I became an Independent because I wasn't inspired by Republicans or Democrats. It wasn't always that way.
I remember the excitement of the first campaigns that I worked on during the 1980s. In 1979, I was one of the founders of the College Republicans at Texas Lutheran College. I was campus coordinator for George H.W. Bush. I remember thinking of him as a decent, intelligent man with an impressive resume. I became a reluctant supporter of Ronald Reagan, but came to be impressed by him. I also remember the local candidates that I supported, people like Jim Sagebiel and Margie Reinhardt, who swept out the corrupt Democrats in Guadalupe County. I also remember working on Edmund Kuempel's first campaign for state representative.
As the years went on, I became more involved, serving two terms as a Republican Precinct Chairman in Travis County. As Precinct Chairman, I noticed that the local Republican Party spent most of its time feuding with each other and arguing over who was more ideologically pure. I initially embraced the rise of the religious right. However, I began to notice that their version of Christianity did not line up with what I read in the Bible.
Ideologically, there were four straws that broke the camel's back: bankruptcy reform, immigration, the war in Iraq and the death penalty. However, more than these particular issues, I hated cringing whenever Republicans said something disingenuous, dishonest or just plain stupid. Accuracy and logic are not how you fire up the base. Howard Dean and the Daily Kos weren't much better.
With that really long introduction, here are some statements from this year that I found to be particularly offensive, weird or wrong.
The Health Care Debate
The Health Care debate produced many statements that were either dishonest, inflammatory or just plain stupid. For example:
"We believe that the job-killing ObamaCare law will result in a government takeover of health care. That's why we have pledged to repeal it, and replace it with common-sense reforms that actually lower costs.”--Spokesman for U.S. Rep. John Boehner
"It says specifically that people can't purchase private health insurance after a date certain, which means people will ultimately go into a single-payer plan where it is government providing health care and only one single government system. That's why this is so bad, Sean. This is socialized medicine ... This is, as I said, the crown jewel of socialism. It's what Barack Obama, Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid have wanted from the very beginning."--U.S. Rep. Michelle Bachmann
"And who will suffer the most when they ration care? The sick, the elderly, and the disabled, of course. The America I know and love is not one in which my parents or my baby with Down Syndrome will have to stand in front of Obama's 'death panel' so his bureaucrats can decide, based on a subjective judgment of their 'level of productivity in society,' whether they are worthy of health care. Such a system is downright evil."--Sarah Palin
These statements are all examples of the Big Lie. The speaker makes an outrageous, inflammatory statement. When challenged, they spin an unlikely scenario in which the statement might come to fruition. For example, when the Obama health plan included a public option, the party line was that the public option would undercut private insurance, driving private companies out of business and lead to national health insurance which could then enforce health care rationing. The only problem with this scenario is that Republicans kept mentioning it after the public option was deleted.
"The final health care legislation that will soon be passed will deliver successful reform at the local level, but we have to pass the bill so that you can find out what is in it, away from the fog of the controversy."--U.S. Rep. Nancy Pelosi
This last statement shows why many people don't put a lot of faith in the Democrats. While Nancy Pelosi no doubt meant to say that people would like the health care law once they were familiar with it, she came off as saying that Congress should pass it first and read it later.
Anti-Muslim Hysteria and the Ground Zero Mosque
Plans to build an Islamic Center on a site two blocks away from the World Trade Center site brought out a lot of hysteria.
"We can't say no to building a victory monument at Ground Zero because that's what this mosque is. They want to build a victory monument."--Rush Limbaugh
"At its essence, our position is about sensitivity. Everyone -- victims,opponents and proponents alike -- must pay attention to the sensitivities involved without giving in to appeals to, or accusations of, bigotry. Ultimately, this was not a question of rights, but a question of what is right. In our judgment, building an Islamic Center in the shadow of the World Trade Center would un-necessarily cause some victims more pain. And that wasn't right.--Abraham Foxman, Anti-Defamation League
"No matter how you try, this isn't about religious discrimination or intolerance. This is about constructing a mosque on the very spot where the landing gear of one of the hijacked planes crashed into the building on this site. Certainly you can understand the feelings of the families and victims of 9-11 - including our client - NYC firefighter and first responder Tim Brown - who survived the attack but lost nearly 100 colleagues that day. For them, the pain never ends. They consider this site hallowed ground and, like most Americans, don't believe this is the place to build a mosque. To them, it's insensitive. To them, it should be a memorial - not a mosque. It really is as simple as that."--Jay Sekulow
The Limbaugh quote is another example of the Big Lie. Because Muslims built a mosque to commemorate a victory sometime, somewhere in the world, the only reason that Muslims would want to build a mosque in lower Manhattan is to commemorate the 9/11 attacks. Of course, he completely ignores the fact that this mosque was intended to replace another mosque that had been in the same area for many years.
Abraham Foxman and Jay Sekulow are more subtle. They use the language of sensitivity. However, the fact that the landing gear from one of the planes struck the old Burlington Coat Factory does not make it hallowed ground. In fact, it was never considered hallowed ground until after the Muslims bought the property. This is a case of 1) revisionist history and 2) using sensitivity as a weapon.
Religious Crazy Talk
When it comes to religion, the words of the Bible and the words of those who speak in the name of religion often keep little company.
"And they got together and swore a pact to the Devil. They said, 'We will serve you if you'll get us free from the French.' True story. And so the Devil said, 'Okay, it's a deal.' . . . But ever since they have been cursed by one thing after another." --Pat Robertson
“I beg you, look for the words ‘social justice’ or ‘economic justice’ on your church Web site. If you find it, run as fast as you can. Social justice and economic justice, they are code words. Now, am I advising people to leave their church? Yes.”--Glenn Beck
"I mean, it is a perversion of the gospel. It is a perversion of the gospel. And I understand that we are dealing with — we're not dealing with — we're not dealing with powers of the Earth. We're just not. This is a perversion of the gospel. And it is such a clear perversion of the gospel, I want to show you the collective salvation remarks."--Glenn Beck
Pat Robertson used a little voodoo history in order to blame the Haitian earthquake on a so-called pact with the devil. While there is a grain of truth to the fact that during the slave uprising someone performed a voodoo rite, it doesn't hold up that the Haitian people as a whole made a pact or that God would send an earthquake nearly 200 years later to punish them.
While Robertson is laughable, Glenn Beck is more insidious. Although he is a Mormon, and therefore does not have a Christian take on the Bible, it doesn't stop him from talking about the Bible. In each of these quotes, he suggests that language which can be legitimately construed as love of neighbor really means something evil and subversive. It is true that social justice can be a code word for socialism and it is also true that collective salvation derives from liberation theology. However, the actual quotes from President Obama talked about not forgetting the less fortunate, which is a very Christian message. Beck takes the "collective salvation" soundbite and spins an entirely different meaning on it.
Obama Derangement Syndrome
There are many examples which could go here, but I will use just two.
This usurper in the office of the President of the United States has been shredding our Constitution. Washington is dominated by socialists. . . . Socialists do not believe in god. Their god is the state."--State Rep. Leo Berman
Obama "doesn't ... want to admit we're at war."--Dick Cheney
You don't have to like President Obama. However, that is not license to make things up. Last time I checked, being elected President of the United States does not make you a usurper. Also, President Obama has continued so many of his predecessor's policies on the war on terror that his liberal supporters have felt betrayed.
Lies and Texas Politics
Gov. Rick Perry coasted to victory in this year's gubernatorial race. The ease of his re-election didn't stop the Governor and his party from telling some whoppers.
"Today is day 164 of liberal trial lawyer Bill White refusing to debate. He also continues to refuse to release his taxes from his years in public service."--Press Release from the Rick Perry Campaign
Actually, it was Perry who refused to debate.
"Bill White has presided over the construction of what may be the world's largest abortion clinic."--Republican Party of Texas
That's true only if the words "presided over" mean that he happened to be mayor at the time.
Immigration
"I don't know that all of you are Latino. Some of you look a little more Asian to me. I don't know that. What we know about -- what we know about ourselves is that we are a melting pot in this country. My -- my grandchildren are evidence of that. I'm evidence of that. I've been called the third Asian legislator in our Nevada state assembly."--Sharon Angle
Bizarre.
"I don't know how anyone of Hispanic heritage could be a Republican, OK. Do I need to say more?"--Sen Harry Reid
Patronizing
"Worst of all, Robert Rodriguez’ incendiary race film ‘Machete’ was made, in part, with help from tax incentives and location access provided by the Texas Film Commission, a division of Governor Rick Perry’s Office. A spokesperson from the organization confirmed that Rodriguez had indeed applied for funding."--Alex Jones, Infowars.com
A little anti-immigrant hysteria? Saying that the film had applied for funding is not the same as saying that it was made with tax incentives. Also, calling it an "incendiary race film" is just plain silly. It is a good guys vs. bad guys movie where some of the bad guys happen to be Anglo.
Random
Here are some random false statements from the past year.
I never considered myself a maverick."--U.S. Sen. John McCain
Is this a case of amnesia?
"We don't get a lot of calls from this White House… I have, frankly, never had a call from them."--Rick Perry
This is more amnesia, since Gov. Perry had just received a call from the White House.
As we head into 2011, I am neither Republican nor Democrat nor likely to change anytime soon.
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