I have been invited to participate in a debate. On one side there would be some honest folks from the early days of Occupy Wall Street and myself. On the other side would be a "Tea Party" panel of Fox News contributors, Americans For Prosperity hacks and
Pam Geller. Having just learned of Pam Geller's participation I must decline. Disrespectfully decline. Here is why.
I do not make public appearances with Leaders of Hate Groups. Period. End of Story.
Pam Geller is simply a bigot. A bigot with zero credibility outside of the right wing noise machine, a know-nothing race-baiter who seeks to demonize and dehumanize anyone who doesn't share her glaring hatred of Muslims, President Obama and anyone who doesn't agree with her. This woman is beneath me, far beneath me, and I refuse to dignify her with my presence. I refuse to associate with this woman in public on any level. I don't need the publicity, not this kind of publicity.
This debate would be a total farce, a total circus, and I know it.
The "Tea party" group who I would face off in this debate is comprised of professional right wing media hacks in the employ of Rupert Murdoch and David Koch. My side would have no media training at all, even when including myself. Our "tea party" opponents don't want a substantive argument, at all. No, they want to scream rapist at Occupiers at the top of their lungs, they want to make it sound like thousands of people spent a month at Zuccotti park defecating on police cars. I don't have time for that bullshit. Some people within Occupy think that OWS can work with the Tea Party. I do not. You know why? Because I am not a greater man than Barack Obama, and I'm guessing if Obama couldn't get the Tea Party to grow up and stop lying and obstructing than neither can I, so why waste my time? Applying Sun Tzu's philosophy I would say that I know my enemy and I know myself, but the field of this battle is stacked against me, so I will not go into a battle on a playing field that is to my clear disadvantage, not versus an opponent who is so clearly morally beneath me.
I do not wish to work with the tea partier that calls me a terrorist. There is nothing for me to gain. We want different things. I want to make America a better country for everyone, including the poor and the working class. The tea party wants to feed the poor and the working class alive to corporate power. The tea party wants to take the right to vote away from Americans. The tea party does not stand for Democracy. If they did they wouldn't be trying as hard as they can to take the right to vote away from honest Americans. These are irreconcilable differences, and frankly, for me, debating Pam Geller and her ilk would be like arguing with the dining room table.
Slightly more below the fold.
So I will not be attending this farce of a debate, a sure circus where the other side would rather scream rape and talk about poop instead of trying to have an honest conversation. Honestly, this is why I think progressives and other like minded individuals should STOP going on Fox News. Stop lending legitimacy to outlets that lie their asses off, outlets that are not real "News" organizations but are simply the media arm of the Republican party, unfair and clearly biased.
To those Occupiers who were kind enough to offer me this opportunity, I apologize, but I must respectfully decline, and I would strongly suggest that you do the same. You shall gain nothing in attempting to engage these reckless liars in an honest debate, and you shall only sully your own reputations and credibility in doing so. I refuse to be a party to that. I have better things to do than mud wrestling with a pig, I will only get myself dirty and the pig will love every second of it. And in case I'm not making myself clear enough, Pam Geller is a pig. I would gain more credibility if I attended a debate versus Miss Piggy and Kermit the Frog instead. Sure they are puppets, but at least I would know that the hands up their asses don't belong to David Koch and Rupert Murdoch.
Unlike some others within Occupy I think voting is tremendously important. I do not want a third party. I want a better Democratic Party, and I am willing to work my ass off to make that happen. That is who I have always been. So in regards to Pam Gellar and her hoard of "Tea Party" paid operatives I must disrespectfully decline. My time would be much better spent phone banking for Elizabeth Warren, Tammy Baldwin or Barack Obama instead.
I leave the floor to you.