A peek inside Hensarling's fevered mind...

Voice of American People = Democracy = A few lunatic loudmouths.

Wow, Kennedy hasn't been gone for 24 hours and they're already making public political calculations?

No respect, no honor, no shame. It's disgusting.

I take it Hensarling is in favor of scrapping the filibuster?

I take it Hensarling is in favor of scrapping the filibuster?

Depends on who holds the Senate, I reckon. You don't expect consistency from these people, I hope? A constant diet of disappointment is bad for you.

Throughout the Bush years, we heard exactly the opposite: that Elections Matter, are the only "public opinion poll" that matters, and that the day-to-day complaining about the government should be largely ignored. As they did the 1 million+ people who showed up in DC to protest the planned invasion of Iraq in 2003.

Sure don't remember that event making the same media impact as a few thousand angry fools on a mission to destroy Obama.

Is it just me or have others noticed the particular verbal quirk of right wingnuts like Hen-snarling who begin every sentance by saying the exact opposite of of what they really mean. Thus Hensarling starts out by saying that "of course" everyone should honor Senator Kennedy -- by repudiating his life's work and everything he stood for.

It's like those proto-fascists who show up at town hall rallies with AR-15s slung over their shoulder: "Of course no one advocates violence, but the tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of tyrants."

It's like this statement from the neo-Confederate, secessionist group League of the South from Hensarlings home state of Texas:

"The League of the South does NOT advocate the overthrow of the United States government. We do, however, believe in the Jeffersonian principle that free people may change their government if, over a long period of time, it becomes destructive of life, liberty, and property. Consequently, we reject the central government’s continuing usurpation of state sovereignty and support the restoration of self-government to the Southern people. If this means secession and formation of a Southern nation, then so be it."

Funny, how a radical right fringe group that advocates the separation of the South from the rest of the United States sounds just like the talking heads on Fox News. I wonder why that is?

I have 7PM EST as the "over/under" for the right-wing argument that under ObamaCare, Kennedy would have been euthanized once he was diagnosed with cancer.

Just watching a town hall from yesterday with Rep. Moran (D-VA) on C-SPAN. Howard Dean was the special guest. There were a few detractors in the audience (I wish they could hear how immature they sound), but most were in support of health care reform. It is absolutely astounding to me that even after Moran addressed the top ten myths about the bill that people continued to protest. Moran did a good job controlling the naysayers. When Dr. Dean began speaking, about half a dozen people stood and began chanting against abortion, so loudly that people couldn't hear Dean. Well, lookie there, it was Randall Terry and minions. Moran first asked Terry and his followers to leave, but then decided to give him a chance to ask the first question if he would remain quiet until then. Nope, of course not. They booted him.

How in the world can we have a rational discussion about this subject when so many people are so ill-informed. Moran even chastised those "so-called" government leaders (I assume he meant many of his Republican colleagues) for misleading people. Kudos to Moran for keeping it civil.

The last thing a GOPer wants is democracy, so why do we even pretend they do?

If Obama and the Dems don't ram a good reform through by reconciliation or some other means -then they validate the loons' actions and deserve every disappointment and defeat they get.

Give the Repug credit for not working in a Chapaquiddick reference. You know it was on the tip of his tongue.

Temper tantrums rule, libs.

Since when do a handful of nuts the media fixated on relentless qualify as "the American people"?

When listening to the radical right wing that currently controls the GOP it's important to recognize that anger against "government" occurs at two levels. The first is the perfectly legitmate argument made by principled conservatives in good faith that certain activities are better left to the private sector. The second kind of attack against "government," however, is far more disturbing. It is waged by people who want no part at all in our democracy unless they control it. These people may say they were protesting fiscal policy last April at their Tea Parties and health care policy now at these town hall forums, but what they really object to is an American democracy that gives real political power to people different from them.

No one should have been surprised by the size of this far right extremist faction. Since the mid-1990s when conservative talk radio and FOX News came on the scene, American politics has been saturated by a heavy and steady dose of far right messaging that reaches tens of millions of listeners daily. Throughout most of this era, the far right of the Republican Party has dominated our politics -- beginning with Gingrich's Southern-led takeover of Congress in 1994 and ending with the election of George W. Bush, the first Southern conservative ever elected president. Thus, this growing anti-democratic and authoritarian right wing faction was relatively docile Yet, it was also in this period that we saw the attempted coup d'etat by the right wing against Bill Clinton -- an early warning about dangeroous changes in our politics with a newly radicalized political Right.

So, Barak Obama is the first liberal to occupy the White House since the far right succeeded in building a Media Establishment big enough to control the information, narratives and messages that a sizeable portion of the electorate hears and believes everyday. The nationwide disruptions we are seeing today is the bitter fruit of that accomplishment, as a radicalized right wing electorate continues to angrily protest the results of last November's election.

Hensarling prefers the latter. I respectfully disagree.

Why do you insist on granting respect to an unhinged right-wing lunatic? He wouldn't extend the same courtesy to you. Just simply say you disagree with him and leave it at that.

Personally, I'd tell the asshole to go pound sand, but I'm rude like that.

why "respectfully"?

"I think the voice of the people have [sic] been heard quite loudly in the month of August."

And if we who were extremely loud during the month of August do not get our way...

Time to get out the guns and show that they are for more than just intimidation!

Running Hensarling through the ol' translator (which has been getting a workout lately):

...and I think the voice of the rich, white, business class people have [sic] been heard quite loudly in the month of August.

You know, it says a lot about Republicans like Hensarling that he thinks "the American People" consist of a handful of aging, snarling white people.

Hensnarling along with Sen. Grassley should keep looking their shoulders for men in white jackets carrying large butterfly nets.

We should be thankful for "Compassionate Conservatism." Think what conservatism would be like otherwise! Come to think of it, modern conservatism is anthing but compassionate.

ROFL comment: Woman who identifies herself as working at the VA, at conclusion of Rep. Moran's town hall tells him: "I appreciate the bipartisan effort, but it takes two to tango, and all we got from the other side was Tom DeLay on Dancing with the Stars."

"Hensnarling", another ROFL.

Hey, if guys like this were capable of linear thinking, they wouldn't be Republicans in the first place.

Hesnarling represents the voice of a handful of crackpots.

This is a Hensnarling democracy where the loudest, ugliest and most importantly, the stoopidest voices are heard.

By Hensarling's logic, national elections shouldn't be decided by the number of votes a candidate receives, but by whose voters flip the voting lever, punch the card, or tap the screen most violently.

"I suppose it comes down to what kind of "democracy" we're talking about -- the one in which the people's representatives do what they promised voters to do, or the one in which he who throws the biggest temper tantrum wins."

It's not just Hensarling's philosophy. It's become more and more clear that ALL the conservatives think the biggest temper tantrum should win. Why else do they continuously do it? They've turned into schoolyard bullies and they'll keep it up as long as it works and sadly, it's looking like it's working with Health Care Reform.

It doesn't help matters any when the MSM keeps covering the wingnut town halls but none of the saner ones! People begin to think the right might be onto something and the polls are beginning to show that, unfortunately.

The right is doing all it can to win by lying - Wake Up America!

B-b-b-but, isn't it still true that a strong leader ingnores public opinion and stays on course? And why doesn't Hensnarling look at polling data to find out where public opinion is? I am so tired of playing Calvinball with these people.

First: Those loudly protesting doe not represent the majority.

Second: Even if they did, half of what they are protesting is based on falsehoods spread by the GOP and its minions.

So, voting against health care legislation based on the will of a misinformed minority is certainly as anti-Democratic as it gets.

Hensarling said health care reform should die "if anybody's listening to the American people."

Literally hundreds of times more people marched in opposition to the invasion of Iraq than have showed up and paraded their ignorance at town halls. That didn't stop Hensarling from supporting it.

If Hensarling was a serious conservative he would know this is a "republic" not a "democracy".

But since he's not serious we can't expect him to know the difference.

These are the same idiots who actually renamed Dulles Ronald Reagan Airport? Go eff yourselves. Ronald Reagan Airport after he broke PATCO and they actually think they are going to have to do anything with healthcare? The same idiots who want Reagan on Rushmore even though experts say the mountain can't take another face on it. OMG Seriously go eff yourselves. It's one thing y'all are very good at.

Why would Steve, albeit a gentleman in all manner of debates, "respectfully disagree"? This is the kind of despicable, self-first partisanship that is destroying the democracy now and for generations to come. Health care reform requires fiscal reforms and fairness that will save the nation financially as well as morally. If the suffering of citizens who can't get or keep health care is not enough, then the long-term fiscal survival of the nation ought to be. Yet nothing is more important to these truly contemptible congressmen and women who put petty partisan (and often racist) gamesmanship first. I see nothing, nothing, to respect in that.

The people showing up at these townhalls all agitated are Republican voters pure and simple. These are not independents or disgruntled former Obama supporters. These are dead-ender McCain and Bush supporters who are royally pissed off that their guy did not win the last election.

This was quite clear to me in the townhall I attended yesterday here in Florida.

Isn't there a giant well we can kick these clowns into? Truly the Hot Gates of August need to pare down these clowns to Spartan levels. Maybe one in Georgia?

Obama's approaval ratings are dropping exactly because he is not delivering as strong a reform of health care as people want. They DID NOT vote for hysteria and mendacity.