Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

It’s time for the GOP to dust off that post-2012 autopsy, completely ignore it, and light the party on fire again.

Fuck the extremist election deniers. What’s money for if not for keeping them out of office?

And we’re all out of bubblegum.

You cannot shame the shameless.

Republicans choose power over democracy, every day.

“Everybody’s entitled to be an idiot.”

Thanks to your bullshit, we are now under siege.

There is no compromise when it comes to body autonomy. You either have it or you don’t.

Jack be nimble, jack be quick, hurry up and indict this prick.

A last alliance of elves and men. also pet photos.

Usually wrong but never in doubt

When do the post office & the dmv weigh in on the wuhan virus?

When your entire life is steeped in white supremacy, equality feels like discrimination.

I’ve spoken to my cat about this, but it doesn’t seem to do any good.

Hi god, it’s us. Thanks a heap, you’re having a great week and it’s only Thursday!

House Speaker candidate unfamiliar with how to win non-gerrymandered election.

The party of Reagan has become the party of Putin.

rich, arrogant assholes who equate luck with genius

Someone should tell Republicans that violence is the last refuge of the incompetent, or possibly the first.

In my day, never was longer.

Nancy smash is sick of your bullshit.

If you’re pissed about Biden’s speech, he was talking about you.

Come on, man.

Following reporting rules is only for the little people, apparently.

You are here: Home / Open Threads / The War On Independence Day

The War On Independence Day

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Newt’s organizing another tea party:

Then, we should make July 4, 2009 “American Freedom Day.” Tea Party activists across America should plan to go out and recruit supporters from every Fourth of July celebration in their community.

Don’t we already have a name for July 4th?

This seems lot worse than saying “Happy Holidays” at Target. This is like renaming Christmas “Happy Holiday Day.”

Reader Interactions

74Comments

  2. 2.

    kommrade reproductive vigor

    Then, we should make July 4, 2009 “American Freedom Day.” Tea Party activists across America should plan to go out and recruit supporters get people who’ve been drinking all day to sign petitions and make a donation from every Fourth of July celebration in their community.

    Fxd.

    Don’t we already have a name for July 4th?

    Yes, but the GOP doesn’t to promote independence. That’s so … liberal.

  4. 4.

    Jon H

    Hey, let’s not discourage him. Setting up teabaggers to party on July 4th can mean only one thing:

    Teabaggers with self-inflicted fireworks injuries.

  5. 5.

    cleek

    go out and recruit supporters from every Fourth of July celebration in their community.

    like redneck douchebag Hare Krishnas !

  10. 10.

    RememberNovember

    wait didn’t we already have an America Freedom day…July 4th , I believe.

    Why must the GOP be so retarded?

  12. 12.

    omen

    i’m surprise they didn’t hold this during the anniversary of the oklahoma city bombing. or hitler’s birthday.

  13. 13.

    Adolphus

    This is probably a strategy to boost attendance. Think about a million people show up at the Mall in DC for a parade, some concerts, and fireworks. Tucked away over by the polo fields will be 10-20K teabaggers. They disperse to get signatures or recruit people which expands the border between tea baggers and normal revelers. Instantly they can claim a million people were at their protest.

    Crazy like the Fox.

  14. 14.

    Aqualad08

    So Newt is jumping on the back of an already in-the-works protest on an already established holiday where people traditionally gather together, a protest based on the April 15 protests which already existed for years before the teabaggers co-opted it and which failed to attract nationwide even half the number of the anti-war protest in New York in 2003, a protest Republicans deemed a “failure.”

    God these people suck at grassroots…

  15. 15.

    4tehlulz

    @omen: OKC is a solemn occasion, as that was when we were attacked by Iraq; everyone’s too high on 4/20 to remember it was Hitler’s birthday.

  16. 16.

    El Cid

    These people are anti-patriotic traitors. Why aren’t they celebrating every single day as American Freedom Day? Why aren’t they petitioning to rename each day of the week as American Freedom Monday and American Freedom Tuesday and so forth? And are we simply going to keep reporting the time as say, 3 pm, instead of American Freedom Hour 3 PM?

  17. 17.

    Nylund

    I love the 4th, but its already dominated by too many people whose idea of expressing patriotism with class is this.

    The tea-bag types have already convinced much of the country that our founding fathers were all Jesus freaks and part of the anti-science crowd. If they try to get to usurp independence day as well, I’m going to get mighty pissed off.

  18. 18.

    jrg

    Amazing. When the titty babies on the right are not wailing “Thank a soldier for your freedom”, they piss all over the memory of the soldiers that actually won our freedom.

    I used to have a small amount of respect for Gingrich, since he’s the only member of the modern GOP that’s even remotely capable of strategic thought. Nowdays he looks just as moronic as the rest of them. Where the f*ck has he been for the past 8 years?

  19. 19.

    zoe kentucky from pittsburgh

    I’d like to start a new protest movement– organize people to send pacifiers to Newt Gingrich, Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity.

    Whiny little crybabies, the whole lot of them.

    I really don’t think most people are going to appreciate them trying to turn the 4th into some kind of ugly partisan, I-hate-Obama day. They will not get a warm reception on the Mall. They’re completely and totally tonedeaf.

  20. 20.

    Dennis-SGMM

    Republicans would like to have us forget the past and the idea of independence scares them to death. This is only a sign of their deepest aspirations.

  21. 21.

    GregB Formerly GSD

    Newt will be claiming that 300 million Americans came out in support of his idea/protest/circle jerk with Roman candles.

    Fox will pronounce this to be the largest protest ever!

    I’m tired of these people.

    -G

  25. 25.

    El Cid

    How is it we let our schoolchildren learn their ABC’s and their counting numbers without working in the phrase “American Freedom” into every letter and number? Our educational system hates America, and Freedom.

  26. 26.

    Zifnab

    @GregB Formerly GSD: Didn’t Colbert do a joke on this, where he encouraged all his followers to dress up as ghosts and pirates and fairies on October 31st and demand candy from local neighbors, in protest of the Obama Administration?

    Those aren’t celebration fireworks in the sky, they’re Protest Day Anti-Tax Freedom Explosions! :-p

    And was “Independence” just too many syllables? Has the GOP really been reduced to such brain density that they can’t figure out similarities between Independence and Freedom? Are we going to change Christmas to Church on Jesus’s Birthday Day? Perhaps make Labor Day into American Work Day? Memorial Day could, perhaps, be renamed Thinking Of Our Soldiers Day?

    God damn these people are stupid.

  28. 28.

    geg6

    Well, the Ohio Militia is aboard with Newt.

    I’m terrible with linking, but if you mosey on over to MattY’s place, he has a story about the head of the Ohio Militia calling for a new Million Man March on July 4th.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iq9bDs9_RcY

    “A peaceful demonstration of at least a million — hey, if we can 10 million, even better — but at least one million armed militia men marching on Washington.” He emphasizes his desire for the protest to be peaceful, but also emphasizes his desire for the protest to be well-armed

    As he says, be there if your a patriot!!!!

  29. 29.

    FMguru

    Ahahahaha, how predictable. So are they going to count every American who is out barbecuing, watching parades, waving flags, and shooting off fireworks as rising up in opposition to Obama’s fascist tyranny?

    What next? A call for Americans to protest Obama by getting together and watching football on the first Sunday in February?

  30. 30.

    John Cole

    Boy. As if the Fourth weren’t enough of an sshle holiday.

    I happen to think the Fourth is one of the best holidays. I don’t mind a day a year for overt jingoism and national unity, picnics, a celebration of why this is a good country, and best of all, Souza played by the Marine Corps marching band.

  33. 33.

    Notorious P.A.T.

    I bet the fRighties make him into a hero and a martyr before the day ends. Like his family won’t have enough b.s. to deal with.

    A couple months ago Freddie Mac was the devil, the thing that caused our global economic meltdown by giving a few bad loans to the “wrong” kind of people. Now it’s CFO will be turned into a saint. Idiots.

  34. 34.

    Dennis-SGMM

    @geg6:
    One million armed men marching on Washington? Had a million armed liberals marched on Washington during the previous administration they would have sicced gunships on them.
    At the rate these people are going they will have some martyrs before summer.

  35. 35.

    Comrade Darkness

    They got nothin’ so they are going to co-opt every established vision of patriotism, cling to them and go all WATB every time a liberal tries to join in. Cuz they own it! WAH!

  36. 36.

    Notorious P.A.T.

    Another name for the Obama death list.

    This is looking frighteningly like Bill Clinton’s presidency. As in, I am 100% sure some nutcase is going to drive a truck bomb up to a government building within the next few years. I just hope he stalls on the way.

  38. 38.

    gnomedad

    @John Cole:

    I happen to think the Fourth is one of the best holidays.

    I totally agree. That, and Thanksgiving. Solid traditions, and no shopping frenzy.

    I hate politicizing the Fourth, but if this shit goes forward, I am finding me a huge Obama button to wear. Also, I like the “Republican War on Independence Day” meme.

  40. 40.

    John PM

    Right now, the Republican Party could exist only in America, for the simple reason they have no where left to go. They can’t go to Europe because all of it is soc-alist. Same goes for Canada. Great Britain would seem a logical choice for these people since they are protesting American Independence, but England does not allow gun ownership to the level that Republicans demand. They cannot go to Latin America or South America for the obvious reason that they all would be killed within a week. Ditto for Africa, the Middle East and most parts of Asia. Australia is recovering from its own brand of conservative stupidity, so that is probably out. Looks like the only logical place left for the Republicans to go is Antarctica, which should work out great for them since global warming is just a hoax and there is no danger of large chunks of Antarctica disappering in the next 20-30 years.

  42. 42.

    Xecky Gilchrist

    @John Cole: I happen to think the Fourth is one of the best holidays. I don’t mind a day a year for overt jingoism and national unity, picnics, a celebration of why this is a good country, and best of all, Souza played by the Marine Corps marching band.

    Seconded, and I usually hate overt jingoism. It’s a good day for remembering that, whatever co-opting the howlers on the right have attempted, it’s not just their country.

    Oh yes, and Sousa FTW.

  43. 43.

    Bill Teefy

    Support Obama and Progressive policies and Gay Rights by wearing Red, White, and Blue this next July Fourth.

    I hereby declare that July Fourth will be an annual celebration of Obama, Progressive policies, and Gay Rights.*

    I predict the turnout will be HUGE.

    You may teabag, or not, it’s a free country.

    I am taller than Newt so I can make a bigger proclamation.

  44. 44.

    ksmiami

    John PM – WIN WIN WIN – But hOw long do you think the Republicans would last in Antartica though before they would eat eachother?

  45. 45.

    El Cid

    Wouldn’t we be more patriotic if we could come up with a language entirely composed of the words “America” and “Freedom”? Why do we need more than two words anyway? Except maybe proper names. As long as all proper names include the words “America” and “Freedom”.

  47. 47.

    geg6

    @gnomedad:

    I’m with you and John. The best holidays for me are those with no religion and that celebrate the fact that America is a secular nation. July 4 and Thanksgiving are the best holidays for me for that very reason.

    Plus…I’m a Thanksgiving baby who hates cake. Thus I always had a good reason to have pie instead. :)

  49. 49.

    r€nato

    I think this is a fabulous idea of Newt’s because it is guaranteed to be a failure.

    What do most people want to do on July 4th? Go marching in a protest? Uh, no. They want to have a BBQ, drink some beers, or go on vacation for a few days.

    And good luck with that protest in the southern and western states, where summer is not exactly known for prime outdoor weather.

  53. 53.

    Elie

    John @ 40 —

    I believe that you would be wrong. Our American right wing would be very comfortable in Germany and in some spots in Central Europe…. Europeans are always a little on the edge about “foreigners” running around their countries and line up right winged oposition pretty quickly. This is one of the reasons that they admire our ability to have such a diverse country. Most of them do not and really struggle with trying to do so.

    They just like to pretend that Americans are reactionaries and racists. They have more than a touch of that themselves…the US is actually light years ahead of them on diversity, for all our warts…

  54. 54.

    plasticgoat

    Using Independence Day for cover is the only way they can attract a crowd. I am sure we will see video of hometown celebrations that a few teabaggers bring signs to, used as evidence that the revolution is about to begin.

  55. 55.

    dslak

    @Elie: Britain of course being the exception that proves the rule. It was a hard struggle for them to get even to where they are, though.

  56. 56.

    lawnorder

    Those fuckers better not show up in the park I go watch the fireworks with my kids, or they will see who surrounds who!

  57. 57.

    Elie

    dslak —

    Yeah, I was pretty surprised when my husband and I started traveling around Europe and both observing and talking to people. Even in France, (outside of Paris), being an outsider is very noticeable and the integration we so take for granted is not an easy thing. Paris, is of course, a world city and is very diverse — so much so you almost feel as though you are in a city in the United States — people of all colors, ethnicity and practices.

    My husband is retired military and we traveled on the Space A basis (you can get on some military transports when room allows and you wait your turn in the pecking order). After one of our trips where we traveled in France, Germany, Czech Republic, Poland — I had not realized how seeing our diverse troops at the base would jar my eyes, but it did. I was totally impressed and very proud of that. I did not see that anywhere else in Europe…(I havent been to Great Britain yet)

  58. 58.

    Mnemosyne

    @Elie:

    They just like to pretend that Americans are reactionaries and racists. They have more than a touch of that themselves…the US is actually light years ahead of them on diversity, for all our warts…

    There’s a reason why we haven’t gotten homegrown Islamic extremists in the US like they have in Great Britain and Germany. For all of the faults of the melting pot, we really do encourage people to assimilate and “be American” regardless of national background. There are no nationality restrictions on who can and cannot be a citizen.

    If the right wing had their way, we’d be like Germany or Japan, which have second and third generation immigrants who still aren’t allowed to be legal citizens.

  59. 59.

    TenguPhule

    Stick Newt’s thought bulb in an Easy-Bake Oven and in ten minutes you get pudding.

    I think you’re overestimating the wattage.

  60. 60.

    dslak

    @Mnemosyne: Britain is trying to follow more of a melting pot model now, but it’s a relatively recent change for them.

    On the other hand, the fact that it is a far more urban country makes it possible for people from similar ethnic and religious backgrounds to live only among their own kind than to mix with others.

  61. 61.

    Calouste

    Seems like Newt got the GOP Operations Manual out again and accidentally ended up on the page about DoubleSpeak.

  62. 62.

    Elie

    61 –

    I think that Newt and many in the GOP know that they are playing ball with a dead chicken.

    From their point of view, and mine, they have no choice, do they? They really cannot provide substantive opposition since the facts of the situation do not allow them to do that: you can’t have major debt and have a solution (tax breaks) that not only would not fix the problem, but would indeed make it worse. Everyone who was awake at all the last 8 years knows who f—-d up the reputation and standing of the United States.

    In both of my overly simplified examples, silence on their part just makes the whole catastrophe of it all just sink in more. They have to make noise and distract as much as possible to do what they can to prevent the magnitude of their incompetence and irrelevance from completely putting out any spark of life in the future of their party.

    To make it even worse for them, what credible alternative for opposition do they really even have even if they wanted to man up? What do you say after you hit the neighbor’s kid with your car?

    All that remains is the hard work of fixing this thing. Their silence would just mean that they agree with the scope of the repair needed. They just can’t do that.

  63. 63.

    Mike in NC

    Looks like the only logical place left for the Republicans to go is Antarctica, which should work out great for them since global warming is just a hoax and there is no danger of large chunks of Antarctica disappering in the next 20-30 years.

    It’s also very, very white.

  65. 65.

    dj spellchecka

    just poked around newt’s essay and i couldn’t track all the lying.. he claims, repeatedly, that a million people protested….b.s. the real numbers were 270k-300k, max…

    he also makes it sound like obama’s plan is that every penny over $250k that someone makes goes straight to the government… fantasyland, baby….

  66. 66.

    bartkid

    >Don’t we already have a name for July 4th?

    I’ve always called it the third day after Canada Day.

  67. 67.

    LanceThruster

    “Independence Day” is just fine (would that we could be independent from wingnuts).

    Next they’ll be wanting to rename St. patrick’s Day “Potato Day.”

  68. 68.

    Rational Thinker

    They have to go with the Fourth of July to have any prayer of finding a crowd. Since the recent events were so embarrasingly low in attendance, even after the Fox and Talk Radio Frenzy, they can’t do anything without a national holiday to help in getting some people to turn out. Tea Party? Their Party’s over and they won’t admit it, ho ho ho.

  69. 69.

    zack

    You Democrats treat the constitution as if it were your daily toilet paper and your ragging on the people that love this country. You people will not be reelected so enjoy your stint in the “White House.” Oh yah, to someone who believes Jesus Christ is their savior saying happy holidays is disgraceful. I’m one of them, so can it with the happy holidays!

  70. 70.

    zack

    Hey Bill Teefey I hope you like a dry heat!!!

    I just want to say that reading these blogs you people are just as bigoted, racist and totally in the dark about what is going on in this country as the hard left is. I do like to read these to see how many ignorant people think they have a valid viewpoint. HAHAHAHAHA If anything you people act like your living in a modern day past Germany, running around puking that ridiculous Obama rhetoric. Yes we blaaaahhhhhh. You’re also the same people that scream harry carry about all these banks making all this money and then don’t scream when the government spends your kids money. Oxymoron Oh I forgot that you all love to take care of unwed mothers that has kids with 4 guys. I’m amazed how racist you are, simply amazing. Obama doesn’t have to be racist, he knows how ignorant you are all and you fall for it hook, line and sinker!! Lemmings!
    Most of you don’t even know what that means since most of your scribblings don’t accumulate to shit. You people don’t stand for AMERICA, you don’t even know what AMERICA is and stands for. Why?? Because of the same statements made above about letting any one come into this great country. If you don’t think so move to cuba, where if you disagree with the government they throw you in jail, or Africa where they are the poorest continent and people are put into slavery everyday, or Egypt where they think it is ok for a 50 year old man to marry an 8 year old. IF THOSE ARE YOUR VALUES GET OUT OF THIS COUNTRY YOU UNPATRIOTIC MORONS!!!!!!!! Go kill some babies since your pro-abortion and you can house the illegal immigrants since your so patriotic, and keep shoving down your sexuality down everyone’s throat and bringing down morality. I know alot of gay people that do not act the way the left wing media portrays. I hope you know Jesus Loves you and he doesn’t want you to go to hell.

  73. 73.

    Wickedlady4180

    Zack’s right…. all I see around this blog, is a bunch of tards hating on a man (Newt) who’s spent his life serving the American people in a way that none of you can say for yourselves. He meant that the specific day 7.4.09 would be a day remembered as “Freedom Day”. No where did he mention “hijacking” the title Independence Day for the National holiday. You people are so full of hate that you create senarios in your heads and then act on them as if they’re reality. It’s quite frightening. My favorite responce to this blog is this:
    “What do most people want to do on July 4th? Go marching in a protest? Uh, no. They want to have a BBQ, drink some beers, or go on vacation for a few days.”
    Remember this well everyone: Americans are hurting, they can’t afford to go on vacation, or have a BBQ. I have a full time, well paying job and I can’t do those things either! What better way than to spend your Independence Day, than to spend it with your fellow Americans, standing up for what we beleive in our hearts? The Tea Parties held on 7.4.09 will be themed around our constitution, the perfect marriage for what July 4th stands for. We will not yeild for anyone who opposes us, we surroud you, not the otherway around. This time the turn out will be massive. Prepare for it.

  74. 74.

    PaulW

    Is it just me, or are the Republicans hijacking the 4th of July to claim it as THEIR day of celebration, not ALL AMERICANS?

    We’re gonna get guys on Fox Not-News that day claiming all the fireworks going off are ‘angry patriotic Americans’ expressing their displeasure at a socialist President’s inability to tie his shoelaces properly.

    Headthump headthump headthump.

    When the 4th rolls around, if Newt & Co. try to claim Independence Day as their own celebration, instead of it being a national holiday for ALL Americans (Democrats and Moderates included), I swear I’m gonna sue for defamation.

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