Inglis goes after Palin: 'Lowest form of political leadership'

[HipChick]

Republican Rep. Bob Inglis, who last month lost a primary battle to retain his seat, is now taking aim at some members of his own party - the second ousted Republican to express frustration with the GOP in as many weeks.

In an interview with the Associated Press and confirmed to CNN by his office, Inglis targets the "death panels" phrase made famous by Sarah Palin when the former Alaska governor inaccurately claimed the Democratic-backed health care legislation would ration health care for the elderly.

"There were no death panels in the bill … and to encourage that kind of fear is just the lowest form of political leadership. It's not leadership. It's demagoguery," said Inglis, who lost his primary challenge to conservative Trey Gowdy by 42 points last month and faced heavy criticism for voting in favor of the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) in 2009.


In a series of Facebook posts last summer, Palin repeatedly suggested the health care legislation would amount to rationing and coined the phrase "death panels" to suggest government bureaucrats, not doctors, would determine the type of health care one receives.

The de-bunked phrase was quickly repeated by detractors of the bill and is credited with spurring heated opposition to the measure.

Inglis said such words amount to "preying on fears."

"I think we have a lot of leaders that are following those personalities and not leading," he said. "What it takes to lead is to say, 'You know, that's just not right.'"

The comments from Inglis, who has served in Congress since 1993, come two weeks after Bob Bennett, - the Republican senator who was cast aside by his party in a primary earlier this year - suggested the GOP is devoid of fresh ideas.

"As I look out at the political landscape now, I find plenty of slogans on the Republican side, but not very many ideas," Bennett told The Ripon Society, a Republican think tank last month.

"The concern I have is that ideology and a demand for absolute party purity endangers our ability to govern once we get into office," Bennett also said.

[applegrove]

1. The real base of the GOP doesn't want the anyone to govern if they get into power. They want the

government to roll over and play dead when they get back into power.

[Scurrilous]

2. K & R

:thumbsup: