Rep. Anthony Weiner to Democrats: “Stop Cowering”

It needed to be said. And our spinally challenged Democrats need to hear it and act on it.

Most Democrats have spent the last few years lying in bed, curled up in the fetal position, thinking “if I pull the covers over my head and stay perfectly still, Republicans won’t see me and they won’t be able to get me.”

Dana Milbank described the Democrats as being “passive to the point of wimpy” on the first anniversary of the Affordable Care Act. He quotes Anthony Weiner as saying:

“If Democrats believe it’s going to go away, they’re wrong. I don’t represent the hide-under-the-desk wing of the Democratic Party. I believe we’ve got to lean into this fight.”

He says Nancy Pelosi has been “inartful,” and President Obama hasn’t provided “air cover” for Democrats in Congress. The White House “hasn’t done a very good job” of confronting critics. And referring to the Democrats in general: “We have to stop cowering.”

He says Democrats should be actively promoting and celebrating the health care reform law. “It’s not enough just to say, ‘Here’s this great bill.’ We haven’t done a particularly skillful job in the last year of rebutting some of the basic thrusts of the Republican opposition to the bill.”

Dana Milbank says the Democrats are “answering the opposition’s often-scurrilous allegations with earnest pleas not to ‘relitigate’ the past. In wishing away the fight, they are losing it.”

In other words — Stop Cowering!

GOP to 9/11 First Responders: “Fuck You! DIE!!!!”

It’s time for the GOP to go over their to-do list and make sure there isn’t ANYBODY out there that Republicans HAVEN’T shat on yet. Let’s see: low income people, the unemployed, small businesses, minorities, gays, non-Christians, people who’ve been dumped by their HMOs, people losing their homes — Check.

What about the first responders who risked their lives on September 11th, 2001 — Check.

The House has defeated a bill that would have provided up to $7.4 billion in aid — over a ten-year period — to people who have become ill from the smoke, dust and debris from the 9/11 attacks. OK, so that’s a lot of money; we probably spent that much in Iraq and Afghanistan while you were reading this sentence.

The 9/11 victims are kind of like soldiers: Conservatives don’t give a flying fuck about either of them, but they make excellent grist for soundbites and talking points. “Support the troops!” “9/11!” “You’re undermining the war effort!” “9/11!” “You can’t be against the war AND support the troops!” And don’t forget:

9/11

And then when soldiers and 9/11 workers become sick or disabled, rightwing bumpersticker patriotism morphs into “We don’t need you any more. Run along now. Fuck off.”

Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-NY) chewed ‘em a new one. Check out the video.

Alan Grayson, Anthony Weiner — this is the kind of Democrats we need. And unlike talk radio and Fox News, these guys not only pack a punch; they can also string together complete sentences with big two-syllable words and everything.