Blue Mass Group

Reality-based commentary on politics.

  • Shop
  • Subscribe to BMG
  • Contact
  • Log In
  • Front Page
  • All Posts
  • About
  • Rules
  • Events
  • Register on BMG

When Silence Isn’t Golden

October 3, 2011 By steven-j-gulitti

There have been two disturbing moments of silence during recent Republican presidential candidate debates that are disconcerting in the least and potentially damaging for the Republican Party at the very worst. One took place during a debate when the question of whether or not a healthily individual who had the option to purchase health care and did not, should be allowed to die if he became severely injured. Before an candidate could utter a word, the crowd cheered the thought of letting the uninsured die. None of the candidates publicly took umbrage with this crass show of a lack of compassion.
 
More recently when a gay soldier serving overseas made a comment via satellite link into the last Republican debate, and identified himself as gay, he was roundly booed by the audience. Once again none of the candidates on the stage uttered a word in opposition to the lack of respect shown a member of our Armed Forces who was serving in harms way so that those in the audience could enjoy the freedoms that they currently do.
 
Thus four questions of the utmost gravity come immediately to the fore:
 
(1) Are the current crop of Republican contenders so cowed by radical right extremists within the G.O.P. that they can’t summon the courage to stand up to this sort of despicable behavior? 
 
(2) Will the Republican presidential contenders of 2012 have to tack so far to the right in order to placate the party’s radicals during the primaries that it will make them so unattractive to moderates and independents as to make them unelectable, in spite of the fact that Barack Obama is clearly vulnerable?
 
(3) Will the tolerance of this radically incendiary behavior among the far right allow Barack Obama to frame the 2012 elections as our last chance to avoid America going completely off the rails, leaving behind any hope of comity and compromise, as we head into an abyss characterized by radically charged intolerance.
 
4) Will right wing extremism affect a change in Barack Obama’s message from one of hope to one of fear which will thereby deflect the attention that is needed to address chronic economic problems?
 
SJG
10/3/11
Please share widely!
fb-share-icon
Tweet
0
0

Filed Under: User Tagged With: barack-obama, Gay Rights in the Military, health-care, Political Intolerance, Presidential Primaries, Republican Presidential Candidates, Right-wing Radicalism

Recommended Posts

  • No posts liked yet.

Recent User Posts

Predictions Open Thread

December 22, 2022 By jconway

This is why I love Joe Biden

December 21, 2022 By fredrichlariccia

Garland’s Word

December 19, 2022 By terrymcginty

Some Parting Thoughts

December 19, 2022 By jconway

Beware the latest grift

December 16, 2022 By fredrichlariccia

Thank you, Blue Mass Group!

December 15, 2022 By methuenprogressive

Recent Comments

  • blueeyes on Beware the latest griftSo where to, then??
  • Christopher on Some Parting ThoughtsI've enjoyed our discussions as well (but we have yet to…
  • Christopher on Beware the latest griftI can't imagine anyone of our ilk not already on Twitter…
  • blueeyes on Beware the latest griftI will miss this site. Where are people going? Twitter?…
  • chrismatth on A valedictoryI joined BMG late - 13 years ago next month and three da…
  • SomervilleTom on Geopolitics of FusionEVERY un-designed, un-built, and un-tested technology is…
  • Charley on the MTA on A valedictoryThat’s a great idea, and I’ll be there on Sunday. It’s a…

Archive

@bluemassgroup on Twitter

Twitter feed is not available at the moment.

From our sponsors




Google Calendar







Search

Archives

  • Facebook
  • RSS
  • Twitter




Copyright © 2025 Owned and operated by BMG Media Empire LLC. Read the terms of use. Some rights reserved.