Lawmaker Compares Town Hall Protesters to Racists in the 1960s
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Now some fresh pickings from the Political Grapevine:
Comparatively Speaking
The third-ranking Democrat in the House is comparing protesters at health care town halls to people who unleashed dogs and spat on civil rights protesters in the 1960s.
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South Carolina Congressman James Clyburn tells The Huffington Post: "I have seen this kind of hate before... I have seen snarling dogs going after people who were trying to peacefully assemble. I have seen the eyes of people who were being spat upon...This is all about activity — trying to deny the establishment of a civil right."
Earlier this week, Michigan Democrat John Dingell compared town hall protesters to members of the Ku Klux Klan.
Cutting the Power
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Several senators are urging colleagues to abandon efforts to pass so-called "cap-and-trade" legislation this year and concentrate instead on renewable energy.
So who are these anti-environment Republicans? Actually four Democrats are behind the movement. Arkansas Senator Blanche Lincoln tells Bloomberg: "The problem of doing both of them (cap-and-trade and renewable energy) together — is that it becomes too big of a lift. I see the cap-and-trade being a real problem."
Also on board: Ben Nelson of Nebraska and North Dakota Senators Byron Dorgan and Kent Conrad.
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Target Acquired
Monday we told you that since Sarah Palin left office, Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann has become number one on a Democratic hit list.
Bachmann is now using that as a fundraising tool. Her latest newsletter says: "Don't let them Palinize me!" And she even includes the Urban Dictionary definition of the new word. It says to "Palinize" is: " To smear or mock someone using falsehoods, baseless accusations, or unsubstantiated character assassinations — for the purpose of blocking them from achieving a goal...."
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— FOX News Channel's Marty Hill contributed to this report.