Conservatives Finally Turn on Their Own

[Donnachaidh]

http://motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2010/12/conservatives-finally-turn-their-own


When liberals complained about Republican opposition to the 9/11 first-responders bill, it wasn't news. But when conservatives complain, suddenly it can no longer be ignored:

The remarks by Mr. Giuliani capped several days of withering criticism from all corners of the political spectrum as it appeared that Congress could depart for the year without voting on the first responders bill because of Republican efforts to block it.

Headlines in normally conservative news outlets blasted Republicans. Newsmaxx.com wrote that: “Giuliani Raps Fellow Republicans for Holding Up 9/11 Heroes Money‎.” Fox News host Shepard Smith drew attention to Senator Tom Coburn of Oklahoma, who has said he will try to block the legislation.

....On Wednesday morning, the MSNBC host Joe Scarborough, a former Republican congressman, called the G.O.P.’s opposition to the bill “a terrible mistake” for the party.

I suppose this is useful in a way. Some days I wonder just what it takes to get conservatives to treat anything as an actual issue, rather than just a partisan cudgel, and I guess now I know. This is their limit.

[SpiralHawk]

1. "It's true. There ain't nothing lower than, um, Republiconism." - Republicons With Eyes Open

[Blue Owl]

2. The GOP can't mask its depravity forever

Sooner or later, their all-consuming greed may even become obvious to a teabagging freeper.

[HughBeaumont]

3. They're forever going to be plagued as "The Rich Man's Party".

And the Horatio Alger-believin' fools from the working and middle class will fall for their garbage every time.

One of my Republican friends once said "There seems to be a misconception that Republicans hate 'The Little Guy'". I think I was doubled over laughing at that. WHAT 'misconception'?

[EarlG]

4. Interesting

When the Republicans were blocking everything without question, nobody (that is nobody in the media) seemed to care about what it was that they were actually blocking. The conventional wisdom was simply "GOP senators are blocking everything." It didn't matter what they were blocking because they were just blocking everything, and that was the story. To the media, the overarching strategy was more important than the details.

But over the past few weeks the Republican stonewall has crumbled -- a number of Republicans have caved and allowed the Democrats to move big agenda items forward. So maybe the conventional wisdom is shifting. Now that the media no longer has the "GOP senators are blocking everything" storyline to cling on to, people will start to notice just who and what the Republicans are prepared to sacrifice in the name of their political strategy.

[Uncle Joe]

7. I believe this recent dynamic is tied to the fact that they already got the big things.

from health care reform to tax cuts for the mega-wealthy.

The corporate media's primary clients; the for profit "health" insurance corporations and the rich have already been taken care of.

So now the corporate media and the Republicans can present division as a means to create the illusion of concern for their fellow human beings to allow a few of them a better chance of political survival come 2012.

[lunatica]

5. THe very same Guiliani who refused to let first responders have breathing masks

The same guy who refused to have them get updated communication equipment before 9/11.

Hasn't he run out of ways of milking this issue yet?

[formercia]

8. He figures it's safe to kibbitz

otherwise some people might think he's an asshole. :rofl:

[AndrewP]

9. Guiliani = "Noun Verb 9/11"

[mwooldri]

6. Ahhh, so 9u11iani finally weighed in, eh? nt

[walldude]

10. My question is why was this issue not used against Republicans

during the election? This bill was shot down before the election and no one even talked about it. Now everyone is upset. It's fucking stupid, we could have won the election.