Ask Hyde to apologize to Durbin

[Radical Activist]

Here we go again. Accusations are being thrown against Dick Durbin again in the fringe conservative media and blogiverse. You can expect to see the story picked up by the obedient corporate media in the next day or two.

The conservative movement is now preaching that Senator Durbin is a Catholic-hating Catholic who wants to keep all people of faith out of public office. Never mind the fact that Durbin is himself a Catholic had has supported many people of faith for other offices. The accusations are based on the highly insulting premise that liberals must not be religious.

The uproar started with a column by John Turley http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-turley25jul25,0,3148446.story?coll=la-news-comment-opinions who claims Durbin asked John Roberts what he would do if his beliefs as a Catholic conflicted with a law he was forced to rule on. Supposedly Roberts answered that he would have to recuse himself. Conservatives who moan about Durbin's question don't seem to mind the prospect of a deadlocked Supreme Court divided 4-4 on an abortion ruling.

A Concord Monitor http://www.cmonitor.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050728/REPOSITORY/507280319/1028/OPINION02 article describes the discrepancies between Turley's article and how Durbin's staff characterized the questions. Of course the conservatives don't care that Durbin isn't publicly standing by any kind of anti-Catholic statement alluded to in the article and has never publicly said a word about Roberts' faith. They're ready to convict him for heresy no matter what.

The second step in the Republican formula for lynching liberals is to have a Republican leader demand an apology. Henry Hyde appears to have jumped the gun on this one and asked for an apology for comments Durbin has never publicly made or confirmed. http://powerlineblog.com/archives/011180.php

Hyde's letter is deeply offensive. He brings up the history of discrimination against Catholics and Irish and implies Durbin would bar people of faith from being appointed to office. Such accusations from Hyde are shameful and baseless. Henry Hyde should apologize to Durbin immediately.

Let's play the conservative game for a moment and call Hyde's office to demand he apologize to Durbin for his outrageous accusations. Call his Washington office at [phone] or his district office at [phone] or use this email form. http://www.house.gov/hyde/get_address2.htm

Check out Margaret Carlson's excellent article that cuts through the crap in this contrived controversy. This is a disingenuous attack to make sure Roberts is appointed easily without answering controversial questions on social issues. http://quote.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000039&refer=columnist_carlson&sid=awNdhUQkRCXs

cross-posted from DownLeft http://downleft.blogspot.com/

[redqueen]

1. This wouldn't work if the audience for this crap wasn't so flipping stupid

:eyes:

[rateyes]

2. Kicked and nominated....BTW, only Illinois residents can

use the link to e-mail him...if you don't have e-mail, got to snail-mail or call him. And, NO, this isn't just another "youthful indiscretion" of his. What a jerk.

[Radical Activist]

4. Thanks

Calls are more effective than email anyway.

[napi21]

3. Oh stop with the appologies already!

The ONLY time an appology should ever be made is if an official deliberately lies about another official, and even then it doesn't matter.

These guys' when they do appologize, don't mean it! They're doing it for political reasons, and who cares!

I say , it you wrote it, or said it, LIVE WITH IT! If you got to where you are and still haven't learned to think before talking, TS!

[Radical Activist]

5. Then just call and tell them Hyde is a jerk for saying it.

That works too.

[KittyWampus]

6. You Apparently Didn't Bother To Read The Opening Post

[Radical Activist]

7. Anyone else call?

What kind of response did you get?
Calling is better. They're closed for the day so calling Monday morning would be good.