Dan Rather: A Party Embraces Vulgarity

[Nevilledog]

https://steady.substack.com/p/a-party-embraces-vulgarity

*snip*

Politics has never been a genteel pastime. The volume of vulgarities I heard covering the White House, Congress, and politics at the state and local level over the decades would rival any comedy special on HBO. In the passionate pursuit of power, discourse, especially behind the closed doors where the real action takes place, is often reduced to words that can be spelled with only four letters, or their adjectival equivalents. And no matter what side of the political divide you might be on, there have likely been moments when you are reading something or listening to an opposing politician speak and you have been moved to at least think of obscenities, if not utter them out loud. There have certainly been many Democratic politicians who have sworn about Republicans. But what we are witnessing here is fundamentally different.

“F- Joe Biden,” or the slightly less explicitly obscene but no more clever “Let’s go Brandon,” is about much more than political passion or anger. It’s about weaponizing the vulgar dehumanization of our entire democratic - small d - experiment. Joe Biden is not only a person; he is the President of the United States, whether your tinfoil-shrouded conspiracy brain cares to recognize that fact or not. How many times have we heard Republicans sanctimoniously preach about how Democrats don’t “respect” the office of the presidency for such things as President Obama not saluting properly or wearing a tan suit?

To be sure, many Democrats have said some form of “F- Donald Trump.” There was even a rap song to that effect. We all have a right to free speech. But when Republican elected representatives say “Let’s go Brandon” to end a speech on the House floor, like Bill Posey, a Republican from Florida did, or wear a “Let’s go Brandon” facemask, like South Carolina Republican Jeff Duncan did, or when Ted Cruz can’t get enough of it, something else is going on. This is a movement that has engulfed the party, and party leaders think they can use it to effectively rally their voters. The sad truth is that they are likely right.

It’s not surprising that the “F- Joe Biden” chant began at sporting events, because it is just the kind of thing that happens when tens of thousands of often inebriated fans get riled up over a game, feuling a group-enforced hatred for an opposing team. Adults who should know better sometimes get carried away. But this isn’t a game. This isn’t something where you act stupid on a Saturday afternoon and then can go back to your normal life once the beer and heartburn from the hot dogs have worn off. This is our national identity.

*snip*

[Pantagruel]

1. Probably

"Tuck Frump" would be the counter chant should we want to lower ourselves to uncivil GOP levels.

[FoxNewsSucks]

2. They think they're cute with their little code,

but they're just cowards as usual.

It's really going around though. Last Friday at the Y, two of the hardcore tRumphumpers were talking. They've been there for years, one is a bulky gunhumper also. Stereotype Fox/Glenn Beck addict. We've had a number of arguments. For the last few years we just ignore each other and go about our business. They finally figured out not to say shit where I can hear it because it won't go unanswered and not to turn the tv to Fox because I'll just change it to something else.

But Friday, they were close by and the one guy said that Let's Go Brandon thing. I gave him a look of shock, and said "for all the things we disagree on, I never had you pegged as that kind of coward. You're an adult, talking to an adult, the kids are all in daycare, the HS & college kids use worse language than the F-word. If you want to say 'fuck biden', don't be a coward and use some cutesy phrase, just say 'fuck joe biden' and move on." The look on his face was so priceless.

So I said, "Here's how it's done. tRump is a lying, disgusting, grifting conman who cheated everyone that worked for him. FUCK DONALD TRUMP. Fuck his lying grifting family. Fuck the Russians who put that puppet in office and fuck the republicons who voted to let him off the hook. Fuck the criminals who defend him. Fuck tRump."

First time he's ever not had some kind of comeback.

THis whole Brandon thing reminds me of how years ago they used "democrats" as a code word for the n-word.

[Funtatlaguy]

3. Bravo 👏

[Baitball Blogger]

5. Good for you. You spoke for all of us.

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

4. Republican family values