Home > Opinion > Republican Thugs Rove, Cheney, Limbaugh Try to Rough Up Obama With Lies and Hate

Republican Thugs Rove, Cheney, Limbaugh Try to Rough Up Obama With Lies and Hate

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Calling ANY Republican a thug from the current crop of Gangsters installed in the White House is like the Pot calling the Kettle BLACK.

Richard Kaltenbach of CA 2:19PM July 20, 2009

This reporter doesn't even remember the last eight with any accuracy.
Ari Fleischer was NOT the press secretary for Bush 41, but Bush 43!

Richard Kaltenbach of CA 2:11PM July 20, 2009

Now that the Bush-Cheney Thugs are out of power, they can no longer use "War on Terror", "National Security" or even "Global Economy" to cover-up their graft and corruption. Nobody is Above the Law... Follow the Evidence... Follow the MONEY... Prosecute the Criminals!

jpinsatx of TX 12:15PM April 24, 2009

How well I remember the vicious attacks on Bill Clinton which began 2 days after the '91 election from none other than Bob Dole himself; I remember because I was so shocked at how mean they were and how quickly they came...based not on anything Clinton had done since he was not even sworn in for another 2 1/2 months!! So determined were they to ruin his presidency that they spent over $50 million taxpayer dollars trying desperately to find something, anything they could twist enough to prosecute!! And, for all our money they spent so recklessly they got nothing, except the character assassination they so enjoy and readily use against anyone not 'on their team'.
Well, that GOP is doing it again-this time to Obama. So anxious to tear down a Democrat, and being such poor losers, that GOP jumped the gun and began their assaults well before the end of Nov. again, before the guy could do anything. And, it hasn't stopped since. Smart folks have been quick to see this and know that so much carping so soon cannot be based on anything Obama has done. Rather, these attacks represent the GOP's wish to disempowwer anyone who they did not choose and don't control. They incite their base, increase opposition and get their followers to do what they want them to using their tried and true tactic,fear mongering. Nixon & McCarthy used Communism to scare. The Bushes used Saddam Hussein & the Axis of Evil. The scare tactic of choice this time is to call all things Obama 'Socialist! The GOP effectively controls its base with fear and keeps them from thinking about what's real! This diverts attention from the many failures and rampant crime during Bush & Republicans' juggernaut in Congress. As if people will forget about how Bush & Cheney etal got us into the financial & intl. nightmares they left for the next guy to handle!
Obviously the GOP doesn't have any good ideas or they'd talk about them instead-or-used them the past 8 years to save the country from ruin! They have nothing constructive to offer. They're just hoping to kill the 'opposition' with their venom...that's all they've got left.
The incredible devisiveness/polarization so apparent in this country now first manifested during Bush 41's campaign in '87. Not surprisingly, that coincides with Rove's involvement. Limbaugh's,too. Neither has the good of the country at heart. It's all about them-their need to be 'somebody',their desire to win at all costs. They're immoral. They'll say & do anything to avoid looking like the LOSERS they privately fear they are.
If their devotees don't wise up & tame their fear they just might take the republic down-& all of us with it.
Based on the facts it seems that too little was said too late about what Bush & Cheney were really up to. Violating laws, lies, secrecy, massive intrusions into Americans' privacy, billions gone & unaccounted for, & much worse; it is these specific behaviors that we condemn & need accountability for.

Clas of CA 12:36PM April 17, 2009

Things can sure heat up on the blogs, but for the most part, I'd have to agree with the author of this article.
I have friends who really like Rove, Hannity or Limbaugh, and I've tried hard to be objective and listen, so I've read and watched them. But they certainly don't seem to be at all "fair and balanced" to me, but instead seem to fan the flames of divisiveness as much as possible. It's not just Obama's policies that are under fire, but every little nit-picky thing imaginable, from the new dog to the teleprompter. The biggest thing I notice though is the energy and tone in their voices (especially Rush Limbaugh). There's always so much angry emotion that I wonder how in the world they have any peace of mind at all. Contrast it to Obama, who is calm, "no drama", thoughtful and reasonable. He explains what he's doing and why he's doing it, and I see a big distinction. Plus when I listen to the whole talk in it's entirety (not just some sound-bytes taken out of context), you then see the twisted interpretations, distortions, half-truths and some outright lies being peddled. (Sigh....) Yes, we should absolutely have free speech and I suppose allowing them their say is the price we must pay for it.
To be fair, the far left can be (and has been) very ugly towards George W. Bush too and I don't think that's excusable either - he was the PRESIDENT. I just didn't see him as being much of a leader. Personally I disagreed with him and his ideology and I viewed him as more inept than anything, plus I thought he was definitely arrogant at times. Even so I didn't hate him, nor think it was justified to nit-pick him to pieces either. There were good things he did that he didn't receive any widespread credit for either.
I supported Barack Obama in the election and I am still glad I did, but by no means do I see him as a "messiah" (another sarcastic, divisive term that's thrown around), nor do I think he can do no wrong. But he hasn't even gotten through 100 days yet, so it's too soon to tell whether his policies will work or not. But I've done a quite a lot of research on him from many sources, plus studied complete transcripts of what he's said in speeches and press conferences. He certainly seems to be a good down-to-earth intelligent man (goodness - even George W. Bush says so!). And he's definitely a true leader, or he wouldn't have managed to win the election, considering there were so many factors NOT in his favor.
I wish we could have more civil discourse, and frankly from what I've seen - it's more the far right (and yes, the far left too) that seems to fan the flames that keep us stuck.

Julie of KS 6:32PM April 16, 2009

Really, Obama should be more concerned about what Biden may say next. It was Biden, not Cheney, that said America will have an international crisis under Obama. So Biden knows America is less safe now. Also, Rove is just pointing out that Biden did not have that little talk with Bush in the oval office. I always laugh, when I read what Biden said about Obama at the gridiron dinner. Yes, Biden is more of a problem.

jennifer of AL 1:42PM April 16, 2009

So many conservative "thugs".... By "thugs" you must mean those who don't seduce by guile and deception - Unlike Messiah Obama and his zombie like acolytes.
Say John, are you still pretending to be Catholic? Yes? Well, there it is - see, you fit right in.

R.L. Schaefer of CA 12:53PM April 16, 2009

In all honesty, the GOP has no cards to play in the current political climate. That makes character assasination the only choice they have to counter Obama and the Democrats. While the Dems have embarassed themselves with earmarks, the GOP continues to pander with supply side economic hokum. Were they in charge, they would blame everything on the Democrats regardless. So it is that we are treated to the sight of adults behaving like children fighting on the playground.

Puller58 of TX 7:17AM April 16, 2009

...you missed your opportunity, since George W. Bush is no longer in office (though some haters linger on). Left-wing radical outlets, such as Air America and Huffington Post, knew no boundaries to their hateful and personal attacks on GWB; yet I seldom heard any admonishments from the mainstream media. I think the difference is people actually listen to these so called right-wing thugs. Does that drive you crazy John?

Brad of TX 6:05PM April 15, 2009

Kitty Kelly alleged that George Bush used cocaine at Camp David while his father was President. She also falsely maligned the late President Reagan as a date rapist who paid for a girlfriend's abortion and wrongly castigated Nancy Reagan as an adulterer who had an affair with Frank Sinatra. Paul Begala (CNN) called President Bush a "gutless wonder," said he had a "lack of intelligence," and called Vice President Cheney a "dirt bag."
John Glenn compared the 2004 Republican Convention to a Nazi rally, and John Kerry called the President unfit to lead our nation. President Bush was called a "cheap thug," a "killer" and a "liar" at a Kerry-Edwards campaign event in New York and Mrs. Kerry has called the President's policies "unpatriotic" and "immoral" and DNC Chairman Terry McAuliffe falsely accused the President of being AWOL.
Shall I go on?
Perhaps it is inconvenient for a liberal apologist like yourself to remember the lies and hate-speech leveled at Republican's. Or- perhaps you believe these things to be absolute truths, and therefore "acceptable" criticism.
The bottom line is, the radical left has a much longer and more glorious history of spewing lies and hate than conservatives do.
To paraphrase your own words: criticism of a President is fair game. But nasty and untrue rhetoric is another.
Extremist Democrats would do well to apply this viewpoint to themselves.

Lance Clark of CA 5:19PM April 15, 2009