Senator Reid: "The president is a loser"

[jersey_guy]

The Democratic Party is hitting record lows when their leader in the Senate starts raging and insults the president. He summed up his party's platform in one sentence. I can't wait for next year's election after which there won't be any problems with filibusters anymore if this keeps up.

http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2005/May-06-Fri-2005/news/reid.html

[jersey_guy]

So what, Reid says Bush is a loser. Didn't Cheney tell some guy to "F*** off"? Both parties are guilty, both parties are pretty much the same.


You're only allowed to insult persons of lower rank than you, not the other way around, and especially NOT the president. Besides Cheney did not insult him but told him to **** off, which is different. Moreover, he said it to his face and not when he was on the other end of the world representing the nation, as the President is now.

[jersey_guy]

It's not a technicality. The President should be given more respect than any regular politician.

[jersey_guy]

Edit: AND Reid had enough sense to apologize. So again, what is your point?

He also said that "Bush is leading the country into bankruptcy" (as evidenced by today's job creation data and unexpectedly high revenues by the Treasury Department, which will substantially reduce this year's deficit).

So not only he insulted the president, but he also used the usual lying demagoguery and pessimistic bitching and whining that turns so many people away from the Democrats.

[Biscuit_AQ]

I'm starting to think Jersey is running some kind of huge joke/science experiement.

[jersey_guy]

God isn't on the Republicans' side but Americans are.

[Jwaksman]

No, none of the top politicians should use petty insults against each other. Regardless of who is ranked higher. Reid should show Bush respect, and Bush should show Reid respect.


Cheney's F-you comment last year was completely out of line. The difference, however, was that it was said where no one else was supposed to hear it. That's one of those "gentlemen's club" things - a lot of stuff gets said and done on the Senate & House floors that would look bad in print. I'm not excusing what Cheney said. Just saying that he didn't expect to be quoted. Reid's comment is different because he said it on record. I really don't think a Republican or Democratic Senate leader has ever said something that blatantly juvenile about a president before. Definitely not a good step towards regaining the "culture" voters.


I don't understand what's happened to Harry Reid. He was once a moderate, anti-abortion Democrat. Now that he's become Minority Leader it's like he suddenly feels impelled to turn into Michael Moore or Howard Dean. He needs to chill out...

[running high]

Anyone here watch the daily show?

A few nights ago it showed the British version of the presidential debate called "Question Time." Everyone was better and had harsh words directly for Tony Blair. A lot of contrast to the system we had.

[jersey_guy]

Anyone here watch the daily show?

A few nights ago it showed the British version of the presidential debate called "Question Time." Everyone was better and had harsh words directly for Tony Blair. A lot of contrast to the system we had.

#1 Do not apply foreigners' standards to our political culture.

#2 Blair was criticized by audience members and not insulted by the leader of the opposition party.

#3 The criticism was to his face, and he was able to respond to it. Again, Bush was halfway around the world representing our country when Senator Reid spoke his mind.

[Biscuit_AQ]

1.) Drop the condescending tone.

[MoMo]

Even though I don't think we need to treat our president like some kind of a god -- he's an elected official, not chosen by any college of cardinals -- it was still a stupid comment, especially coming from someone in Reid's position. Dean, too, has made some stupidly vicious comments about Republicans since becoming the Democratic chairman. I'm starting to think, however, that all this is not accidental. The Dems are trying to buck up the base and show they're not intimidated; and fact is, they've acted in a more united manner this year than the Repubs have. Still, whether that's appropriate is another matter.

[decastella]

...our political system is a complete joke -- it doesn't even come close to resembling what it was intended to -- if anybody actually thinks that there are honest people involved anymore, you're truly demonstrating your ignorance -- and this applies to BOTH sides -- when was the last time that you truly believed somebody was running for office due to a true civic calling? there is simply too much money involved, too much corruption comes with the money, and the breakdown of the system comes with that --

and again, this goes on on both sides, and why we continue to call people names and look to point fingers, acting like "our" side is beyond reproach, is beyond me --

take it for what you will, but nothing will change before some type of MAJOR overhaul...

[MoMo]

so in the meantime -- while awaiting some sort of miracle self-cure of politics -- you just throw up your hands?

there are a few honest people in washington, a few men and women of principle. and there are certainly shades of virtue, and i just don't think it makes sense to lump all 535 members of Congress, and all those others in Washington leadership positions, as unprincipled scum-sucking losers, even if there are some.

let me ask: do you think it would have made NO difference (for better or worse, depending on your orientation) if al gore had become president instead of bush?

[decastella]

there's no doubt that things would have been different -- but that doesn't mean they would have been better, necessarily -- same goes for kerry --

these people who are running for office today are unable to take a firm stand and speak their mind and their beliefs -- they get crucified if they do so -- they simply speak up with what their handlers tell them they should say --

those who do speak up get crushed (kucinich, sharpton come to mind -- and i'm not saying that they should have been president -- but at least they spoke up)

no, i'm not saying to throw up the hands -- i'm saying that we have to expect more from our leaders and to vote that way -- i'm saying that there has to be major reform done to the finances of an election -- then maybe it will come down to the people who want to lead and who have the ideas rather than the people with the money --

[MoMo]

oh, o.k. i'll agree with your conclusions there: expect more and vote that way.

[mzungu]

in my opinion, the financing/lobbying/election system is inherently corrupting, and americans are correct to be highly suspicious of national politicians.

this is part of an ongoing republican campaign to nail whatever democratic leader emerges in the house or senate, regardless of their politics. it has worked in the past and now they're hoping they can nail reid. i seriously doubt he's turning at all to the left, but if his words against bush are worse, it's because he's been attacked incessantly since becoming democratic minority leader.

nothing democrats have said about bush is radically different from what republicans said about clinton. so, don't give me that respect for office crap. that's just a political game intended to eliminate any criticism of bush.

speaking of games, that's all this is to jersey_guy. my bet is that he's doing this as a senior thesis, charting different responses to 1) histrionic radical leftist and 2) histrionic radical rightist.

[Biscuit_AQ]

best jersey guy theory so far.

[jaygray]

I don't quibble with Reid's sentiment as much as his choice of words. He could have said it much better.

Example 1: Use a different noun, e.g., "the president is a stupid." That would get people's attention, like, the majority leader is a fifth-grade valley girl.

Example 2: Use a longer word, i.e., he could have caught himself in the middle of saying "loser" and said "the president is a lucifer," instead, using his well-earned politesse, and suddenly rallying the religious right to the democratic party.

Example 3: Use kitch, i.e. appeal to the masses, i.e. millions of people who grew up on reruns of a certain show, e.g. "the president is a Lucy," implying that Bush is like a certain over-emotional, impulsive, scheming, vacuous female redhead married to a hotheaded Cuban bandleader (how did that relationship ever work?).

Example 4: Communicate with the president on a level he understands, e.g. "As president, the president is unrelentless," thus affecting a kind of flattering empathy while unknown to him, trashing him at the same time.

Example 5: Don't say anything at all, just flip him off -- not with the middle finger, but with the pinky. Then, on camera, when asked about this strange gesture, quote Patrick using Patrick's voice from Spongebob Squarepants: "when in doubt, pinky out." In fact, use any of a number of cartoon character quotes, totally in voice, to respond to the president:

- Yosemite Sam: "Youuuuuuuu'll pay for this!"
- Marvin the Martian: "K-9, fetch me the plutonium 242 explosive space modulator!"
- Foghorn Leghorn: "Now wha, I say what's the big idea! Now wait a minute son, ya payin' no attention. Ya startin' too big. Ya gotta walk before ya can run. Start small, look at me when I'm talking to ya son. I say start small and work up. Now try again boy. Kids nowadays they know it all."
- Pinky: "Narf! Point! What're we going to do tonight, Brain?"
- Dudley Do-Right: "I'll save you Nell!"
- Rocky: "That trick never works!"

Example 6: Obscure. "The president is a sleestak." What did you mean by that, Senator? Did you mean that the president was a kind of mindless, hissing sasquatch creature from a Sid and Marty Kroft children's show in the 70's called the Land of the Lost? Uh-huh.

Example 7: Trekkie. "The president is a Denebian slime devil."

Example 8: WWE. "Oh maaan. I'm going to break this here folding chair over his head. oh yeeaah!"