MSNBC Just said

[gopiscrap]

that all the Republican Congress folks who were invited to be at the Rev. MLK Jr. Remembrance, turned down the organizers. How in the hell do they think they will increase their share of the black vote? But this is what the tea party crazies have done to the repuke party.

[Lex]

1. They want to "re-brand" but they can't overcome their racism and

bigotry. Assholes.

[gopiscrap]

2. Agreed

[deutsey]

4. They just want another Reagan to come along and put a nice smiley face

over their racism and bigotry.

[Tikki]

32. ronald reagan was a horrid human..we need to smack the proverbial smile off of any reaganish repug..

they set forth...


Tikki

[deutsey]

47. A horrid, yet very telegenic human who knew how to play to the camera n/t

[Tikki]

50. That is why we need to keep on the snake-oil salesman repugs and make...

them accountable for everything they say and do...

When a few of them get in front of the camera they act charming but they really are harming.


reagan was a king-sized a-ho*e..

Tikki

[Boomerproud]

57. I lived through the Reagan years and he never once convinced me of anything.

I had long checked into Hotel Reality. IMHO Bill Clinton was ten times the "Great communicator" that Reagan was.

[deutsey]

64. I also lived through the Reagan years

I didn't buy his bullshit. I was in the minority.

[niyad]

81. "telegenic"?? ummm, did you actually see him? played to the camera? most of us thought he was

creepy, totally out of touch, and pretty much not there. the "great communicator" meme was just that, a meme--he was a lousy actor in hollywood, and did not get better as governor, or president.

[freebrew]

83. +1

Lived in CA when he was gov.

[deutsey]

84. That's why he won '84 in a landslide

I couldn't stand him (and I still can't stand him). I found (and still find) nothing about him as president that was admirable or redeeming. I also believe his presidency, as the culmination of the rightwing reaction that emerged in the mid-'70s, marks the point where we really lost our way as a nation.

But there is no doubt that he and his handlers knew how to manipulate the media (and the many dupes consuming what the media were reporting "on bended knee"*--that's the title of a book about how Reagan cowed the press).

They staged events with lots of pomp and circumstance, flags, cheering crowds, and a grandfatherly Reagan smiling and waving, that played really well on TV and lots of people ate it up.

I don't call him the "great communicator" because of that, but I do call him and his cronies great propagandists.


*Review from Publishers Weekly: Based on some 175 interviews with top administration officials, senior journalists and news executives, plus analyses of newspaper articles and television stories, Hertsgaard ( Nuclear Inc. ) argues that the Reagan White House not only tamed the media but transformed it into "a willing mouthpiece of the government" in its coverage of issues ranging from economic policy to arms control. In addition to providing examples of the media's "accommodating passivity" on major issues, he contends that the Reagan propaganda apparatus (or "Deaver & Co.," as he also calls it, referring to the president's former image wizard) chose the First Lady's pet project (i.e., the dangers of drugs) for her to draw attention away from her lavish lifestyle, which the public was beginning to notice and resent. Hertsgaard also claims that evidence suggests a 1980 deal with Iran to delay the hostage release until inauguration day, and that this alleged deal was the genesis of the Iran-contra affair. But these are mere sidelights in this charge-packed attack on the media's "subservience to state authority" and the "witless malevolence" of recent presidential image-making. Hertsgaard's most controversial indictment is that the nation's press lords deliberately reined in their troops.

[SummerSnow]

53. racism runs deep.they can't hide it.

They will have their own version of the march on washington. full of Baggers, racist, Birthers and gun nuts. Their guest speakers...Alan Keyes..Clarence Thomas..Herman Cane.Michael Steele..and the Master and Mistress of Ceremonies.. Alan West and Sarah Palin

[Baitball Blogger]

93. It makes my DU viewing flow more easily when the first comment nails it on the head.

[kardonb]

97. think

they don't think , they just automatically respond , like Pavlov's dog , trained that way .

[alsame]

3. IMO, they are not at all interested in increasing

their share of the AA or Hispanic vote, they know it's hopeless. Their plan is to suppress the vote.

[Wounded Bear]

41. Ding! Ding! Ding!

Winner, winner, chicken dinner!

They don't need their votes, they'll just prevent them from voting against Republicans.

At least that seems to be the plan.

[bobGandolf]

48. Agreed!

Suppression it is!

[avebury]

66. That was exactly what I was going to say. nt

[Ganja Ninja]

72. Yup just showing up at an event like this will throw the racists ass clowns they pander to into ...

a rabid frenzy. They are trapped in a cage of their own making. They can only campaign as mean spirited pricks because that's their core constituency. And that constituency will drop them like a bad habit if they show the least bit of decency.

[Raine]

73. Suppress and if that doesn't work steal elections like they did in 2000 & 2004 and tried in the last

one. We have to outsmart them which shouldn't be too difficult.

[RKP5637]

78. Exactly what they are about! Well said! n/t

[bowens43]

5. they don't need to increase their share of the black vote, they just need to stop them from voting

[Atman]

10. BINGO!

That's the stategery.

[kelliekat44]

11. Double BINGO!! nt

[uponit7771]

13. Ding ding ding

[glinda]

42. Definitely. They don't care about anything and will do everything

to get what they want. People need to stop being kind in how they think of them. THEY DO NOT CARE.

[SummerSnow]

54. Bingo!, maybe the Koch brothers will tnrow them a march.lol

[L0oniX]

74. Fucking doo A ...thread win! n/t

[LuvNewcastle]

6. I don't think most Republican pols want to be seen at such an event.

They consider it bad publicity to their supporters. After all, a lot of them hate MLK.

[montanacowboy]

7. Gerrymandering and Suppressing Vote

They don't need to do a goddamn thing - these Republican districts are totally safe and the more they keep off the voting rolls the better. They don't have to answer to anyone.

[Historic NY]

8. I guess not even a Black Republican congressman showed up,

[gopiscrap]

9. Too afraid of their own party

but then again I don't understand any person of color voting republican yet alone representing them.

[johnnyreb]

12. Wow

Crap-tastic republicans, as usual.

[xxqqqzme]

14. Too afraid of

rushbo calling them out and chris wallace not interviewing them!

[Heather MC]

15. Don't be ridculus there is no such thing as black people

[malaise]

16. ReTHUGs have rebranded as the party of racists

Fuck them all!

[gopiscrap]

18. I agree!

[Carolina]

17. they don't care

about increasing their share of the black vote. They are working to eliminate the black vote... to take their country back!!!

[stevenleser]

19. +1 exactly.

They have no interest in attempting to appeal to black voters.

[gopiscrap]

34. But the problem I see for the Republican party is that

this country gets less white everyday! How are they going to deal with that. You can only suppress so much.

[brooklynite]

20. Our FRiends have been debating whether there were more people at the Glenn Beck rally...

You know, the important issues.

[obxhead]

21. They don't want to increase their share of the black vote.

They want to completely eliminate the black vote altogether.

[Tay123]

22. Got it

Just curious of what the black Republicans think of this.

[gopiscrap]

23. That always makes me wonder

how in the fuck can you be a "black republican"?

[tblue]

25. None of them are there.

They don't care either.

[malaise]

28. I hope some one asks Michael Steele

later. More than a few of them are paid hacks

[brush]

86. They are mostly opportunists . . .

who think they're "different." IMHO, they must have a high masochism threshold and a willingness to deny and look away from their party's racist strain as they seek jobs, positions, appointments, et al, that may come from being the "only one".

[tblue]

24. They don't care about black people.

Truly they don't.

[Iliyah]

26. Gopers are sincerely banking on low turnout

and voter suppression.

You would think their great tea baggers running for President, i.e. Cruz, Perry, and Paul would have some guts and lead their party.

[gopiscrap]

27. Everyone of those neanderthals is a

fucking idiot and would get slaughtered in a national election.

[valerief]

29. They pass laws so black people can't vote. nt

[heaven05]

30. good

serves them right, no one wanted them there anyway. With vote fixing, gerrymandering and out and out denial of voting privileges, they are not worried about the minority and poor vote.

[BeyondGeography]

31. Whatever it takes to increase their share of the white vote

in a country that gets a little less white every day. Sheer brilliance.

[AAO]

33. Thanks, crap! Brought a big smile to my face.

When you have enemies like that, who needs friends?

[Zen Democrat]

35. Duh, Ronnie Raygun began his 1980 presidential campaign in Philadelphia, MS.

His first official speech as the Republican nominee was in the place where the three civil rights workers - Goodwin, Chaney and Schwerner, were killed by the KKK. It was a speech about states rights. Boldfaced and shameless. Don't tell me he was any kind of "good guy." ALL Republicans are racists, otherwise they would shake that hateful dust from their shoes and move along.

[SCVDem]

36. You can call it racist

I call it campaign commercials.

It's time to line up sponsorships for the overcrowded polling places.

A/C, porta potties and seating while enduring the 12 hour waits. Maybe television and music.

This need be a one time thing to throw the bastards out and retake the government.

I have a dream!

[lastlib]

37. * * GOO-OOD! * *

"They who sow the wind will reap the whirlwind..."


that puts the GOP another step closer to oblivion, if I read the tea leaves correctly.......

[gopiscrap]

38. God I hope you're right!

[truedelphi]

39. These are the same people who post endless blog posts about how the Skittles

Found in Trayvon Martin's pocket were to be used to cook up the drug "Heat."

Bigots through and through.

[gopiscrap]

40. ignorant assholes to boot!

[Blue_Tires]

59. +1

[rl6214]

89. I heard it was called "lean" or "drank"

[Rebellious Republican]

43. Thats because they all had a prior commitment to their own

"March on Washington Rally Anniversary" remembrance.

[gopiscrap]

45. exactly

[spanone]

44. the only care they have about the black vote is stopping it. they don't WANT it, they WANT it gone.

[Agnosticsherbet]

46. They don't want to increase their share. They want to decrease the percentage of black voters.

Going the MLK Jr. Remembrance would just send mixed messages the Tea Birchers.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

49. Next up: House repeals 13th Amendment.

[liberal N proud]

51. They didn't think the media would point it out

And I doubt FUX did.

[polichick]

52. They're too busy - all about impeaching the black guy right now.

[lpbk2713]

62. All that obstructing is hard work.

And they have to keep time in their schedule open for lobbyists and Fortune 500 reps.

[pinto]

63. Boehner, Cantor declined invitation to speak at MLK event.

Boehner, Cantor declined invitation to speak at MLK event

The House’s two most senior Republicans, Speaker John Boehner (Ohio) and Majority Leader Eric Cantor (Va.), turned down invitations to speak at the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington.

Boehner opted to speak at a separate congressional ceremony commemorating Martin Luther King Jr.’s delivery of the “I Have a Dream” speech on Capitol Hill, Roll Call reported, rather than at Wednesday’s event on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial.

Cantor was asked to participate in the event, which featured speeches from President Obama and former Presidents Clinton and Jimmy Carter, just 12 days ago. The majority leader was traveling in North Dakota and Ohio on Wednesday and declined the invitation.

http://thehill.com/homenews/house/319239-boehner-cantor-declined-invitation-to-speak-at-march-on-washington-anniversary

[rl6214]

90. I think both of them could have/should have cleared their schedules

Shows great disrespect. If they wanted to speak at their own thing later, fine.

[Cha]

56. So glad the media pointed it out! thanks gopiscrap!

[live love laugh]

58. They don't care about or need the black vote--or any vote since they own the machines.

ETA

On second thought, they do need some votes to mask their cheating. But other than that, they're good and anything else from them (re: being pro-life, etc. ) is just rhetoric.

[Blue Idaho]

60. Republicanism rears its ugly racist head.

Does anyone need any further proof of the racism running rampant in the modern republican party?

[sakabatou]

61. They truly don't give a shit

[Jake2413]

65. They don't want to increase their share of the black vote

they want to decrease the black vote.

[Skittles]

67. they're trying to suppress the black vote

this kind of antic is red meat for their racist fan base

[TBF]

68. They don't care about the black vote -

they want the hispanic vote. At least that is how they are operating in Texas ...

[leftynyc]

69. Probably in response to this

http://mediamatters.org/blog/2013/08/28/bill-oreilly-falsely-claims-republicans-barred/195656

snip

Contrary to what O'Reilly said on-air, several Republicans were invited to participate in the event, including both President George W. Bush and President George H. W. Bush. Both declined due to health concerns. According to ABC News, both Republican House Speaker John Boehner and House Majority Whip Eric Cantor were invited to attend but did not do so with their offices citing scheduling conflicts:

[rl6214]

91. They should have cleared their schedules

Disrespectful

[leftynyc]

92. That is their decision

All I'm responding to is the lie that they weren't invited.

[dembotoz]

70. lets remember this next time they bring up their party of lincoln bs

[JHB]

75. Also when they note that King voted Republican...

...(a long time ago, long before the Dixiecrats became Dixiepublicans).

And when they bring up Lincoln, remind them that Lincoln's party was a liberal-left party.

[randr]

71. They have lost their souls

[gtar100]

76. The only thing the republicans could have said there that would have made any sense is "I'm sorry."

Sorry for being an obstacle to justice, security, and prosperity for all these years.

But we all know that taking personal responsibility for their own shit is *not* what republicans do.

[RKP5637]

77. They are showing their true colors ... the party of choice for bigots and racists. n/t

[Raffi Ella]

79. They're shameless.

It's dog whistling at its most blatant. Staying away from this extraordinary occasion while a black man occupies the Oval Office speaks for itself.

I'm through being disgusted and outraged by their behavior. The Democratic Leadership needs to go nationwide and get these traitors OUT of Congress. They're a fucking disgrace to the country.

[madrchsod]

80. they are afraid of white racists

[Dustlawyer]

82. We will never have a proper functioning government until we get rid of the Shadow Government

that controls our politicians, Judges, and the media! The Republicans as well as Democrats need to understand that our politicians are not "ours!" They belong to the corporations and the 1%! The clowns in Washington distract us with hyper-partisanship while somehow managing to work together to pass what their corporate masters want.
We need a Jimmy Carter or another prominent person to get started. I thought Bill Clinton in his speech yesterday, hinted of the need to march again, this time for all of our freedom! Freedom from the control of the Shadow Government! While he would never do anything to mess up Hilary's chance to become POTUS, he may be hinting of our need to break the cycle.
We need PUBLICLY FUNDED ELECTIONS to break the cycle of control over what used to be "our" Representatives! Lets not be distracted by issues that are the symptoms of this hijacking of our Representatives and focus on getting candidates to support Complete Campaign Finance Reform! It is the solution to what we so desperately need!
We are running out of time with our environment which the corporations and the 1% don't care about at all. We are going bankrupt supporting a military grossly outsized for our protection. To keep control of us they now have resorted to spying on us. I don't believe for a minute that they are not using the information fully and completely. The whistleblowers have said that they have targeted some politicians, SCOTUS, and many others. The information is just too tempting to ever give up and works too well at identifying future OWS type protests. They are preparing for us to fight back and the longer we wait, the harder it will be!

[paulkienitz]

87. like Dr. King said back then,

"The Republican Party geared its appeal and program to racism, reaction, and extremism."

[rl6214]

88. There have been claims the bush presidents weren't invited

I also heard they were unable to come because of health issues. Any idea what is true and what republican leaders were invited?

[Cryptoad]

94. You have to remember

that most Black Republicans do not like MLK.....

[Snake Plissken]

95. If I was a Republican Congressman there is no way in Hell I would have attended

a Rev. MLK Jr. Remembrance.

If a Republican Congressman doesn't hate everything about this country other than guns and angry old White men, he might as well forget about ever winning another GOP Primary.

[PatrynXX]

96. having a father who is one provides insight

They consider the Republican part dead. ie Republican party is a third party now. So no matter how far to the right Republicans go. They'll never win.

Their supposed aim is to destroy the Liberal Republican party and bring it back to honor their Grandparents. Which is utterly insane. Because their economic ideas won't bring it back to the 1950's. maybe the 1920's and we know where that went..