GOP Hate Speech

Conservatives who argue that liberals have gone off the deep end with their hatred make me laugh with their cognitive dissonance. The truth is that Republicans INVENTED the rhetoric of hate speech, usually thinly disguised as humor. Case in point:

RENO, Nev. (AP) -- Nevada Democrats are decrying remarks by U.S. Rep. Jim Gibbons condemning "tree-hugging, Birkenstock-wearing, hippie, tie-dyed liberals" for their opposition to the war in Iraq.

Gibbons, a possible Republican contender for governor in 2006, made the remarks at a Lincoln Day dinner Friday in Elko, according to the Elko Daily Free Press.

While praising the efforts of American troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, Gibbons accused liberals, movie stars and song makers of "trying to divide this country."

"I say we tell those liberal, tree-hugging, Birkenstock-wearing, hippie, tie-dyed liberals to go make their movies and their music and whine somewhere else," he said.

He added it was "too damn bad we didn't buy them a ticket" to become human shields in Iraq.

This comes from the party that gets so upset when Howard Dean says something like "I hate Republicans and everything they stand for." Well, spare me your shock and outrage. Some are calling for Gibbons' head from these remarks; I'm not. I think they should be publicized, and his constituency should know the extreme nature of his viewpoints, and how he thinks Americans should basically be killed for their viewpoints. But "red meat" rhetoric is a tactic on both sides of the aisle. Howard Dean is giving as good as he gets, and that's what makes conservatives mad, causing them to slink into the familiar cloak of victimhood.

If conservatives want to call for civil discourse in the public arena, then it's time them to muzzle their own with the same fire and determination with which they attempt to muzzle liberals. I'm not holding my breath, because I know that conservatives practically depend on this kind of hate speech. It's a key part of their political strategy. I don't see how anyone should be expected to take the high road and cede the low road, which reaches far more people.

But one thing I won't brook is this assinine culture of victimhood and finger-pointing. Please, it's embarrassing.