Barack Obama

and they still haven't learned!

Facing extinction: The “responsible Republican”

Warnings about right-wing extremism from Michael Gerson and ousted Bob Inglis are too little -- and much too late

What defines a “responsible” Republican in the era of Sarah Palin, Sharron Angle and Rand Paul? Ask Bob Inglis, soon to depart from Congress after six terms as a Republican representative from South Carolina. Having suffered a landslide defeat in a primary this year — largely because he challenged the extremism of the far right and refused to pander to the “birthers” in his district — Inglis is now speaking out about the direction of his party.

In what amounts to an exit interview with the Associated Press, Inglis warned that the GOP’s eager embrace of a motley crew of media frothers, ideological fanatics and bizarre conspiracists is inflicting grave damage on the party’s integrity.

According to the AP, he denounced the “death panel” myth popularized by Palin as an example of “the lowest form of political leadership. It’s not leadership. It’s demagoguery.” He is also appalled by the undue influence of figures such as Rush Limbaugh and the Fox News gang, especially Glenn Beck, whom he described as a “divisive fear-monger” at a town hall meeting earlier this year.

“I think we have a lot of leaders that are following those (television and talk radio) personalities and not leading,” he said. “What it takes to lead is to say, ‘You know, that’s just not right.’” The obvious result is that the country becomes too polarized and too distracted by phony issues to address real problems.

As a white Southerner, Inglis said he is also sadly convinced that racism is among the motives of the most fanatical Obama opponents. He recalled being “shocked” as he watched Tea Party protesters heckling Rep. John Lewis in the Capitol last spring. Although he was too far away to hear the alleged racial slurs hurled at Lewis, a veteran of the civil rights movement in the South, he saw that the behavior of the mob was “threatening and abusive.” At the time he said to Lewis — who was beaten by racists in 1961 in Inglis’ home state as he tried to register black voters — “John, I guess you’ve been here before.”

snip

http://www.salon.com/2010/07/09/gop_23/



At the time he said to Lewis — who was beaten by racists in 1961 in Inglis’ home state as he tried to register black voters — “John, I guess you’ve been here before.”

Sad, Cha is it not!