Stuff Republicans say.

[Revoltingest]

...is exactly the same as....

Ah, the old leftist "false false equivalency" argument.
Any time one points out the existence of sin in both parties, the standard straw
man retort emerges...."You can't say they're equivalent! They're not equal!".
Actual discussion would be possible if only the loony lefties listened to what is said,
instead of inventing a fiction to rail against.

Notes for the non-technical types:
In the old days (think vacuum tubes & buggy whips), meters had needles instead of digital displays.
When a signal exceeded the meter's range, it swung all the way over to a stop peg....hence it "pegged".
The magnitude of this signal is unknown, so it would never be called "equal" to another pegged measurement.
We only know that both exceeded the range. I hope this small lesson helps, for I'm here to serve.

 

[Alceste]

Ah, the old leftist "false false equivalency" argument.
Any time one points out the existence of sin in both parties, the standard straw
man retort emerges...."You can't say they're equivalent! They're not equal!".
Actual discussion would be possible if only the loony lefties listened to what is said,
instead of inventing a fiction to rail against.

Nobody denies there are issues with both parties. However, some sins are graver than others. For example, basing your support for sweeping legislative initiatives restricting women's rights on your erroneous opinion that women have a magical mechanism in their uterus that prevents them from getting pregnant by rape is a worse sin than saying "trillion" when you mean "billion".

I don't think your strategy of trying to convince people democrats are exactly as crazy/stupid as this batch of republicans is very effective. Why not criticize one of their actual sins instead, like extra-judicial execution?

 

[Revoltingest]

I don't think your strategy of trying to convince people democrats are exactly as crazy/stupid as this batch of republicans

Your straw man is underlined for emphasis.
Is it impossible for committed partisans to honestly portray the views of the loyal opposition?

 

[Father Heathen]

Just explain what exactly it is you take issue with? I'll ask again; what's the proper way to address the disgusting things these legislators and candidates have said? To dismiss or downplay it for the sake of "fairness"? If they say it, we're going to point it out, and that's the way it's going to work.

 

[Revoltingest]

Just explain what exactly it is you take issue with?

I've nothing to add to post #50.

I'll ask again; what's the proper way to address the disgusting things these legislators and candidates have said? To dismiss or downplay it for the sake of "fairness"? If they say it, we're going to point it out, and that's the way it's going to work.

An answer would be moot. I've given in, & I now provide balance in the "Stuff Democrats Say" thread.
I've joined the cacophony, & I now do my best to shamelessly demonize Dems.
We all now have our role to play in showing the lunacy.

 

[Mr Spinkles]

That's not all he said, though, is it? He also said he is faithful to his church doctrines, which prohibit him from any action that might encourage or enable anyone to seek an abortion. He called his religiously based pro-life views a "secular position", and claimed that he had consistently adhered to the anti-abortion position of his church in every instance where he had an opportunity to make a difference.

Well, yes, but not quite. He distinguished his personal beliefs and conduct, which he bases on his religion, from his political position, which he claims is a secular position. Although I disagree with him, since I am pro-choice, I actually appreciate him making that distinction. He emphasized that there's a Democratic caucus in Colorado (?) full of pro-choice Mormons, and they are just as much a part of the LDS church as anyone else.

 

[Alceste]

Well, yes, but not quite. He distinguished his personal beliefs and conduct, which he bases on his religion, from his political position, which he claims is a secular position. Although I disagree with him, since I am pro-choice, I actually appreciate him making that distinction. He emphasized that there's a Democratic caucus in Colorado (?) full of pro-choice Mormons, and they are just as much a part of the LDS church as anyone else.

Funny that his "secular position" is exactly the same as his "religious conviction". :sarcastic Why do you think he bothered to make that distinction if both positions are exactly the same? He says he disagrees with the pro-choice position that abortion is a question of free will, and also said he has faithfully voted in accordance with his religious views at every opportunity. (Which is not true, but he said it).

 

[Alceste]

"We've seen former homosexuals come out, who've been saved out of the lifestyle, who will tell you it was the love of God, that their lives were sad and empty and meaningless,"

MA Republican senate candidate Sandi Martinez, who also thinks care bears, the smurfs and Harry Potter make children vulnerable to witchcraft.

| Republican for MA Senate: Smurfs Cause Witchcraft, Gay Lifestyle "sad and meaningless"

 

[Mr Spinkles]

Funny that his "secular position" is exactly the same as his "religious conviction". :sarcastic Why do you think he bothered to make that distinction if both positions are exactly the same? He says he disagrees with the pro-choice position that abortion is a question of free will, and also said he has faithfully voted in accordance with his religious views at every opportunity. (Which is not true, but he said it).

I think he said it because before the video started, the interviewer was suggesting that Romney's hitherto pro-choice position was a betrayal of the LDS Church's stance on abortion.

 

[Alceste]

I think he said it because before the video started, the interviewer was suggesting that Romney's hitherto pro-choice position was a betrayal of the LDS Church's stance on abortion.

We might need to agree to disagree. Romney is not pro-choice and has never been pro-choice. What I heard there, besides some disturbing religious lecturing, was that the church forbids any member from acting in any way that would facilitate access to abortion. He noted, however, that many Mormons disagree, but his church does not punish them because it also respects free will. Then he said he thinks this is wrong - that the view that abortion is wrong is "secular position", not a religious one, implying that means it is not covered under the church's doctrine of non-compulsion, and claimed that he has consistently voted in accordance with his pro-life opinion at every opportunity.

 

[Sunstone]

Ah, the old leftist "false false equivalency" argument.
Any time one points out the existence of sin in both parties, the standard straw
man retort emerges...."You can't say they're equivalent! They're not equal!".
Actual discussion would be possible if only the loony lefties listened to what is said,
instead of inventing a fiction to rail against.

Your rhetoric always outruns your facts.

 

[Revoltingest]

Your rhetoric always outruns your facts.

Did you say something?

 

[Mr Spinkles]

We might need to agree to disagree. Romney is not pro-choice and has never been pro-choice. What I heard there, besides some disturbing religious lecturing, was that the church forbids any member from acting in any way that would facilitate access to abortion. He noted, however, that many Mormons disagree, but his church does not punish them because it also respects free will. Then he said he thinks this is wrong - that the view that abortion is wrong is "secular position", not a religious one, implying that means it is not covered under the church's doctrine of non-compulsion, and claimed that he has consistently voted in accordance with his pro-life opinion at every opportunity.

Yes, he may claim that, but his stated position on abortion has been as inconsistent as his position on some other issues:

In a 1994 debate with Senator Ted Kennedy, Romney said: "One of the great things about our nation ... is that we're each entitled to have strong personal beliefs, and we encourage other people to do the same. But as a nation, we recognize the right of all people to believe as they want and not to impose our beliefs on other people. I believe that abortion should be safe and legal in this country. I have since the time that my mom took that position when she ran in 1970 as a U.S. Senate candidate. I believe that since Roe v. Wade has been the law for 20 years, that we should sustain and support it, and I sustain and support that law, and the right of a woman to make that choice, and my personal beliefs, like the personal beliefs of other people, should not be brought into a political campaign."[250][251][252]

During the 2002 governor's race, Romney's platform stated, "As Governor, Mitt Romney would protect the current pro-choice status quo in Massachusetts. No law would change."[253] The executive director of Massachusetts NARAL at the time, Melissa Kogut, stated that in her organization's endorsement interview with Romney, he was "emphatic that the Republican Party was not doing themselves a service by being so vehemently anti-choice."[254][255]

I'm not going to try to defend Romney's confusing flip-flopping or his latest position on abortion. But I'm not concerned, as you are, by a video in which Romney compares pro-choice vs. pro-life vs. LDS Church beliefs, because I think before the video started, that is what he was asked about.

Or, to put it another way: we're talking about outlandish things Republicans say. In a less competitive field, the Romney video would be more appropriate, i.m.o.

 

[Alceste]

Yes, he may claim that, but his stated position on abortion has been as inconsistent as his position on some other issues:

I'm not going to try to defend Romney's confusing flip-flopping or his latest position on abortion. But I'm not concerned, as you are, by a video in which Romney compares pro-choice vs. pro-life vs. LDS Church beliefs, because I think before the video started, that is what he was asked about.

Or, to put it another way: we're talking about outlandish things Republicans say. In a less competitive field, the Romney video would be more appropriate.

Speaking of stuff republicans say, I should include the actual Republican platform on abortion, which may help to shed some light on Romney's current position away from the noise of his ever-changing words.

" Faithful to the "self-evident" truths enshrined in the Declaration of Independence, we assert the sanctity of human life and affirm that the unborn child has a fundamental individual right to life which cannot be infringed. We support a human life amendment to the Constitution and endorse legislation to make clear that the Fourteenth Amendment's protections apply to unborn children. We oppose using public revenues to promote or perform abortion or fund organizations which perform or advocate it and will not fund or subsidize health care which includes abortion coverage. We support the appointment of judges who respect traditional family values and the sanctity of innocent human life."

Edited to add: it may be a cultural thing, then, because it would be extremely unusual for politicians in Canada or most western nations to allow themselves to be recorded ranting about their religious beliefs. It would be a deal breaker, in fact. Perhaps that's part of the reason the GOP fares so poorly in international polls.

 

[FlyingTeaPot]

Point being is that some people like to use an example of a few to represent the majority.

LOL. Seeing as they are congressmen and so forth, they DO represent a majority in their county/district/state. In fact, congressmen are literally called Representatives.

 

[Alceste]

"I believe that there are about 78 to 81 members of the Democratic Party that are members of the Communist Party,"

Florida Rep. Allen West

 

[Mr Spinkles]

"We stand warned by serious and credible scientists across the world that time is short and the dangers are great ... I will not shirk the mantle of leadership that the United States bears. I will not permit eight long years to pass without serious action on serious challenges. ... A cap-and-trade policy will send a signal that will be heard and welcomed all across the American economy. And the highest rewards will go to those who make the smartest, safest, most responsible choices. ... We have many advantages in the fight against global warming, but time is not one of them. Instead of idly debating the precise extent of global warming, or the precise timeline of global warming, we need to deal with the central facts of rising temperatures, rising waters and all the endless troubles that global warming will bring."

~Sen. John McCain (R-Arizona)

 

[Mr Spinkles]

"When our health care costs are completely out of control. Do you realize what health care spending is as a percentage of the GDP in Israel? 8 percent. You spend 8 percent of GDP on health care. And you’re a pretty healthy nation. We spend 18 percent of our GDP on health care. 10 percentage points more. That gap, that 10 percent cost, let me compare that with the size of our military. Our military budget is 4 percent. Our gap with Israel is 10 points of GDP. We have to find ways, not just to provide health care to more people, but to find ways to finally manage our health care costs."

~ Mitt Romney, referring to Israel's government-run health care system

 

[Mr Spinkles]

“I think some of our members may have thought the default issue was a hostage you might take a chance at shooting ... Most of us didn’t think that. What we did learn is this — it’s a hostage that’s worth ransoming. And it focuses the Congress on something that must be done.”

~ Republican Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell, referring to Tea Party brinkmanship on the debt ceiling which caused the U.S. govt. credit rating downgrade

 

[Alceste]

Just an addition to the collection:

Michele Bachmann Warns Obamacare Will Literally Kill People

“Let’s repeal this failure before it literally kills women, kills children, kills senior citizens,” Bachmann said on the House floor. “Let’s not do that. Let’s love people. Let’s care about people. Let’s repeal it now while we can.” She also accused Obama of wanting the government to take over health care. “What he demanded and insisted upon is that the government have 100 percent control over health care,” Bachmann said.