Baird’s Apology Rings Hollow, True Colors Revealed
By Nansen at August 12th, 2009.
Brian Baird issued a half-hearted apology today for his bizarre and reprehensible slurs directed at opponents of ObamaCare. As someone who has worked with local Democrats in the past, including the Congressman, I was the first to demand an immediate apology days ago. It finally came today, albeit several days late, and many words short of being sincere. (You can read the rambling letter online here.)
Let’s recap: if you are like me, you were probably absolutely shocked by Baird’s outlandish “Brown Shirts,” “lynch mobs,” and “Timothy McVeigh” comments last week. But as recently as yesterday, he was still driving down that path hard: labeling opponents of ObamaCare “un-American.” The former college professor should know better.
My shock, however, was not just at the bizarreness of the slurs, but the fact that these comments so closely echoed comments made by liberal House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. I know, we should expect more of the Speaker of the House.
Pelosi gets away with such non-sense because she represents deep blue San Francisco. But what about Baird?
The only rationale I can provide is that Brian finally showed his true lefty colors. Any and all illusions of him being a moderate were obliterated with his repeated attacks. He now says he didn’t mean to suggest these things about “his constituents.” Uh-huh. Not buying that crock.
The image of Brian Baird as mild-mannered political moderate is gone. The mask has slipped; the jig is up. At best, we can thank him for disabusing 3rd District voters of any illusions about his true political leanings. At worst, some have already griped he should start looking for another job.
For those Republicans who have successfully worked with the 3rd District Congressman in the past, I think I speak for many when I ask why Baird didn’t just agree to have this conversation over Health Care Reform in the first place? And why did he only now issue a luke-warm apology?
In stark contradiction to his statement today about lashing out in anger, Baird actually continued his journey into bizzaro-land, even after being called out by local Republican leaders.
Here’s a timeline that seems to partially, if not completely, rebut Baird’s side of the story:
First, Baird makes initial waves saying he fears an ”ambush” by “lynch mobs” in an interview with The Olympian (8/6/09).
Next, Baird ups the ante more, saying protesters are using “Brown Shirt” tactics in an interview with The Columbian (8/6/09).
Then, Baird compares proesters to “Timothy McVeigh” in an interview with The Columbian (8/6/09). He repeated that in a TV interview with left-wing MSNBC host Rachel Maddow.
Showing no sign of backing off this bizarre approach, Baird called protesters “extremists” in an interview with The Columbian (8/7/09).
Yesterday, Baird was still parroting Pelosi’s talking points: he mouthed the same words Pelosi used in a USA Today op-ed, telling The Longview Daily News that protesters were “un-American.”
While a few lefty bloggers gave Baird kudos for sticking to his guns, that apparently wasn’t enough to sustain him. That provided nowhere near the politcal cover he needed to continue ducking town halls.
(Note: I hate to say it, but some speculate Baird didn’t want to do town halls, because he had a whole series of junkets lined up for recess. As confirmation, his spokesman gave excuses to several reporters I talked to this week, saying he was flying. To where? Apparently not home.)
Today’s editorial in The Olympian provides one clue to explaining Baird’s sudden reversal, “Baird’s decision will linger long after news cycle.” Not exactly the type of editorial a sitting Member of Congress wants to see, especially if they want to keep their job.
Then of course also came the ultimate conflict story: Peter Callaghan used his entire column in the TNT today to harp on a point NWD made last week. Other Congressmen are holding town halls in light of all the heat, why isn’t Baird?
Excuse me for not rushing to accept Baird’s half-hearted apology. If you ask me, he still has a lot of explaining to do.
Tags: Brian Baird, featured, Longview, Maria Cantwell, Organizing for America, Patty Murray
Nansen
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Gangs disrupting public meetings with chanting and shouting is exactly what Hitler’s brownshirts did in the early days. Later the gangs moved on to physical intimidation and beating up their opponents in public.
If any insurance company is found to have funded these disruptions then they are engaged in rebellion against our republic and our republican institutions. It may be time to start revoking some corporate charters and jailing some CEOs.
New Townhall meetings scheduled. I and other “Union Thugs” plan to be there to support the congressman. His reactions are completely justified given the childish and paranoid hysteria coming from the right wingnuts. Ignorance and arrogance are a bad combination so learn to read and think for yourselves republicans before going to these meetings and lay off the “one world conspiricy” websites.
Thorneycroft @ 10:14:
So, looks like the Obama administration put in at least one plant that said she was a “nurse” but was a student not in any way associated with health care. She was given a mic and a few minutes to make her point (as a “nurse”). SEUI thugs beat up a black man at a rally who was simply selling “Don’t Tread On Me” flags. SEUI members were let into a town hall and regular citizens were all shut out. The drug CEOs have been bought off by the Obama administration for a seat at the table. One woman was photographed with a sign that showed a red slash through a swastika and the Obama administration portrayed her as a Nazi sympathizer(?).
The simple fact is that you have NO proof, other than your simple paranoia, (and what your lying leftists buddies say, see lies above) that the protesters are nothing more than regular people who have e-mail organized to fight a federal take-over of their health care. The brown shirts are on your side Thorney. They are the SEUI thugs and ACORN organizers who are bussed in to counter (or beat-up) the REAL people in this debate.
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