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Dems To Chavez: Drop Dead

By Jeralyn, Section Foreign Affairs
Posted on Fri Sep 22, 2006 at 04:03:45 AM EST
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(Guest Post by Big Tent Democrat)

Democratic leaders did not appreciate Hugh Chavez's little show:

Two of President Bush's staunchest domestic critics leapt to his defense Thursday, a day after one of his fiercest foreign foes called him "the devil" in a scorching speech before the United Nations. "You don't come into my country; you don't come into my congressional district and you don't condemn my president," Rep. Charles Rangel, D-New York. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-California, was blunt in her criticism of the Venezuelan leader. "He is an everyday thug," she said.

Good show and smart show by Leader Pelosi and Congressman Rangel.

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    • Dems To Chavez: Drop Dead | 38 comments (38 topical)
    Re: Dems To Chavez: Drop Dead (none / 0) (#1)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Fri Sep 22, 2006 at 10:13:14 AM EST
    Good show and smart show by Leader Pelosi and Congressman Rangel. Yeah, they showed us real good! They did us real proud! They beat up Chavez, and they have bent us over for torture, and now they plan on running on the economy and running away from Bush's foreign policy disasters. I am unimpressed with their beating up of Chavez.

    Re: Dems To Chavez: Drop Dead (none / 0) (#2)
    by jimakaPPJ on Fri Sep 22, 2006 at 10:29:29 AM EST
    What? They condemn Chavez for what they've been doing? Hogwash. They created the atmosphere, now they are trying to run and hide. The Repubs must be laughing their behinds off.

    Re: Dems To Chavez: Drop Dead (none / 0) (#3)
    by Sailor on Fri Sep 22, 2006 at 10:39:15 AM EST
    Hogwash. They created the atmosphere, now they are trying to run and hide.
    I'd say an illegal war, torture, war crimes, secret prisons, mercenaries hired from cronies, ... (et al, add more if you wish, the list is damn near endless), created the atmosphere.

    Re: Dems To Chavez: Drop Dead (none / 0) (#4)
    by JHFarr on Fri Sep 22, 2006 at 10:39:40 AM EST
    I totally, emphatically disagree with this post. I think everything Chavez said was right on the money and that Rangel and Pelosi are idiots. Chavez was speaking to the UNITED NATIONS, not to a U.S. audience. From what I read, he got considerable applause. Add mine!

    Re: Dems To Chavez: Drop Dead (none / 0) (#5)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Fri Sep 22, 2006 at 11:40:04 AM EST
    Rangel and Pelosi are saying what they have to say to a dumbed-down America. I'm glad they came out looking tough and showing solidarity, but the fact is: the people of the world and reality-based Americans see this and think: "Yeah, it makes sense that someone as courageous as Chavez is going to absolutely condemn the man who tried to launch a violent coup on his legitimately-elected and hugely popular presidency. It makes sense that Hugo Chavez thinks torture-man Bush is evil, when Bush is part of the corporate cartel (WTO et al) that hate him for taking good care of his country and not bowing down to them. Now, our leaders are embarassing us yet again with their outspoken stupidity".

    Re: Dems To Chavez: Drop Dead (none / 0) (#6)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Fri Sep 22, 2006 at 11:40:04 AM EST
    You are, of course, aware that about 98% of the world is with Chavez on this one, no matter what they might think of him as a ruler? And don't be ungrateful. Chavez is shaping up to be the sideshow replacement for Fidel. He probably took a look at Fidel's career and calculated that American boogeyman is a role with few career risks, especially now that Bush and the Republicans have broken the US military for at least a decade.

    Re: Dems To Chavez: Drop Dead (none / 0) (#7)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Fri Sep 22, 2006 at 11:40:04 AM EST
    thank god for some honesty from the tinpot third world dictator loving left. of course, it will help you to lose the election but you can maintain your ideological purity.

    Re: Dems To Chavez: Drop Dead (none / 0) (#8)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Fri Sep 22, 2006 at 11:40:04 AM EST
    I thought Chavez was being too kind. Rangel and Pelosi, Ive never seen ass kissing so blatant.

    Re: Dems To Chavez: Drop Dead (none / 0) (#9)
    by roxtar on Fri Sep 22, 2006 at 11:40:04 AM EST
    George Bush, too, is an everyday thug. And I mean no offense to everyday thugs.

    Re: Dems To Chavez: Drop Dead (none / 0) (#10)
    by Andreas on Fri Sep 22, 2006 at 11:52:02 AM EST
    Talkleft is now explicitely defending the sadistic mass murderer and war criminal George Walker Bush and his supporters within the Democratic Party? Interesting.

    Re: Dems To Chavez: Drop Dead (none / 0) (#11)
    by Che's Lounge on Fri Sep 22, 2006 at 12:11:01 PM EST
    Pelosi and Rangel just cost the Dems one vote in 06. They should be thrown out, only slightly because behind closed doors they agree with Chavez. But mostly because they are imperialist wannabe's. If we follow their stupid reasoning, the only way out will be to nuke our way out. Chavez must be what Arnie affectionaltely refers to as a hot blooded latin. Too bad, no vote for him either, as in "Re-elect George Bush!" NOW! Viva los caliente sangre latinos! You could almost feel the global cheer just as Chavez could smell the sulfer. Chuck and Nancy are backing the wrong horse. They should have met with him, face to face, confronted him, discussed the issues. After all, he was democratically elected, was he not? Three times, No? Certified elections not OK enough? Too radical for talks? Then step aside, because it's either talk, or fight. That's where Bush has brought us. Hypocrites, and cowardly ones at that. I don't vote for cowards (I live in Pelosi's state).

    Re: Dems To Chavez: Drop Dead (none / 0) (#12)
    by Sailor on Fri Sep 22, 2006 at 12:32:30 PM EST
    thank god for some honesty from the tinpot third world dictator loving left.
    actually it's the wrongwingers who love dictators, 'lefties' tend to support democracies.

    Re: Dems To Chavez: Drop Dead (none / 0) (#14)
    by jimakaPPJ on Fri Sep 22, 2006 at 01:24:09 PM EST
    et al - Like a vampire exposed to a cross your comments reveal you.
    And now, these tyrants and madmen sound eerily like the Democrats and the press and the left.
    Link

    Re: Dems To Chavez: Drop Dead (none / 0) (#16)
    by Sailor on Fri Sep 22, 2006 at 01:55:43 PM EST
    sheesh, another link to an extremist blog that has contributors calling for nuke war and converting all muslims to christianity. you're in good company with those foilks ppj, they'll lie about anything too.

    Re: Dems To Chavez: Drop Dead (none / 0) (#13)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Fri Sep 22, 2006 at 02:58:09 PM EST
    they do? let us see on that-Stalin, Mao, Pol Pot, the various psychopaths who murdered millions after we left Viet Nam, Castro, Che, Noriega. now Chavez, the mini-Hitler of Iran, various jihadists, just about anyone but the elected leader of their own country. are these the democrats you support? I appreciate the honesty involved in hating your own country and its elected leaders but be honest with yourself and who you choose to hop in the sack with.

    Re: Dems To Chavez: Drop Dead (none / 0) (#15)
    by Peaches on Fri Sep 22, 2006 at 02:58:09 PM EST
    Jim That's got to be the funniest comment I've ever read, even on powerline. Cheers to hoping we (Americans) are finally waking up to the ridiculous propaganda put out there by the Powercorp, and maybe more of us are finally starting to get a laugh out of you guys.

    Re: Dems To Chavez: Drop Dead (none / 0) (#17)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Fri Sep 22, 2006 at 02:58:09 PM EST
    Spinelessness like this is what cost the Democrats in 2000 and 2004.

    Re: Dems To Chavez: Drop Dead (none / 0) (#18)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Fri Sep 22, 2006 at 02:58:09 PM EST
    why are hugo and mini-hitler working so hard to ensure republican control of the senate and house? that is the real mystery here.

    Re: Dems To Chavez: Drop Dead (none / 0) (#19)
    by kdog on Fri Sep 22, 2006 at 02:58:09 PM EST
    The Dems should listen to their constituents like Che above, Virginia Lucas below, or myself. I certainly was not offended...and I'm a little peeved that the best representation I got the last 2 days was from the pres. of a foreign country.
    "I think he's kind of right about Bush being the devil....It's disgusting that in a country as rich as ours, aid for poor folks has to come from a foreign government" -Virginia Lucas, 53, disabled resident of Mount Hope housing projects Bronx NY, recipient of Venezuelan discounted heating oil Newsday 9/22/06
    I don't believe in the devil....Bush is just a poor excuse for a human being, and a poorer excuse for a president. I hope Chavez is right about the people rising...the Dems are on the side of the downpressers...willing foils.

    Re: Dems To Chavez: Drop Dead (none / 0) (#20)
    by jimakaPPJ on Fri Sep 22, 2006 at 03:14:21 PM EST
    Peaches - Actually I think I have read worse on any one of several Left side blog. BTW - You still munching on the parnoia cookies of the 9/11 done by the US??

    Re: Dems To Chavez: Drop Dead (none / 0) (#21)
    by Che's Lounge on Fri Sep 22, 2006 at 03:19:34 PM EST
    they do? let us see on that-Stalin, Mao, Pol Pot, the various psychopaths who murdered millions after we left Viet Nam, Castro, Che, Noriega. now Chavez, the mini-Hitler of Iran, various jihadists, just about anyone but the elected leader of their own country. are these the democrats you support? No, these are the despots that YOU THINK we support because you are unabel to think for yourself.

    Re: Dems To Chavez: Drop Dead (none / 0) (#25)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Fri Sep 22, 2006 at 04:09:16 PM EST
    If Pelosi and Rangel spin any faster, they might be mistaken for gyroscopes. Nah, just the spineless, comatose lapdogs that they've always been. "MY president"????????????? Puh-LEEZE! They both have rectal-cranial inversion disease. Time for a midterm enema. Jimaka, as much as we both agree that I am a BHAW (love it!), I must admit that I've seen NOTHING to vote for among the Dems. Playing it safe loses elections - something they seem to be eager to do. Again.

    Re: Dems To Chavez: Drop Dead (none / 0) (#26)
    by sarcastic unnamed one on Fri Sep 22, 2006 at 04:19:03 PM EST
    sheesh, another link to an extremist blog
    Sailor, what in heck do you think TL is?! I saw some newspaper headlines on the news about chavez... "Loco Lefty!"

    Re: Dems To Chavez: Drop Dead (none / 0) (#27)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Fri Sep 22, 2006 at 05:53:37 PM EST
    Chavez may be histrionic and hyperbolic, but he isn't a thug. Moreover he is a twice democratically elected leader of an important country. He is not a dictator or despot, at least not by the usual standards embraced by the US State Dept. (Musharraf, Saudis, etc.). Maybe Rangel and Pelosi were doing what they thought they had to do (I don't think they had to do it, but let's say they did for the sake of argument) but why are we praising them for it. Chavez wasn't in "Rangel's town." He was at the UNITED NATIONS. That doesn't belong to Rangel. Maybe calling Bush a devil wasn't the greatest choice of words for a US audience but it probably worked for his audience. Like when Bush calls another country -- the whole country not just its leaders -- the Axis of Evil. He played to his audience in the US.

    Re: Dems To Chavez: Drop Dead (none / 0) (#22)
    by lilybart on Fri Sep 22, 2006 at 05:58:59 PM EST
    I also disagree. I didn't find one thing in his speech I disagreed with. And the sulfur thing was funny!! I am not offended when someone disses this president. He is NOT America and he is not MY president.

    Re: Dems To Chavez: Drop Dead (none / 0) (#23)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Fri Sep 22, 2006 at 05:58:59 PM EST
    Actually I think I have read worse on any one of several Left side blog.
    ppj, try to stay on the topic of this thread, which is about the Dems' response to Chavez. If you want to keep spewing your delusions about 'left' sites, please provide links ... on the open thread. And quite a few commenters here will come back with the the constant hatred esposed by your leaders.

    Re: Dems To Chavez: Drop Dead (none / 0) (#24)
    by kdog on Fri Sep 22, 2006 at 05:58:59 PM EST
    One of the reasons I love my country is because you don't have to support your elected leaders. You can denoumce them, oppose them, ridicule them. Only the Constitution and the Bill of Rights require our support...in these times they happen to stand in opposition to our elected leader quite a bit. Anon above would probably propose a law making it mandatory though....to protect freedom and democracy of course. LOL

    Re: Dems To Chavez: Drop Dead (none / 0) (#28)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Fri Sep 22, 2006 at 05:58:59 PM EST
    Yes, they beat up the most popular leader in the world for the sake of some partisan political gain. Their politics is more important than the state of the world and our country. Maybe he's not the one who should drop dead.

    Re: Dems To Chavez: Drop Dead (none / 0) (#30)
    by jimakaPPJ on Fri Sep 22, 2006 at 07:08:22 PM EST
    Anon - If you don't think that worse has been said about Bush on Talk Left and/or other sites? You want links??? Come on Sailor, you've made me laugh so hard that my sides are hurting. BTW - This one isn't directed at Bush, but shows a typical comment about someone in disfavor: Terran wrote:
    Maybe he's not the one who should drop dead.
    Bush is such a psychopath">Link Jesse Jackson calls Bush and Ashcroft "the most threatening combination in our lifetime." Bear in mind that includes Hitler, Stalin, Pol Poi, OBL..... Revel wrote:
    He is not a dictator or despot
    , Well, he keeps talking about being Pres for the next 25 years....How you gonna do that without being a dictator and a despot?? And the answer is, you don't.

    Re: Dems To Chavez: Drop Dead (none / 0) (#29)
    by Justina on Fri Sep 22, 2006 at 08:28:18 PM EST
    This week Bush gave an absurd, totally dishonest and extremely arrogant speech to the United Nations. To dare to claim that he seeks peace after killing thousands of innocents in Iraq and Afghanistan and sending the bombs to Israel to do likewise in Lebanon was truly outrageous. Why the hell didn't Pelosi and Rangel, supposed leaders of the Democratic Party, denounce Bush for being a thug? The democratically elected Chavez hasn't bombed or invaded a single foreign country. He has used Venezuala's oil profits to bring his country's literacy rate up to 97%, to provide free medical care in the ghettos and low cost food to those who need it, to say nothing of supplying cheap oil to needy folks in the U.S. and other countries. Has the man that Pelosi and Rangel rushed to defend done any of those things? No, Bush left the poor to drown and starve in Katrina's wake and he has bombed, imprisoned and tortured thousands. It is quite accurate to call Bush satanic for all the pain and suffering he has loosed upon the world. Pelosi and Rangel should apologize to President Chavez -- if only because they may have to seek political asylum from him when Bush and his Republican Party declare that membership in the Democratic Party is punishable as terrorism and starts locking us up. Don't believe it? Six years ago, who would have believed that the U.S. President and Congress would legalize torture, allow secret and indefinite imprisonment and bar the victims from access to our courts?

    Re: Dems To Chavez: Drop Dead (none / 0) (#32)
    by Che's Lounge on Fri Sep 22, 2006 at 08:53:16 PM EST
    Got OT. Sorry.

    Re: Dems To Chavez: Drop Dead (none / 0) (#33)
    by jimakaPPJ on Sat Sep 23, 2006 at 07:04:50 AM EST
    Che - Higher than what? Define what your standards are higher than, Che. And tell us where they have been violated. If you want to stand as the Great One, Che, you should be ready to tell us the details. This "Sin is bad" position really says nothing, proves nothing and solves nothing. Your failure to do so appears to be just claims you generate because you hate Bush and are, possibly, anti-war.

    Re: Dems To Chavez: Drop Dead (none / 0) (#34)
    by David at Kmareka on Sat Sep 23, 2006 at 07:30:17 AM EST
    Technically speaking, Chavez did not make his comments in Rangel's congressional district or even in the United States. The United Nations is considered to be an "international territory," complete with "its own fire fighting and security forces and its own post office branch." Before these less than esteemed congressional representatives get all bent out of shape because someone demonstrated more cojones than they collectively possess by being blunt about King George, they should consider all the facts.

    Re: Dems To Chavez: Drop Dead (none / 0) (#35)
    by Sailor on Sat Sep 23, 2006 at 08:39:18 AM EST
    I think pelosi and rangel were making a preemptive strike so rethugs couldn't spin it, swiftboat it and drag down the discourse from the actual issues. Repubs can't win on the facts or the law, so they having only table pounding left to them. Personally, it's hard to argue with chavez' hyperbole when our own fearful leader is calling 'axis of evil', crusades, with us or agin us, dead or alive and we have generals calling it a holy war say their god is better than muslims' god ... all to the tune of greater nuclear proliferation and and a never ending war.

    Re: Dems To Chavez: Drop Dead (none / 0) (#36)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Sep 23, 2006 at 09:07:16 AM EST
    Chavez made 2 speeches, one at the UN, and one at a church in Harlem in Rangel's district. He drew applause at the church from Rangel's constituents...maybe he should pay attention to the will of the people in his district instead of feigning outrage. Chavez has obviously struck a chord with the American people...they are rushing to print copies of Chomsky's book to fill the demand caused by Chavez's recommendation. We are searching for the truth and a voice...since our leaders provide neither.

    Re: Dems To Chavez: Drop Dead (none / 0) (#37)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Sep 23, 2006 at 03:33:38 PM EST
    Kdog: Of course that church in Harlem should lose its tax-free status now.

    Re: Dems To Chavez: Drop Dead (none / 0) (#38)
    by Che's Lounge on Sat Sep 23, 2006 at 05:07:51 PM EST
    The standard is the Geneva Conventions.

    Re: Dems To Chavez: Drop Dead (none / 0) (#39)
    by Peaches on Mon Sep 25, 2006 at 09:05:01 AM EST
    Jim, I just recieved the "Loose Change" video. I am not going to say I am convinced, but I have to admit I do think some things are strangely peculiar concerning that fateful day. Too many questuions left unanswered, and I do believe that it would be easy to pull the wool over Americans eyes. I'd love to sit down with you and watch this video and hear your comments, while we sip some whiskey. I am open to this being the work of a bunch of paranoid conspiracy theorists latching on to mere coinicidence, but I need to see the evidence and hear a good argument. Right now, the gov't does not have me convinced. They never have. Probably never will. It is that skepticist streak that I have in me.

    Dems To Chavez: Drop Dead | 38 comments (38 topical)