Seriously, Tucker, you want to go there?How about this?
And for good measure, I give you this.
A slight majority of Americans -- 52% -- approve of Barack Obama's handling of the country's race relations.For some context, the following should be noted from here; namely that Obama’s predecessor’s disapproval rating overwhelmingly exceeded his approval rating.
And that's about it.
On every other issue surveyed in the new Gallup Poll, the Democrat's job approval rating is under 50% -- in some cases way under.
In fact, on eight of the 13 issues surveyed by Gallup, a majority of Americans disapprove of Obama's job -- in some cases overwhelmingly.
Like 2-to-1 overwhelmingly.
Like (very nearly) 2-to-1 overwhelmingly (also, the only president with a higher disapproval number upon leaving office was Richard Nixon, who, of course, was impeached).
Also, Malcolm makes a crack about Obama supposedly “approach(ing) his next set of vacations,” when again, Number 43 set the record on that score (here).
Malcolm is truly an embarrassment, and I really go back and forth as to whether I should even waste people’s time refuting this stuff, but here’s why I end up doing it; in the ‘90s before the presidential election took place when Clinton finished his second term, there was no alternative form of media to point out that Wired Magazine was full of crap when it “reported” that Al Gore claimed that he invented the Internet.
So the lie spread. Everywhere. And every slacker or pseudo-intellectual wastoid who thought he or she was politically informed started repeating it (to say nothing of Republicans). And then it became “conventional wisdom.”
And I don’t think it will ever be completely erased from our discourse (and Bob Casey Sr. supposedly being denied the right to speak at the ’92 Democratic National Convention because he was pro-life is another one).
The cartoon musical television series Schoolhouse Rock presents children with an educational perspective on how the United States government creates laws. An animated piece of legislation, aptly named “Bill,” dances on the steps of the Capitol and sings, “I’m just a bill. Yes, I’m only a bill. And I’m sitting here on Capitol Hill.” He explains to viewers the entire legislative process, from committee consideration to the possibility of a presidential veto. While this series is considered by many to be a classic teaching tool, it fails to accurately prepare its audience for the reality of this Democratic-controlled Congress.Of course, McCarthy provides no citations, particularly for the claim that a Democratic U.S. House member said the Constitution was “irrelevant.” Also, as far as “deeming” a bill as passed, McCarthy should check to see what a senior member of his own party has to say on the subject (here).
The updated version for this Democratic Congress would educate viewers about backroom deals, payoffs and kickbacks. It would feature floor speeches about the irrelevance of the Constitution. The animated cast would include a bill too stuffed with pork to dance around on the Capitol steps, characters who exploit their positions of power for personal gain, and others who turn a blind eye to the culture of corruption they’ve bred. Characters would laugh at the idea of reading the legislation they’re voting on, and would mock any attempt to cut spending. At the end, “Bill” wouldn’t be brought up for a vote on the House or Senate floor, he would be “deemed” passed. Unfortunately, this isn’t a cartoon; it’s U.S. government.
The point of this post by McCarthy, such as it is, is to publicize the so-called America Speaking Out web site, which, as Steve Benen via Crooks and Liars tells us here, is nothing more than a PR gimmick by the congressional minority party.
McCarthy has done a good job of flying below the proverbial radar up until now, trying to do more party organizing and candidate recruitment. However, since he ended up endorsing Dede Scozzafava in the NY-23 congressional race (as noted here), it’s likely that he feels the need to burnish his supposed teabagger bona fides in response, which, for his party, is a smart move considering this.
And having thus created his own straw man argument, he responded as follows:
Car crashes. Mass murder in the name of Islam. It's all the same to the left.Cute.
The only problem is that the Daily Kos post came in response to the demonizing of Feisal Abdul Rauf, who is heading efforts to build a community center in New York. As noted here, Glenn Beck (first sign of trouble) claimed Rauf currently "employs" an imam who blamed "the Jews" for 9-11; in fact, the imam resigned in 2001 prior to making those comments.
Further, Daily Kos diarist STDS said as follows, in the course of a dialogue in which he tried to convince another respondent (TJ) that not all Muslims are scary terrorists trying to blow up people (which Mullane failed to note, of course)…
I stopped my conversation with TJ when it became clear we could not agree on facts. He will not accept that there is a major difference between the acts of the few and Islam as a whole. His sources of information are nearly exclusively from the radical Right. He is has a world view that does not admit accept the citizens who are Muslims value their country as much as citizens who are Christian.Carrying out religious persecution of a majority for the sake of only a few. Deciding that baseless propaganda is actual fact and acting on that incorrect premise.
As long as that is the accepted meme from the radical Right there can be no end to the suggestions of limiting the rights of Muslim citizens. They are willing to participate in guilty by religious association. No charges have been filed against Imam Rauf, no investigations by the State Department have been launched into possible ties to terrorist organizations, no evidence of any kind of misbehavior has been brought forward, yet he and the members of his mosque are accused of trying to put some kind of trophy building at the site of the 9/11 attacks. It is the worst kind of hysteria, and thoroughly un-American to do so.
Finally we come back to the Constitution. The Framers where wise in their instance there be no test of religion for public office nor that there be some religions that are favored by the State over any others. There were Muslims in the United States at the time the Constitution was written. Thomas Jefferson owned and read the Qur’an. We have had Muslim citizens who have fought in our wars, helped build our cities and make this nation what it is across its entire history. The idea that just because a majority of people have a negative opinion of this group now is reason enough to give up the level of legal tolerance that we have enjoyed for more than 220 years. This is the worst possible outcome.
It’s all the same to the right.
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