Sunday, August 09, 2009

I Calls 'Em the Way I Sees 'Em

There is a faction in America that will never be satisfied with anything President Obama does. This is why it has been so easy for the GOP leaders to get so many people to disrupt the town hall meetings. Healthcare reform has very little to do with it. If you watch closely, you'll see that most of the rabblerousers are older and on Medicare, even though they rale against "government run healthcare." Don't try to tell me they don't know that their Medicare comes from the government. It's just an excuse.

So, what is the real reason? When you look at those ugly, distorted faces, you realize that racism has reared its ugly head. That's where all the anger is coming from. The media's got it wrong. This is nothing like what happened in Florida in 2000, when the GOP sent in the Brooks Brothers Brigade to stop the vote count. Those people were having fun. Pranksters. Dirty-tricksters. The people at the rallys are haters.

And, so, I believe the town hall meetings should be canceled and other venues used to answer the legitimate questions about healthcare reform from legitimate constituents. Local television programming is one way for the Congressmen to explain their views. They already know the questions, if they've paid any attention to their e-mails, faxes, snail mail and phone calls. Or, failing that, if they just turn on CNN or the Nightly News or any of the other news programs.

The main reason I believe the town hall meetings should be canceled, though, is because if not, someone is going to be seriously injured or killed. It seems inevitable.

It's the anger. The hatred. The racism.

Stay tuned.

19 comments:

Barry said...

Well said.

Darlene said...

Betty, I think people will begin to believe that we collaborate on our blogs. ;-)

I wrote about the 'hater's' too but in a different way. As you once pointed out, we may end up being the only ones reading each other's blogs. ;-(

Looking to the Stars said...

There you go reading my mind again :)
I agree whole heartdly with you.

Deanna said...

I don't agree with the haters and maybe in some cases it is racially motivated but in most cases I don't think it is.

Word Tosser said...

It is fear... human nature when they don't know or understand, they fear... and fear breeds hatred.

I too, have said that Republicans for some reason are so hateful. Nasty, hateful.. and I have been told that Democrats were that way about Bush. But I disagree.. Democrats didn't have the malice in their words and actions. The words that spill out of Rush Limbach and his kind is beyond human decency.

kenju said...

Luckily we have you and Darlene to give the opposite view.

I was friends on Facebook with a woman who used to blog. She has no problem telling anyone about her conservative views, and tonight, she took one slap too many at Obama. I X'd her out of my friends list with not even a look back! I am so tired of it.

Grayquill said...

To much anger here for this conservative - I'll come back for visit when things have calmed down a little...oh yeah Betty you seem to bring out the strong feelings, maybe coming back won't be better. But I like it here. Betty help me out, your killin me. Just kiddin.
Now for what I think...hmmm...nope got nothin. Don't even know about these rallies. But I tell you one thing I feel hated. Gotta go but I'll be back. Maybe next time I will have a great comment that will give the conservatives some respect. Grayquill your in denial...God's not even that good.

Joy Des Jardins said...

I am so sick of it too. I got an e-mail a couple of days ago from a relative who obviously doesn't realize I'm a Obama person. This e-mail was hideous...an out and out lie about something that Obama said (but really did not say). I knew it as soon as I read it that it was garbage; but here they had sent it to me and a whole host of other people as if it was total gospel straight from his mouth. It was something he'd never in a million years would say about our men fighting in the military. Then the very next day this same relative sent another e-mail because someone had told them that it may not have been accurate. They said..."Oh Dear, I may not like Obama, but those may not have been exactly the true facts according to SNOPES." Oh really! Well wouldn't it have been nice to check that out BEFORE you passed it around to everyone. This is exactly what I hate about these hateful views of Obama and how easily they get passed around without regard or thought....it's disgusting and cruel....and I'm saying this about a relative of mine for cripessake. I was so tempted to let them know that they sent that e-mail to the wrong person, but I just didn't feel like opening up a can of worms...I think they just made a wrong assumption on their part; but it didn't matter, I was totally disgusted.

Arkansas Patti said...

I too am feeling the hate. People I used to casually like are now crossing the line. My in box is full of scary untruths.
One fellow who was I thought a friend and co-worker for 30 years and in whom I never saw this trait, is now advocating violence.
I have written him back, making my views clear and that is probably the end of a 30 year friendship.I am not sorry.It was based on false impressions.
We do need to be more vocal and send our own emails out.
Thanks Betty.

Betty said...

FBF: Thanks for commenting. Come back sometime.

Darlene: We just agree, so our blogs read alike.

Looking to the Stars: Thanks.

Deanna: If you lived where I live, you'd see the racism.

Word Tosser: We probably all need to calm down and wait for the final bill.

kenju: Opposite? You mean our view isn't the ONLY view? lol

Grayquill: The hatred isn't coming from me. And, I don't hate Conservatives, just the overzealous ones. There are overzealous Liberals, too, for that matter, and I'm not too thrilled with them either. But, I do like you, so keep on coming back. I do respect your opinion.

Joy de Jardins: I get those e-mails, too, and always refer them to SNOPES.com. But, they really "can't handle the truth", in the words of Jack Nicholson.

Arkansas Patti: We live in a racist area of a racist state. Maybe that influences our opinions. But, the only way to fight it is to shine the light on it. Yes? It is always surprising to find out that good friends may not be everything they seem.

Judy said...

I agree with you completely on this issue and the meetings should be cancelled. Our Congressman has said that he will not hold a meeting in our state due to all the trouble they are having at other meetings. I think you have nailed the problem with the meetings.

Tincanman said...

How true, Betty. On the good news front, I'm happy to report Congressman Boozman (R-AR) managed to get thru a townhall without much rabble-rousing. It was fairly complacent compared to some others. Fear is a prime motivater and the right-wing radio and t.v. heads are spewing it like poison coolaid and the gullible are drinking it down like there's no tomorrow. Just a thought, but if the townhall meetings are cancelled, I wonder how many minutes it would take the knuckle-dragging teabaggers to declare it some kind of victory for their side. After all, that seems to be their goal, to keep regular citizens desiring information shut out from their elected representatives. Sad.

lucylocket said...

Sunday morning I, too, wrote a post about Hate. The response surprised me. Two people agreed with my point of view; another seemed to take what I said personally because she said she had voted the McCain/Palin ticket.

I said in my piece that I was sick of the hate being spewed by some commentators; she said that the only hate she could see was coming from me and the commenters.

I guess if you disagree with some people you are advocating hate.

Betty said...

judy: More and more people are canceling those meetings. It's a good thing.

tincanman: Of course Boozman wouldn't have a problem with his meetings. He's preaching to the choir.

lucylocket: It's one of their ploys to turn it back on the one talking about the haters.

Sansego said...

You posted my thoughts as well!

I've ended friendships with people over the 2000 election. I just couldn't understand how some people could not see the injustice of it, especially when Gore won the popular vote. Of course, I had a personal stake in Gore winning, as I had wanted to work in his administration after interning for him. It upset me that many people who had no real interest in politics could be so casual about the outcome of the fraud in Florida.

I was hoping people would be more rational with Obama as president, that he could unite the country. Seriously...these people are so hateful that they would rather Obama fail (along with our country) just because they are so angry that Bush was a failure they still can't admit to.

If McCain was elected president last year, he would have had my support. I bet most Democrats would have supported him, as well as pray that he didn't die before 2012. But with Republicans, since Clinton...they simply don't want any Democrat to have the White House. Yet they keep nominating the worst people to be president. Make no mistake, Palin will be much more disasterous than Bush if she ever became president. I'll definitely leave the country for good if she's president.

Cazzie!!! said...

Believe it or not the healthcare questions the public have are not that dissimilar Worldwide.
Better qualiy care, preventative care, care to those in need.. the triage of people awaiting surgery... on and on... it is the same. Of course you are right! The politicians DO know the questions..and their answers just seem to be reciprocae of those questions..therefore never giving the answer the public want and NEED to hear..phew!
I am staying tuned!

Betty said...

Sansego: The 2000 election just made me sick, and I lost respect for the Supreme Court that year, too.

Cazzie: I know people are concerned, considering the mess our elected officials usually make of everything, but there isn't a final bill yet, so I wish people would just calm down and wait until there is one.

I don't know why politicians can't give a straightforward answer to any question.

Margaret said...

Applause, Betty~!!!
It is just that, that seething hatred and racism...They just can't let it alone...This is one of the best posts on this subject. Straight forward and controversial...Love it!

Fly through the screen door said...

Hi Betty, I am a Democrat. I voted for Obama. This has nothing to do with racism. I am fearful of socialism. It is not what this country was built on. People are fearful of too large of a Goverment, not necessarily because it is run by a black man. We are fearful of a socialistic society not because we don't want to help those worse off but because we want them to have the reason to want to help themselves.

We are fearful that the quality of our healthcare is going to be sacrificed so that we can fullfill some egalitarian pipedream. (See
Social Security).

If people can't get passionate about this or real damn upset about how big a hole we are digging for our children (like I did with Bush) without being called a racist or whatever else then we are truley damned as a free thinking people. God help us all!

People are fearful, the opposing side plays on those fears, some are going to get real upset about nothing. Been going on for, well, forever. Racism? fffttt