Vandals smashed doors and windows at Democratic offices in the days surrounding the US House health care reform vote

Vandals smashed doors and windows at four Democratic offices around the country in the days surrounding the landmark House health care vote Sunday night.

The Buffalo News reported early on the morning of March 19, someone threw a brick through the window of Rep. Louise Slaughter's office in Niagara Falls, New York, doing $350 of damage. Slaughter (D-NY) briefly attracted the ire of conservatives over the "Slaughter Solution," a procedural maneuver that was considered to pass health reform.

The Democrat and Chronicle reported that a brick was also thrown through the glass doors of the Monroe County Democratic Committee office in Rochester, NY over the weekend. A note attached to the brick included the quote "Extremism in defense of liberty is no vice” from the late Republican Senator Barry Goldwater.

In the early hours of the morning on Monday just after the House health care vote, someone smashed the glass front door of the Tucson office of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ), the Arizona Daily Star reported.

On Friday night or Saturday morning, a brick bearing unspecified "anti-Obama and anti-health care messages" was thrown through a floor-to-ceiling window at the Sedgwick County Democratic Party headquarters in Wichita, Kansas, CNN and the Kansas City Start reported.

Alabama-based blogger Mike Vanderboegh posted the following note on his blog on Friday: "To all modern Sons of Liberty: THIS is your time. Break their windows. Break them NOW." The Kansas City Star identifies Vanderboegh as a former leader of the Alabama Constitutional Militia.

Rep. Grayson (D-FL) calls Palin an inspiration to quitters all over the country

Appearing on CNN Monday Rep. Alan Grayson (D-FL) continued with his commentary on the divisive former less than one-term Alaska Governor and losing Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin following his biting response last week, after Palin campaigned in Grayson's Orlando-area district for candidates who want to run against Grayson in November.

When CNN Host Rick Sanchez asked Grayson about his labeling of Palin as a dingbat, he answered, "What I said was that scientists were studying very carefully the migratory patterns of the wild Alaskan dingbat."

He reiterated Monday that he would welcome the chance to debate her on the issues, “as soon as she learns anything about them.”

"I think that she's an inspiration to quitters all over the country," Grayson continued. "I think that she's an inspiration to every student in school who cheats, you know that hand writing businesses that was really original."

These were obvious references to Palin cutting and running from the governorship in the middle of her first term, as well as getting caught peeking at notes scrawled on her hand during last month's Tea Bagger Party speech.

The Florida Congressman rejected the idea that she's even a political figure anymore, calling her a reality show personality instead. He asserted that she just wants to make money.

Also Grayson spoke of the Public Option Act he introduced two weeks ago, also known as the Medicare You Can Buy into Act. He stressed that individuals must have the opportunity to buy into a public insurance plan.

Watch Grayson’s CNN interview here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch=YVqUUlmFSeQ&feature=player_embedded

Former Bush speechwriter David Frum says health care reform passage is a disaster for the GOP, and great business for Rush Limbaugh and Fox

Former Bush speechwriter David Frum says it’s hard to exaggerate the magnitude of the GOP disaster. And he blames this “most crushing legislative defeat since the 1960s” on conservatives and Republicans themselves, as he unmistakably points out his most recent blog post on health care reform.

Frum said at the beginning of this process Republicans made a strategic decision. They would make no deal with the Obama administration. No negotiations, no compromise, nothing. The Republicans were going for it all. To use South Carolina Republican Senator DeMint’s term this would be Obama’s Waterloo, just as healthcare was Clinton’s in 1994.

Only, the hardliners ignored some important facts: Obama was elected with 53% of the vote, not Clinton’s 42%. The progressive block within the Democratic congressional caucus is bigger and stronger than it was in 1993-94. And of course the Democrats also remember their history, and also remember the consequences of their 1994 failure.

Mr. Frum says this time, when the Republicans went for all the marbles, they ended with none. He pointed out that conservative commentators have a huge incentive for the health care reforms to fail, regardless that these reforms will likely help middle and lower class Americans to secure quality affordable health care.

Frum noted that when Rush Limbaugh said that he wanted President Obama to fail, he was cleverly explaining his own interests. What he omitted to say is that he also wants Republicans to fail. If Republicans succeed, if they govern successfully in office and negotiate attractive compromises, then Rush’s listeners get less angry. And if they are less angry, they listen to the radio less, and hear fewer ads from his advertisers.

Frum concluded that the supposed defeat for free-market economics and Republican values is a huge win for the conservative entertainment industry. Their listeners and viewers will now be even more enraged, even more frustrated, even more disappointed in everybody except the responsibility-free talkers on television and radio. For the conservative entertainment industry it is mission accomplished.

Read David Frum’s whole post here: http://www.truthout.org/david-frum-waterloo57875