Quote :

"AS for think progress being a liberal blog, that's obviously true, but you can check out the sites of the groups they mentioned and see that what they say is true."

Look, I'm by no means saying there aren't ANY racists or extremists or idiots out there. I'm saying that as a whole, that is not the great make-up of the protest.

And your site didn't mention the largest sponsor, the FreedomWorks Foundation. Other sponsors include National Taxpayers Union, Tea Party Patriots, Our Country Deserves Better, The Institute for Liberty, Let Freedom Ring, We The People Revolution, Smart Girl Politics, Club for Growth, Young Americans for Liberty, Ayn Rand Center for Individual Rights, Campaign for Liberty, Tea Party Nation... and there are about 20 more.

So, pick out two that have said some crazy things in the past, and discount the whole thing. The way this was set up, ANYONE can donate. That doesn't mean their ideas are the ones being promulgated.

V And I've never said the anti-war protests were bad. I actually think all forms of protest are a good thing. People should be more active in what they believe in. I really hate people who don't stand up for their ideas, no matter what they are.

[Edited on September 13, 2009 at 11:31 AM. Reason : ]

9/13/2009 11:28:40 AM

But their ideas ARE being put in the spotlight. That's evidenced by all of the nonsense these people are saying and what their signs say.

What I keep trying to explain is that you guys are being hypocritical by acting like these protests are somehow good while the protests against Bush were bad. In the end, yes, protests on all sides are funded by groups with some deeper agenda. You're 100% saying the same thing I am, you just think that I'm defending the anti-war protest sponsors, but I'm not.

However, I would argue that the anti-war protests were larger partially because they *were* more grassroots. They had funding, but it didn't take much to convince people to protest against the slaughter of thousands of innocents.

[Edited on September 13, 2009 at 11:30 AM. Reason : .]

9/13/2009 11:29:12 AM

The only significant difference is that the anti-war protests were much larger.

And had far fewer t-shirts tucked into jean shorts.

[Edited on September 13, 2009 at 11:29 AM. Reason : ]

9/13/2009 11:29:14 AM

I wonder what that old couple is protesting? Maybe they're upset with government involvement in healthcare including Medicare. They probably came to write a check to reimburse the government for their prescriptions or something.

9/13/2009 11:34:49 AM

That couple (they were interviewed) was there to protest government spending because of the burden it would leave on future generations. They said if they weren't afraid for the impact it would have on their grandchildrens' lives they would not have been there. And your insinuations about Medicare are ridiculous.

[Edited on September 13, 2009 at 11:37 AM. Reason : ]

9/13/2009 11:37:05 AM

The problem isn't which side that they're on. The problem is that most of them are misinformed, and these rallies do nothing but reinforce the misinformation. These same types of rallies are what hyped up the ideas of "death panels," which are provably false.

[Edited on September 13, 2009 at 11:38 AM. Reason : removed carets, blah]

9/13/2009 11:37:18 AM

TOO LITTLE TOO LATE GRAMPS

9/13/2009 11:37:55 AM

Alright, I'm going to go eat the lovely breakfast my husband cooked up... So, I wont be responding to this thread anymore. But, my silence is not a concession by any means!

9/13/2009 11:42:53 AM

There's a 100% chance that that guy's Hover-Round was paid for by Medicare.

9/13/2009 11:55:39 AM

Before you harp on the Nazi insinuation, remember that Nancy Pelosi made that comparison as well.

^ Yeah, and the government is billed at 3x the rate of a private insurer. So much more the reason for reducing the scope of government.

9/13/2009 12:06:49 PM

Quote :

"There are a lot of people here who wouldn't have been if John McCain were the president and doing the exact same thing. And that has less to do with race than it does with that little D or little R at the end of a politicians name. My guess was that, when it is "their guy" they feel a bit less disenfranchised."

This statement couldn't be more accurate....



And the woman holding the sign about keeping the government hands off her body... certainly an interesting statement. Since a majority of the people protesting in DC yesterday were conservative leaning, I'm also interested to see what she thinks about Roe v. Wade. (Yes I understand that "ObamaCare" vs. Abortion are two different aspects of healthcare, but "keeping government hands off" someone's body is often used in the Roe v. Wade argument)

9/13/2009 12:19:20 PM

Shrike:

Quote :

"Are those protesters crazy people? Yeah sure, but they were driven to that by a US President doing legitimately fucked up shit for 8 years. Obama has been in office for 8 MONTHS and has done nothing except be (half) black."

Oh please, they were at the barricades at Day One, screaming "not my president." Or did you not even watch the first inauguration?

Let's not pretend one side has a lock upon partisan hypocrisy.

LunaK:

Quote :

"Since a majority of the people protesting in DC yesterday were conservative leaning, I'm also interested to see what she thinks about Roe v. Wade."

Or the War on Drugs. But you know, I'd just as soon turn that one one some pro-choice protesters too, since it'd probably have equally hilarious results.

Blind spot, anyone?

[Edited on September 13, 2009 at 12:24 PM. Reason : .]

9/13/2009 12:22:05 PM

"United we stand"

lol

9/13/2009 12:25:54 PM

^^ i'm not sure what you're trying to say towards me

9/13/2009 12:26:25 PM

Not specifically towards you. I'm saying that many Democrats have an equally large blind spot on the issue. "Hands off my body! But feel free to kick down the door of my neighbor in the middle of the night if he puts an unapproved substance in his body!"

9/13/2009 12:28:59 PM

i would have to say, i'm not one of those people....

9/13/2009 12:32:26 PM

Nor am I accusing you of such - I apologize if that seemed ambiguous. My point is simply that many in the mainstream fall prey to the same type of error - "Hands off my body! (Save for when it is a political intrusion that I agree with. For the Good of Society, of course.)"

9/13/2009 12:34:29 PM

Quote :

"Before you harp on the Nazi insinuation, remember that Nancy Pelosi made that comparison as well."

UHHHH, the fact that you make this comment proves that you are getting your news from the most extremely idiotic of sources.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGRUx2b0ArM
Pelosi:

Quote :

""I think they’re Astroturf… You be the judge. "They’re carrying swastikas and symbols like that to a town meeting on healthcare.""

Which, of course, they are. They are carrying signs comparing Obama to Hitler, AND there have been plenty of white power, neo-nazi groups present at these protests as well. If you feel like dealing with the den of horrors that is stormfront: http://www.stormfront.org/forum/showthread.php?t=581332

Glenn beck has even tried to make it look like the Obama health care symbol is derived from the Nazi eagle symbol:



She never says or insinuates that the protesters are Nazis, however. Surely you can see that what she said is 100% correct.



[Edited on September 13, 2009 at 12:54 PM. Reason : .]

9/13/2009 12:49:38 PM

maybe i completely forgot the circumstances of the terri schaivo fiasco, but wouldn't the provision for end of life planning, the whole death panels bullshit, prevented the entire terri schaivo thing from happening?

oh, and remember 9/11!!

[Edited on September 13, 2009 at 12:56 PM. Reason : .]

9/13/2009 12:51:14 PM

Quote :

"Which, of course, they are. They are carrying signs comparing Obama to Hitler, AND there have been plenty of white power, neo-nazi groups present at these protests as well."

Are you seriously pinning that down as your argument for astroturfing? Some protesters compared Obama to Hitler, and meanwhile some neo-Nazis showed up? That's it?

Well shit. Guess the prior 8 years of Bush protests were also astro-turfs, since we had plenty of the same Godwinesque set of comparisons (with similar-looking signs!) along with some fringe elements (although in this case, ANSWER, Communists, and the Socialist Worker's Party of America - yay LaRouche!). Or does it not exactly work this way?

9/13/2009 1:03:16 PM

^^ Schiavo does seem like an odd choice, especially considering the legislature and executive intervened to keep her alive.

9/13/2009 1:06:36 PM

Uh, no - I'm using that as my argument that Pelosi in no way compared the protesters to Nazis. Those reading comprehension skills of yours must have been great for you in 1st grade. It's astroturf because these people are being bussed in, prodded, and in some cases paid to go to the protests.

[Edited on September 13, 2009 at 1:07 PM. Reason : .]

9/13/2009 1:07:04 PM

^^ agreed, the "death panels" would've totally plugged the plug on that one

9/13/2009 1:10:37 PM

Uh, you said, immediately following your money quote:

Quote :

"Which, of course, they are. They are carrying signs comparing Obama to Hitler, AND there have been plenty of white power, neo-nazi groups present at these protests as well."

Your argument is basically to rely on Pelosi's analysis to demonstrate that they are somehow an organized bunch of astroturfers. And then, when pointed out to you, you scream "READING COMPREHENSION!"

Which of us exactly needs to repeat the first grade again there, kiddo?

9/13/2009 1:11:13 PM

Dude. I was specifically responding to the claim that Pelosi compared the protesters to Nazis. She happened to mention astroturf in that sentence, but that had absolutely nothing to do with what I was saying. For the record, I don't understand why she used that as a reason for calling it astroturf, if that was what she was doing - but I was in no way using it to prove any astroturfing. I think the astroturf thing explains itself.

I'm actually no fan of Pelosi and do think she's hurt the democratic party by being a pretty lame public face for them. That doesn't mean that I'm going to sit there and watch someone retardedly misconstrue what she said, when just watching that clip it's OBVIOUS she was in no way comparing the protesters to Nazis unless you have an IQ under 50.

So, the answer is that *you* are still the one who needs to practice the reading skills a bit more.

[Edited on September 13, 2009 at 1:16 PM. Reason : m]

9/13/2009 1:14:23 PM

So, perhaps since you have such enlightened reading skills, you could explain how this:

Quote :

"Which, of course, they are. They are carrying signs comparing Obama to Hitler, AND there have been plenty of white power, neo-nazi groups present at these protests as well."

Neatly makes the separation from this:

Quote :

"I think they’re Astroturf… You be the judge. They’re carrying swastikas and symbols like that to a town meeting on healthcare."

That you claim. Nowhere at all do you disclaim the astroturf comparison, or make any attempt to de-link them. So explain to us all how, "Which of course they are" is not an unqualified endorsement of the entirety of the last quote for someone lacking the clairvoyance that you apparently feel is now necessary to properly understand what you write.

It's fine if you want to disclaim it now, but let's not pretend it was perfectly obvious from your original context.

9/13/2009 1:32:58 PM

Here goes DrSteveChaos tilting at windmills again because he is incapable or unwilling to read what someone writes before he goes off. Reading Comprehension, develop it.

9/13/2009 1:47:01 PM

Quote :

" There's a 100% chance that that guy's Hover-Round was paid for by Medicare."

FAIL!

The rather large "Rent Me" sticker says otherwise...

and its not a Hover-Round, jackass.

9/13/2009 1:56:08 PM

Quote :

"Here goes DrSteveChaos tilting at windmills again because he is incapable or unwilling to read what someone writes before he goes off. Reading Comprehension, develop it."

Does your mommy know you got on the computer again? I thought you were grounded.

9/13/2009 2:13:46 PM

HAHAHA, do these people know ANYTHING about palin? no way they would like her socialist policies

which countries are they talking about with the sign?


capitalism creates big government, it's in their interest

[Edited on September 13, 2009 at 2:19 PM. Reason : .]

9/13/2009 2:19:18 PM

lol

thank you greta van sustren

9/13/2009 2:27:03 PM

Quote :

"CHRISTIAN AMERICAN HETEROSEXUAL PRO-GUN CONSERVATIVE ANY QUESTIONS?"

9/13/2009 2:29:07 PM

PAUL REVERE

IN IT FOR THE MONEY

9/13/2009 2:30:40 PM

Quote :

"calling these vast, collective amount of people 'idiots' would be to degrade and denounce any protest movement youve supported previously"

yeah, sorry, these people are idiots

9/13/2009 2:34:30 PM

I wonder if this guy is protesting as a free-marketeer?

...because Lou Dobbs, in addition to being a complete douche, is a huge protectionist. I mean, that's like the #1 word that comes to mind when I think of Lou Dobbs (well, after "douche", at least...and followed immediately by "xenophobe".)

9/13/2009 2:41:43 PM

DO NOT DOUBT OUR GOD WILL

wtf??

[Edited on September 13, 2009 at 2:49 PM. Reason : .]

9/13/2009 2:41:59 PM

Quote :

" From : DrSteveChaos To : nutsmackr Received : Sunday September 13, 2009 at 2:15 PM Subject : Tilting at windmills? Seriously, if anyone has a devotion to a hopeless cause, it would be the one post-stalking me. But feel free to continue to discredit yourself further (if that's possible)."

9/13/2009 2:49:30 PM

Haha, just as I had expected you to do. Bravo, sir. You really do have a way of embarrassing yourself.

9/13/2009 2:59:30 PM

Quote :

" From : DrSteveChaos To : nutsmackr Received : Sunday September 13, 2009 at 3:01 PM Subject : Really No seriously, let's see your next act. I am quite amused at the inordinate amount of attention you have suddenly decided to bestow upon me."

9/13/2009 3:03:59 PM

[Edited on September 13, 2009 at 3:04 PM. Reason : /]

9/13/2009 3:04:09 PM

Quote :

" From : DrSteveChaos To : nutsmackr Received : Sunday September 13, 2009 at 3:09 PM Subject : It's like watching television, really Predictable, but too entertaining not to watch. Have fun with that."

9/13/2009 3:14:31 PM

Oh, does it ever get boring? Apparently not. I wonder when nutsmackr will give up his completely gaybones obsession with me.

In the meantime, it's good to see that I can still play you like a fiddle.

[Edited on September 13, 2009 at 3:16 PM. Reason : .]

9/13/2009 3:16:35 PM

Child, if you only had a clue.

9/13/2009 3:19:35 PM

...is what your mom says to you every night as she tucks you into bed. *zing!*

[Edited on September 13, 2009 at 3:21 PM. Reason : .]

9/13/2009 3:20:11 PM

GET A ROOM

9/13/2009 3:27:56 PM

Feel free to direct your attention to the person who doesn't know how to work the PM feature.

Or, I know, you could post a non-sequitur in a thread ALL IN CAPS. You know, like you always do.

9/13/2009 3:31:10 PM

9/13/2009 3:34:57 PM

.

[Edited on September 13, 2009 at 3:45 PM. Reason : that was too far.]

9/13/2009 3:36:18 PM

what a dickhole

9/13/2009 3:37:32 PM

haha

why the hate train?

you're just being silly

we'd be good friends in real life and you know it

9/13/2009 3:38:18 PM