Politico again distorts Pelosi, Hoyer remarks on disruptive tactics
In an August 12 Politico article, Andy Barr again falsely reported that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer "called the [town hall] protesters 'un-American' in an op-ed Monday in USA Today." In fact, referring to efforts to "disrupt public meetings and prevent members of Congress and constituents from conducting a civil dialogue," Pelosi and Hoyer wrote, "Drowning out opposing views is simply un-American."
Politico advanced media falsehood that Pelosi, Hoyer called "protesters" un-American
From the August 12 Politico article:
[RNC chairman Michael] Steele also blasted House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) who called the protesters "un-American" in an op-ed Monday in USA Today.
"They're being distinctly American," Steele said of the rough town hall audiences. "They're being uniquely American, in expressing openly their frustration with what they hear their political leadership saying."
Pelosi, Hoyer actually wrote: "Drowning out opposing views is simply un-American." From Pelosi and Hoyer's August 10 USA Today op-ed:
[A]s members of Congress spend time at home during August, they are talking with their constituents about reform. The dialogue between elected representatives and constituents is at the heart of our democracy and plays an integral role in assuring that the legislation we write reflects the genuine needs and concerns of the people we represent.
However, it is now evident that an ugly campaign is underway not merely to misrepresent the health insurance reform legislation, but to disrupt public meetings and prevent members of Congress and constituents from conducting a civil dialogue. These tactics have included hanging in effigy one Democratic member of Congress in Maryland and protesters holding a sign displaying a tombstone with the name of another congressman in Texas, where protesters also shouted "Just say no!" drowning out those who wanted to hold a substantive discussion.
Let the facts be heard
These disruptions are occurring because opponents are afraid not just of differing views -- but of the facts themselves. Drowning out opposing views is simply un-American. Drowning out the facts is how we failed at this task for decades.
Health care is complex. It touches every American life. It drives our economy. People must be allowed to learn the facts. [USA Today, 8/10/09]
Politico's Barr previously reported Pelosi, Hoyer "called the protesters 'un-American.' " On August 10, Barr reported: " 'For some Democratic legislators to call it anti-democratic is just ludicrous,' said [Gov. Sonny] Perdue, seeming to allude to a column by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) published Monday in USA Today that called the protesters 'un-American.'" [Politico, 8/10/09]
Numerous media figures falsely claimed Pelosi and Hoyer called the protesters "un-American." Media figures who have done so include NBC's Chuck Todd, CNN's Lou Dobbs, and Fox News personalities Greta Van Susteren, Steve Doocy, Gretchen Carlson, Gregg Jarrett, and Sean Hannity.
CNN contributor Louis debunked media falsehood, saying, "to stop the conversation is un-American." After Dobbs claimed that "we also have now the leadership of the House saying you're un-American to oppose" health care reform, CNN contributor Errol Louis corrected him, stating that "the un-American part was, you know, to shout people down, to stop the conversation is un-American, which I would agree with." Louis continued: "[T]he words in the article were to shut down debate, to use those kind of disruptive tactics to try and stop the debate from going forward, is wrong. It's just wrong. You call it un-American; you call it whatever you want. I mean, it needs to be denounced. You can't have people tarred and feathered in effigy outside of their congressional office or hung in effigy outside of their office. That's not the way to conduct this debate." [CNN's Lou Dobbs Tonight, 8/10/09]
And you "liburals" resort as usual to name-calling with every post that makes sense. You apparently hate your parents and grandparents
to want this monstrosity for them.
How did your father come to face both the nazis and the japs. He must have had an interesting military career to have faced both.
Your sources on teenager equivelence, attaining humanity at age six or seven, sounds weird, minimal health care on who? I can probably find Peter Singer, but I don't think the executive branch of government is writing this bill anyway. Thats congresse's job, granted the are many inputs in this process. How do you rate the various sources of that input? Any thoughts on the industry input?
You think we want to see our parents and grand parents die from a lack of medical care, but we're calling people names?
Now don't give me a link where Hannity, Limbaugh, Beck, or other right wing crazy, said that she said it.
Yep, its almost as bad as calling hanging people in effigy expressing openly their frustration.
Nonsense. I can call the actions of a person stupid without saying that the person is stupid. Smart people can do stupid things.
People who love America and its principles can do un-American things through ignorance or rationalization. That doesn't make them un-American even if they take certain actions that can be reasonably called un-American. Just as a person can do stupid things without being a stupid person.
They are not being called un-American. Their actions are. And, to take an honest look at her words a step farther, she is not calling protesters un-American. She was very clearly and specifically referring ONLY to those who go in with the purpose of disrupting the proceedings and preventing any exchange of opinions and ideas.
Wouldn't it be easier to admit that you were wrong and that calling certain actions un-American IS NOT the same as calling the person un-American?
But to shoot down your point even more, it goes to the seriousness of one's actions as to whether or not they are defined by them. Obviously if someone does something "stupid", that is hardly serious enough to label them a stupid person. However, if a person commits a murder, or a robbery, or something as serious as performing an act that is deemed un-American, that is far more serious that some meaningless stupid act. My analogy is spot on. Yours was not for that very reason.
I was perfectly fine with living with the disagreement until you pushed your self-righteous act on me. So now, you're wrong.
You're right, we'll have to disagree. I consider a single un-American act as being closer to a single stupid deed than it is to murder.
So, while my statements are definitely not wrong, neither are yours. It's your point of view that's bizarre.
When will people stop feeding the troll?
My how times have changed!