Any Suggestions On Responding To Repub Email?

[kydo]

I have a friend that just sent me one of those dumb republican slanted chain emails. Normally I would just ignore it, but for some reason this one really annoys me and I would like to reply. I don’t recall seeing this email before and I haven’t seen it posted here at DU.

I know some of this is true but I know the info is cherry picked, and often exaggerated and full of omissions. Like I remember CNN showing coverage of bush at a party when his plane landed in Texas on Obama's Inauguration Day. So the first part of the mail below is kind of debunked.

Anyway, is there any links, info, suggestions anyone can offer to respond to this email?

Thanks!


=====
Yesterday:

1. Outgoing President George W. Bush quietly boards his helicopter and leaves for Texas, commenting only:
"Today is not about me. Today is a historical day for our nation and people."

Eight years ago yesterday:

1. Outgoing President Bill Clinton schedules two separate radio addresses to the nation, and organizes a public farewell speech/ rally in downtown Washington D.C. scheduled to directly conflict with incoming President Bush's inauguration ceremony.

Yesterday:

2. President Bush leaves office without issuing a single Presidential pardon, only granting a commutation of sentence to two former border patrol agents convicted of shooting a convicted drug smuggler. He does not grant any type of clemency to Scooter Libby or any other former political aide, ally, or business partner.


Eight years ago yesterday:

2. President Clinton issues 140 pardons and several commutations of sentence on his final day in office. Included in these are: billionaire financier, convicted tax evader, and leading Democratic campaign contributor Marc Rich; Whitewater scandal figure Susan McDougal; Congressional Post Office Scandal figure and former Democratic Congressman Dan Rostenkowski; convicted bank fraud, sexual assault and child porn perpetrator an d former Democratic Congressman Melvin Reynolds; and convicted drug felon Roger Clinton, the President's half-brother.

Yesterday:

3. The Bush daughters leave gift baskets in the White House bedrooms for the Obama daughters, containing flowers, candy, stuffed animals, DVD's and CD's, and heartfelt notes of encouragement and advice for the young girls on how to prepare for their new lives in the White House.

Eight years ago Yesterday:

3. Clinton and Gore staffers rip computer wires and electrical outlets from the White House walls, stuff piles of notebook papers into the White House toilets, systematically remove the letter "W" from every computer key-pad in the entire White House, and damage several thousand dollars worth of furniture in the White House master bedroom.

Headlines On This Date 4 Years Ago:

4. "Republicans spending $42 million on inauguration while troops Die in unarmored Humvees"

"Bush extravagance exceeds any reason during tough economic times"

"Fat cats get their $42 million inauguration party, Ordinary Americans get the shaft"

Headlines Today:

"Historic Obama Inauguration will cost only $170 million"

"Obama Spends $170 million on inauguration; America Needs A Big Party"

"Everyman Obama shows America how to celebrate"

"Citibank executives contribute $8 million to Obama Inauguration"

Send this to anyone you suspect might not know what a class act looks like.
=================================

[valerief]

1. DELETE. (Of course, I didn't read this.) nt

[edbermac]

2. Yeah....YOU LOST!!! GET OVER IT!!! EMAIL THAT, LOSER!!!

:rofl:

[hobbit709]

3. You can either delete it

or dig up the facts to refute and hit "Reply All". Of course the second option won't do any good to idiots whose minds are made up. People that continually send crap like this end up on my Spam list.

[kydo]

15. The friend isn't completly lost to the dark side....

He is actually more a moderate that leans right, but really not that into politics. Which is why the email was odd coming from him. However, he is young (mid 20's) and there is still hope. The email came from someone in his family (who is right wing nut job - loves the faux, rush and all those blowhards). And heonly sent it to me and his siter, so in this case I'm not gonna "reply all." I did that to my bushbot dad yesterday, with the rubbish he was spewing. Which is odd for me, normaly I don't bother, and this stuff ends up in my trash.

The point is while he is generally smart, sometimes he is so stupid and believes some of this crap. So I want to say "hey dude, this bogus and here is why..." Because he is a good freind just misguided sometimes.

[JVS]

4. Send them the goatse pic

[AlinPA]

5. Just reply : "Sounds like right wing loser bullshit to me".

[wryter2000]

6. He might have a point on the pardons

You might also add that the Bush twins were very gracious. So was Laura, as far as I can tell. You could mention that Michelle brought Laura a present, which was also very gracious and, as far as I know, not done before.

However, the rest is bull crap. Yes, Bush slinked out of town because he knew no one could stomach him. Even his obligatory appearance at the inauguration got him jeered audibly. Was he really going to make a big spectacle of leaving?

As to the inauguration 4 years ago...it was Bush's second. That's a big difference. Second inaugurations are usually very low key. Ask your friend about the first Bush inauguration and correct for inflation.

The stuff about the Clintonistas destroying stuff is bunk. Never happened.

And be sure to hit "reply to all."

[JFN1]

9. Not really - Bush didn't like to pardon

And he couldn't really pardon anyone in his administration except for Libby (he commuted), for none of them (except Libby) have been convicted of anything.

Yet...

[NoGOPZone]

10. It's a President's right to pardon

and one that has few limits. Clinton's pardons certainly didn't make a mockery of the Constitution like some of the things Bush did.

Also, it's ridiculous for the email to proclaim "Bush does not grant any type of clemency to Scooter Libby" when Libby already had his sentence commuted.

[joeunderdog]

11. I agree 100% on the pardons, but the Libby thing was atrocious for so many reasons.

But I like to respond to these emails by asking what this has to do with addressing the BIGGEST ECONOMIC DISASTER IN MODERN HISTORY which was created by the Bush administration. Tell them that if you were a Repuke, you would avoid the real issue, too. Their pathetic administration was wholly responsible for this historic F-A-I-L-U-R-E.

[Tangerine LaBamba]

12. What point?

The Presidential power to pardon is absolute. The only reason Chimpy didn't pardon anyone is that he was desperately afraid that somehow it would further implicate him and cause them to testify against him.

Clinton's pardons, while perhaps not the most honorable thing he did during his Presidency, don't come close in offensiveness to what George H. W. Bush did when he pre-emptively pardoned all the Iran-Contra figures, including Abrams and Weinberger.

That nonsense email is too stupid to answer. She should just delete it and ask the sender not to send her any more crap like that.

They're such BAD losers.

[wryter2000]

17. It's always fun to blow up their stupidity if you can do it easily

If you can show that they've really screwed up the inauguration thing, and you can do it in front of all of their friends, it's worth doing, assuming the OP wants to.

[kydo]

19. it is fun to do that

but, most of the repubs I encounter are stupid and don't get that they just showed their stupidty that often... but yeah sometimes it is fun to mess with their heads. This freind is not really one of those people.

I always hear the same rw talking point on the cost of the inauguration but there were way more people at this time. I don't recall protests at Obama's inauguration (well not against Obama just boos for bush and co.) but I do remember watching protests on cspan in 04. I also recall that with the zillions in DC there were no arrests, just joy, happeness, love, peace, joy, and cold and more joy.

[kydo]

21. yeah I was semi thinking samething on pardons

The first rw talking point was null and void almost all presidents had supports greet them, the W had one, I watched it (well breifly as soon as cnn started showing it, I couldn't find the remote fast enough to change it - and it was the only downer moment of the day).

The second rw spewing point was the pardons. And while Clinton pardon lots of people, was it a record? Like does he win a golden pardon pen for crushing some previous mark? Or was is pardons close to other presidents?

The other problem I had with this issue was not so much just pardons but what was done in the WH right before the next president takes office... Oh like executive orders. Didn't bush sign like a lot of those in his final days?

The third talking point (leaving the WH messed up messing with the W keys etc) was lame and debunked even though I always secretly wished it was true.

The fourth thing was the inaugration, and the headlines... I just wanted to say back to my friend something like "but other headlines that you didn't mention..." and list the ones that say the how many million attended, the no arrests.

Maybe you all are mostly right that I should just ignore it. I'll just let it sit and see how I feel in the morning.

Thanks for reading and responding.

[wryter2000]

7. Oh, and...

welcome to DU :hi:

[kydo]

20. thanks

but I'm not really new... I'm one of them there lurkers. you guys usually say what I'm thinking, just with better grammer and spelling, so I just read and talk to the sceen a lot.

[ThoughtCriminal]

8. For starters

The inauguration costs were mostly for security and about the same as what was spent on Bush's last "inauguration". Not bad considering there were something like 4-5 times as many people in town to celebrate Obama's.

http://mediamatters.org/items/200901190004

The vandalism claims were debunked by the GAO 8 years ago. Republicans have to recycle fabricated outrage.

[Hekate]

13. Hit Reply All, use a clean-language refutation, and close with a request to be removed from the list

In fact, for starters go to Snopes.com or www.fightthesmears.com website set up during the campaign and see what you can find.

Reply All is a great feature. The last time I did that I spent a couple of hours researching all the points in some crappy America is Founded on Christianity All Others are Here on Sufferance email, and two people actually wrote back to thank me.

Hekate

[kydo]

22. thanks!

thanks for the link... I'll go whether I reply to my friend or not.

[steelmania75]

14. They lose, get over, now go out there and preach your religion and get knocked up

[treestar]

16. Republics are always on the little things

Ask if it is a class act to start unnecessary wars, shred the bill of rights in an attempt to create a "unitary executive" and to stumble around drunkenly, talk like a dope (is our children learning) give massages to world leaders, ignore security briefings, appoint people like Ashcroft to positions of power, etc.

[xfundy]

18. Thanks for your concern.