The Return Of Schiavo:Conservatives Plan To Revive Embarrassing Debacle To Block Obama’s DOJ Nominee

[laststeamtrain]

The Return Of Schiavo: Conservatives Plan To Revive Embarrassing Debacle To Block Obama’s DOJ Nominee»

One of the saddest, most hysterical crusades by conservatives over the past few years involved their intervention in the case of critically brain-damaged woman Terry Schiavo. Conservatives — including former Senate majority leader Bill Frist and former House majority leader Tom DeLay — brought the personal tragedy to national attention in 2005 by trying to write legislation forcing doctors to reinsert her feeding tube and taking the “extraordinary step” of subpoenaing Schiavo to testify to Congress.

These conservatives claimed that they had the best interests of Schiavo in mind (even though they had never spoken to her). But there’s no doubt that cold political calculations were really driving their actions. A GOP memo described their efforts:

“This is an important moral issue, and the pro-life base will be excited that the Senate is debating this important issue,” said the memo, reported by ABC News and later given to The Washington Post. “This is a great political issue, because Senator Nelson of Florida has already refused to become a co-sponsor and this is a tough issue for Democrats.“

Conservatives are now brushing off the Schiavo case to use it against Thomas Perrelli, President-elect Obama’s pick for the no. 3 spot at the Justice Department. Right-wing websites are outraged at Obama’s association with Perrelli, since he was one of the lawyers who represented Michael Schiavo, who wanted his wife’s feeding tube removed. The Washington Times today reports that these conservatives are now gearing up to fight Perrelli’s nomination: ... http://thinkprogress.org/2009/01/06/justice-schiavo/

[DS1]

1. She's the only one they had something in common with

[meegbear]

8. SNAP!

[Pyrzqxgl]

31. She like them was brain dead.

[muntrv]

2. I dare them to. The image of repukes reading the phone book into

the record will not sit well with the American people.

[Statistical]

44. Why would Reid start making them do that?

[spanone]

3. it was embarassing for the republicans....bring it on

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

4. Actually it would not surprise me one bit if Reid caves on all of Obama's

appointments, scared of the Repukes. :puke::puke:

[paulk]

23. yeah, yeah, we understand you don't like Harry Reid

but your post is just gratuitous bashing

[RaleighNCDUer]

27. do you have evidence to the contrary? nt

[paulk]

37. evidence for what?

the gratuitous nature of the post in question?

This thread isn't about Harry Reid.

That's kind of the definition of gratuitous, isn't it?

To bring up Sen. Reid in a thread that isn't even about him?

[RaleighNCDUer]

43. The thread is about opposition to one of Obama's picks,

and includes a well-founded supposition that Reid will not fight that opposition.

My question was: do you have any evidence that Reid will find some balls and actually stand up to the Republican when they try to kill this pick?

It is not gratuitous at all - it is, in fact, a sound principle of cause and effect.
Obama makes a pick.
Republicans oppose it.
Reid does not oppose the opposition - too busy keeping his powder dry.
Republicans win.

Obviously, it IS about Reid.

[paulk]

45. well founded according to the collective political acumen of DU

which, in general, could barely fill a thimble.

The consensus around here concerning Harry Reid and the job he's done is based on a view about the Senate and it's workings so skewed as to be meaningless. Reid won re-election to his post by a vote of 57-0. I suppose all those Democratic Senators who voted for him again understand the process more poorly than the armchair Senators on DU.

ps - I'm not going to prove a negative - learn how to debate.

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

28. A bashing that is well deserved, as Reid hasn't done anything to stand up

to the Republicans or for Democratic ideals. I'm not the only one who feels this way, so your post is actually a compliment. ;)

[paulk]

39. you're not the only one who feels this way on DU, that's for sure

Endlessly bashing Democrats is pretty much the function of this place.

Join right in! You can be one of the kool kids, too!

You'll make a ton of new virtual friends and you can spend your whole day bitching about.. oh, whoever the Democrat du jour is.

It works especially well when you do it in a thread that's not even related to the subject.

That really shows you're committed and in the club...


-----------------------



Out in the real world, Sen. Reid was reelected to his post as majority leader, by a vote of 57-0.

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

41. I don't walk in lockstep with the Democrats, especially those who don't

stand up for what is right and democratic. I am a Democrat and I am proud of that, but that doesn't mean that I won't criticize the Democrats when they fuck up. We are the Democratic Party, not Freeperville. If you want to stifle dissent, go there. ;)

[paulk]

42. I don't see what you're doing as "dissent"

it's mindless, gratuitous bashing.

There are plenty of threads specifically devoted to trashing Reid - when you have to do it in a thread that has nothing to do with him, you cross the line of dissent - that's the point here.

[gratuitous]

33. Nobody better bash me!

I'll give them the frowning of a lifetime!

[Soylent Brice]

40. did someone page you?

lol

[47of74]

5. Bring it, Republicans

Really, bring it on. Remind the American people why they flushed your extremist ideologies down the toilet.

[mike_c]

6. trailer hitch jesus....

It would almost be worth it to see more pics of the debacle outside her hospital....

[DS1]

10. you realize that if you hit their car head on

and weren't wearing a seatbelt, the last thing you would see was Jesus snapping up from behind their minivan as you flew over their roof


that would be kinda cool, actually

[Jackpine Radical]

24. Last thought:

Aw, shit, I was WRONG!

[wolfgangmo]

38. Now that is funny...

... It would be like a giant Jeebus flyswatter.

[wryter2000]

30. Jesus on a trailer hitch!

Ahhh, sweet memories. :)

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

7. And almost ALL of America disagreed with the Republicans

and did not want government interference into these extremely common, extremely painful decisions that are made every single day of the week by average Americans regarding their loved ones.

Let them bring it up and remind us how they want to push themselves into your bedroom, your school, your hospital room and anyplace else they can worm themselves into.

[Jackpine Radical]

13. But all (far) RIGHT-THINKING Americans

agreed with Frist. All 19 of them.

[watrwefitinfor]

17. Hell, my tv station in SC did a poll at the time

and 86 per cent who responded were against the Repub interference with her husband's decisions.

Wat

[Jackpine Radical]

25. Sounds like a biased sample.

It included only South Carolinians who could figure out how to respond.

[Ikonoklast]

9. Let them do it, the fools.

The majority of Americans were sickened by the insane spectacle of Republicans inserting themselves into a private family matter, in order to score political points with their 'base'.

These issues are settled privately, among doctors and families, hundreds of times each day with no one objecting.

As it should be.


Let the Pukes remind voters that they are all for 'privacy' until they can prolong the agony of their loved ones in order to score political points with the god-botherers.

That will go over really well.

[Jackpine Radical]

11. Ooooooo, Pleeeeeeease, Brer Wacko, Don't throw us

into the Schiavo Patch!

[Schema Thing]

12. lol. Right?

[Jackpine Radical]

15. Remember Uncle Remus?

[Occulus]

19. It'll be okay. Christ (on a trailer hitch) will save you.

[Renew Deal]

14. Schiavo is what brought about the downfall of the republicans.

Things go much worse for them from there.

[laststeamtrain]

22. I totally agree with you. The Schiavo deal made a lot of people scratch their heads.

And then there was Katrina.

[anonymous171]

35. Yep. They killed their own "Small Government" credentials

[Mz Pip]

16. I kind of doubt that

the Democrats will need a veto proof majority for this. Although few and far between, not every Republican Senator is a fundy nutjob. Snowe, Collins and Specter come to mind.

[tinymontgomery]

18. up or down vote

up or down vote over and over and over just like the pukes

[Gidney N Cloyd]

20. Good idea, 'pubs. Hey, lemme sharpen the edge of those shovels for you.

[pinto]

21. Boggling. What part of epic fail don't they get? While even Rep. pundits are remarking

on the marginalization of the Republican Party, these folks want to continue down the same path.

They're welcome to it, though. It won't work, imo.

[Jackpine Radical]

26. Remember, McCain lost because he didn't go far enough right to hang onto

his base. Let's just keep telling them that.

[wryter2000]

29. Hmmm

They're really upset with DOJ appointments. I like that. I hope a lot of Bushies realize they're facing jail time.

[seafan]

32. Schiavo may be haunting Jeb Bush in a run for the Senate.

Jeb played God once too often

[anonymous171]

34. Don't they realize that the Schiavo debacle was a losing issue for them?

[DefenseLawyer]

36. Schiavo was a major turning point

in public opinion in this country. It was a point at which average Americans who would otherwise have described themselves at "conservative" looked at the so-called conservative movement and said "wait a second, that is none of my business, they need to leave those people alone". The more they want to be the party of Terry Schiavo, the longer they will wander in the wilderness.

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

46. Can they please have Bill Frist do a dramatic reenactment of his remote diagnosis?

That was a real highlight for me.