The coming liberal thugocracy

[classicman]

Michael Barone COMMENTARY:

"I need you to go out and talk to your friends and talk to your neighbors," Barack Obama told a crowd in Elko, Nev. "I want you to talk to them whether they are independent or whether they are Republican. I want you to argue with them and get in their face." Actually, Obama supporters are doing a lot more than getting into people's faces. They seem determined to shut people up.

That's what Obama supporters, alerted by campaign e-mails, did when conservative Stanley Kurtz appeared on Milt Rosenberg's WGN radio program in Chicago. Mr. Kurtz had been researching Mr. Obama's relationship with unrepentant Weather Underground terrorist William Ayers in Chicago Annenberg Challenge papers in the Richard J. Daley Library in Chicago - papers that were closed off to him for some days, apparently at the behest of Obama supporters.

Obama fans jammed WGN's phone lines and sent in hundreds of protest e-mails. The message was clear to anyone who would follow Mr. Rosenberg's example. We will make trouble for you if you let anyone make the case against The One.

Other Obama supporters have threatened critics with criminal prosecution. In September, St. Louis County Circuit Attorney Bob McCulloch and St. Louis City Circuit Attorney Jennifer Joyce warned citizens that they would bring criminal libel prosecutions against anyone who made statements against Mr. Obama that were "false." I had been under the impression that the Alien and Sedition Acts had gone out of existence in 1801-'02. Not so, apparently, in metropolitan St. Louis. Similarly, the Obama campaign called for a criminal investigation of the American Issues Project when it ran ads highlighting Mr. Obama's ties to Mr. Ayers.

These attempts to shut down political speech have become routine for liberals. Congressional Democrats sought to reimpose the "fairness doctrine" on broadcasters, which until it was repealed in the 1980s required equal time for different points of view. The motive was plain: to shut down the one conservative-leaning communications medium, talk radio. Liberal talk-show hosts have mostly failed to draw audiences, and many liberals can't abide having citizens hear contrary views.

To their credit, some liberal old-timers - like House Appropriations Chairman David Obey - voted against the "fairness doctrine," in line with their longstanding support of free speech. But you can expect the "fairness doctrine" to get another vote if Barack Obama wins and Democrats increase their congressional majorities.

Corporate liberals have done their share in shutting down anti-liberal speech, too. "Saturday Night Live" ran a spoof of the financial crisis that skewered Democrats like House Financial Services Chairman Barney Frank and liberal contributors Herbert and Marion Sandler, who sold toxic-waste-filled Golden West to Wachovia Bank for $24 billion. Kind of surprising, but not for long. The tape of the broadcast disappeared from NBC's Web site and was replaced with another that omitted the references to Mr. Frank and the Sandlers. Evidently NBC and its parent, General Electric, don't want people to hear speech that attacks liberals.

Then there's the Democrats' "card check" legislation that would abolish secret ballot elections in determining whether employees are represented by unions. The unions' strategy is obvious: Send a few thugs over to employees' homes - we know where you live - and get them to sign cards that will trigger a union victory without giving employers a chance to be heard.

Once upon a time, liberals prided themselves, with considerable reason, as the staunchest defenders of free speech. Union organizers in the 1930s and 1940s made the case that they should have access to employees to speak freely to them, and union leaders like George Meany and Walter Reuther were ardent defenders of the First Amendment.

Today's liberals seem to be taking their marching orders from other quarters. Specifically, from the college and university campuses where administrators, armed with speech codes, have for years been disciplining and subjecting to sensitivity training any students who dare to utter thoughts that liberals find offensive. The campuses that once prided themselves as zones of free expression are now the least free part of our society.

Obama supporters who found the campuses congenial and Mr. Obama himself, who has chosen to live all his adult life in university communities, seem to find it entirely natural to suppress speech they don't like and seem utterly oblivious to claims this violates the letter and spirit of the First Amendment. In this campaign, we have seen the coming of the Obama thugocracy, suppressing free speech, and we may see its flourishing in the four or eight years ahead.

Michael Barone is a nationally syndicated columnist.

Very interesting article and contrary to what most of the media is thinking. I hope that all this smoke doesn't lead to a fire. I hope all the whispers about Obama and his alleged associations aren't true. This is too important an election.

[smoothmoniker]

"Saturday Night Live" ran a spoof of the financial crisis that skewered Democrats like House Financial Services Chairman Barney Frank and liberal contributors Herbert and Marion Sandler, who sold toxic-waste-filled Golden West to Wachovia Bank for $24 billion. Kind of surprising, but not for long. The tape of the broadcast disappeared from NBC's Web site and was replaced with another that omitted the references to Mr. Frank and the Sandlers. Evidently NBC and its parent, General Electric, don't want people to hear speech that attacks liberals.

Holy crap, I remember seeing that sketch, and thinking, "This is unusually good critique of both sides - I'm used to SNL skewering the right mercilessly, but this is new!"

Then, the clip was edited. Here's the edit - the original dialogue about campaign contributions went right the line "Nice to see you again, Nancy" in the original broadcast. I'll see if I can lift it from TIVO and post it.

[Cicero]

I got something different from that sketch.

Hmph....Yes people that don't qualify aren't just poor. They are losers. As we all know, basic logic:

All poor people are losers:
Tony is a poor person therefore:
Tony is a loser.

*don't feel sorry for those people, losers*


People that don't qualify are also quazi criminals (single males as well, it would seem).

laffy.

[Shawnee123]

Raymond Barone is a nationally syndicated columnist

[bluecuracao]

Just a little FYI, the following is a more complete version of the quote that was taken out of context.

"I need you to go out and talk to your friends and talk to your neighbors. I want you to talk to them whether they are independent or whether they are Republican. I want you to argue with them and get in their face," he said.

"And if they tell you that, 'Well, we're not sure where he [Obama] stands on guns.' I want you to say, 'He believes in the Second Amendment.' If they tell you, 'Well, he's going to raise your taxes,' you say, 'No, he's not, he's going lower them.' You are my ambassadors. You guys are the ones who can make the case."

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/articl...&type=politics

[regular.joe]

Originally Posted by Cicero

I got something different from that sketch.

Hmph....Yes people that don't qualify aren't just poor. They are losers. As we all know, basic logic:

All poor people are losers:
Tony is a poor person therefore:
Tony is a loser.

*don't feel sorry for those people, losers*


People that don't qualify are also quazi criminals (single males as well, it would seem).

laffy.

Um, what the skid did actually say was that these guys portrayed as jobless, perhaps with a criminal record...did qualify for a sub prime loan. I mean, that is exactly what the skit said, in one segment of the skit. I think that was a joke, with some grounds in reality. People have been given loans that they just can't afford.

You know, the only reason I'm not personally affected by the sub prime loan thing is I can't afford a home. I have been qualified by several lending institutions as to be able to afford a home, well not lately. The bottom line is I can't buy what I can't afford. I will not let someone who wants between 5 and 30 percent of my money convince me that I can afford one. Even if I could afford one, I'm not willing to pay 5 to 30 percent of that phenomenal cost to anyone. I'm trying to convince my wife that this is a true statement. I'm so sick of credit that if I needed a tooth pulled and couldn't afford it, I'd barter.
I'd rather put the money in a mason jar and save enough to buy a home then put one on credit right now.

[Cicero]

Originally Posted by regular.joe

Um, what the skid did actually say was that these guys portrayed as jobless, perhaps with a criminal record...did qualify for a sub prime loan. I mean, that is exactly what the skit said, in one segment of the skit. I think that was a joke, with some grounds in reality. People have been given loans that they just can't afford.

Yes and it also stated: do you feel sorry for these guys, then portrayed complete losers....like they were the majority of people that got screwed. That's alright I didn't expect anyone here to have compassion for the people that lost their homes. But I definitely didn't expect SNL to make a mockery of the affected jobless sniveling criminal losers. Must be a nation of whiney losers.

[lumberjim]

Originally Posted by classicman

This is too important an election.

This is what i disagree with. I don't think it matters at all who gets elected. not even a little bit. I'm going to vote, but I'm going to vote for whatever the Libertarian candidate is. I will continue to do that until our two party sham of a system is disassembled.


this has been my political contribution for the year. I hope you enjoyed it.

[Shawnee123]

Raymond Barone is a nationally syndicated columnist

[classicman]

Originally Posted by bluecuracao

Just a little FYI, the following is a more complete version of the quote that was taken out of context.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/articl...&type=politics

Nothing was taken out of context - In fact, this (bold mine) is incorrect. If someone is making over $250,000 then he admittedly and unabashedly states that he will raise their taxes.

[Shawnee123]

People making over $250,000 rarely attend Democratic campaign rallies.

[bluecuracao]

Originally Posted by classicman

Nothing was taken out of context - In fact, this (bold mine) is incorrect. If someone is making over $250,000 then he admittedly and unabashedly states that he will raise their taxes.

Well yes, something was. Obama wasn't talking about shutting people up, as the commentary implies.

And come on, you have to know that all the speeches, ads, etc. by both parties are being aimed at folks who make under $250k, because that's where most of the potential votes are.

[barefoot serpent]

...unrepentant Weather Underground terrorist William Ayers

not enough acts of contrition, no self-flagellation?

oh, and

Michael Barone is a nationally syndicated columnist.

[Shawnee123]

He forgot to say 10 Hail Marys and 10 Our Fathers?

[Trilby]

What's all this then? classicman is conceding?

We've already gone the way of the liberal thugocracy? I'm pretty sure only republicans are allowed to be thugs...