dangers of an aggrieved rightwing minority, with the power to create what he called “a political climate in which the rational pursuit of our well-being and safety would become impossible”--”a political [environment] in which the rational pursuit of our well-being and safety would become impossible.”
The malignant and vindictive passions that have descended on the Senate are busily creating just such a political climate. Far from appealing to the better angels of our nature, too many colleagues are embarked on a desperate no-holds-barred mission of propaganda, falsehood, obstruction, and fear.
History cautions us of the excesses to which these malignant, vindictive passions can ultimately lead: tumbrels have rolled through taunting crowds; broken glass has sparkled in darkened streets; “strange fruit” has hung from southern trees; even this great institution of government that we share has cowered before a tail gunner waving secret lists.
Those malignant moments rightly earned what Lord Acton called “the undying penalty which history has the power to inflict on wrong.” But history also reminds us that in the heat of those vindictive passions, some people earnestly believed they were justified. Such is the human capacity for intoxication by those malignant and vindictive political passions Chief Justice Marshall described. I ask my colleagues to consider what judgment history will inflict on this current spirit that has descended on the Senate.
Let's look at what current observers are saying as a possible early indicator of the judgment history will inflict. Recently, the editor of the Manchester Journal Inquirer editorial page wrote of the current GOP, which he called this “once great and now mostly shameful party,” that it “has gone crazy,” is “more and more dominated by the lunatic fringe,” and has “poisoned itself with hate.” He concluded, they “no longer want to govern. They want to emote.”
A well-regarded Philadelphia columnist recently wrote of the “conservative paranoia” and “lunacy” on the Republican right. The respected Maureen Dowd, in her eulogy for her friend, William Safire, lamented the “vile and vitriol of today's howling pack of conservative pundits.”
A Washington Post writer with a quarter century of experience observing government, married to a Bush administration official, noted about the House health care bill, “the appalling amount of misinformation being peddled by its opponents”; she called it a “flood of sheer factual misstatements about the health-care bill,” and noted that “[t]he falsehood-peddling began at the top. . . .” The respected head of the Mayo Clinic described recent health care antics as “scare tactics” and “mud.”
Congress itself is not immune. Many of us felt President Bush was less than truthful, yet not one of us yelled out “You lie!” at a President during a joint session of Congress. Through panics and depressions, through world wars and civil wars, no one ever has--never--until President Obama delivered his first address. And this September, 179 Republicans in the House voted to support their heckler comrade. Here in the Senate, this month, one of our Republican colleagues regretted, “Why didn't I say that?”
A Nobel prize-winning economist recently concluded thus:
The takeover of the Republican Party by the irrational right is no laughing matter. Something unprecedented is happening here--and it's very bad for America.
History's current verdict is not promising.
How are these unprecedented passions manifest in the Senate? Well, several ways.
First, through a campaign of obstruction and delay affecting every single aspect of the Senate's business. We have crossed the mark of over 100 filibusters and acts of procedural obstruction in less than 1 year. Never since the founding of the Republic--not even in the bitter sentiments preceding the Civil War--was such a thing ever seen in this body. It is unprecedented.
Second, through a campaign of falsehood: about death panels, and cuts to Medicare benefits, and benefits for illegal aliens, and bureaucrats to be parachuted in between you and your doctor. Our colleagues terrify the public with this parade of imagined horrors. They whip up concerns and anxiety about “socialized medicine” and careening deficits, and then they tell us: The public is concerned about the bill. Really?
Third, we see it in bad behavior. We see it in the long hours of reading by the clerks our Republican colleagues have forced. We see it in Christmases and holidays ruined by the Republicans for our loyal and professional Senate employees.
It is fine for me. It is fine for the Presiding Officer. We signed up for this job. But why ruin it for all the employees condemned by the Republicans to be here?
We see it in simple agreements for Senators to speak broken. We see it, tragically, in gentle and distinguished Members, true noblemen of the Senate, who have built reputations of honor and trustworthiness over decades being forced to break their word, and doublecross their dearest friends and colleagues. We see it in public attacks in the press by Senators against the parliamentary staff.
The parliamentary staff is nonpartisan; they are professional employees of the Senate who cannot answer back. Attacking them is worse than kicking a man when he is down. Attacking them is kicking a man who is forbidden to hit back. It is dishonorable.
The lowest of the low was the Republican vote against funding and supporting our troops in the field in a time of war. As a device to stall health care, they tried to stop the appropriation of funds for our soldiers. There is no excuse for that. From that there is no return. Every single Republican Member was willing to vote against cloture on funding our troops, and they admitted it was a tactic to obstruct health care reform.
The Secretary of Defense warned us all that a “no” vote would immediately create a “serious disruption in the worldwide activities of the Department of Defense.” And yet every one of them was willing to vote “no.” Almost all of them did vote “no.” Some stayed away, but that is the same as “no” when you need 60 “yes” votes to proceed. Voting “no” and hiding from the vote are the same result. And for those of us here on the floor to see it, it was clear: The three who voted “yes” did not cast their “yes” votes until all 60 Democratic votes had been tallied and it was clear that the result was a foregone conclusion.
And why? Why all this discord and discourtesy, all this unprecedented, destructive action? All to break the momentum of our new, young President. They are desperate to break this President. They have ardent supporters who are nearly hysterical at the very election of President Barack Obama: the “birthers,” the fanatics, the people running around in rightwing militias and Aryan support groups. It is unbearable to them that President Barack Obama should exist. That is one powerful reason.
It is not the only one. The insurance industry, one of the most powerful lobbies in politics, is another reason. The bad behavior you see on the Senate floor is the last thrashing throes of the health insurance industry as it watches its business model die. You who are watching and listening know this business model if you or a loved one has been sick: the business model that will not insure you if they think you will get sick or if you have a preexisting condition; the business model that, if you are insured and you do get sick, job one is to find loopholes to throw you off your coverage and abandon you alone to your illness; the business model, when they cannot find that loophole, that they will try to interfere with or deny you the care your doctor has ordered; and the business model that, when all else fails, and they cannot avoid you or abandon you or deny you, they stiff the doctor and the hospital and deny and delay their payments for as long as possible--or perhaps tell the hospital to collect from you first, and maybe they will reimburse you.
Good riddance to that business model. We know it all too well. It deserves a stake through its cold and greedy heart, but some of our colleagues here are fighting to the death to keep it alive.
But the biggest reason for these desperate acts by our colleagues is that we are gathering momentum, and we are gathering strength, and we are working toward our goal of passing this legislation. And when we do--when we do--the lying time is over. The American public will see what actually comes to pass when we pass this bill as our new law. The American public will see firsthand the difference between what is and what they were told.
Facts, as the Presiding Officer has often said, are stubborn things. It is one thing to propagandize and scare people about the unknown. It is much tougher to propagandize and scare people when they are seeing and feeling and touching something different.
When it turns out there are no death panels, when there is no bureaucrat between you and your doctor, when the ways your health care changes seem like a good deal to you, and a pretty smart idea--when the American public sees the discrepancy between what is and what they were told by the Republicans--there will be a reckoning.
There will come a day of judgment about who was telling the truth. Our colleagues are behaving in this way--unprecedented, malignant, and vindictive--because they are desperate to avoid that day of judgment. Frantic and desperate now and willing to do strange and unprecedented things, willing to do anything--even to throw our troops at war--in the way of that day of reckoning.
If they can cause this bill to fail, the truth will never stand up as a living reproach to the lies that have been told, and on through history our colleagues could claim they defeated a terrible monstrosity. But when the bill passes and this program actually comes to life and it is friendly, when it shelters 33 million Americans, regular American people, in the new security of health insurance, when it growls down the most disgraceful abuses of the insurance industry, when it offers better care, electronic health records, new community health centers, new opportunities to negotiate fair and square in a public market, and when it brings down the deficit and steers Medicare toward a safe harbor--all of which it does--Americans will then know, beyond any capacity of spin or propaganda to dissuade them, that they were lied to. And they will remember. There will come a day of judgment, and our Republican friends know that. That is why they are terrified.
Mr. President, I yield the floor.
Congratulations to the Senator. His hallucinogenic comments have made the Drudge Report.
It is unfortunate that he can not be voted out in 2010
One asks himself how do people like him get elected in Rhode Island. Money,union support ,state workers, school teachers, latinos and local Democrats. In todays Providence Journal's editorial, they explain in simple terms who gets elected in the state. They get elected every 2 years and the people keep putting them in. As a senior citizen I think it's time to move out. I see no hope for change. The taxs keep going up and only those on state goverment pensions and school teachers are making out. My healthcare cost keeps going up while they get free health care. What a deal.. Us seniors do not get any break on real estate taxs.
Sheldon has outdone himself.I really can't believe I'm an Aryan Nations associate because I don't want to bow down to that dog Obama.I call him a dog because he looked exactly like the RCA Victor logo bending over to hear his "master's voice"in Saudi Arabia.For Sheldon's information,I and my wife would be dead on arrival at an Aryan Nations meeting by virtue of being "inferior".Actually ,some of them them would be taking dirt naps also because I am never unprepared.
Strangely enough,Sheldon would be more than welcome,being the "right sort"and all that BS.Sheldon is descended from Governor Bradford of the Massachusetts Bay Colony,dontch'a know.Inbred nitwit.
Being inbred will never be a worry in my family.LOL.
Sheldon is actually worse than Patches.
Ok, I want to be one of the last people to support this guy, but some people are making the same mistake that I did when I first read his comments. He's saying that "birthers, fanatics and ..." are opposed to the bill. He did not say if you oppose the bill, you are a "birther, fanatic and ..."
Read the quote Andrew posted again and I think you'll agree.
Bottom line is that this was an attempt to marginalize and target those who oppose the bill as nuts of one sort or another. The irony is that he spends significant parts of the speech deriding the GOP for the vile atmosphere they have created in the Senate, before he proceeds to hurl vulgar insults at least some portion of the American people and his own constituents.
I attended all of the healthcare town hall meetings and protests in RI over the summer and do not recall meeting any members of the Aryan nation. I must have been distracted by Senator Whitehouse's eloquent blathering.
I agree with both Patrick and MadMom. Senator Whitehouse didn't say that all opposition to Democratic healthcare is coming from birthers and the Aryan nation, but he did imply that they are a major influence on Senate Republicans.
It's no secret that the popularity of the Democratic healthcare planning has been fading over time. So does Senator Whitehouse believe that there's a small fringe out there that has managed to convince 55% of the good people in the country that the Democratic plan is a bad one? Or that the bad elements that he describes do have a major influence in some parts of the country? If not, if one of these explanations or something similar doesn't apply, then why did the Senator bring up the fringes in the first place?
This moron needs to go. What idiots voted for this guy? Joe is right. He is worse than Patrick. He should should know better, but is too busy with his head up Obama and Reid's hind quarters.
He claims nobody called President Bush names. They certainly did. Not only that they burned him in effigy. He is the commy, exteme left wing loon. Good jobs voters. Now you have have another blathering idiot. It's too bad RI has no real representation, but we have nobody to blame but ourselves. This is the worst congress we have ever had, and all our senators and reps are part of the death of our country.
He calls the voters names, but considers himself some wonderful statesman. Another clueless, hateful, conniving follower. Not a leader amoung them. Everyone should send him a lump of coal. This guy is a horror show. Send our whole delegation coal, what a bunch of losers.
"Too many colleagues are embarked on a desperate, no-holds-barred mission of propaganda, obstruction and fear," he said. "History cautions us of the excesses to which these malignant, vindictive passions can ultimately lead. Tumbrils have rolled through taunting crowds. Broken glass has sparkled in darkened streets. Strange fruit has hung from southern trees."
What is he getting for his support besides a pat on the head?
2014 can't come fast enough.
"Asking for a bill to be read and deliberated before being voted on is on par with racial lynchings, anti-Jewish pogroms and the guillotine?"
Apparently it is for some people. Remarkable.
Sheldon is up in 2012. Start thinking of a good replacement because it'll be here before you know it. Though hardly soon enough.
All you need to know is Jack Reed is embarrassed by Sheldon Whitehouse.
Jack Reed is invited on Face The Nation.
Sheldon Whitehouse is invited on Rachel Madcow. lol
Sheldon makes the comments he does so people will pay attention to him. His intellect doesn't carry the day so he must make bombastic comments to get noticed.
Whitehouse belongs in the House of Reps with the other circus clowns. He soils the decorum of the Senate with his childish and hateful talking points.
Said it before and I'll say it again. Mommy and Daddy's money could never buy Sheldon Whitehouse intellect, integrity and class.
He proves it yet again!
For months now I too have been extremely frightened by what I have perceived as the growing right wing hysteria in this country. A hysteria being whipped by radio personalities and monied interests. A hysteria that does not strengthen our democracy but threatens all we hold dear.
My hope was that civility, decency and the ability to talk to one another across the divide would remain in the Senate.
Senator Whitehouse has apparently seen more than just frightening behavior in the streets, he has also seen it in the Senate. Today I am very, very frightened.
I continue to be glad I voted for this thoughtful and courageous man.
lol Thanks for the laughs Gayle.
Only thing funnier is your facebook page. It reads like a leftwing kook-a-thon. No wonder you're in "Heil Sheldon" mode.
Gayle,
Do you think that democracy is served well when the Senate Majority Leader refuses to allow say a week of deliberation on a 400-page amendment, before voting on it?
To quote Gayle:
"My hope was that civility, decency and the ability to talk to one another across the divide would remain in the Senate."
Umm, yeah, did you see above what Justin posted about your buddy Al Franken? He prevented another Senator from speaking. That's the kind of thing you're looking for?
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1209/30784.html
Gayle-go rant on Kmareka or RIF-you'll find kindred sick,socialist minds there aplenty.
Your input here is unwelcome.
Come on now. While I respect and enjoy many of Joe Bernsteins comments, the last one doesn't seem right. The woman atleast came here, expressed her opinion and left it up for all of us to pick it apart. Many just did the easy thing, calling her a sick socialist kook. I'm not saying I agree with her comments in any way, i'm just saying that taking on her criticism would have made more of a statement than trying to bash her personally. While joe's comments are understandable atleast, i'm bothered by tim's creeping on her facebook. What kind of world is this, yes she came here and used her full name but is it right for you to bring it into discussion like we are in a highschool hallway? What if some angry liberal took it upon themselves to defend his position by digging into your personal business/social networking spaces/etc.At somepoint, civility and respect must be observed. It does all of us a disservice by getting into this sort of insult/attack mode, it only emboldens the opposition to be more forceful and warped. To see why the left in this country behaves and acts how they do, just look at the conversation here and see how it fuels their warped/distorted beliefs on issues. Merry christmas everyone
Yeah, I'm taken aback by Joe's comment here too. I'm not sure where it is a commenter's place to tell someone that their comments are "unwelcome". If Justin wants to do that fine, but from a commenter?
Plus, AR would be EXTREMELY boring if everyone just says "Yeah, I agree." Maybe Gayle's post is out there, but occasionally, the lefties that post something can have an inkling of something that requires thought and review. That's what I look for and appreciate.
What idiots voted for this guy?
All the suckers who trashed Chafee.as a RINO, that's who.
I'm enjoying the hell out of this.
Please, let’s not start declaring people unwelcome immediately after their first comment -- let's show that we regular people can do a whole lot better than many of our elected “leaders”, when it comes to rationally discussing important issues.
Steadman-I know I was hard on her,but I've gotten the same reception(and worse)on left wing blogs.
I will say right here never from Matt Jerzyk or even Pat Crowley-mostly from anonymous cowards.
I certainly have no right as a commenter to decide who's welcome-just making an observation.I am so pissed off thast anyone in their right mind can condone what Whitehouse says and does(apart from this latest by the way).
I certainly have no interest in Ms.Gifford's facebook page or anything else about her.
Despite what Rhody says here,I have no intention of being a threat to anyone who doesn't make themselves a danger to me.In that case either they or I will leave the scene in a body bag.
I've been through the ordeal of having my family threatened in a very real and apolitical way by drug dealers I was investigating as part of my assigned duties.It didn't end real well for them,although none of them wound up dead.
Is there intelligent life in Rhode Island? The answer would appear to be: here and there.
Leaving political or social orientation aside, for the moment, what kind of person would use his nationally syndicated show to do a quaking, mocking, imitation of Michael J. Fox's televised appeals for stem cell research?
Where Rush Limbaugh is found appealing by masses of Americans it is perfectly logical to assign comparisons the way that Sheldon Whitehouse did.
Joe,
I do understand your frustration, but always keep in mind that the leftists rely on caricaturing their opposition because, given the weird ideas they believe in, what else are they going to do (other than maybe say that "it's self-evident that the only choice is to raise taxes and create a new bureaucracy")
Burtmail,
What state are you actually from?
Rhody,
I take each of these Sheldon Whiterages as confirmation of my reasoning for voting for him. Chafee might have been forever. Whitehouse can conceivably be denied the lifetime tenure that Rhode Islanders like to grant to their national representatives.
I did not vote for Whitehouse in '06.
Given the hysterical reaction to his comments, I may just vote for him in '12. It's great to see a U.S. senator stand up and say something that's not politically correct.
If you couldn't handle Linc's comparative political gentility, you deserve what Shel's dealing you. Shel needs to apologize for NOTHING.
In all seriousness,Sheldon needs to apologize for having taken up the time of the people of this state in positions where he became progressively more incompetent-he was relatively a benign idiot at DBR;he was a very incompetent US Attorney,and a rotten administrator to boot;he was even worse as Attorney General;and now he's hit the jackpot-a sinecure as a US Senator.
He is the Peter Principle personified.
I learned early in my career that I would make a very poor supervisor,and consequently I never applied for such a position.I guess it kept me from advancing,but unlike some people,I was happy where I was,doing the hands-on work.More people should get realistic about their inner failings and react accordingly.
Sheldon must have a hard time taking an honest look at himself.
Andrew:
My ninth grade English teacher would critique your 'comments' thus: "Back up broad generalizations and personal opinions with examples or facts lest your words be dismissed as reflecting prejudice and simple mindedness."
To answer your question: I am from Manhattan and have a house in coastal RI. Why do you ask? Are you trying to protect Rhode Island from outside intelligence?
Burtmail,
You could start by explaining why Democrats expect anyone to believe that a healthcare program that is based on Federalizing regulation, providing subsidies and imposing mandates is going to lower costs, witout major top-down service cuts.
Although to be fair, a ninth-grade level of comprehension would probably be considered advanced by current standards of Democratic reasoning.
I asked the question about RI because anyone who is familiar with the New England media landscape knows that national talk radio is less popular here than in most of the rest of the country. Citing Rush Limbaugh (in a thread that started with material from the Congressional Record, by the way) kind of makes it obvious that you are not terribly familiar with the actual discussions that are taking place here.
"He calls the voters names"- Kathy
Kathy does not seem adverse to name calling though:
"This moron needs to go. What idiots voted for this guy? "
"He is the commy, exteme left wing loon."
"Another clueless, hateful, conniving follower."
There's more but I think you get the idea. Joe Bernstein goes one better by suggesting that commentor Gayle not post because he disagrees with her/his comment. Nothing like proving the Senator wrong by behaving the way you wish others would behave.Does "turn the other cheek" have anything to do with one of the holidays many are about to celebrate?
To paraphrase the guy who tried to warn Jack Nicholson out of Chinatown:
Forget it, Phil, it's Bernstein.
If you've ever read any of his jihads against me, you'd believe I was a bigger danger to humanity than any of the real criminals he put away.
The man needs enemies to demonize like the rest of us need oxygen. I wear his contempt proudly, to tell you God's honest truth.
Phil-I don't really celebrate anything much this time of year,although I respect my wife's Christian beliefs about Christmas.In any event,have a nice end of year or whatever we call this season.
Rhody-go piss up a rope sh*tmop.
The criminals I locked up had more going for them than you do.
Joe, you just proved my point more eloquently than I ever possibly could. You said much more about yourself than about me, my friend.
But please, don't let the knowledge that you'll never lock me up give you nightmares. It's not your fault I have no criminal record.
I'm sure you have no criminal record.In any event I haven't locked up anyone in over 13 years.
I know what I am,and whatever that is,it's preferable to being a lying weasel that hasn't the balls to use his real name when running someone down,meaning you.
Andrew:
Your sentence #1: Please do a survey of the health of citizenry and the modes and costs of delivery of care of every other industrialized country, compare the U. S. situation and that will answer your first question.
Your sentence #2: Prejudicial polemic.
Your sentence #3: Incorrect and without foundation.
Do some more reading and especially thinking.
Joe, having read the abusive diatribes against myself and others who don't kiss your badge, it makes this "lying weasel" wonder one thing.
For a guy probably old enough to be my father, you sound more like a pissed-off son (or grandson).
My abusive diatribes?Oh,right-unlike your smarmy derisive remarks and holding yourself out as a champion of "people of color"every time you get an opportunity.You probably live in a lily-white neighborhood.
Kiss my badge?Haha.You can kiss something else.I am probably old enough to be your father.Why don't you go give an online backrub to Nancy over at Kmareka?She has a cause a day it seems and could probably use the moral support from you,weasel.
Wooooooo....somebody's really gettin' his grinch on today!
BTW, I'm flattered you're giving me the same pet name as the people who helped you put the REAL bad guys behind bars {Remainder of comment deleted. Back and forth on this suspended until after Christmas. And anyone heading down the path towards libel needs to think about if they want to be suspended forever -- CAM}
If "Rhody"thinks he knows people I worked with and what I may have been called("weasel" not among them)he needs to ID himself and identify his sources or shut up.He will be committing libel if he spreads lies about me since I am not a public figure.He has a habit of making false allegations about me.I don't know who he is so other than call him names based on his behavior here,I really can't say anything factual about him.
I appreciate that this site will not be tolerating deliberate falsehoods directed at other commenters from people like "Rhody".
Strange isn't it,that even those who oppose my activities regarding immigration matters on radio and at the Statehouse,or on blogs,have been unable to discover any damning information about me?
I know I made some enemies on the job,just the nature of that kind of work,but unless "Rhody" has specifics he is willing to speak to,he really needs to stay off his keyboard.
Rhody oughta loosen the knot on his ponytail-it's affecting his meager brain.
Merry Christmas, and best wishes in your recovery from Rhody Derangement Syndromem
To the management: I would've been happy to go along with the holiday moratorium if BOTH parties were required to observe it.
Small point Rhody-I'm not a lying scumbag like you are-apparently you THINK you know something about me,but in your typical gutless way,you just like to make snide comments and run for cover
Joe, management requested a stop to this. YOU opted not to comply, for reasons of which I will keep my speculation to myself.
However, I will comply. I'm done with this thread.
Hey Whitehouse---After that speech, the only ones that are laughing are the nazi,s and racists.By ranting about them like a baffoon you only enabled them.They are like terrorists.They love onwarranted and free publicity.Get a grip.
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Congratulations to the Senator. His hallucinogenic comments have made the Drudge Report.
Posted by: Monique at December 21, 2009 4:07 PMIt is unfortunate that he can not be voted out in 2010
Posted by: grey fox at December 21, 2009 4:55 PMOne asks himself how do people like him get elected in Rhode Island. Money,union support ,state workers, school teachers, latinos and local Democrats. In todays Providence Journal's editorial, they explain in simple terms who gets elected in the state. They get elected every 2 years and the people keep putting them in. As a senior citizen I think it's time to move out. I see no hope for change. The taxs keep going up and only those on state goverment pensions and school teachers are making out. My healthcare cost keeps going up while they get free health care. What a deal.. Us seniors do not get any break on real estate taxs.
Sheldon has outdone himself.I really can't believe I'm an Aryan Nations associate because I don't want to bow down to that dog Obama.I call him a dog because he looked exactly like the RCA Victor logo bending over to hear his "master's voice"in Saudi Arabia.For Sheldon's information,I and my wife would be dead on arrival at an Aryan Nations meeting by virtue of being "inferior".Actually ,some of them them would be taking dirt naps also because I am never unprepared.
Posted by: joe bernstein at December 21, 2009 5:12 PMStrangely enough,Sheldon would be more than welcome,being the "right sort"and all that BS.Sheldon is descended from Governor Bradford of the Massachusetts Bay Colony,dontch'a know.Inbred nitwit.
Being inbred will never be a worry in my family.LOL.
Sheldon is actually worse than Patches.
Ok, I want to be one of the last people to support this guy, but some people are making the same mistake that I did when I first read his comments. He's saying that "birthers, fanatics and ..." are opposed to the bill. He did not say if you oppose the bill, you are a "birther, fanatic and ..."
Read the quote Andrew posted again and I think you'll agree.
Posted by: Patrick at December 21, 2009 5:39 PMBottom line is that this was an attempt to marginalize and target those who oppose the bill as nuts of one sort or another. The irony is that he spends significant parts of the speech deriding the GOP for the vile atmosphere they have created in the Senate, before he proceeds to hurl vulgar insults at least some portion of the American people and his own constituents.
I attended all of the healthcare town hall meetings and protests in RI over the summer and do not recall meeting any members of the Aryan nation. I must have been distracted by Senator Whitehouse's eloquent blathering.
Posted by: MadMom at December 21, 2009 6:35 PMI agree with both Patrick and MadMom. Senator Whitehouse didn't say that all opposition to Democratic healthcare is coming from birthers and the Aryan nation, but he did imply that they are a major influence on Senate Republicans.
It's no secret that the popularity of the Democratic healthcare planning has been fading over time. So does Senator Whitehouse believe that there's a small fringe out there that has managed to convince 55% of the good people in the country that the Democratic plan is a bad one? Or that the bad elements that he describes do have a major influence in some parts of the country? If not, if one of these explanations or something similar doesn't apply, then why did the Senator bring up the fringes in the first place?
Posted by: Andrew at December 21, 2009 7:19 PMThis moron needs to go. What idiots voted for this guy? Joe is right. He is worse than Patrick. He should should know better, but is too busy with his head up Obama and Reid's hind quarters.
He claims nobody called President Bush names. They certainly did. Not only that they burned him in effigy. He is the commy, exteme left wing loon. Good jobs voters. Now you have have another blathering idiot. It's too bad RI has no real representation, but we have nobody to blame but ourselves. This is the worst congress we have ever had, and all our senators and reps are part of the death of our country.
He calls the voters names, but considers himself some wonderful statesman. Another clueless, hateful, conniving follower. Not a leader amoung them. Everyone should send him a lump of coal. This guy is a horror show. Send our whole delegation coal, what a bunch of losers.
Posted by: kathy at December 21, 2009 7:24 PM"Too many colleagues are embarked on a desperate, no-holds-barred mission of propaganda, obstruction and fear," he said. "History cautions us of the excesses to which these malignant, vindictive passions can ultimately lead. Tumbrils have rolled through taunting crowds. Broken glass has sparkled in darkened streets. Strange fruit has hung from southern trees."
What is he getting for his support besides a pat on the head?
2014 can't come fast enough.
Posted by: Bob at December 21, 2009 10:20 PM"Asking for a bill to be read and deliberated before being voted on is on par with racial lynchings, anti-Jewish pogroms and the guillotine?"
Apparently it is for some people. Remarkable.
Posted by: Monique at December 21, 2009 10:39 PMSheldon is up in 2012. Start thinking of a good replacement because it'll be here before you know it. Though hardly soon enough.
Posted by: MadMom at December 21, 2009 10:42 PMAll you need to know is Jack Reed is embarrassed by Sheldon Whitehouse.
Posted by: Tim at December 22, 2009 5:46 AMJack Reed is invited on Face The Nation.
Sheldon Whitehouse is invited on Rachel Madcow. lol
Sheldon makes the comments he does so people will pay attention to him. His intellect doesn't carry the day so he must make bombastic comments to get noticed.
Whitehouse belongs in the House of Reps with the other circus clowns. He soils the decorum of the Senate with his childish and hateful talking points.
Said it before and I'll say it again. Mommy and Daddy's money could never buy Sheldon Whitehouse intellect, integrity and class.
He proves it yet again!
For months now I too have been extremely frightened by what I have perceived as the growing right wing hysteria in this country. A hysteria being whipped by radio personalities and monied interests. A hysteria that does not strengthen our democracy but threatens all we hold dear.
Posted by: Gayle Gifford at December 22, 2009 7:35 AMMy hope was that civility, decency and the ability to talk to one another across the divide would remain in the Senate.
Senator Whitehouse has apparently seen more than just frightening behavior in the streets, he has also seen it in the Senate. Today I am very, very frightened.
I continue to be glad I voted for this thoughtful and courageous man.
lol Thanks for the laughs Gayle.
Posted by: Tim at December 22, 2009 7:51 AMOnly thing funnier is your facebook page. It reads like a leftwing kook-a-thon. No wonder you're in "Heil Sheldon" mode.
Gayle,
Do you think that democracy is served well when the Senate Majority Leader refuses to allow say a week of deliberation on a 400-page amendment, before voting on it?
Posted by: Andrew at December 22, 2009 8:20 AMTo quote Gayle:
"My hope was that civility, decency and the ability to talk to one another across the divide would remain in the Senate."
Umm, yeah, did you see above what Justin posted about your buddy Al Franken? He prevented another Senator from speaking. That's the kind of thing you're looking for?
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1209/30784.html
Posted by: Patrick at December 22, 2009 9:01 AMGayle-go rant on Kmareka or RIF-you'll find kindred sick,socialist minds there aplenty.
Posted by: joe bernstein at December 22, 2009 10:23 AMYour input here is unwelcome.
Come on now. While I respect and enjoy many of Joe Bernsteins comments, the last one doesn't seem right. The woman atleast came here, expressed her opinion and left it up for all of us to pick it apart. Many just did the easy thing, calling her a sick socialist kook. I'm not saying I agree with her comments in any way, i'm just saying that taking on her criticism would have made more of a statement than trying to bash her personally. While joe's comments are understandable atleast, i'm bothered by tim's creeping on her facebook. What kind of world is this, yes she came here and used her full name but is it right for you to bring it into discussion like we are in a highschool hallway? What if some angry liberal took it upon themselves to defend his position by digging into your personal business/social networking spaces/etc.At somepoint, civility and respect must be observed. It does all of us a disservice by getting into this sort of insult/attack mode, it only emboldens the opposition to be more forceful and warped. To see why the left in this country behaves and acts how they do, just look at the conversation here and see how it fuels their warped/distorted beliefs on issues. Merry christmas everyone
Posted by: steadman at December 22, 2009 11:09 AMYeah, I'm taken aback by Joe's comment here too. I'm not sure where it is a commenter's place to tell someone that their comments are "unwelcome". If Justin wants to do that fine, but from a commenter?
Plus, AR would be EXTREMELY boring if everyone just says "Yeah, I agree." Maybe Gayle's post is out there, but occasionally, the lefties that post something can have an inkling of something that requires thought and review. That's what I look for and appreciate.
Posted by: Patrick at December 22, 2009 11:13 AMWhat idiots voted for this guy?
Posted by: rhody at December 22, 2009 12:46 PMAll the suckers who trashed Chafee.as a RINO, that's who.
I'm enjoying the hell out of this.
Please, let’s not start declaring people unwelcome immediately after their first comment -- let's show that we regular people can do a whole lot better than many of our elected “leaders”, when it comes to rationally discussing important issues.
Posted by: Andrew at December 22, 2009 12:58 PMSteadman-I know I was hard on her,but I've gotten the same reception(and worse)on left wing blogs.
Posted by: joe bernstein at December 22, 2009 4:51 PMI will say right here never from Matt Jerzyk or even Pat Crowley-mostly from anonymous cowards.
I certainly have no right as a commenter to decide who's welcome-just making an observation.I am so pissed off thast anyone in their right mind can condone what Whitehouse says and does(apart from this latest by the way).
I certainly have no interest in Ms.Gifford's facebook page or anything else about her.
Despite what Rhody says here,I have no intention of being a threat to anyone who doesn't make themselves a danger to me.In that case either they or I will leave the scene in a body bag.
I've been through the ordeal of having my family threatened in a very real and apolitical way by drug dealers I was investigating as part of my assigned duties.It didn't end real well for them,although none of them wound up dead.
Is there intelligent life in Rhode Island? The answer would appear to be: here and there.
Leaving political or social orientation aside, for the moment, what kind of person would use his nationally syndicated show to do a quaking, mocking, imitation of Michael J. Fox's televised appeals for stem cell research?
Where Rush Limbaugh is found appealing by masses of Americans it is perfectly logical to assign comparisons the way that Sheldon Whitehouse did.
Posted by: burtmail at December 22, 2009 6:10 PMJoe,
I do understand your frustration, but always keep in mind that the leftists rely on caricaturing their opposition because, given the weird ideas they believe in, what else are they going to do (other than maybe say that "it's self-evident that the only choice is to raise taxes and create a new bureaucracy")
Burtmail,
What state are you actually from?
Posted by: Andrew at December 22, 2009 8:03 PMRhody,
I take each of these Sheldon Whiterages as confirmation of my reasoning for voting for him. Chafee might have been forever. Whitehouse can conceivably be denied the lifetime tenure that Rhode Islanders like to grant to their national representatives.
Posted by: Justin Katz at December 22, 2009 10:08 PMI did not vote for Whitehouse in '06.
Posted by: rhody at December 23, 2009 12:24 AMGiven the hysterical reaction to his comments, I may just vote for him in '12. It's great to see a U.S. senator stand up and say something that's not politically correct.
If you couldn't handle Linc's comparative political gentility, you deserve what Shel's dealing you. Shel needs to apologize for NOTHING.
In all seriousness,Sheldon needs to apologize for having taken up the time of the people of this state in positions where he became progressively more incompetent-he was relatively a benign idiot at DBR;he was a very incompetent US Attorney,and a rotten administrator to boot;he was even worse as Attorney General;and now he's hit the jackpot-a sinecure as a US Senator.
Posted by: joe bernstein at December 23, 2009 6:20 AMHe is the Peter Principle personified.
I learned early in my career that I would make a very poor supervisor,and consequently I never applied for such a position.I guess it kept me from advancing,but unlike some people,I was happy where I was,doing the hands-on work.More people should get realistic about their inner failings and react accordingly.
Sheldon must have a hard time taking an honest look at himself.
Andrew:
My ninth grade English teacher would critique your 'comments' thus: "Back up broad generalizations and personal opinions with examples or facts lest your words be dismissed as reflecting prejudice and simple mindedness."
To answer your question: I am from Manhattan and have a house in coastal RI. Why do you ask? Are you trying to protect Rhode Island from outside intelligence?
Posted by: burtmail at December 23, 2009 7:56 AMBurtmail,
You could start by explaining why Democrats expect anyone to believe that a healthcare program that is based on Federalizing regulation, providing subsidies and imposing mandates is going to lower costs, witout major top-down service cuts.
Although to be fair, a ninth-grade level of comprehension would probably be considered advanced by current standards of Democratic reasoning.
I asked the question about RI because anyone who is familiar with the New England media landscape knows that national talk radio is less popular here than in most of the rest of the country. Citing Rush Limbaugh (in a thread that started with material from the Congressional Record, by the way) kind of makes it obvious that you are not terribly familiar with the actual discussions that are taking place here.
Posted by: Andrew at December 23, 2009 10:41 AM"He calls the voters names"- Kathy
Kathy does not seem adverse to name calling though:
"This moron needs to go. What idiots voted for this guy? "
"He is the commy, exteme left wing loon."
"Another clueless, hateful, conniving follower."
There's more but I think you get the idea. Joe Bernstein goes one better by suggesting that commentor Gayle not post because he disagrees with her/his comment. Nothing like proving the Senator wrong by behaving the way you wish others would behave.Does "turn the other cheek" have anything to do with one of the holidays many are about to celebrate?
Posted by: Phil at December 23, 2009 1:36 PMTo paraphrase the guy who tried to warn Jack Nicholson out of Chinatown:
Posted by: rhody at December 23, 2009 2:04 PMForget it, Phil, it's Bernstein.
If you've ever read any of his jihads against me, you'd believe I was a bigger danger to humanity than any of the real criminals he put away.
The man needs enemies to demonize like the rest of us need oxygen. I wear his contempt proudly, to tell you God's honest truth.
Phil-I don't really celebrate anything much this time of year,although I respect my wife's Christian beliefs about Christmas.In any event,have a nice end of year or whatever we call this season.
Posted by: joe bernstein at December 23, 2009 3:58 PMRhody-go piss up a rope sh*tmop.
The criminals I locked up had more going for them than you do.
Joe, you just proved my point more eloquently than I ever possibly could. You said much more about yourself than about me, my friend.
Posted by: rhody at December 23, 2009 7:10 PMBut please, don't let the knowledge that you'll never lock me up give you nightmares. It's not your fault I have no criminal record.
I'm sure you have no criminal record.In any event I haven't locked up anyone in over 13 years.
Posted by: joe bernstein at December 24, 2009 6:56 AMI know what I am,and whatever that is,it's preferable to being a lying weasel that hasn't the balls to use his real name when running someone down,meaning you.
Andrew:
Your sentence #1: Please do a survey of the health of citizenry and the modes and costs of delivery of care of every other industrialized country, compare the U. S. situation and that will answer your first question.
Your sentence #2: Prejudicial polemic.
Your sentence #3: Incorrect and without foundation.
Do some more reading and especially thinking.
Posted by: burtmail at December 24, 2009 9:00 AMJoe, having read the abusive diatribes against myself and others who don't kiss your badge, it makes this "lying weasel" wonder one thing.
Posted by: rhody at December 24, 2009 9:14 AMFor a guy probably old enough to be my father, you sound more like a pissed-off son (or grandson).
My abusive diatribes?Oh,right-unlike your smarmy derisive remarks and holding yourself out as a champion of "people of color"every time you get an opportunity.You probably live in a lily-white neighborhood.
Posted by: joe bernstein at December 24, 2009 12:51 PMKiss my badge?Haha.You can kiss something else.I am probably old enough to be your father.Why don't you go give an online backrub to Nancy over at Kmareka?She has a cause a day it seems and could probably use the moral support from you,weasel.
Wooooooo....somebody's really gettin' his grinch on today!
Posted by: rhody at December 24, 2009 6:33 PMBTW, I'm flattered you're giving me the same pet name as the people who helped you put the REAL bad guys behind bars {Remainder of comment deleted. Back and forth on this suspended until after Christmas. And anyone heading down the path towards libel needs to think about if they want to be suspended forever -- CAM}
If "Rhody"thinks he knows people I worked with and what I may have been called("weasel" not among them)he needs to ID himself and identify his sources or shut up.He will be committing libel if he spreads lies about me since I am not a public figure.He has a habit of making false allegations about me.I don't know who he is so other than call him names based on his behavior here,I really can't say anything factual about him.
Posted by: joe bernstein at December 25, 2009 7:19 AMI appreciate that this site will not be tolerating deliberate falsehoods directed at other commenters from people like "Rhody".
Strange isn't it,that even those who oppose my activities regarding immigration matters on radio and at the Statehouse,or on blogs,have been unable to discover any damning information about me?
I know I made some enemies on the job,just the nature of that kind of work,but unless "Rhody" has specifics he is willing to speak to,he really needs to stay off his keyboard.
Rhody oughta loosen the knot on his ponytail-it's affecting his meager brain.
Posted by: joe bernstein at December 25, 2009 11:35 AMMerry Christmas, and best wishes in your recovery from Rhody Derangement Syndromem
Posted by: rhody at December 25, 2009 3:25 PMTo the management: I would've been happy to go along with the holiday moratorium if BOTH parties were required to observe it.
Small point Rhody-I'm not a lying scumbag like you are-apparently you THINK you know something about me,but in your typical gutless way,you just like to make snide comments and run for cover
Posted by: joe bernstein at December 25, 2009 8:07 PMJoe, management requested a stop to this. YOU opted not to comply, for reasons of which I will keep my speculation to myself.
Posted by: rhody at December 25, 2009 9:05 PMHowever, I will comply. I'm done with this thread.
Hey Whitehouse---After that speech, the only ones that are laughing are the nazi,s and racists.By ranting about them like a baffoon you only enabled them.They are like terrorists.They love onwarranted and free publicity.Get a grip.
Posted by: paul kelly at December 27, 2009 9:06 AM