Friday, September 11, 2009

Some things never change.

I saw this quote just the other day in a book I'm reading. I wondered if it were something I wanted to say something about, but I couldn't figure what. Then Rep. Joe Wilson of South Carolina opened his mouth and bingo! It hit me that some things just never change.



"It looked to me as though those men were saying to the country as a whole, 'we are Republicans first. We represent you here in Congress not as citizens of the U.S. in a period of crisis, but as members of a political party which seeks primarily to promote its own partisan interests.' This is to me shocking and terrifying. There was running through my mind as I watched them, in what would have been an act of childish spite, if it had not been such a serious moment in history, the lines of a song which was popular when I was young: 'I don't want to play in your yard. I don't love you any more."

Eleanor Roosevelt, My Day January 6, 1941



Now, I'm not saying that the Democrats are all lily-white and innocent, but it sure seems to me that the Republicans sure have a thing for saying 'No' just for the sake of it. If a Democrat pointed out that the sun comes up in the east, you could probably get a complete episode from Rush Limbaugh explaining why that's just liberal untruth. It's almost as if ER had known Rush 10 years before he was born!

3 comments:

  1. Just found this little bit of irony... Apparently Rep. Wilson has voted for health care for illegal immigrants previously.

    http://www.opencongress.org/articles/view/1219-Joe-Wilson-Voted-to-Provide-Taxpayer-Money-for-Illegal-Immigrants-Healthcare

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  2. Man, I couldn't agree more! It was almost sureal watching it on TV. The Dems were on their feet and the Republicans remained seated stone-faced. Years ago the two parties could basically get along. Not any more. Partisanship has devolved into obstructionist mentality. Kinda sad I think.

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  3. Part of the reason the Republicans have become 'the party of no' is that they're base is moving ever more to the right. Hell, most Republican lawmakers look moderate compared to their base. Read through this discussion thread some time:

    http://www.rr-bb.com/showthread.php?t=107700

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