Who Booed?

[Ready4Change]

I clearly heard boo's during the SOTU. It was when Bush was defending his tax cuts and calling for them to be made permament. To me there is no question that they occurred.

My question is: Who was booing? The Dem side of the house was clearly disagreeing with much of the SOTU. However, that one segment of the speech was on a topic that has many fiscally conservative Republicans up in arms.

So who booed? Dems? Republicans? A bit of both?

Finally, I've tried to find coverage of this booing in the media, but have yet to find any at all. Anyone have links to stories regarding this?

[Skittles]

1. someone with some guts

certainly not republicans

[Ready4Change]

3. I applaud whoever booed

I agree with their sentiments regarding making permament these tax cuts (mostly for the rich) in this time of staggering increases in government spending and highly unequal economic recovery.

And I definitely applaud the dems for not applauding during the moments of the speech when Bush promoted several other themes I oppose. It showed a back bone that, up till now, seemed all too rare in the dems in our government.

[Logansquare]

2. No coverage...isn't that strange? nt

[Ready4Change]

5. Very strange.

The President being booed during the SOTU should be HUGE news. Run out of the room and phone in the story huge. Yet I've not found a peep in even semi-major news sources.

If the dems did the booing and the press was totally liberal, I could see the story being squelched to reduce the negative impressions many fear from such an action.

If a number of more independant repub's did the booing and the big media corporations who control our news didn't want such rebelliousness to catch on, I could again see the story being deep sixed.

But I don't think either such total media controlled conspiracy exists. Or rather, I think BOTH exist a little bit, and I think a third exists that serves the administrations interests beyond the first two. And I think censoring any stories regarding this booing serves all three groups.

But that censoring doesn't serve the people of the US, and that's who the media is SUPPOSED to serve, isn't it?

[mrdmk]

4. I could not tell if someone dropped something or booed

One thing was clear and that was the Democrates were not standing up in last nights SOTU speech the way they were in the 2nd SOTU.:thumbsdown:

[dflprincess]

6. Gee and a few members of the public booing Trent Lott

at Wellstone's memorial was headline news. You'd think it would be a bigger deal when members of Congress (or invited guests?) boo the president during the SOTU.

[Lindacooks]

16. Isn't that interesting?

And you are so right!!

[annagull]

7. It was me

I was booing so loudly at my television that it echoed in the halls of congress! :-)

[imax2268]

8. I think that was most of us

I was booing during the entire speech...

[JohnOneillsMemory]

10. My throat still hurts.

I've never been so disturbed by the animal sounds of the men in the room who were shouting and cheering their approval of *.

It sounded like a pack of frat boys or warriors pursuing their prey. Oh, shit. That's exactly what it was. The sound of men enjoying the kill. I had to scream back at the fuckers.

Atleast footage of the Nuremberg rallies is in black and white. The enormity was almost unbearable. Friends couldn't bring themselves to watch and I had to report. Like identifying a body...

[ComerPerro]

9. I sure as hell did

But, I also decided to have several drinks. I needed them, or I wouldn't have been able to sit through that crap.

[imax2268]

11. man...

I knew I forgot to do something...

have a shot everytime I heard the word "Terra"...oh well there's always the next one...I'm sure he will end up saying the same dam thing again...

[ComerPerro]

15. I am hoping there isn't a next one

The next state of the union address will be delivered by President Clark/Dean/Edwards/Kerry/Kucinich/Lieberman

[calimary]

12. Yeah, it was booing or something close to it. It reminded me

of the British Parliament gatherings when Tony Blair is speaking and everyone else is weighing in with all their harrumphs and such. It sure seemed like boos to me.

Has anybody mentioned the fact that there were two outbreaks of applause at things he did NOT intend as applause lines: the one about parts of the Patriot Act expiring and the part about the tax cuts expiring. Has somebody - ANYBODY - in the media made a mention of this? Certainly I would be shocked if anybody other than rightwing talk show jackals - in a complaining mode. But I have yet to hear anything.

And by the way (it's been mentioned elsewhere here on DU), we haven't heard much of anything about the poll Bill Schneider quoted on CNN LAST NIGHT in the post-game show - that revealed the lowest approval numbers for the speech in the last maybe 6 years. They went back to 1998, pointing out that this was in the Clinton impeachment era. The figures after those SOTUs were in the high 50s and 60s. The numbers for bush's SOTU last year were in the 50's.

Last night's react was 45 percent.

[Bluerthanblue]

13. tonite on PBS... i saw

a snippet from the SOTU... and it was where Bush mentioned that repealing the tax cuts would mean a 'tax increase' and there were audible boo's... which i had heard last night,- but i was surprised to see him look up towards the center, and to his left (predominatly) with his 'John Wayne" imitation, like 'bring em on' since he was lookin at his "friends'-

[TheWebHead]

14. they were republicans

booing the idea of the tax cuts ending... it was meant to be encouraging to bush but since it's so unusual to hear any booing at a SOTU, it didn't come off sounding correct to most.

[KTM]

17. It was NOT the Dems.

They were booing after he indicated that taxes might sunset... they were, if you will, "reverse psychology" boos - that is, they were not booing at him or his message, but about the fact that these things might not be made permanent.

I watched the entire thing, and also have about 95% of it recorded as an mp3. I'm quite certain the boos were NOT from the Democrats.

From CSPAN's transcript, below is the text of what I call Rove's "Test the Stump Speech" section of the SOTU. This is where the booing occurred. I have added my marks to the transcript to indicate where it comes (I can barely hear it in my recording), and, when looked at in context, it is plain that it would not be the Dems.

"Congress has some unfinished business on the issue of taxes. The tax reductions you passed are set to expire. Unless you act -- (applause) -- unless you act -- unless you act, the unfair tax on marriage will go back up. (faint booing) Unless you act, millions of families will be charged $300 more in federal taxes for every child. (slightly louder booing). Unless you act, small businesses will pay higher taxes. (more booing) Unless you act, the death tax will eventually come back to life. (more booing) Unless you act, Americans face a tax increase. (loudest booing) What Congress has given, the Congress should not take away. For the sake of job growth, the tax cuts you passed should be permanent. (Applause)(make that 'Thunderous Applause')."