The Pledge of Allegiance "Drives us Liberals Crazy"

At the latest teabagger grandstanding event, a group of sadly misguided, misinformed and mistaken Republican members of Congress and a few of their supporters gathered at the Capitol Hill to recite the Pledge of Allegiance. Rep. Todd Akin self-righteously proclaimed that this affirmation of our collective dedication to our founding fathers’ ideals “drives the liberals crazy.” This declaration was applauded by Minority Leader John Boehner (OH), Minority Whip Eric Cantor (VA), Roy Blunt (MO), Jeb Hensarling (TX), Cathy McMorris Rodgers (WA), Michele Bachmann (MN) -- who was a key organizer of the event -- Virginia Foxx (NC), Ginny Brown-Waite (FL), Jean Schmidt (OH) and Sue Myrick (NC), who were all in attendance, in addition to many more teabaggers.

It would take far more than one short post on a College Democrats blog to detail just how wrong Rep. Akin and everyone who agrees with him are. This country was founded based on an affirmation that government would fight to provide for life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Liberals have been at the forefront of almost every progressive step towards guaranteeing equal opportunity for all in the United States of America. Workers’ rights, womens’ rights, civil rights, Medicare, Medicaid, minimum wage increases, protections for the environment, regulation of irresponsible business practices and so much more have improved our society and enabled every American to lead a more fulfilling, productive life, and liberals have been behind all of these reforms.

It is truly a sad statement about how far we’ve come from the patrician ideals of George Washington and our forefathers that Republicans are once again questioning the patriotism of Democrats. In order to have a fair, cogent debate about issues impacting millions of Americans, we must have if not admiration than at least respect for our political peers. In the past, this type of invective and disrespect has been reserved for Democrats questioning foreign wars like those in Afghanistan and Iraq, and I am very disappointed that Republicans are once again criticizing the motivation of Democrats, especially in the context of health care. This is a base fear tactic that Republicans resort to only because they are out of ideas for this country. The Boehnerites and Bachmannites know that opposing an initiative is far easier than advocating for a real solution, and their favored method of opposition is partisan scare tactics.

Progressive Democrats in the House and the Senate are advocating for strong reform precisely because of their commitment to ensuring the wellbeing of the American people. Their commitment to a robust public option that would keep private insurers honest and lower costs for all Americans reflects a desire to make good on not only their own campaign promises but the very ideals on which our country was founded.

It is time to stand up to these acts of partisan political grandstanding, and to tell Republicans like Todd Akin, John Boehner and Michelle Bachman that enough is enough. We have had enough hate, enough lies, enough bickering and enough invective. It is time for a real debate about health care and other pressing issues, and, above all, it is time for real health care reform.