The left continues to demonize critics on a scale seldom seen before. Not only has the White House declared war on an entire news channel – Fox News – but leftist commentator, news channels, newspapers and magazine do their best to convince the public that all opposition is “unpatriotic” as well.
Reason compiled a handy list of prime examples of Democrats calling Republicans and critical Independents “unpatriotic,” “unAmerican” and what not:
Bill Press, syndicated columnist and former CNN host: “There’s only one thing left: to rename the party for what it really stands for. It’s no longer the Republican Party; it’s the Hate America Party.”
Eugene Robinson, Washington Post columnist: “Why, oh why, do conservatives hate America so?…As Republican leaders — except RNC Chairman Michael Steele — are beginning to realize, “I’m With the Taliban Against America” is not likely to be a winning slogan.”
CNN Headline News host Joy Behar: Guest Richard Belzer: “We see, you know, they`re cheering when we don`t get the Olympics and – and demeaning the Nobel Prize…Joy Behar: Right, which is so un-American.
MSNBC’s host Ed Schultz: “This attack on President Obama trying to get the Olympics is about the most un-American thing I think I’ve ever seen.”
Radio host Cynthia Hardy on MSNBC’s Hardball: “So [with the case of Rep. Joe Wilson] what you get is this blatant disregard for the office of the presidency, which is extremely un-American.”
MSNBC’s host Ed Schultz: “Rush must have been popping a few too many pills that particular day. Turning a hopeful message about the resiliency of Americans into a partisan attack. That’s un-American ‘Psycho Talk,’ which is par for the course.”
Blogger Steve Clemons, appearing on MSNBC: “Jesse Helms of North Carolina was chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee for many years. And many of these folks that have come into their own today, particularly in the Bush administration, were essentially tutored by Helms to bring, you know, somewhat of a ‘Fortress America’ attitude to the comments, which are, I think, quite unpatriotic.”
CNN Headline News host Joy Behar: “Now why don`t you figure that this is a little unpatriotic for [Palin] to go to Hong Kong and badmouth the president of the United States? At the very least it’s disrespectful.”
Newsweek’s Jonathan Alter, appearing on MSNBC: “But they’re trying to delegitimize him in any way they can, be as disrespectful, not just to him but to the office as they can. And to my mind, to be actually, what I would call unpatriotic in their approach.”
MSNBC host Keith Olbermann: “How are Democrats, anything but at best — I`ll use this combination — irresponsible at worst, unpatriotic for giving that party more say than utterly necessary than what they have already in many amendments of this bill in health care reform.”
At this moment, Obama critics aren’t the attacks serious. They’re laughing at them, shrugging them off. “Look at how deep leftists have fallen,” is the reaction – and that’s that.
Sadly, I think they are making a tragic mistake by refusing to lower themselves to the same level of leftists. There is a reason these people continue to call Obama-critics “unAmerican,” “anti-American” and “unpatriotic”: they realize that these attacks have effect. Perhaps not now, but certainly in the long run.
If you repeat the same line of attack time and again, you get inside people’s heads. Sooner or later, the right will be considered unAmerican – even by those who initially disapproved of this line of attack.
The only way to deal with these kinds of insults is by hurling them right back at them.
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