Take These Chains

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So let’s get this straight — It’s OK for Mittens to portray President Obama, falsely, as an enabler of welfare queens. It’s OK for Romney staffers to tell the Brits the President does not appreciate Anglo-saxon heritage (wink). But this remark by Vice President Biden —

Has been called out as a new low. A crossing of the political rhetorical Rubicon so extreme and so unprecedented that the entire Right and most of media are swooning in shock.

Andrew Rosenthal:

At an event in Danville, Va., Mr. Biden told a mostly African-American audience “Romney wants to let the—he said the first 100 days—he’s gonna let the big banks once against write their own rules. Unchain Wall Street. They gonna put y’all back in chains.”

Whether or not Mr. Biden meant to call slavery to mind, that’s certainly what he did, and Mr. Romney seized the opportunity to take umbrage. “Mr. President,” he said, “take your campaign of division and anger and hate back to Chicago and let us get about rebuilding and reuniting America.”

Jon Stewart has some thoughts on this …

Dana Milbank also seems to get it —

Forgive me, but I’m not prepared to join this walk down Great Umbrage Street just yet. Yes, it’s ugly out there. But is this worse than four years ago, when Obama was accused by the GOP vice presidential nominee of “palling around with terrorists”? Or eight years ago, when Democratic nominee John Kerry was accused of falsifying his Vietnam War record?

What’s different this time is that the Democrats are employing the same harsh tactics that have been used against them for so long, with so much success. They have ceased their traditional response of assuming the fetal position when attacked, and Obama’s campaign is giving as good as it gets — and then some.

All together now — Give ’em hell, Barry! And yesterday the President was given all kinds of opportunity to apologize for or distance himself from the “chains” remark, and he wouldn’t do it.

Mistermix makes a good point — and has more must-watch videos — at Balloon Juice. Soledad O’Brien at CNN did a masterful job taking John Sununu apart the other day when he tried to claim that the President “gutted” Medicare by $711 billion dollars. She was ready with the facts, and correctly explained what the CBO had actually said, and all Sununu could do is sputter the same talking points. Mistermix said,

I really do think the coddling they get on Fox is hurting the average Republican shill’s ability to appear reasonable on regular TV. Sununu just keeps repeating his weak-ass talking points instead of coming back with a follow-up, because Fox only expects its Republican guests to memorize and repeat what’s on the sheet that Sununu was waving around when he was trying to smack O’Brien down. Finally, there’s some limit to the number of lies the media will tolerate and that limit is probably being reached with the Romney campaign. There’s a general air of disrespect from the Romney people, they campaign almost totally on falsehoods, and they do so arrogantly. I think it’s the arrogance that finally triggered María de la Soledad Teresa O’Brien, and it’s going to be interesting to see who’s next.

Finally — all must worship the Goddess Aretha —

20 thoughts on “Take These Chains”

  1. I’m not sure that for a party claiming to be as tough as Republicans claim to be, that the best thing to be doing, is yelling, “MOM – SHE’S HITTING ME BACK! TELL HER TO STOP ME BACK! IT’S NOT FAIR!!!”

  2. Finishing with Aretha was perfect. I recalled Whoopie Goldberg’s statement about some PETA protesters outside an awards ceremony she was hosting,”I’d like to see one of them try to throw paint on her fur. Re-Re will hurt you!”

  3. Something strange has happened lately. Soledad O’Brian used concrete facts to counter Sununu’s and Pawlenty’s lies about Obama’s “$711 billion theft from Medicare.” Brit Hume refused to give Paul Ryan a pass on the numbers-free Ryan Plan. Chuck Todd called Gov. Branstad out for making false claims about Obama’s changes to welfare programs.

    Makes me wonder if the Romney/Ryan camp has crossed so far over the line with their lies that they can no longer be ignored. At least, not if journalists hope to retain any semblance of impartiality and credibility.

  6. Sununu just keeps repeating his weak-ass talking points instead of coming back with a follow-up

    Appeaser! APPEASER!

    …anyone else reminded of that?

  9. Classic bullying behavior. Any time someone even attempts to get back at you, howl like the original victim. I say, Give ’em hell. Stewert’s Palin bit was just a classic. I truly wonder if they have any idea how they sound to the non-brainwarshed. THAT is what Fox has done to our political process, and why most other countries have laws against that type of ‘freedom of speech’. It has become impossible to even have political discourse. I’m not terribly confident that we can ever get it back. My only hope is that when Obama is re-elected, that the Teatard’s head will all explode in unison, and we can actually get back to a gov’t of deal-making and compromise.

  10. buckeyblue,
    The mistake we make about free speech as a nation is that well-paid propagandists are allowed to use publicly paid-for airwaves and bandwidths – and, for almost 30 years, allow NO “Equal Time” for the dissenting opinion – right, or left – though, for the last 20+ years, predominantly the opinions being expressed, uncountered, are right.

    Other countries have seen this, and decided that America’s version of ‘Radio Rushwanda’ doesn’t do anything for the democracy in their country – only for their Fascist elements.

    Sadly, we probably have a more realistic chance of restoring some form of gun control, than we have of restoring “Equal Time.”
    The Democrats have totally chickened out on these critical issues.

    Maybe lately, in President Obama’s, Biden’s, and Reid’s, responses to R&R & and the rest of the R’s, shows the formation of a nascent set of cajones.
    I’m tired of 30 years of arguing (I’d call it ‘battling,’ but that is to laugh at) every issue on the opponent’s turf.
    We haven’t had a home game in almost 40 years!

  11. Given that the GOP would LOVE to see Anybody Darker Than A WASP (ADTAW) in chains or shot at the border, who, exactly, is he trying to fool with his phony outrage?

  13. Well this sucks. We have a little thing at the iowa state fair called”cast your kernel” You put a kernel of corn into a mason jar for who you plan to vote for. Right now the tally stands at 56% dip shit to 43% common sense. Sadly the kernels predict pretty well what the out come of elections will be.

    I would like to think that IF people had all the facts to make an informed choice that the numbers would be different, but lets face it- even the not so smart iowa kernel casters KNOW mitt is hiding something by refusing to make his tax returns public, so even if they knew what it was he was working so hard to hide I don’t think it would change their minds.I think their view must be ” Yeah he screws everyone over and he cheats and maybe he will cheat for us so we can all get ahead(add a disney style goofy laugh here). I live in meth heaven(ugh) and it is almost funny to see those smart enough to pass on the crack pipe tripping all over themselves to hop on top of the romney family car, crate and all.

    I don’t know what was in Bidens head when he referred to chains but what I thought of was the bunch of yippy lap dogs we will all be expected to become in “romneys America”(sweet mother of God that phrase alone was enough to raise a big fat giant red flag yet no one said a word).

    Another little state fair tidbit…the Bud tent incident..have you heard of this? The bud tent is where fair goers foregather to get drunk, mix(yikes) show off their mullets and fightin skills. I must disclose I am not really a drinker and am generally annoyed by people who go to a family event like the fair and get hammered and make fools of themselves.If your not from around here – well you would just have to see it for yourself.

    Obama made a stop by the fair the other day and he made a stop at the bud tent. Some place where regular working folks might be and he bought the people there a round of buds! Pretty cool, right?And before anyone could take note of the slam on romney, cause ya know he would NEVER drink a beer!, let alone at the bud tent with , you know, “You people”. but then..

    Grassley FREAKED out and went to the media screaming that Obama and the secret service cost the owner of the bud tent 50k in sales!!!!!!!!Wow! at 6 dollars for a small or 12 for a large that would be a lot of beer for a 2 hour period on a weekday!Especially since it was not hot! So the news media went to the bud tent owner and they asked him if that was true. This man was clearly conflicted by many factors. I know of him in the community and I believe he is a rep. Also if he is making 25 k an hour I am sure he does not want the IRS to know that. With that said he would not disclose how much he lost but had to admit grassley was a big fat liar and he did not lose 50k. He also said all in all he thought it was a good thing.
    Missed on Iowa votes,so it seems by the kernel jars, was mitt is not one of us. Obama at least bought a round, but did you even see mitt chomping on a turkey leg, trying the fried butter(i am not joking) or even a salad on a stick(which is really good but i was the only one eating)- a deep fried oreo maybe? By snubbing our fair junk food he snubbed US. The money shot on the morning paper is to see a political hopeful shoving ones face full of fair fare.Its more important than kissing babies! Mitt really dropped the bacon wrapped corn dog!

    No one mentioned what mitt’s visit cost in terms of revenue..I suppose it was just free then? And speaking of that what did mitts visit bring to our economy? He didn’t buy a round or even a friggin monkey tail. He went to the fair and bought nothing! He stood on a stage and talked DOWN to people..nice lecture mitt. Obama went straight to the mosh pit! (so to speak).

  14. I don’t understand how some Democrats – particularly Obama’s former campaign chairman – can be siding with these idiots! Biden does what he has to do to fight them!

  15. From what I’ve seen, Obama is in trouble in FL. too
    My daughter’s boyfriends parents have been sending me anti Obama internet ads and ads suggesting welfare recipients should be drug tested.
    I know they didn’t start the email chain, but are participating in the drive. There lies the problem.They are both working people; he works out at the “Mouse Ranch , has a union job.She also works, and has recurrent skin cancer. It makes absolutely NO SENSE for these people to support Romney Ryan, except for the fact that the “conservative movement” keeps demonizing the poor as competation who will steal and squander your tax dollars, and Obama, being an “outsider” is happy to give YOUR money to a lazy band of “porch Monkeys’ who sit around smoking crack all day while you’re out busting your ass. That message is working.Hard working middle class people are working harder than ever, and are being lead to believe that if you happen to be something other than white, you’ll get a free ride.
    My daughter pointed out that these people are genuinely very nice, but not at all savvy politically,in the election this week, one of the parents voted for all the names along the bottom of the ballot, but not any with hispanic names.That was her selection process!
    This is why the “democratic” system is dangerous, especially in local races.
    On a good note; the crazy- psychopath woman on our school board was handed her ass, which almost convinced me there is a God.

  16. justme,
    So Bud sponsors the “beer (Ewwww!),” who sponsors the food tents, “Thei Iowa Cardiologists Assoiciation?”

    ‘Fried salad on a stick?’
    2 X Ewwwww!

  17. Did he just say “bacon wrapped hot dog”? Now I cannot rest until I have obtained one!

  18. Mmmmmm… deep-fried Oreo!

    I heard on the radio this morning that the top Google response to the search “why is Iowa so” is “Why is Iowa so liberal”! Seriously.

    And I’m not dissing Iowa. It is more liberal than its next-door neighbor Nebraska, where I am.

  19. Well Joan, along with our deep fried oreo’s(ugh!) we also have the gay marriage. A stand against discrimination that cost 3 state surpreme court judges their jobs.Many so called “liberal” states are not there yet so I suppose that makes us look pretty liberal to the rest of the nation.

    Bill B-not just a bacon wrapped dog, a bacon wrapped CORNDOG..complete with maple syrup to dip it in. I do not eat corndogs, however 3 of the 4 I went with ate them and just raved about them. The entire time all four of them kept telling me I had to try them and kept shoving them in my face. Judging by the size of the line and the hill that fat people had to over come to get there I would say they are pretty darn good.Come on over , the fair runs till sun!!

    The salad on a stick was NOT fried(although I suspect thats what would get Iowa folks to eat it). I didn’t even use dressing. I squeezed a lemon wedge on it. I also ate a fresh fruit kabob(not fried). I threw caution to the wind and ate a “cajun chicken on a stick” with fried chcken,onions and pickle slices in a spicy batter. It was bad for me and very tasty.

    I forgot to mention our hot beef shooters…LOL. Shots of hot beef with mashed potato and gravy.I actually saw a group of very heavy folks with an entire tray of them slamming them like shots of booze.At the end of each one they told the vendor”hit me again!”Also I heard someone refer to the deep fried ho-ho’s laced with powered sugar as being “better than sex”, to which I responded “Oh honey your doing it wrong then”

    Oh and Joan, Iowa disses itself with the likes of steve king, grassley and gov.braindead who make us look like idiots to the rest of the world everytime they speak.We are so “liberal” here we cannot celebrate halloween on halloween, cause you know that would be evil. Instead we have”beggers night” a few nights before halloween and the kids are required to tell a joke for their candy(no free lunch around here).While I hate the way they do the whole halloween thing i must admit I love to hear the little ones(3 0r 4 yr olds) trying to tell a knock knock joke.

    Erinyes..I am still holding out hope that once America see’s the two men on stage at the debate the numbers will turn around and folks will wise up. Perhaps our cast your kernel event was affected by everyone being in a junk food coma. How smart can you be when your under the influence of a deep fried stick of butter?

  20. justme,
    GREAT response to the powdered-sugar coated ho-ho eatin’ schmoe!
    To bad he had to go through glucosus interuptus, when everyone laughed at him.

    Let me ask, in a land where they deep-fry butter, do they also serve margarine in a butter sauce?
    Otherwise, it’s not fair.

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