The following is a guest blog by Blogging Blue commenter Steve Carlson:
At his recent town hall meeting in Shell Lake, Wisconsin, Congressman Sean Duffy told me that when I had my own town hall meeting I could get up and give a presentation.
http://thinkprogress.org/2011/04/25/sean-duffy-loses-cool/
Yes, that’s me in the grey stocking cap trying to correct Duffy on the relationship of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to Medicare. Since I’m not a congressman and don’t have Duffy’s resources at my disposal, Zach has graciously given me the opportunity to give my own town hall presentation right here on Blogging Blue. So here goes.
I challenged Duffy’s lie because he was attempting to scare senior citizens by telling them that the PPACA was going to rob Medicare of 500 billion dollars. Not true, and Duffy certainly knows it. Here’s Will Beachey of the Bismarck Tribune clearly refuting Duffy’s silly claim.
Next up, Duffy stated that Paul Ryans budget would not turn Medicare into a voucher program, rather it would provide senior citizens with ” premium support” Duffy said this phrase with just a hint of smug pride, much like a toddler announcing his first bowel movement into the grownup toilet. He went on to suggest that the introduction of ” choice and competition ” into the Medicare program would somehow bring down costs for future senior citizens, even though there’s no evidence to support his, yet again, silly claim.
http://streetlightblog.blogspot.com/2011/04/return-of-myth-that-competition-will.html
And like his good buddy Glenn Beck, whom Duffy has previously said he’s a big fan of, Duffy likes pie charts. He carries around a spiffy set of charts reflecting Congressional Budget Office figures showing massive federal spending for entitlements, which Duffy maintains must be cut if we are to avoid a Mad Maxish, apocalyptic future. But is it entitlements that are driving America to bankruptcy? It depends on whose charts you believe. The War Resisters League offers up a much different look.
http://www.warresisters.org/pages/piechart.htm
Finally, in his victory speech on election night, Duffy told the crowd that the task of his generation was to fight the “creeping socialism” ( sounds a lot like his good buddy Glenn Beck again) that Duffy feels is threatening America. The remark is at the 7:50 minute mark in the speech.
But given that Duffy, Ryan, and the rest of the GOP seem hell bent on attacking America’s middle and working class famillies, as well as future generations of senior citizens, I think they embody the true threat to America, namely, a decidedly Anti-Social Creepism.
http://sierravoices.com/2011/04/creepy-video-of-ayn-rand-revered-philosopher-of-modern-conservatism/
So there’s my town hall presentation, Mr. Duffy. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.
PS. Rachel Maddow and Cenk Uygur have both aired the video clip of Duffy telling me to get my own town hall meeting. If either of them would like to give me my own town hall meeting on MSNBC, I’d be more than happy to oblige them!
Nice job Steve. But Duffy, Ryan and the rest also need to be straightened out about those townhalls – they ARE the people’s townhalls.
Thank you for pointing out where in duffy’s speech that was. I would hate to have to suffer through the whole speech
Good job Steve. Very well done.
“Anti-Social Creepism”. . .
(*laughing*). . .Good one, Steve.
When you get right down to it, it really is kind of ironic that Duffy only real pre-Congressional claim to fame came from a role on, “The Real World”.
I don’t think that he has clue, or cares, about “the real world” that the rest of us have to live in.
Steve, I’m glad you decided to send this to me to post, and I can’t wait to read more from you.
You’re fighting back against the GOP talking points with the truth, and hopefully more folks out there will start to realize that the GOP isn’t looking out for the little guy.
Thanks Zach, and thanks for the opportunity to post.
It’s ironic that the creepy heroine of the Tea Party crowd, Ayn Rand, was herself a Medicare and Social Security recipient in her old age.
http://reason.com/blog/2011/01/30/rand-on-the-dole
She must have lived out her last days as a creepy, anti-social socialist.
http://sierravoices.com/2011/04/creepy-video-of-ayn-rand-revered-philosopher-of-modern-conservatism/
Creepy is definitely the word for her. Did you notice the dead, reptilian eyes darting back during the Mike Wallace interview shown on the video clip, the perfect complement to her ice cold heartlessness? “Objectivist”? Too fancy a word. Cruel, unfeeling, sociopathic. These are words which truly describe her.
Equally creepy were Paul Ryan, Ron Paul and Rand Paul, the idolatrous Republican sychophants who showered her with praise, who fawned over her like schoolboys, at various points in time captured in the clip.
Thanks for posting the clip, Steve. It’s all you really need to know about Ayn Rand, Ron Paul, Rand ["the namesake"] Paul, and the true “heart” [or lack thereof] of the Republican Party and what inspired its cruel, heartless, elitist, “every man for himself” philosophy and policies.
(*shudder*)
Steve, I disagree. I dont think its ironic at all, I think its par for the republican hypocrisy course. Paul ryan himself was helped tremendously by Social Security.
Then of course there is rebeccaforreal and her taxpayer funded healthcare….but i digress!
duffy is another johnsonville sauaage packer
BOYCOTT JOHNSONVILLE PRODUCTS!!!
Life is too short to grill crappy right-wingnut wursts!
You’re persistent, I’ll give you that.
Seriously, this is getting old.
Carlson, are you NOT a socialist? You’ve blogged about it in the past.
Seems you have a bit of a fetish for the congressman.
Give it a rest, donkeyhunter. Ryan and his “plan” represent a danger to all of us. Focusing attention on something like that is hardly a vice.
Leave it to a wingnut to call THAT a fetish.
“Seems you have a bit of a fetish for the congressman.”
I could say the same for you, I suppose.
Donkeyhunter,
Let’s have a beer at the Minnow sometime. I bet I can win you over right quick.
I’m not from North Dakota, if that’s what you’re asking.
http://www.banknd.nd.gov/about_BND/
Are you an anti-social creep?
Keep up the great work, Steve. Donkeyhunter is just being an ass because a true examination of Republican muse Ayn Rand lays bare the cruel cynicism of the Republican Party and of the Rand sychophancy at the heart of it.
Thanks Zuma B. It’s nice to be appreciated.