It's always amusing when liberals accuse conservatives of treason for the audacious alleged crime of disagreeing with them on national security. Even more amusing is when liberals accuse other left wingers of treason. The silver lining here -- some of those accused become potential converts to conservatism after deciding they've had enough of loyalty tests on the left.
Radio host Thom Hartmann, whose program is among the most influential on that short list of influential liberal radio shows, could barely contain his contempt for nearly four dozen House Democrats who broke ranks with the party and voted for Republican legislation to tighten oversight of Syrian and Iraqi refugees entering the U.S.
Once Hartmann got going on his rant during Monday's show, it didn't take long for him to all but suggest that a large scarlet T should be embroidered on the apparel of every Democrat voting in favor of the GOP bill --
Meanwhile, we've got these 47 Democrats who have voted for this so-called (American) SAFE (Safety Against Foreign Enemies) Act -- keep the Syrian refugees out (heavy sarcasm), we don't want anymore Steve Jobs in the United States! Steve Jobs, of course, was the son of a Syrian refugee. We don't need no stinking Steve Jobs! Who knows, that 10-year-old kid may after the two-year process of going through, he may turn into ... oh give me a break. So here are the Democrats who are listening to this stupid advice or are themselves cowards, I don't know how to put it beyond that.
Rest assured, Hartmann will put it well beyond that ...
I'll just read the list very quickly and I'm going to read it very quickly because obviously I don't expect you to memorize the whole thing. But you may hear the name of your member of Congress and if you do you may want to think about calling 202-225-3121, the switchboard for Congress ... and saying, you did what?! Here are the 47 traitors, excuse me, 47 Democrats who voted for the SAFE Act --
Followed by Hartmann reading the names of all 47 members and the states they are from. Among them was my congressman, William Keating of the 9th District in deep-blue Massachusetts -- a state that sends not a single Republican to Congress. Is it cowardice or treason motivating Keating and his fellow Democrats -- or an outcry from their constituents?
Evenly the staunchly leftist Mother Jones warns liberals to "knock off the mockery" over proposals for more vigorous vetting of Syrian refugees --
Mocking Republicans over this -- as liberals spent much of yesterday doing on my Twitter stream -- seems absurdly out of touch to a lot of people. Not just wingnut tea partiers, either, but plenty of ordinary centrists too. It makes them wonder if Democrats seriously see no problem here. Do they care at all about national security? Are they really that detached from reality?
How strange that liberals have grown eerily silent about the alleged lack of funding for infrastructure, public education, Social Security, etc., ever since migrants from the Middle East became their latest obsession.
Accusing others of treason is a peculiar penchant for Hartmann. Just last month he alleged Republicans were guilty of "moral treason" for the high crime of acting as an opposition party against Obama.
Back in January Hartmann wondered aloud if former House Speaker John Boehner was a "traitor" for inviting Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu to address Congress.
In August 2014 Hartmann waxed nostalgic for the early years of the Republic when John Adams put political opponents in jail under the Alien and Sedition Acts. Good times!
Then there was the time Hartmann compared Senator Ted Cruz to al Qaeda 9/11 planner Khalid Sheikh Mohammed for leading the GOP effort to defund Obamacare that precipitated a government shutdown in 2013. Or when Hartmann drew parallels between Republicans and the Mafia and Third Reich. Anyone else notice a troubling pattern?
