A Party of Whiners and Their Enablers in The News Media

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

I was recently taken ill by that virus going around and I had to spend some time in bed recovering from my illness. (I am doing fine, thanks for asking).

I normally never get to watch daytime television, so I decided to check it out and see what I have been missing. Oh. My. God.

The 24-hour cable news networks are the worst invention mankind has ever devised. Dante would have to create a special ring in hell for Ted Turner and his invention if he was writing The Inferno today. Dead air space and old-fashioned "snow" would be preferable. Who are these people and why are any of them gainfully employed to do this?

Apparently no one in cable news land is aware of the fact that America recently held a quadrennial election this past November and some skinny Black kid from Illinois was elected president, or that the Democrats won a second double-digit landslide election in a row. Elections have consequences; Americans overwhelmingly rejected Republican rule. But you would never know this if you only get your news from cable news land, an alternate universe where the Republicans are always in control of the government and have a 24-hour soap box from which to sell their dangerous products to the American people.

These are the same Republicans whose failed and entirely discredited ideology was overwhelmingly rejected in November by the American people who demanded change. After driving this country into the ditch and destroying the global economy, Republicans have no credibility whatsoever. They should be hiding under a rock somewhere. And yet, all I saw on the cable "news" (sic) shows were Republicans selling the same old poisonous snake oil and whining about how Americans must stay the course of Republican rule.

I am left to wonder with Digby over at Hullabaloo:

Can someone explain to me why I'm seeing Republican after Republican on television advising Americans on the right way to run the economy? Is there any reason why we should listen to them sanctimoniously lecturing us on "what's worked in the past" and telling us that the only way to cure the problems they themselves created are to do more of the same? They've always been known for chutzpah, but this takes the cake. …

It would really be great if somebody, somewhere, could ask them why they think anyone should take them seriously on these issues considering the mess we are in today. I know that's a lot to ask during this time of reconciliation but honestly, it's infuriating to see them swarm the television and have to watch the media listen to their "analysis" and swallow it whole. If I didn't follow politics closely, I would think these people are the ones who won the election.

Even more infuriating is how Republicans have responded to President Obama's good faith attempts to reach out to them in the spirit of post-partisanship. Obama met with the leading bloviating gas bag conservative pundits at George Will's home, asking them to get on board with helping him to solve the nation's pressing problems. But the chief bloviating gas bag in charge, Rush Limbaugh, instead has launched into a campaign against Obama stating that he hopes Obama fails. Why does Rush Limbaugh hate America?

President Obama has twice gone up to Congress to meet with Republican leaders to discuss their legislative proposals, and he even included some of their ineffective and costly tax cuts in his stimulus bill in an effort to appease them. But it is never enough. Republicans instead whined that Obama did not adopt their Republican proposals in total and reject the stimulus plan prepared by his own administration and the Democratic leadership in Congress – you know, the guys who actually won the election and were given a mandate for change from the failed Republican policies of the past by the American people. Just who the hell do these guys think they are?

Even before President Obama met with the Republican leadership the second time, Rep. John Boehner and Sen. Mitch McConnel had already advised their members to reject the Obama stimulus plan. Republicans threw a hissy fit whining to the media that President Obama did not acceed to their every demand. Their complete lack of good faith and their attempt to hold the American people hostage to continuing their failed and entirely discredited ideology speaks volumes about their lack of character and lack of commitment to solving this country's pressing problems. Their only interest is partisan warfare to produce sound bites to be played on television and radio by their enablers in the news media.

(Despite their poor manners, President Obama invited these malcontents over to the White House for drinks later, anyway. Classy guy.)

John Amato over at Crooks and Liars has described this phenomenon as the The newest addition to the Bill of Rights: The Conservative Hissy Fit Exception: 

An additional amendment has been added to the Bill of Rights.

It's called The Republican Hissy Fit Exception.

No matter what harm has been caused by the Republican party to our country and applies especially when they have been voted out of office because of that harm, any piece of Democratic legislation being discussed may be attacked with the intent of watering it down or destroying it completely (voided) at any time as long as one conservative in Congress has a hissy fit.

The traditional media must immediately validate their hissy fit by repeating said hissy fit talking points over and over again in print, on the Internets, on radio and on TV as many times as necessary to accomplish said goal of compromising the legislation that the hissy fit is applicable to.

False information is also allowed to be transmitted by the hissy fitter and the media in an effort to implement the Conservative Hissy Fit exception. An alternative name that may be used is the Republican Hissy Fit exception.

Haven't we all suffered enough at the hands of this party of whiners and their enablers in the news media? Please stop this insanity already.