Monday, August 10, 2009

Dissent Is Patriotic

Debra J. Saunders has written a succinct and poignant piece on the town hall protests:

Now I don't think Obamaland was working on an "enemies list" - as some conservatives have charged. But I do want to note how deftly the left has abandoned its old rallying cry, "Dissent is patriotic."

Democratic leaders have taken to dissing health care dissenters who show up at town-hall meetings conducted by members of Congress visiting their districts - and not just for the boorish behavior of the loudmouths.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-San Francisco, dismissed protesters as "AstroTurf" - artificial grassroots support. On MSNBC's "Hardball," Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., exhorted the media to investigate town-hall protesters, as "This is just all organized."

And: "You in the media have to take a look at what's going on here. This is all planned. It's to hurt our president and it's to change the Congress."

When Boxer grilled Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice about what personal price the childless Rice paid for the Iraq war, Boxer later boasted that she was "speaking truth to power." But when angry voters try to do the same with elected officials, whether they're heckling them or just showing up, Boxer wants the media to investigate.

It's laughable: Democrats discrediting protests because - ooooooh - they're organized. Last year, weren't these same folks guffawing about Jesus being a community organizer?

4 comments:

Elizabeth, Delightfully Tacky said...

This is so true. There is an extreme amnesia on the left regarding their "dissent is the highest form of patriotism" mantra of the past 8 years. I just wrote about this phenomena as well. Unbelievable.

VH said...

I will never forget the thuggish tactics by MoveOn.org protesters aimed at conservative speakers or the asinine antics of Code Pink.

Jeffrey Perren said...

"It's to hurt our president"

Right. Of course, Pelosi would never do that! Oh, wait... what has she done the past 20 years whenever it suited her?

"and it's to change the Congress."

Well, I can't argue with her there. It's true. My goal is to change Congress. Completely. From an organization that blithely violates our rights to one that respects and protects them.

Jeffrey Perren said...

"will never forget the thuggish tactics by MoveOn.org "

Not to mention the Black Panthers chasing away voters... and getting a PASS from Holder and his cronies. Sure helps to be on the preferred side of the ideological divide, no?