A Slip of the Tongue
by Timothy Dake
Wisconsin GrandSons of Liberty
This last week has produced a wealth of progressive, socialist, liberal, verbal fodder that simply cannot be ignored. These linguistic missteps show how much the American public has been misled and also how much we have been asleep during the most recent elections. The willingness of the current crop of elected legislators to expose their true bias and agenda is growing – almost to the point where they are laughing at and challenging us to defy them in their drive to impose a socialist system upon the nation.
I am not referring to the deliberate explanations and pronouncements of the plans of Barack Obama, but the accidental, unexpected utterances of every left leaning legislator from Congress down to your city aldermen. Let me be clear (that sounds eerily familiar), Obama laid out his plans in detail and was completely open about his intentions. The American electorate was either not listening or so utterly naïve that we did not grasp the obvious and blatant fundamentals of the “plan.”
I am speaking of the ceaseless exhibition of the true nature of these progressives and socialists. We can go far back in time and dredge up many examples but these are almost all incidents where the statement was unplanned and regrettable on the part of the speaker. I wish to focus on those ridiculously appalling examples of legislators’ mouths gone wild.
In 2008, Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) tipped her hand in such a manner that her own staffers lost their composure. During a House panel hearing with the CEOs of several oil companies, Rep. Waters replied to the assertion by Shell Oil CEO, John Hofmeister, that oil prices would rise if oil companies could not drill in the US, with, “And guess what this liberal would be all about. This liberal will be about socializing… uh, um. …” at which point Rep. Waters paused to collect her thoughts and then continued with “would be about, basically, taking over, and the government running all of your companies. …” By itself, this statement is disconcerting but still somewhat innocuous, but when combined with that of other liberals is becomes part of a coherent and far-reaching plan.
In March, Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) was recorded on a cell phone in a secret meeting making the following statement: “We think we have found a way around the Constitution. We can change anything we want with just 51 votes. We need to take a look at the Bill of Rights.” Schumer has not disavowed this recording. This attitude should be considered at the least a high crime if not a form of treason.
In the last week, Rep. Phil Hare (D-IL) was recorded losing his cool during an interview on his vote for the federal health care bill. He responded to a question concerning the constitutionality of the bill with: “I don’t worry about the Constitution on this.” Hare continued that he cared more about health care for those without it. The videographer pressed the issue: “You care more about that than the U.S. Constitution that you swore to uphold?” Hare retorted that “I believe it says we have the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” When the recorder corrected that those words come from the Declaration of Independence, Hare said, “Doesn’t matter to me. Either one.” So here we have a congressman who cannot diffferentiate between our Declaration of Independence and our Constitution and he does not care about either founding charter. His concern is expressed as being for the people – an admittedly good thing – but not for the rules under which we live. Reaching a goal which is counter to that of the will of the people is of greater importance to the socialist cabal than maintaining the integrity of their oaths and the trust of the people that they represent.
In this last week, I had the personal experience of witnessing a Wisconsin legislator express a similar sentiment. Many people visited the Capitol in an attempt to persuade State Sen. Jon Erpenbach to grant a hearing for SJR-62, the proposed amendment to the state constitution to protect Wisconsinites’ choice in health care. Sen. Erpenbach chairs the committee to which the bill has been referred. He has maintained a steadfast stance against the legislation and against granting a public hearing for the bill. He stated, correctly, that the US Supreme Court will ultimately rule on the constitutionality of the federal bill. When pressed on the issue and given the results of polling in Wisconsin on the bill, Sen. Erpenbach stated that “I don’t care what the people want, I don’t think that the (federal) bill goes far enough.” This hubris among the elected appears to be growing, but why? Is it due to the belief that the public has truly grown to be aligned with their progressive agenda and approves of the abasement of our Constitution? Is it because they believe that they will not be reelected in November and therefore must push on with their plans while they hold power? Are they so sure of their positions that they can neglect the people and if so, what drives this surety?
The recent introduction of numerous pieces of legislation into the Wisconsin legislature regarding elections and voting rules, prompts the question: To what end is this barrage of election related legislation directed? There is a uncomfortable loosening of the rules and an introduction of extreme uncertainty into the electoral process within this new legislation. One must wonder at the lack of discomfort in the majority of both the federal and state legislatures when confronted with the lopsided polls and the looming backlash from the discontented electorate. What makes them all so calm?
Conservatives – and moderates – need to pay closer attention to the pronouncements of these legislators and vigorously make issue of the consequences of their statements. We must begin to hold accountable these elected officials that have blatantly abused their oathes and remove them from office immediately without hesitation by whatever legal means are available to us. These slips of the tongue speak volumes to their true objectives – as heinous and unconstitutional as they are.