Yes folks, you read that right. Mr. “Douchebag of Liberty” compared Senator Reid’s offer on letting 4 of the re-submitted judicial nominees go to the floor and the President withdrawing the others to the holocaust.
This was originally caught last night by Box 13 but as there was no transcript available people passed on by. Well, the updated transcript was posted at 3:30am after the diary had scrolled off the list, so I’m resurrecting the discussion… because it is important for all of us concerned with the rightwings dangerous hyperbole.
[more on the flip]
The statement in question was broadcast to the nation on CNN’s Capitol Gang Saturday night:
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. BILL FRIST (R-TN), MAJORITY LEADER: I appreciate his offer for — for a Senate debate and votes on some of the president’s judicial nominees, but I just want to say once again that it is that principle of an up-or-down vote that is going to govern this side of the aisle.
SEN. ROBERT BYRD (D), WEST VIRGINIA: Chilling debate, freedom of speech in the United States Senate. Hah (ph). Hah (ph). Who wishes, Mr. Leader, to have that kind of a legacy to confront him, that he killed — helped to kill freedom of speech in the United States Senate?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HUNT: Bob, why would Senator Frist refuse an offer to break the deadlock?
NOVAK: Because the whole system (INAUDIBLE) you’re not going to have — like going to a concentration camp and picking out which people go to the death chamber. You’re not going to let the Democrats do that, say, We’re going to — we’re going to confirm this person, we’re not going to confirm the other person. They’re going to — they’re going to say that this is not the way we’re going to do it. They’ve had all kinds of different offers of that kind.
Now, as a matter of fact, I believe that this — this constitutional option is going to work. I think it’s going to — they’re going to get the 50 votes that are needed. There’s no — it’s going to take a couple weeks, but there’s — there’s not going to be any Democratic — maybe it’ll take less than a couple weeks. Not going to be a Democratic alternative to it. And all they can do is decide how much they’re going to do to have a reprisal. So that’s why they’re putting out commercials on what a wonderful thing the filibuster is — is most famous in American history for killing — for — for establishing racist — racism and segregation in the South.
Okay, I really am at a loss for words… the offer is akin to picking which Jews go to the gas chamber? How sickening. How offensive. How much that belittles the deaths of innocent people at the hands of the most murderous (Stalin is a close second) regime in history. Is this what he really believes? Is this type of analogy condoned by CNN?
I don’t just want an apology, I want a resignation.
And that is before we get to the bumbling remark about rascim.
I’m too angry to offer any meaningful commentary here.
Action: contact CNN — http://edition.cnn.com/feedback/forms/form5.html?26
Update [2005-5-16 4:21:3 by spiderleaf]: Another great idea is to contact the ADL, no way they would condone this analogy — http://www.adl.org/report_antisemitic/asirpt.asp
I think we should also contact any newspapers that syndicate his column, I’ll try and find some links and post those here as well.
Cross posted at Daily Kos.
I am just seething with rage here, sorry for the lack of thoughtful analysis… not that I could even think of something to say that would explain away this garbage.
Novak’s comment comparing the filibuster to the Holocaust is disgraceful and shameful to the extreme for so many reasons.
His other point, unfortunately, contains just enough truth to be rather dangerous.
In The Master of the Senate, volume 3 of Robert Caro’s excellent The Years of Lyndon Johnson, the author, in explaining the mechanisms by which the South was able to prevent the passage of civil rights legislation – even anti-lynching bills – describes the origins and effects of the filibuster:
The reactionaries of yesteryear used the filibuster, or the threat of it, to preserve racism. That is historical fact. But citing this fact to justify eliminating the filibuster is akin to banning earth movers because one guy got buried by one once.
The filibuster is a legitimate – and traditional – tool of Senate business. Novak is – sloppily – attempting to tar this institution with the brush of racism. We must refuse to go there.
Novak is – sloppily – attempting to tar this institution with the brush of racism. We must refuse to go there.
Exactly. And the Republican memes almost always start with that asshole… expect to hear much more along those lines in the near future.
Just add this comment of Novak above to the long list of his remarks that are offensive and downright wrong.
The fact that he skated out of the Valerie Phlame(sp) affair should speak volumes about his firmly entrenched position as commentator. If that scandal did not touch him, this surely will not.
They can say what they like, those who listen to right wing propaganda are not going to challenge them. This is being proven time and time again. Sometimes it can be so out outrageous, it would be funny if it weren’t so creepy. I’m thinking of the Nobel Peace Prize in Medicine here….
For the record Stalin’s regime was more murderous (in numbers) than Hitler’s, and Mao’s probably as murderous as the 2 combined.
yeah, I usually put Stalin first (my grandparents being from Ukraine and having lived through it), but I always seem to get into an argument with someone that amounts to Stalin vs. Hitler and so I just gave up.
They were both complete homicidal, maniacal, frightening assholes… so first, second, really just arguing semantics sometimes 😉