We heard it on KIROFM. The 60 second spot starts with audio of President Reagan's "government is the problem" speech. Then that guy who sounds like a concerned, yet commonsensical grandpa comes on, sounding the alarm about Obama and Nancy Pelosi's dangerous spending.
His handwringing ends with instruction for listeners to call Rep. Jaime Herrera-Beutler (WA-3) and thank her for voting for the crazypants House budget expected to be DOA when it hits the Senate doorstep.
That would be Crossroads GPS, one of Karl Rove and Ed Gillespie's mysterious, right-wing campaign groups supposedly "grassroots," but actually well-funded by anonymous donors.
The kind of dough they're spending isn't being raised by little folks sending in their $50 checks... it's real money sent by fat cats and the corporations they own. We'll never know for sure who they are or what their agenda is when they pour millions into our local elections. C'est la vie after the Citizens United decision.
"Government is the problem"? Did everyone quickly forget what our current banking system did to the economy?
Posted by: Andrew | February 28, 2011 at 10:44 AM
Karl Rove. The guy everyone Progressive would love to see in orange. Gitmo Orange that is.
Posted by: Progressive Blog Junkie | February 28, 2011 at 11:05 AM
Why is it that righties only quote a few words of the original speech:
In this present crisis, government is not the solution to our problem; government is the problem. From time to time we've been tempted to believe that society has become too complex to be managed by self-rule, that government by an elite group is superior to government for, by, and of the people. Well, if no one among us is capable of governing himself, then who among us has the capacity to govern someone else? All of us together, in and out of government, must bear the burden. The solutions we seek must be equitable, with no one group singled out to pay a higher price.
The entire speech is much more complex than this 12 word "sound bite".
Posted by: ExPatBrit | February 28, 2011 at 11:44 AM
Even though Reagan was ridiculed by many in his time for being simplistic and overly ideological, his policies and rhetoric were both far too nuanced to survive in today's GOP. That's why this sound bite is endlessly (and approvingly) quoted by Rove, Nordquist, and their legions of fellow travelers without any of its original qualifiers or context.
Posted by: Pete | February 28, 2011 at 12:09 PM
"All of us together, in and out of government, must bear the burden. The solutions we seek must be equitable, with no one group singled out to pay a higher price."
Any presidential candidate who said this today would be labeled an extreme leftist, completely unelectable.
Posted by: Mike D | February 28, 2011 at 01:53 PM
Taking words out of context is fun.
"We the people" is clearly collectivist and possibly Marxism!
And what about those "form a more perfect union" thugs?
Shock, horror outrage!
Posted by: ExPatBrit | February 28, 2011 at 02:09 PM
Unelectable MikeD. Charles Rangel got elected for what? The 20th time.
Posted by: Progressive Blog Junkie | February 28, 2011 at 03:32 PM
Oh Mike D
The progressives would just add a couple of words to make it read something like "All of us together, in and out of government, must share the burden. The solutions we must seek will require that any body that has more or makes more than me must pay a higher price."
Posted by: Right Leaning and Right | February 28, 2011 at 04:20 PM
Karl Rove. The guy everyone Progressive would love to see in orange. Gitmo Orange that is.
Posted by: Progressive Blog Junkie | February 28, 2011 at 11:05 AM
And lucky for those Progressives, President Obama also broke that promise.
Posted by: Rachel's Goiter | February 28, 2011 at 04:45 PM
Looks like that 'new tone' that Dems demanded only works one direction. Kind of that whole sparky fingers point out, never point back hypocrisy. Haven't heard any Dems or Progressives on this website condemn same.
"State Rep. Gordon Hintz, D Oshkosh, apologized to Rep. Michelle Litjens, R-Winneconne, for shouting out an obscenity that included the words “you’re dead” that Litjens and other witnesses heard in the chaotic scene after Republicans approved the bill.
Litjens said she accepted the apology, but has asked the Assembly leadership to discipline Hintz.
“Everyone was exhausted. We were on the floor 58 hours. (But) there is still no excuse for his comment,” Litjens said…
“After the vote to engross, he turns to a female conservative Republican, who is also from the Oshkosh area, looks at her and says, ‘You are f—ing dead,’” Sykes said. “He didn’t say ‘f—ing,’ he said the whole thing. He says to a female colleague, ‘You are f—ing dead.’”
That’s from radio host Charlie Sykes, allegedly relaying what he’d been told by GOP Rep. Michelle Litjens. How do we know she’s telling the truth? Well, without specifying as to why, Hintz apparently felt the need to apologize to her this afternoon"
Posted by: Rachel's Goiter --for all Flee Baggers! | February 28, 2011 at 04:51 PM
hey thats good use a name that makes fun of rachel and democrats and then says everyone else is name calling?
Posted by: erpinbock | February 28, 2011 at 06:23 PM
sounds like someone we knew who left in a huff.
Posted by: Coiler | February 28, 2011 at 07:02 PM
sounds like someone we knew who left in a huff.
Posted by: Coiler | February 28, 2011 at 07:02 PM
Sorry Coilerque!!
I'm busy doing your momma right now. So why dontcha tell us why it's okay for Democrats to threaten people with bodily harm and pull the old take your ball and run home or in this case the skeddaling fleebagging instead of doing the peoples business.
which reminders me, i need to get back to doing your momma bizness before I kick her ass to the curb. BTW be a good son and pick her up around 2 am outside my crib.
Posted by: Rachels Goiter | February 28, 2011 at 07:52 PM
no one group singled out to pay a higher price.
Yep. He became president to lower his own taxes. Which Ron said in that interview.
Why not? Dicken's England might be a nice place to visit in the USA one day. Why should anybody with even the paltry sum of a hundred million dollars be asked to pay more?
"Alms, lady? Alms for my baby, gentleman?" You people on the right have no imagination or vision. you have to learn the hard way.
Anybody else think there's a poster or two on here using several new names? Coilerque. All those cute little put downs sure remind me of the RV man and KS. Just sayin...
I guess people are embarrassed to post under their known IDs. Gotta make up some pretend friends.
Posted by: joanie | February 28, 2011 at 10:36 PM
these carefully crafted opinions and logical arguments from the repukes on this blog are truly heartwarming.
Posted by: saintrudy | February 28, 2011 at 10:43 PM