GOP: Pelosi’s Objection To Our “In Her Place” Crack Means She’s Soft On Terror
Okay, the battle over the NRCC’s claim that General Stanley McChrystal should put Nancy Pelosi “in her place” has taken a surreal turn.
The latest: After Pelosi hit back at the claim today, the NRCC responded by claiming her pushback is a sign that she’s … soft on terrorism.
At a presser this morning, Pelosi struck back at the NRCC, saying: “I’m in my place. I’m the Speaker of the House.” Here’s the response from NRCC spokesperson Joanna Burgos:
“Rather than deflecting from the real issue at hand and refocus on defeating terrorists, Nancy Pelosi would rather make party politics a higher priority than our national security. The fact of the matter is that most Americans agree with General McChrystal’s strategy on Afghanistan, but Pelosi self-righteously believes she is better suited to craft our country’s military policy. The last time Americans saw this type of outright contempt directed toward a four-star general is when this same San Francisco liberal attempted to undercut General David Petraeus by declaring his successful surge strategy a ‘failure.’”
It’s worth pondering why it is that the GOP is tripling-down on this strategy at a time when GOP strategists keep saying the party needs to broaden its appeal. Perhaps Republicans think that anything drawing attention to a prominent Dem at odds with a military figure reflects badly on Dems in general.
Or maybe Republicans think any fight with Pelosi is a winner for them, elevating Pelosi as the face of the Democratic Party. It’s true that recent polls show that Pelosi is an unpopular figure nationally. But you’d think if there were anything that could turn Pelosi into a more sympathetic figure, it’s this.
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Update: DCCC spokesman Ryan Rudominer responds:
“The NRCC likes to ‘talk’ tough on terrorism, so why are they refusing to return thousands from a contributor who pleaded guilty to funding terrorists in Afghanistan and another who pleaded guilty to defrauding our troops in Afghanistan?”
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I’m just shaking my head.
So far, since Obama was inaugurated, the GOP has gone out of its way to alienate: all African American voters, all Hispanic American voters, and now all women voters. Yesterday, the GOP voted against the Franken amendment that gives women who have been raped the right to take their rapists to court, even when they work for a contractor under contract to the US.
I wonder how they are going to alienate angry white males, since that’s about what they’ve got left?
I don’t know, they already tried privatizing their Social Security and voucherizing their MediCare. You’d think that would have been enough.
Also, I’d love to see which polls they’re looking at.
Wow, that GOP response is just pain incoherent. It looks like they got caught flat-footed on this one, and don’t have the good sense to stop digging.
In related news, Gallup has a new poll showing that Americans, by a 2-to-1 margin, believe that military commanders should state their recommendations privately instead of publicly.
Personally, Pelosi stands up to the Repubs pretty well and I don’t think she’s too afraid to ruffle their feathers. She also recognizes and insult when she sees one and responds, I tried to do that. Ha Ha.
The Republicans Are Soft On Terror. They Let Bin Laden get away, and they ignored The Taliban for the past eight years.
We have double the Troops in Afghanistan now, that we had last year. That shows that The Republicans did not care about Afghanistan until they were out of office.
Not for nothing but its not just that they are doubling down on being demeaning to Pelosi, they are also doubling down on sending 40k extra troops to Afghanistan which just about every poll says the American people OPPOSE. I don’t know where the NRCC is getting their numbers from but I keep seeing poll after poll of the American people worrying about Afghanistan turning into Vietnam. And if the NRCC keeps pushing too hard on this they may find that Afghanistan ends up being politically another Iraq for them because they seem to think more war = strong on national security
Sort of like they didn’t care about HCR until they were out of office. All of a sudden they think they’re experts. Tax cuts, vouchers, tort reform, whoopee!
sg — new gallup numbers (linked above by Darius) seem eye opening. Not sure what to make of them.
“they are also doubling down on sending 40k extra troops to Afghanistan which just about every poll says the American people OPPOSE.”
Word up.
They are pushing Obama to hurry up and decide, which is insane. Why in the world should a president hurry on a decision that is life and death, literally, for who knows how many Americans?
The GOP won’t feel that they’ve compensated for the size of their male genitalia until the Earth is a smoking crater.
You have to be a brainwashed lunatic to believe a thing they say and you have to be a SADISTIC brainwashed lunatic to support their Stone Age mentality in public.
Remember how Pelosi lost the PR battle with the CIA? She’ll lose this one, too, if the GOP framing is successful.
Someone earlier linked to a WaPo article that everyone should read. It focuses on the admin’s apparent confusion about the differences between counterinsurgency and counterterrorism:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/07/AR2009100704088_pf.html
At TPM:
Corzine up by 3
Rubio: Republicans in Washington Are Shrill and Lazy
Jeb Bush to GOP: ‘It’s Out of the Mainstream to be Shrill’
Bad day for Scott C and the resident Shills.
“Beware of the Military Industrial Complex” Ike
There are 150,000 Mercenaries/Contractors in Iraq at this time. As the Troop draw down takes place, those Mercenaries will have to find a new feeding ground.
Afghanistan will not fit the bill, until there at least 100,000 US Troops there.
McChrystal, came back with a request for 40,000 more, to get it to that level, before all of the previous increase in Troops had arrived, and gone into action.
He used Fred Kagan, and his wife, two Neo-Con consultants, who were the darlings of Bush/Cheney, to come up with the latest request.
Like Ike said: beware of…….
Those Mercenary Companies need another feeding ground, now that Iraq has been gnawed to the bone.
“Remember how Pelosi lost the PR battle with the CIA? She’ll lose this one, too, if the GOP framing is successful. ”
O no she will not because she’s already won the point. It was an egregiously sexist thing to say and it pissed off all kinds of women – right, left and center.
You do not say about the first Woman Speaker that you want some man to “put her in her place.”
You’re way out in right field on this one.
The GOP continues to demonstrate that they have no policies or issues of their own to offer Americans. All they’ve got are personal attacks and hyperbolic lies. As they continue to drive off African Americans, Hispanics, and basically anyone with a brain, I seriously don’t see them making any electoral gains in 2010 or 2012.
In order to win, they have to attract voters besides their idiot sheeple flock. Whom are they attracting with their shrill imbecilic attacks?
“Whom are they attracting with their shrill imbecilic attacks?”
Shrill imbeciles.
@tena: I agree that it was sexist – I don’t think it was meant that way but it was an extremely poor choice of words. The GOP, however, is trying to frame this as a question of military judgment – I speak in that sense.
More totally unbelievable GARBAGE from the party of GARBAGE:
BOEHNER, PENCE VOTE TO PROTECT HATE CRIMES
House Majority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) and House GOP Conference chairman Mike Pence (R-Ind.) are voting against the House/Senate FY 2010 Defense authorization bill — because it contains hate crimes provisions designed to protect **** and lesbians.
Boehner, speaking at his weekly press conference Thursday, said the inclusion of the Matthew Shepard & James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act i in the defense bill was “an abuse of power” by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi that sought to punish offenders for what they thought — and not what they did.
He accused the speaker of pursuing her social agenda “on the backs” of the troops.
**** THEM.
“. The GOP, however, is trying to frame this as a question of military judgment – I speak in that sense.”
Too damn late = can’t put that genie back in the bottle. What was said was said.
end of story. can’t change it now.
What has happen to the Republicans is, as they became more and more of a rump party, with just a regional base, in thrall to the Hillybilly Ayatollahs, they drove out all those that they deemed not to be ideologically pure. They are now a party of right wing Theocrats. Take Arlen Specter, for example. They start to measure his beard, and declared that he should be flogged.
The Present day Republican Party has become the American Taliban party, where Women must be shrouded, and not allowed to have careers, or the vote. Do not be surprised if the American Taliban Party does not chop off some heads,at their next convention.
How in the world can calling attention to this doddering old lady who couldn’t find Afghanistan on Google Maps help the GOP? Maybe by reminding the country what leftwing idiots are in charge now. Don’t forget that in 2008 a majority of Obama voters didn’t know which party controlled congress. Sometimes people who aren’t news junkies need to be reminded of things like this.
“I don’t think it was meant that way”
No, I actually think it was meant that way. They didn’t mean to say it that way.
sbj – You’re talking about the GOP, a party that is 80% male and 100% white.
Republicans are pathetic.
Speaker Pelosi whipped their sorry Arses, in 2006 and 2008.
Speaker Pelosi proved that she is tougher by far, that all those Republican Chicken Hawks, who love to send other people to die. Deferment Dick is the poster child for that shower of gutless posers!
I just saw the actual clip of Nancy Pelosi’s response above and it was DEAD ON! She was almost half laughing as she said that she’s in her place. “I’m the Speaker of the House. The first woman Speaker of the house who’s members voted for me and put me here. I don’t think they even understand how inappropriate that statement was.” She’s right. They’re all but saying “Get your *** back in the kitchen lady. They also actually said that she’s way over her head. I’m a relatively young 49 year old so, I immediately got the code language these knuckle draggers were speaking. It made me want to say to them…”Maybe your momma would have been in over her head since her generation of women were all but shut out of these positions but, it’s 2009 and women can handle these jobs just as well as men.”
““Get your *** back in the kitchen lady. They also actually said that she’s way over her head. I’m a relatively young 49 year old so, I immediately got the code language these knuckle draggers were speaking”
I rest my mofoing case.
In response to Debbie Wasserman-Schultz:
“Attacking white males hardly contributes to the debate,” the NRCC said in a statement.
Unfrakingbelievable.
Just remember who has been advising the General on a troop increase. The Hertiage Foundation, The Kagans, and the former PNAC…YES boys and girls the same NEO CLOWNS that brought us the War in Iraq!!!
““Attacking white males hardly contributes to the debate,” the NRCC said in a statement.”
roflthelaughterthatscaresthedoves!!!!!!!
damn this commenting program to hell -
I was appalled, really, at the movie: “Charlie Wilson’s War,” but if I was Obama, I think I’d listen to Charlie Wilson on Afghanistan. He knows what he’s talking about and he said it’s time to leave.
I’ve figured out why they keep pushing this – fundraising. Sessions just solicited…
It seems to me the republican party is not used to getting caught on their dog whistles. Clearly a sexist statement regarding Pelosi, and remember, a lot of their base, including women, really do believe that a woman is to be submissive to a man. I wonder if by doubling down they are just feeding their base?
Oh and since the latest polls on the NJ Governor race show that there is quite a large gender gap, women in the process of moving overwhelmingly to Corzine, the Democrat, I can’t see how the Republican parties doubling down on this will help their candidate in NJ.
>>>Just remember who has been advising the General on a troop increase. The Hertiage Foundation, The Kagans, and the former PNAC…YES boys and girls the same NEO CLOWNS that brought us the War in Iraq!!!<<<
EXACTLY.
The tell is that Sarah Palin and Bill Kristol are in lock-step.
>>>I’ve figured out why they keep pushing this – fundraising. Sessions just solicited…<<<
Gee, ya think? Have you JUST noticed GOP tactics? Earth to stupid boring jerk.
The Republicans haven’t alienated anybody. They passed Judge Sotomayor. They are tolerant of hispanics. They are willing to let them do the program towards citizenship. They are doing their part to secure our borders. They lead the charge of the tea parties regarding we are taking our country back. The GOP has not alienated women. Lots of women are seeing Sarah Palin as a serious Presidential candidate who could beat Hillary anyday.
Everyone’s tired of Hillary. The GOP is sympathetic to Senior Citizens. They are fighting the Democrats
over the cost of the healthcare policy and putting it online for evereyone to read for 72 hours. The GOP’S COOL!
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Is this used as a quit smoking aid?