Disrespectful

[jamiche]

I have seen many presidents address joint sessions of Congress including Nixon, the most devious president in American history and W, one of the most inept. Traditionally the opposition party sits on its hands during the applause lines. Last night the republicans openly heckled Obama. It was shocking and deeply disrespectful to the country.

[UpnorthGo4]

Whenever a president speaks to Congress (State of the Union Address, etc) I find the behavior of both the Republican and Democratic Congressional attendees to be so embarrassing I always end up turning off the TV and doing something else. The numerous standing ovations by the members of the President's political party for even the most innocuous statements is pathetic. They look like school children when they do it. Likewise, the heckling of the President of the United States during any speech in the U.S. Capitol is reprehensible. Any Member of Congress who does it should be subject to public censure.

[Winnipegopher]

To be honest- and in order of transparency I am not American and generally reluctant to comment politically on American issues- the politcal polarization of the US is shocking to me. Maybe it has always been there and the Internet just brings it out. I don't think so though.

The standing ovations look like something from North Korea and heckling by an elected representative during a presidential speech is unacceptable.

I wonder if in a hundred years historians won't point to George W. Bush and/or 9/11 as the beginning of the Decline of the American Empire.

[bga1]

I have seen many presidents address joint sessions of Congress including Nixon, the most devious president in American history and W, one of the most inept. Traditionally the opposition party sits on its hands during the applause lines. Last night the republicans openly heckled Obama. It was shocking and deeply disrespectful to the country.


What Joe Wilson did was inappropriate- completely. He was correct, but it was totally wrong to say what he did during the course of the speech. Other than that there was reaction but nothing out of order at all. The President delivered one of the most partisan speeches of all times and one coudl expect some reaction. Obama is the most devious president in our history. His use of words for deception is amazing. There is non doubt he purposefully attempted to mislead the nation and the congress last night and that too is incredibly disrespectful to the nation he serves. He's not a king to be serve - rather he is to be a leader who serves.

[bga1]

To be honest- and in order of transparency I am not American and generally reluctant to comment politically on American issues- the politcal polarization of the US is shocking to me. Maybe it has always been there and the Internet just brings it out. I don't think so though.

The standing ovations look like something from North Korea and heckling by an elected representative during a presidential speech is unacceptable.

I wonder if in a hundred years historians won't point to George W. Bush and/or 9/11 as the beginning of the Decline of the American Empire.


Or perhaps more accurately the great divide came out of the Democrats cry that the Republicans somehow stole the Presidency. From that point on it was fated that anything Bush did would be view with hatred. And so it was.

[UpnorthGo4]

Or perhaps more accurately the great divide came out of the Democrats cry that the Republicans somehow stole the Presidency. From that point on it was fated that anything Bush did would be view with hatred. And so it was.

Apparently, unlike most fair minded Americans, you did not have an issue with Rush Limbaugh and his fellow hate mongerers insinuating that Bill and Hillary Clinton murdered their attorney to keep incriminating information from being made public.

If you think this all started with the Bush presidency you are more uninformed and hopelessly biased than I always thought. For eight years the United States was held hostage by right wing demagogues intent on destroying Clinton because he was a peacenik during college, a womanizer after college, and he beat a Republican icon and war hero for the presidency.

I should not have to remind anyone that despite the longest and most partisan Congressional investigation in history, Clinton did not spend one day in jail, and he served his entire two terms as President of the United States.

[jamiche]

Or perhaps more accurately the great divide came out of the Democrats cry that the Republicans somehow stole the Presidency. From that point on it was fated that anything Bush did would be view with hatred. And so it was.

Was Bush ever heckled during a speech to a joint session of Congress?

[bga1]

Maybe you want to debate with Winnie on this. He's the one that suggested it started with Bush I simply reacted by stating that the current divide may have had it's roots with the Dems. On the whole I agree that this level of division had existed before and perhaps many times.

[bga1]

I have seen many presidents address joint sessions of Congress including Nixon, the most devious president in American history and W, one of the most inept. Traditionally the opposition party sits on its hands during the applause lines. Last night the republicans openly heckled Obama. It was shocking and deeply disrespectful to the country.


Maybe you should view this:

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2009/09/10/flashback_democrats_boo_bush_at_2005_state_of_the_ union.html

[Gopher4Life]

jamiche,

>>It was shocking and deeply disrespectful to the country.<<

It was disrespectful to Obama and perhaps to the office. IMO, it was not disrespectful to the nation in any way. To pretend that Obama is not full of lies is disrespectful to our country.

Winnipeg,

>>...point to George W. Bush and/or 9/11 as the beginning of the Decline of the American Empire.<<

Our decline began a long time before that.

[bga1]

Was Bush ever heckled during a speech to a joint session of Congress?

Yes- during the state of the union address (a much bigger occassion)
see my link of the video in another post in this thread. Thanks for asking. :)

[diehard]

Apalling. Wrong time. Wrong place. However, he had the right words.

[jamiche]

Yes- during the state of the union address (a much bigger occassion)
see my link of the video in another post in this thread. Thanks for asking. :)

No, he was booed, as Obama was on three occasions last night. Clinton was hissed during a state of the union speech.

Wilson was not the only republican who heckled Obama last night--he was just the worst.

One of the many ironies, beej, is that just as you resent paying for the millions of "welfare cheats", I resent the disproportionate share of taxes that are paid by states that get very little back (e.g. Minnesota). The so called red states are sucking a disproportionate number of tax dollars out of the system. States like OK get far more out than they put in (G4 is getting a very good deal--do you want to be the one to let him know?).

However, it is one country and collectively (there's an old fashioned bolshevik word) we'll do the right thing.

[Gopher4Life]

>>...we'll do the right thing.<<

The supporting evidence isn't really there. We've been doing a whole lot of the wrong thing for years.

[jamiche]

>>...we'll do the right thing.<<

The supporting evidence isn't really there. We've been doing a whole lot of the wrong thing for years.

Believe me, I wish that I didn't have to pay for you.

[diehard]

Jammer, you don't sound like someone who wants to pay taxes. In fact you resent it.

"I resent the disproportionate share of taxes that are paid by states that get very little back (e.g. Minnesota). The so called red states are sucking a disproportionate number of tax dollars out of the system."

"Believe me, I wish that I didn't have to pay for you."

Thanx for the empathy. I feel the same about you. Maybe you should be at the Tea Party! I definately feel you should pay the same rate I do. As should everyone else. Ooopz, poorly stated, I feel I should pay the same rate you do.

[Gopher4Life]

jamiche,

Self-sufficient, independent-thinking, freedom-loving Americans from 200 years ago would vomit at the sight of the over-taxed, mismanaged, lazy-ass "cradle-to-grave" society we're rushing to establish. You and I both know it.

[nasa35]

I have seen many presidents address joint sessions of Congress including Nixon, the most devious president in American history and W, one of the most inept. Traditionally the opposition party sits on its hands during the applause lines. Last night the republicans openly heckled Obama. It was shocking and deeply disrespectful to the country.

Quit your mock outrage and grow a pair. The democrats openly booed Bush during his 2005 address.

Grow up, you leftnuts cannot tolerate political desent at any level.

[UpnorthGo4]

jamiche,

Self-sufficient, independent-thinking, freedom-loving Americans from 200 years ago would vomit at the sight of the over-taxed, mismanaged, lazy-ass "cradle-to-grave" society we're rushing to establish. You and I both know it.

Who the hell cares what the Founding Fathers would think. They have been dead for over 200 years and it is high time that knee-jerk conservatives acknowledge that fact. I like the governmental system that they set up, but they are not God or anything close to it. They owned slaves and did not give the right to vote to anyone who was not male, who did not own property, and who could not read. Most Americans can be thankful that they are not running the country now.

[bga1]

Who the hell cares what the Founding Fathers would think. They have been dead for over 200 years and it is high time that knee-jerk conservatives acknowledge that fact. I like the governmental system that they set up, but they are not God or anything close to it. They owned slaves and did not give the right to vote to anyone who was not male, who did not own property, and who could not read. Most Americans can be thankful that they are not running the country now.

Well- there you have it. Liberal thinking in a nutshell:

"I the educated liberal am the new god and the part of the elite goup of the brightest beings that have evolved on the planet. Those that went before are just stepping stones towards the day when I made everything better."

That's beautiful.

[Gopher4Life]

I agree. "There you have it. That's beautiful." There's the problem America faces and they don't even recognize it.

[diehard]

Who the hell cares what the Founding Fathers would think. They have been dead for over 200 years and it is high time that knee-jerk conservatives acknowledge that fact. I like the governmental system that they set up, but they are not God or anything close to it. They owned slaves and did not give the right to vote to anyone who was not male, who did not own property, and who could not read. Most Americans can be thankful that they are not running the country now.

"Who the hell cares what the Founding Fathers would think." Just an unbelievable comment. Unbelievable.

[Gopher4Life]

Many have apparently forgotten the foundations of our country, if they ever knew or cared in the first place.

[jamiche]

Jammer, you don't sound like someone who wants to pay taxes. In fact you resent it.

"I resent the disproportionate share of taxes that are paid by states that get very little back (e.g. Minnesota). The so called red states are sucking a disproportionate number of tax dollars out of the system."

"Believe me, I wish that I didn't have to pay for you."

Thanx for the empathy. I feel the same about you. Maybe you should be at the Tea Party! I definately feel you should pay the same rate I do. As should everyone else. Ooopz, poorly stated, I feel I should pay the same rate you do.

Nah DH, I was just throwing a little bit of irony at G4's constant whining about taxes and the costs associated with living in an orderly society.

[jamiche]

"Who the hell cares what the Founding Fathers would think." Just an unbelievable comment. Unbelievable.

I don't think that the FF ever considered themselves to be deities and I'm sure they would be amused at how they have been selectively referenced by some people. The constitution is not an inert document; it has been amended many times as, I suspect, the FF intended.

[Gopher4Life]

jamiche,

>>...constant whining about taxes and the costs associated with living in an orderly society.<<

I'm okay with paying sufficient taxes to maintain "an orderly society." It's the extra required for dubious projects, bailouts, handouts, and wasteful boondoggles that gripes me. (I hope I don't have to clarify that distinction for you again.) You might be okay with handing central government a blank check; I'm not.

>>...they would be amused at how they have been selectively referenced by some people.<<

Okay, forget the FF. The citizens, ruggedly independent freedom-lovers all, would vomit at what is happening to the nation they built. And it does matter.

[jamiche]

"I'm okay with paying sufficient taxes to maintain "an orderly society." It's the extra required for dubious projects, bailouts, handouts, and wasteful boondoggles that gripes me. (I hope I don't have to clarify that distinction for you again.) You might be okay with handing central government a blank check; I'm not."

So where do you draw the line, G4? OK gets a huge agricultural subsidy from the federal gov't. Some would consider that a wasteful boondoggle. Do you? If you own a home that has a mortgage all of the tax paying non home owners in the country are subsidizing your interest deduction. They might consider that a wasteful boondoggle. Do you?

[Gopher4Life]

>>So where do you draw the line...<<

At least you've admitted that there is a line. I think.

IMO, there are a few (not many) justifiable agriculture subsidies. I'm far from an expert in that area. BTW, OK is primarily a ranching state. More horses per capita than any other state.

Since you asked, I pay cash for nearly everything including my last two houses. Not that it really matters.

Boondoggle: a trivial, useless, or wasteful project or activity that benefits few if any