The Red Scare of 2009

Posted on 02/20/2009 at 7:28 am by Bob Cesca

On Morning Joe, Stretch thinks the Republicans have coalesced around a single message: the president and the Democrats are commie pinkos. I agree with Stretch’s analysis of the Republican message. They’ve embraced McCarthy. You know, because it worked so well before. (Anecdotally, I’ve received more than a few e-mails in which the general point is: “Are you, or have you ever been a communist?”)

Funny thing, these Republicans. It was absolutely crucial for Bush and Paulson to give free cash — literally, free money — to Wall Street in order to bail out spazzy white guys like Rick Santelli, but creating jobs, cutting middle class taxes and helping struggling homeowners is somehow communistic.

Am I grasping this, or am I way off?

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  • http://watergatesummer.blogspot.com/ enigma4ever

    wow…I was watching morning joe thinking the same thing- it’s like watching a time warp….between that mindset and Steele saying that libs like “bling”….kind of crazy to watch…WHO are these people ?

  • 24hourjack

    yes,youre right.and thanks for voicing the angry,angry words burning inside my angry,angry brain as i watched the “liberal channel” this morning.the far right is attempting to make us all believe that any/all bailouts began on jan. 20th 2009.and the “liberal media” is helping them along nicely.

  • http://www.politicalpartypooper.wordpress.com/ politicalpartypooper

    No, no no, you’re WAY off, Bob.The color of the new century is green, not red. Get with the times man!On a serious note, I don’t know yet what the Republican game is. But I can tell you WHY Bush and Paulson had to give Wall Street free money. In 2004, the Federal Government removed a “strong suggestion” regarding the amount of debt, or leverage, an investment bank could carry. I do believe it had been 15%.As soon as that “suggestion” was removed, the kids at Merril Lynch and Bear Stearns, amongst a whole host of others, went to the candy store and bought more than they could pay for. Way, way, way more than they could pay for. But it was all good, because having all that debt allowed them to make money selling lemons in the mortgage market, gobs of it.Something happened in late 2006 to change things, though, and the merrygoround didn’t just slow down, it stopped, and ALL the kids fell off. Eternal whining ensued, and by mid 2008, Bear Stearns couldn’t service it’s debt, or in kids language, got caught trying to scarf candy from the candy store. Soon, others got caught in the same act.Rather than punish these young children, Hank Paulson decided to teach them a lesson they’ll never forget. He decided to tell the entire world that they were in big trouble, and their “pennance” had to be getting free money as soon as possible, or the world would end. Bear Stearns was made the example, and a hundred or so others were asked if they had learned their lesson. They said they had, and Prezzy Bush spanked them by making them take bailout money they didn’t know what to do with.That’s basically the story. If you are an artist, maybe you could put some pictures to it, and we could make a few hundred bucks with a new children’s bedtime storybook.

  • steve b

    only one word explains this….Corporatism (aka Fascism)

  • Kat

    I see this tactic as a red herring (to continue the color theme). They know that their arguments will not hold up to close scrutiny, and are doing what they do best – fearmongering. I think they are banking on the fact that a big chunk of the population still remembers the Soviet Union, etc. and trying to reignite those fears. If they can switch the focus from what is actually going on in our government and throw the attention onto a government past and the negativity associated with it, then they don’t have to answer the questions people like Bob raise.

  • http://www.intoxination.net Jamie

    You’re off Bob. At least McCarthy had the nerve to come out and say what he really thought. The Republicans today don’t have that kind of courage.

  • FrictionSoul

    Red, pink, green… I think you’re off Bob. ;-) The Weirdos will screen “commie!” and “no!” until they’re blue in the face. Actually, until they turn purple and pass out.So, it’s purple scare, which dovetails nicely into their purple themed bunny religion, I mean, Easter.I must admit though that watching the GOP dissemble and implode is most enjoyable, particularly because they’re reaping what they’ve been sewing the past 30 years.And while I’m at it, a shout out to the trolls: Christ isn’t coming back. Go read your Bibles from the beginning and without going to your pitt of propaganda (church, Limbaugh, et. al.) Do it until it finally makes sense: we were each born A-okay the first time, and the so called fall of man really is a spot on narrative about how the GOP and christians play it right by the Book: deceive and keep deceiving.

  • eve

    The repubs are going nuts trying to get their favorability numbers up and Obamas down. Communist and socialist as a smear isn’t working so well. Maybe they could try elitist, again. It worked so well in winning McCain the election.However, I think it inaccurate to paint the repubs in congress (or anywhere else other than Paulson’s office) as pushing for the money for Wall Street. The republicans voted down the bank bailout — then the market dropped like a rock on the news so it finally passed. In the House, more repubs voted against it than voted for it and more democrats voted for it than against it.

  • http://nanotyrnns.blogspot.com/ Nanotyrannus

    Not only was it crucial to give truckloads of money to spazzy white guys on wall street, it was absolutely crucial to pay more for their assets than they were worth. We couldn’t just bail them out, we had to make them rich at the same time. They literally had to make a profit off of being bailed out.

  • Clancy

    Frankly, they’d have a better chance with the soft on terrorism charge and Obama having a funny name. At the very least, there’s the actual threat of real terrorism on which to hang their fear mongering. Without a real external threat from an actual communist power, the charges of Dems being red will fall very flat indeed. Unlike the 1950s, we can roll our eyes at such antics now, quite secure in our knowledge that only the nut jobs will fall for it.

  • TimEldred

    I’m sure that when the dinosaurs died their slow, agonizing death at the hands of a radically shifting environment, they made a lot of noise, too.

  • jane

    It’s simple: Republicans are clueless ignorant hypocrites.

  • NorCalNative

    Bob, it’s clear that Republicans, the Right, and even some Democrats fear the Constitution because it doesn’t create the best possible business environment. Wealth and wealth creation is their concern.True Democracy in the best sense is anathema to their ideals. To hide that fact they try and muddle up the marketplace of ideas with garbage meant to distract.They are the opposite of patriotism and love of country. They stand for greed and the Constitution is problematic for them and always will be. They dream of and wish for a nation-of-men and not a nation of the rule-of-law.That’s bassackwards according to our original American ideals.