As TRMS examined last week, we've had a 2010 campaign season full of "macaca" moments, gaffes from Republican/Tea Party candidates that would've ended their chances in any normal election.
Threaten to obstruct and possibly shut down the government? Dude, that's so 1994. Now you have to threaten violent revolution to get some attention. The goal line has been moved (forgive the football metaphor; it's Sunday) to a place we've never seen it before, and it's kept a lot of candidates viable long after they normally would have been. To the GOP/Tea Party folks, none of those things have yet disqualified these candidates.
But despite being willing to tolerate any manner of political gaffe, they do have standards. Being Muslim, it seems, is a bridge too far.
A Tea Party Nation e-mail (requires login) sent late Saturday night in support of Lynne Torgerson, the Republican candidate in Minnesota's 5th district, went full negative against Rep. Keith Ellison, the Democratic incumbent.
Best to just let you read it, verbatim:
There are a lot of liberals who need to be retired this year, but there are few I can think of more deserving than Keith Ellison. Ellison is one of the most radical members of congress. He has a ZERO rating from the American Conservative Union. He is the only Muslim member of congress. He supports the Counsel for American Islamic Relations, HAMAS and has helped congress send millions of tax to terrorists in Gaza.
Good to know they have some standards, I guess.
Whether or not they can prove that Rep. Ellison has "helped congress send millions of tax" to Gaza, or whether the Congressman or the Council on American-Islamic Relations supports Hamas, that's besides the point. Because all Muslims are anti-American, right?
Right? Being a Muslim, per the Tea Party Nation, is now a disqualifying characteristic for being a member of Congress. Calling for the violent overthrow of government if, you know, that whole democracy thing doesn't go their way?
Now, that's American!
(Image: University of Minnesota-Morris.)
Update: As some of our commenters have noted, Tea Party Nation will be surprised to learn that Rep. Andre Carson (D-IN) is also a Muslim.
Leave a Comment:
On Juan Williams.
I wonder where were these defenders & champions of the First Amendment when:
Helen Thomas who devoted her entire life to journalism was shunted out of the White House Press Corps.
OR
When Octavia Nasr a 20 years veteran was fired by CNN.
Both for expressing their opinion.
Where were these voices of outrage who now stand up for Juan Williams?
On Juan Williams.
I wonder where were these defenders & champions of the First Amendment when:
Helen Thomas who devoted her entire life to journalism was shunted out of the White House Press Corps.
OR
When Octavia Nasr a 20 years veteran was fired by CNN.
Both for expressing their opinion.
Where were these voices of outrage who now stand up for Juan Williams?
On Juan Williams.
I wonder where were these defenders & champions of the First Amendment when:
Helen Thomas who devoted her entire life to journalism was shunted out of the White House Press Corps.
OR
When Octavia Nasr a 20 years veteran was fired by CNN.
Both for expressing their opinion.
Where were these voices of outrage who now stand up for Juan Williams?
On Juan Williams
I wonder where were these defenders & champions of the First Amendment when:
Helen Thomas who devoted her entire life to journalism, was shunted out of the White House Press corps
OR
When Octavis Nasr, a veteran of 20 yrs was fired by CNN
both for expressing their opinion.
Where were these voices of outrage now standing up for Juan Williams??
sorry folks the second posting was by mistake.
isay got a sticky key? Don't worry we've all done it.
The problem is that we in the States watch the programs that we agree with; in other words, I would not watch Faux News (after I watched at first and soon got the jist of where they were coming from and going for) so I only watch a little of CNN and a lot of MSNBC, especially programs like Rachel Maddow. She is one reporter who has a good staff and, other than a couple of times when she got is wrong and apologized for them she tells the complete story. She is willing to have the repubs on her program, but mostly they refuse because they believe she only asks the "Gotcha" questions which they avoid, because they don't want to tell the truth to her audience. They know she has a huge audience!!!!! Most people want to hear all sides, but not the sides where we hear only lies and insults. They have no place in our society. In order to have a good/honest country we must weed out the nuts and try for the informed. It's hard, but with some study we can do it. I am afraid, tho, that the nuts have taken over and they have infiltrated the minds of the sheep (which is what they want -- followers without questions). If they do manage to take over our Government, we are in DEEP trouble. The TPers, if they win, will be in deep doo-doo, because I don't believe they will know how to run a government. We will all be suffering then.
Rachel, keep up the good work. We need more intelligent people like you to give us the TRUE STORY.
Amen. I too once watched Faux News for a good while. Then when they became more and more Bush supporters and cheerleaders I did see the right wing agenda and now many people do as well. It is only those who want to believe really hateful things they say about Democrats and the President who are going to keep watching as they lie constantly for the GOP.
The ideologs who keep repeating the same reasons for being repubs/TPers have no minds of their own. All they can do is repeat the same lies and trash they are given by the TPers and their lot. They are uninformed idiots. Every time one of them repreats the "hate the liberals" line, all I can think of they are normally haters of most things and latch onto that line because it fits them to a T. I feel sorry for them, because they have not learned how to reason and use their own minds. They must lean on someone or something to repeat what they say. Like I say, idiots the lot of them !!!!!
Sounds like a bunch of people on this post are the haters! The arrogance is unbelievable!
By the way, 48% of The Factor audience is women, 33% identify themselves as liberal.
Lynne Torgerson is not a Republican. Joel Demos is the Republican in the race. www.votedemos.com
So we didn't know who Helen Thomas or Octavia Nasr was ?
A pity indeed.
Well we certainly know who are the folks making a hue & cry over this. The conservatives & Repubs who want their propaganda machines fully staffed just as when we were being set up for Iraq invasion.
I distinctly remember the very same Mr. Williams along with others of his ilk, fabricating half truths, lies and disinformation regarding Iraq to mislead the American public.
People on the left and right are defending Juan.
Are we headed for another civil war? ...because I feel like any day now, the republican states are going to start seceding. I'm only being half sarcastic.
I hope they do it soon. Since red states receive more government money in the form of welfare, medicare, medicaid and military spending than blue states, we'd probably solve a lot of our budget problems if they just left. For a group that is constantly preaching about personal responsibility and railing against government spending, they sure do love to ignore both when they are the biggest offenders. If they secede, let's hope they name their new nation "Hypocrisystan" or some other descriptive name. The other one that comes to mind would get me banned, so I'll let the rest of you come up with your own ideas.
You guys are the one driving the costs up by federal mandates! Are you kidding? Republicans didn't want this outragous health care spending.
BTW, to 'retire [someone]' is also slang for assassination in intel/covert ops, underground, military communities, etc.
that 'retirement' slang comes from "Blade Runner"/"Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep" where artificial people are "retired" for being here illegally (on Earth).
As a black republician, you know what I like about the Tea Party "That don't wear sheets". They might even like me but I look like Obama.
CORRECTION: Lynne Torgerson is NOT the Republican candidate for MN's 5th CD. She is actually an independent candidate (not endorsed by MN's Independence Party, just independent). The GOP candidate in that race is actually Joel Demos.
The fact that Tea Party Nation is endorsing Torgerson proves to me that they have an agenda against Muslims, because if it were only about advocating for smaller government and Judeo-Christian values, I would have expected them to endorse the GOP candidate in that race since he is an associate pastor at a Christian church and an advocate for limited government, lower taxes, and a focus on deficit reduction.
I would encourage you to check out Torgerson's campaign site. Nearly 2/3 of her issues page is dedicated to discussing radical Islam and other rhetoric about Muslims. She even admits that most of what she knows about Islam she's learned from 9/11, the Ft. Hood shootings, the Iran hostage crisis, etc. Which is even more disturbing since she is running to represent the district that contains what is to my knowlege the largest Muslim population of any district in the state of Minnesota.
Lynne Torgerson is an Independent, not a Republican. She welcomes all support, including from her Democrat friends, her Independent friends, Republican and Tea Party friends. Vote Lynne Torgerson for Congress!