Hardball: Republican A.D.D.

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Chris Matthews and his panel of Joan Walsh and Jonathan Alter talk about the Republicans' bad case of A.D.D. where they're already carping that the Democrats had better not use Ted Kennedy's death to push through health care/insurance reform. Heaven forbid what's good for Ronnie Raygun might be good for Ted Kennedy as well.

Matthews: Let me ask you about this attempt at foot steps here on the part of the right to interrupt this in a way, I called them ghouls a few minutes ago..

Walsh: Yeah.

Matthews: ..ah, grave robbers. They're trying to get into this story by saying the Democrats are going to do a "win one for the Gipper"...well do me if Audie Murphy served this country and was fighting for us, we'd say, well let's try to do something as well. Let's try to be equally courageous.

If somebody dies in a battle you say, let's try to carry it on, carry the banner forward. That seems to be very, American. They're turning that on the right as some kind of "well, you'd better not try that".

Alter: We've seen this before. The year was 1964. John F. Kennedy has been assassinated and Lyndon Johnson said let's pass the Civil Rights Act as a memorial to the slain president.

Matthews: Let it continue.

Walsh: Right.

Alter: And the right wing at that time said that it was inproper. The bill was passed and Ted Kennedy told me once that it was one of the top three accomplishments of the United States Senate in you know, all the years that he was there in the Civil Rights Act of '64.

Walsh: Well of course it was and you know passing a great health reform bill would be another signature accomplishment and he deserves it. And no one's dictating what should be in the bill, but to accuse, to say that's playing politics is just ridiculous. That is what the man stood for.

Matthews: Isn't it funny that people have memories that are so slight. The A.D.D. that overcomes them? Not in a clinical or medical sense, but just in a political sense. How many times in our lives in the last twenty or so years have you heard the phrase "win one for the Gipper"?

Walsh: Right.

Matthews: It's hilarious. It's a hoot, and now they're saying "don't do what we do".



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44 comments

as its all politics all of the time. anything and everything to beat down the political opposition is what they will do. there are some on the left that do the same against the GOP. but not as many. the GOP is just clinical about their cynicism, its institutionalized. it has to be their way, or nothing, not even the highway. how pathetic and yet, expected.

And whatever you do, don't use the tragedy of 9/11 as an excuse to massively infringe on American's civil liberties (or Iraqi's lives, by the way).

Okay, let's name the Kennedy Bill after ahhh... Saint Ronnie Reagan.

You know, Reagan, the guy who taught GOP America to crap on the rest of us.

There is one republican who someone needs to call and tell him the freakin' campaign is over and he lost last November.

Last night as people were going into the wake, most were pleasant and humble as they walked into the Kennedy Library. Not McCain, he was grinning laughing and waving to the cameras. Today as he stands and awaits entering the church, he found the tv camera and grinned at it and actually waved. I have not seen one other person do that. He has zero class! I guess he thinks everything is all about him.

to have McSame and Vyl Kyl as senators. I don't even call their offices anymore.

Back when I used to call them it was often about their boneheaded stands on various policies-

but more and more I found myself in a position where I had to tell them how ASHAMED I was to have them "representing" AZ.

Vyl Kyl is a corporate stooge with a 100% rating by Focus on the Family.

McSame lost the election. I remember reading that somewhere. Weird; he seems to get more air time than the POTUS.

You have my sympathies. That is one sorry-ass senate team you have.

)O(

I got kay baily hutchinson and john cornyn.

there's a bucket of open-mindedness right there....

It sounds as if I'm in the same state as you. I hear libs like Hartmann hounding his listeners to call their reps and senators. With these two it's an utter waste of time. The really aggravating thing is this state must be populated with rich Republicans and overpopulated with poor and stupid Republicans because these two jagoffs keep getting relected term after term for the twenty long years I've lived here. I really hate this place and the reason why is a tossup between the heat and the lousy Republican politicians that infest this state.

Heh Heh, GWB and Laura are sitting between the Clintons and the Carters. Looks a wee bit uncomfortable all the way around.

Laura looks strange. I didn't see her join in any conversation. As Keith said, Laura is thinking.

probably thinking about the guy she killed.

ADDENDUM: Plus I'm suprised the chimp is there as he hadn't the decency to go to Ann Richards funeral.

Joan: "passing a great health reform bill would be another signature accomplishment and he deserves it."
Unfortunately a "great" health care reform bill is unlikely. It would seem the Dems have been bought a paid for and they are only going through the motions and will pass a mediocre one at best; hope I'm wrong.

...fucking earth I ever want to hear from. Through endless lies, murder, mayhem, hypocrisy, racism, imperialism, totalitarianism, etc. these self-righteous sick fucks have lost(and lose more with every passing day) the respect of decent human beings worldwide.

Except unfortunately, for the 46% of morons and dupes who still fall for their bullshit in this country.

"46% of morons and dupes who still fall for their bullshit in this country"

--

They know it's bullshit, that's the problem. We all still act like they're being "duped" by Rush, Fox News, the GOP, church... etc. But they *want* the spin and misinformation. They intentionally watch Fox because they know it's the Republican new channel. Nobody truly believes Fox is "fair and balanced" - not even their viewers. They listen to Rush for conservative opinion not for real objective news. But it's like Colbert said: "Reality has a well-known liberal bias." Avoiding reality is as simple as defining your own reality via group-think. If enough people believe the way I do it becomes truth.

This is the problem inherent in Obama's need for bipartisanship. There is none and never will be when you're dealing with people who have pre-defined positions with no intention of ever growing, learning or budging from what they already believe.

psychology is behind such beliefs. Is it a need to feel superior? Time for some more reading.

Karl Rove was just on Fox talking about how "unseemly" it was of Pelosi and Reid to suggest attaching the Kennedy name to the health care reform bill.

I guess he missed this particular edition of Hardball.

looks flushed like he's back on the booze again. Heh, as if he ever stopped drinking.

Who knows, maybe he's more coherent when drunk?

It;s not Republican ADD it's rank Republican hypocrisy. Same shit, same party, nothing new.

Indeed. I was going to say practically the same thing. It's complete and utter hypocrisy, and it's about time people start calling it for what it is. It's hypocrisy, which, by definition, makes the Republicans hypocrites.

But they are so good at it, unless your paying attention, you wouldn't even notice.

The "success" of the GOP depends on one not paying attention.

I hate to be technical, but the term "A.D.D." was removed from the DSM-IV in 1994. The technical term is ADHD, even if there is no hyperactivity.

Sorry, but that crap drives me crazy! And if you are buying a book on the topic, DO NOT buy one that calls it A.D.D!

ADD is not "forgetting" - it's an inability to focus for long on the same topic. Republicans suffer from a selective focus disorder.

If there is a DSM diagnosis to describe republicans, it's Anti-Social Personality D/O.

They don't care what pain they inflict on others. They don't care about anything but themselves. They will commit any crime imaginable to achieve their own personal goals.

The actual DSM IVR criteria.

http://pn.psychiatryonline.org/cgi/content/fu...

In particular, 2, 5, 6 and 7.

You are dead on.

As an astute pol and former psychology student, that's been my diagnosis also.

g-damn insult to the memory of Ted Kennedy, if the modern day healthcare warrior Dems used his name on this crap they are calling healthcare reform. It's nothing more than crony capitalism legislation with the word reform added to it. If Ted Kennedy truly believed in real healthcare reformed, his family would be insulted at them using his name, regardless of how anyone used Reagan's. Reagan was a flake with few mental faculties.

It's like Bushes JOBS Initiative that increased the corporate tax deductions for outsourcing jobs.

I always said, if the repukes could think of a way to kill grandma and grandpa and steal their SS checks, they would give it some beautiful Orwellean name like "eliminating stress for the elderly initiative."

"How nice, grandma and grandpa aren't going to have to worry about anything ever again."

POW POW! "Aren't those republicans wonderful thoughtful folks. Where's grandma, so I can give her the good news?"

For once Matthews is semi, sort-of right about a larger issue -- Republicans trying to preemptively criticize Democrats for "politicizing" Kennedy's death.

However, Matthews being Matthews, with his habitual lack of preparation and an inarticulateness that's stunning for a guy who makes a living talking and writing, couldn't even give a three word quote correctly. Lyndon Johnson did not say "let it continue:"

"...On the 20th day of January, in 19 and 61, John F. Kennedy told his countrymen that our national work would not be finished "in the first thousand days, nor in the life of this administration, nor even perhaps in our lifetime on this planet." "But," he said, "let us begin."

Today in this moment of new resolve, I would say to all my fellow Americans, let us continue..."

That one word makes a BIG difference in the meaning.

is an utter moron. Oh and jesus do something about that hair!

Let's win this one for Limbaugh's anal cyst. Funny how the geography of his "war" affliction matches his personality.

Judging by the economy under boosh, one would think the gop doesn't know how to ADD.

Who's death have the repugs not used politically? Reagan, Terri Schiavo, Pat Tillman(and many other dead soldiers), Jesus...the list goes on and on.

In fact there is nobody in this world so important to the Repugs that they wouldn't sully a persons memory for their own gain. I've said it before these people have no morals or values so they do not understand right from wrong.

)O(

Oh I think they know

Ignorance is excusable.

)O(

If republicans were around during the days of Jesus's crucifixion, would they've been the ones running the hardware stores?

Handy Danesti.

)O(

"Nails don't kill, only people with nails kill.

Wanna buy some nails?"

and they reject morality. They have values: selfishness and greed. The reason they are kicking our asses is because we don't lower ourselves to their level. We don't have to be without integrity, but we have to adopt their methods to get the truth as we know it out there. Take the gloves off. This is a bare knuckle fight.

It does no good to spell out the hypocrisy and crass immorality of the Republican party. It's preaching to the choir. And Fox News won't do it, so big deal.

What we need to say is, "Too bad, Republicans, you don't like it? Too bad. We learned it from you."

who died in Iraq the line that the Republicans pushed for years to keep us in the war? Didn't we need to stay so that those men and women hadn't died in vain? They hand that crap out like it's party favors when the rhetoric works for their cause. Let's hope that a few of the gutless bluedogs out there remember to win one for the political legacy of Ted Kennedy....and win it also because it's the right thing to do.

"Don't do what we do" should be the Republicans new slogan. After all, anything is acceptable as long as they do it.

but they are republicans, and it seems, it is easy to be goolish when the only reason you do anything is greed! If you have only one love and are obsessed with it, you really do become goolish. As far as I can see in my life time greed is the only motivating factor for anything republican. Whether it be in the best interest of the people or not the determining factor always ends up being what is in it for me. Like bush said sometimes money trumps peace! I know there are those among us that may not understand what that means. So in laymans terms. Sometimes it is OK to kill someone for money!
That is what bush said.
republicanism is a mental illness!

)O(

Dont'cha mean ghoulish

Or perhaps ghulish?

44 comments

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