The newfound civility didn’t last long. Political rhetoric in Congress doesn’t get much nastier than the words of one House Democrat during the debate on repealing the health care law.
In an extraordinary outburst on the House floor, Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN) invoked the Holocaust and the Nazis’ “big lie” strategy last night during a speech to a near-empty House chamber about Republican efforts to repeal the health care law.
Cohen also used the same phrase – blood libel – that got former Alaska governor Sarah Palin into trouble with some Jewish groups.
Speaking about Republicans, Cohen said last night, “They say it’s a government takeover of health care. A big lie just like (Joseph) Goebbels. You say it enough and you repeat the lie, repeat the lie, repeat the lie until eventually people believe it. Like blood libel, that’s the same kind of thing.”
Joseph Goebbels was the minister of propaganda for the Nazis. Blood libel is a term some Christians have used to persecute Jews.
Cohen, who is Jewish, has been in Congress since 2007. A former Tennessee state senator, he is the only white lawmaker representing a majority-black House district.
Lawmakers hoped the debate to repeal the health care law would be more civil, in light of the shooting of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz., and the role political rhetoric may have had in the rampage in Tucson that killed six people Jan. 8.
Cohen’s speech was first reported by ABC News.
Cohen made his comments late last night, but they have attracted no attention because his speech was made to a virtually empty House chamber with no reporters around to watch.
In a column for Roll Call, a newspaper that covers Congress, Cohen spoke out about incendiary political rhetoric shortly after Giffords was shot.
“Reckless and hateful speech” often have a “terrible human cost,” Cohen wrote in the piece, published Jan. 11. “If the horrific events in Arizona are not enough to modulate our public discourse, it is likely there will be more violence, more deaths.”
(Source: USA Today / ABC News)
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7 Responses
The “newfound civility” never started. The left wing media and many Democratic politicians never stopped accusing Sarah, Rush and the Republicans of having been behind the shootings in Tuscon. It’s a classic “big lie” (“blood libel” if you prefer), that has become an article of faith among the left wing (which includes most frei Jews).
Just as Palin was beyond the pale, so was Cohen.
I will look to see who challenges him next primary season.
charliehall- why was sarah palin beyond the pale? and -as you are well aware from your talmudic studies ans classes in logic- you just equated palin’s words and cohen’s words. You REALLY make that comparison??
with respect to this congressman! 1) when the congressionel budget office said that obamacare will save the usa billions of dollers after the bill passed they changed their mind that it will cost millions of dollers, now whocares what they say now? it could be the same lie! 2) as a wrote already palin used the term “blood lible” very in place cause they accused her in being the one that whos fault it is that the arizona shooting happened which is a “blood lible” to that she the one behind the killing! 3)why when some one lined the obamacare with the natzis the whole media accused him of calling obama a natzi now? no one said nothing? SHAME ON YOU MR. CONGRESSMAN!!!
Name calling doesn’t kill. This new health-care already saved my life. It’s sad that this bickering will kill so many.
5, Obamacare bill hasnt done DIDDLY SQUAT for you yet because the “benefits” are NOT in effect till 2014.
Perhaps you could tell us how many people were killed by our “bickering?” Ten, Twenty, Thrity, One thousand? How many Homeless?
6: Much like the real Mark Levin, you speak without knowing what you are talking about. Many parts of the healthcare bill are currently in effect.