Outgoing Republican congressman basically tells them where to shove it

[FLAprogressive]

Don't know if you guys have seen this story or not, it came out a few weeks ago:

"Wayne Gilchrest, the nine-term Republican congressman who represents Maryland's Eastern Shore and parts of Anne Arundel County, has had it, and he's ready to talk.

He's had it with his own party, which he says "has become more narrow, more self-serving, more centered around 'I want, I want, I want.' " He's finished with his party's presidential candidate, John McCain, who Gilchrest says "recites memorized pieces of information in a narrow way, whereas Barack Obama is constantly evaluating information, using his judgment. One guy just recites what's in front of him, and the other has initiative and reason and prudence and wisdom."

*snip*

Gilchrest isn't done. "We're in this bad place as a country because of the evangelicals, the neocons, the nasty, bitter and mean . . . very clever ideological groups that use money, technology, fear and bigotry to lead people around," he says. "Voting according to your knowledge and experience -- that's out the window. Competence and prudence? Forget it."

*snip*

"We've become a country that sits down in front of the boob tube and listens to people shouting about freedom, but now people equate freedom not with the acquisition of knowledge but with comfort," Gilchrest says. " 'Give me my flat-screen TV, the gas-guzzling car, the goods made in China.' The whole concept of freedom has become the idea of comfort, with a complete lack of responsibility." "

Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/01/AR2008100102784.html

I've always had a lot of respect for Gilchrest. He's been against this stupid war and has consistently voted for protecting human rights. (he is one of the few GOP congresspeople who have called for a repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell) He voted to hold Bolten and Miers in contempt among other things and seems like a very principled guy.

[T Wolf]

1. What the hell was he doing in the thug party? Seems out of place there, and he finally realizes it.

Part of me thinks it is a good thing that some thugs are seeing the light. But, at the same time, they are not blameless for the destruction and death that the GOP has produced.

This man should be a Democrat, from the little told about and by him in this posting.

As for the vast majority of the cretins, let them fade away into oblivion.

[hootinholler]

24. There are 2 red areas in Md...

East of the Chesapeake Bay and West of Frederick. Democratic candidates do not get National Party support in these areas. Sadly, or gladly, depending, it matters less what you say or do in these areas than having the bir R after your name.

-Hoot

[Recursion]

54. Or, if you're the governor, you call it the "s**thouse" nt

[hootinholler]

58. That was so funny

The shithouse parade around the Governors mansion.

-Hoot

[salguine]

60. I particularly loved the guy who shipped a crate of corncobs to the governors' mansion.

[Laelth]

37. Good question. Sounds DLC to me--honorable enough, just not liberal.

The United States is a LIBERAL Country.

:dem:

-Laelth

[YellowRubberDuckie]

53. I know a lot of Republians who are thinking the same way.

The evangelicals have RUINED this country, and a lot of Republicans are completely sick of it. They're about to start eating their own. Just wait.
Duckie

[FLAprogressive]

2. Also -- Gilchrest is a Vietnam vet -- so his criticism of a fellow Vietnam vet means a lot IMO

along with his stance against DADT

[SpiralHawk]

4. He undoubtedly recognizes how badly the republicons have treated our veterans

It's the ultimate scandal: the way republicon chickenhawks like AWOL Bush, Five Deferments Cheney, and republicon Draft Dodgers like Hannity, Limbaugh, O'Reilly, and Beck -- actually treat our vets. They 'talk' a good game, but then they apply the republicon SCREW JOB to our sons and daughters who have served America honorably in uniform.

Ptooey on republicon chickehawks...

[DemoTex]

11. Yep. Gilchrest is no Chickenhawk (USMC Viet Nam .. Purple Heart Viet Nam)

His message to the Know-Nothing wing of the GOP is Lima Charlie (loud & clear). Right twenty, add twenty, fire for effect.

[SpiralHawk]

3. Gil Christ has been SAVED (from Beastly republionism)

Hallelujah !

[atommom]

5. I hope there are more out there like him.

The Republican party isn't going to disappear, but it's possible it could become a little less objectionable if enough of them speak up.

[sinkingfeeling]

6. You know, I might even vote for the guy if he keeps on telling the truth!

[Freddie Stubbs]

7. Funny how he never said things like this BEFORE his party's voters threw him out in the primary

[FLAprogressive]

12. Well had he said those things before he would have been thrown out for sure.

He was against the war and is probably the most liberal Republican in the House and that was the kiss of death for him. The Club for Growth ran an ultra right-winger against him....

Don't look a gift horse in the mouth.

[patrice]

8. Stuff's going on in their party: our state senator (who

is widely recognized as an ir-rational simple-minded person) won a 2nd term in '06, then quickly RESIGNED, so the party appointed a RW Fundie replacement, who is running for the seat now and the (now resigned) senator last week disavowed their own candidate in order to make her look more moderate.

Sorry, no names, I'm trying to prevent a certain EXTREMIST RW national foundation that is funding both of these persons from googling what is being said about their investments.

[FLAprogressive]

15. Wow....could we see an all out GOP civil war between the moderates and the fundies? nt

[patrice]

20. Yeah, it's the anti-Choicers/anti-Public Education folks against the pro-Stem Cell Research group.

[FLAprogressive]

22. The GOP seems set on alienating what few moderates they have left...

they can keep doing that too because that assures them that they will be in the minority for years to come.

[crispini]

9. Dayum. You go! nt

[crispini]

10. Dayum. You go! nt

[glitch]

13. The only good Republican is an Ex-Republican. Sing it brother. K & R nt

[NeedleCast]

18. Gilchrest is still a conservative

but he's one of the reasonable ones. I don't mind them. Yeah, they've got a different political mindset from me, but it's at least a mindset based on rational things and arguments. The neo-cons he's blasting (and who are now considered the "base" of the GOP) are the ones who base thier arguments on fear and loathing and some twisted logic that says that to be an American you have to hate Muslims, gays, socialism (in any form) and go to church five times a week. The GOP ran so far to the left so fast after 9-11 that it really didn't pay any attention to where it ended up...and it turned out they landed square in the neighborhood of religious fundamntalist crazies. Now they're realizing that might have been a mistake.

[glitch]

21. I don't mind Conservatives, I just hate Fascists, and that is what Republicans have become.

The GOP ran to the LEFT after 9-11? You made a mistake there.

[NeedleCast]

32. LOL, A big one!

That's a big oops right there. Comes from posting before coffee.

[Raksha]

47. Is it the neocons or the fundies who are the "base"

of the Republican Party?

Re The neo-cons he's blasting (and who are now considered the "base" of the GOP) are the ones who base thier arguments on fear and loathing and some twisted logic that says that to be an American you have to hate Muslims, gays, socialism (in any form) and go to church five times a week.

Or is it the racists and homophobes? I didn't know there were enough neocons to form the base of any party--I thought they were just the ones in charge, because they have all the money and are amoral enough to do whatever it takes to win. And then there are the few "principled Republicans" like Gilchrest that I believed until recently were a myth, until just recently when they started voicing their disgust with the party and jumping ship.

I guess that's something they can hash out among themselves during the post-election post-mortems. With any luck at all, they will split into three minority parties and we won't have to worry about any of them any more.

[FLAprogressive]

48. Neocons and fundies are usually one in the same.

Save for people like Ileana Ros-Lehtinen who's just a neocon....and Ron Paul who's just a fundie.

[Rambis]

14. Kicked (nm)

:kick: :patriot:

[rucky]

16. He should join DU

this is what we discuss all day.

[marions ghost]

17. OK but.....

From the article:

"Before you start cheering on the congressman who finally let loose, his frustration has one more target: Us.

"We've become a country that sits down in front of the boob tube and listens to people shouting about freedom, but now people equate freedom not with the acquisition of knowledge but with comfort," Gilchrest says. " 'Give me my flat-screen TV, the gas-guzzling car, the goods made in China.' The whole concept of freedom has become the idea of comfort, with a complete lack of responsibility."


-----------------

I'm glad this guy is saying some of the truth but I don't like the whole "blame the consumers" thing. It covers up too much Republican corruption and malfeasance. No point in blaming the pigs at the end of the trough for their "demand for things."

Look at the McMansion enclaves stuffed full of stuff. They're all Repigs. There's no objective point to be made on the subject of American materialism and over-consumtion.

[tjwash]

25. Sounds like something I would say

Americans have basically gotten fat,lazy, and complacent. It's part of the perks of living deep within a militaristic empire that has almost no chance of foreign invasion on its own shores.

[marions ghost]

27. I don't see it that way

Are you saying that flat screen TVs, gas guzzlers, & Chinese made stuff are mortal sins in a consumer-based society where people are encouraged in every way to own them, where these things are considered "basic?" There's no good public transit. People spend a lot of their waking hours in their car shells. The corporate decision to make and sell large vehicles came before the demand. The demand was created.

Blaming the American consumer is too smug and arrogant an attitude for me. Most people I know work very hard. This self-righteousness isn't an attitude that helps Democrats much. It mainly hides the over-consumption and excess profits by the rich, when you lump all Americans together in this.

Sorry I don't think the average consumer shares the "blame" with the corporates and other decision makers. We don't have much control over what's out there to buy. Most people don't have time or energy to be too creative about consumer goods. Most of us are just trying to make the best decisions we can, given the options.

We as a nation are complacent and take "democracy" for granted--I agree with that-- but that's different from the reasons for over-consumption.

[cobalt1999]

26. That's was one of the best parts.

And it's completely true.

[progressoid]

31. It's not a "blame the consumers" thing as much as identifying our complacency and selfishness.

And it seems to me he's primarily targeting the Republican base in that statement.

[marions ghost]

40. he's targeting the R base by inference

OK...but tarring with a wide brush. How many Dems have big TVs, gas guzzlers, Chinese products (who DOESN'T have Chinese products)? I would bet quite a lot.

I object to his pointing the finger at the consumer in general. All I'm saying is look at the corporations CREATING demand. Look at the advertising that convinces people of what they lack.

There's an underlying message that I don't agree with. It's arrogant, smug. Yes he's doing a good job of trashing Republi-cons. But a lot of consumers don't deserve the smear. We don't have as much control over our lives as people like to think.

[blueraven95]

19. it was the weirdest thing in the world

when I was rooting for Wayne Gilchrest to win the Republican primary here. The guy who ran against him (and won)is seriously right wing, and that particular seat generally goes Republican. The attack ads have been particularly vicious in the general, and Gilchrest endorsed the Democrat who is running. The good news is that said Dem has tied the race up, and what went from being a sure Republican seat is now a toss-up.

[Ikonoklast]

23. These are the Republicans that the Fundies hate

He has principles, thinks for himself, and refuses to be cowed by the haters.

Doesn't drink the kool-aid and toe the party line.

I commend him.

The Republican Party will purge everyone that isn't a 'true believer' after McCain is defeated. Incipient civil war will follow in their ranks. The lines are being drawn now.

They have lost the conservative soul of their party and replaced it with the religiously intolerant and the worshippers of money.

They will become a permanent minority party.

[Marr]

28. I'm a little sick of these people who develop a conscience as they're LEAVING.

There's been a whole string of them.

[FLAprogressive]

30. I'd say he's always had a conscience.

He's arguably the most liberal GOP congressman -- has voted AGAINST the war recently because he knows it was a mistake....voted to hold Miers & Bolten in contempt , strong record on LGBT rights and the environment. Sure, he's still a repuke -- but let's be honest...I think I'd rather have him as my congressman than say....reactionary "Democrat" Jim Marshall of GA.

[Orsino]

33. I can't speak to his record...

...but his timing is highly suspicious.

[FLAprogressive]

34. so you're saying it's impossible for a GOPer to ever see the light?

I suppose we better tell Chafee and Powell to take a hike then.....

[Orsino]

38. Please check again.

I'm not saying anything is impossible--especially when I'm admitting that I don't know his record.

[FLAprogressive]

42. He's very good on some issues

Pro-LGBT
Anti-fundie
Against the war
Voted for SCHIP

He's not perfect but he's probably better than some of the Dems in congress......(shitty ones like Jim Marshall, Heath Shuler, etc.)

[Orsino]

43. But may have caught the Republican disease...

...of not wanting to be in the minority. Or the timing is mere coincidence.

[FLAprogressive]

46. Then why did he run for re-election?

Didn't seem to mind trying to be in the minority for another term.....

[Orsino]

50. Well, there are minorities and there are minorities.

The one coming up is gonna be pretty damned minor. If he is a principled legislator, he may have just hung on longer than others might have.

[FLAprogressive]

52. what exactly is that supposed to mean? n/t

[Orsino]

59. That a Republican *already* worried about being in the minority party...

...would really have no fun in the next Congress.

[LeftishBrit]

35. Sounds like he's always been something of a maverick (a real one, not like McNut)

There may be some 'sour grapes' here - but then again some grapes really ARE sour.

[goB]

29. a bit late I'd say!

[jazzjunkysue]

36. "We can't be a party about immigrant-bashing or gay-bashing or any other bashing.

We should be a party of fiscal responsibility, which is how I got into it."

Callahan, ex-state legislator.


This is fun.

[yardwork]

39. Maybe he would like to become a Democrat?

[malaise]

41. Good read

Run Rethugs run and tell all to boot. I'm lovin it. :rofl:

[Puregonzo1188]

44. He's my rep. I actually met him twice, once on a Student Peace Action Lobby Day.

We were only scheduled to meet with a staffer, but when he saw us sitting there (I was in high school at the time, so was everyone else in the delegation) he invited us into his office to chat with him. He seemed to express genuine interest in Mike Honda's Student Privacy Protection Act. All-in-all, I think his heart was in the right place. Sadly, he was replaced in the primary with a carpetbagger rightwing nutjob named Andy Harris. For once, the election is actually competive and I hope Harris does not win (though the Democrat doesn't seem to be any further to the left than Gilchrest was).

We'll see.

[JohnWxy]

45. THIS GUY IS A REPUBLICAN???? He sounds like somebody you can actually talk to!

recommended.

[FLAprogressive]

49. Would anyone be opposed to him having a Vet. Affairs role in an Obama administration? nt

[Miss Chybil]

51. Welcome Mr. Gilchrest. nt

[Life Long Dem]

55. Yes! "initiative and reason and prudence and wisdom."

Which spells LEADERSHIP!

[Triana]

56. He's right - comfort != freedom...what it DOES is keep the masses complacent so..

...freedom can be taken from them and they'll allow it (no matter how blatant or stupid) as long as they're comfortable.

[demoborn47]

57. I love it

Tells it like it is, what 99% of them refuse to see or admit.

kudos Congressman

[NorCalDem]

61. Boo fucking hoo.

The guy actually sounds like a decent human being, but then WHAT THE FUCK WAS HE DOING IN THE REPUBLICAN PARTY!!!! If you have the gall to put an R next to your name in these times, I have zero respect for you and don't give a flying fuck what happens to you personally or politically. You are complicit in the destruction of this country and it's payback time...

:nopity: :nopity: :nopity: :nopity: