House freshmen running scared

Dear MoveOn member,

Freshmen Republicans just called a press conference to beg for a break from attacks on them for voting to eliminate Medicare.1 Seriously.

It's a bizarre—even laughable—tactic. But it points to one thing: Your pressure is working!

The town halls you flooded last month led to national media coverage of the backlash against Republicans.2 That, plus the phone calls and letters against the Republican plan to end Medicare, and the ads you've helped pay for, have Republicans on the ropes.

We're on the verge of stopping their efforts to cut Medicare, Medicaid and other vital services right in their tracks. But we need to double down.

My Response to the MoveOn Hypocrisy

Most of your ADD membership probably don't remember, but back in August of 2009 you were lamenting the appearance of "right wing extremists" at town hall meetings nationally to oppose health care reform. Now that the shoe is on the other foot, you're proud of your own people for doing the same damn thing.

So tell me, MoveOn (there's nothing to see here), why is it different when YOUR team is the one disrupting town hall meetings with "hard hitting questions"? Is that somehow OK whereas when the opposition does it, it's "wrong"?

The way I see it, this is your precious democracy in action, no matter who's doing the town hall disruption.

Own up to your own hypocrisy, MoveOn.

What 73% of Americans want

Dear MoveOn member,

It's already started—hawks in the media and military saying that the killing of Osama bin Laden is proof that the war in Afghanistan is working and that we should redouble our efforts.

Even though bin Laden was captured in another country entirely. Even though the operation was executed by a small, specialized force and not the continued occupation of a nation by over 100,000 of our soldiers. Even though the man we ostensibly invaded Afghanistan to capture is no longer a threat.

And even as the war continues to be a drain on our resources at a time when we need them spent at home, more than ever.

My Response:

Well, this is two times in a row that I'm in agreement with these socialist groups that pretend to be about democracy. Something fishy's going on...

I think this time it's because, once again, we're talking about an issue that is in the (quiet) popular opinion. We're also seeing it from two different angles that happen to coincide in result.

While MoveOn wants to see the troops come home so that those resources can be spend domestically, I just want to see the war and killing end and the end of the wasteful spending of money we don't have. So I think that while both of us want the troops to come home, our difference will be in how the money being saved will be spent (or, in my thoughts, not spent).

Either way, we're in agreement again.

I will also note the lack of energy and pending doom that this message from MoveOn had compared to many of their others that make it appear that if we don't participate in their latest group (think) message, we're all going to be doomed. This one also wasn't accompanied by the usual retort-via-opposite message from one of MoveOn's nemesis groups like the GOP.

Usually the two sides play against one another to get the plebs stirred up. Nothing like that this time. Maybe the GOP didn't get the memo.