The right-wing, with its favorite crybaby Matt Drudge at the front of the line, is unhappy about David Axelrod's comments on CBS's Face The Nation.
Drudge, pushing the baseless assertions, is using the following headline:
Axelrod: 'Tea Party' movement 'unhealthy'...
Over at Hot Air, Allahpundit (cute name) also decides to cry about the comments:
. . . his (Axelrod's) intent is clear — to delegitimize the parties by framing them as a shot across the bow from some sort of inchoate militia. The same could have been said years ago, of course, about anti-war protests amid a climate of grotesque hatred on the left for George Bush.
Over at Say Anything, it was asked:
"'Mutate into something unhealthy?' Like, uh, domestic terrorism? Is that what's left unsaid here?"
Maybe next time the right-wingers try to manufacture a scandal, they'll remember to not use quotes taken out of context (I won't hold my breath). A quick review of the FTN transcript shows that Axelrod's "unhealthy" comments suggested something miles away from what those with Obama Derangement Syndrome (or better yet, America Derangement Syndrome) would have the rest of us believe.
No, Axelrod wasn't pointing out how stupid it was for all you right-wing hypocrites to stand by while Bush borrowed and spent more money than all other presidents, and only now suddenly decide to cry about spending with a Democrat in office. No, it wasn't that all you right-wingers would turn into America haters and domestic terrorists (that would NEVER happen, right?).
Axelrod was responding to this question:
HARRY SMITH: What do you make of this spreading and very public disaffection with not only the government, but especially the Obama administration, the Tea parties this week? You even have the governor of Texas even using the word secession? Should Texas be allowed to secede?
Oh! Bingo! What the right-wingers forgot to mention is that in the very heart of the question presented to Mr. Axelrod, Mr. Smith put forth the notion of secession. Remember, right-wingers? One of your leaders immediately went into America-hating the second you decided to "exercise" your rights? Maybe the Texas Governor attention-whore threatening to leave the United States is "unhealthy," ya think?
Axelrod dismissed the stupidity of Perry, and Smith then asked about the first part of his question:
HARRY SMITH: But what about the first part of the question--this growing disaffection?
Axelrod Responded:
DAVID AXELROD: I think any time that you have severe economic conditions, there is always an element of disaffection that can mutate into something that’s unhealthy.
The question was clear. We have tea parties, and we have a governor in response to the tea parties claiming that his state can leave the Union at its will, how do you feel about that, Mr. Axelrod?
The threat of secession is the unhealthy mutation that Mr. Axelrod is justifiably expressing concern about. People were exercising their free speech rights, going out and protesting in a time-honored American tradition. Never mind that this entire episode was hijacked by the likes of Newt Gingrich and Glenn Beck, two men that jump at any chance to have a tea bag party.
We then had someone taking the protests too far, making statements that are unhealthy. In this case, a state Governor who obviously has problems with his country. What is unhealthy is having a political leader immediately jump to threats of secession. Healthy debate is an important part of America, but threatening to tear the nation asunder is decidedly unhealthy.
We saw this kind of unhealthy behavior by an irresponsible Republican governor during the '08 election, with Sarah Palin attempting to paint Obama as a terrorist. Now we have another Republican governor threatening to leave the country, the ultimate act of national betrayal, especially given our country's history.
I think the real question is: what is it with Republican governors and America hating?