2016 Postmortem
Related: About this forumJim Webb Drops the Hammer on Romney
President Barack Obama is introduced by retiring Sen. Jim Webb, D-Va., at a campaign event at Farm Bureau Live, Thursday, Sept. 27, 2012, in Virginia Beach, Va. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)
Jim Webb Drops the Hammer on Romney
Jim Webbs departures from party orthodoxy are frequent. As recently as last November, the retiring Virginia Democratic senator was reluctant to commit to campaigning for President Barack Obama.
So Webbs bladework today on Mitt Romney was as unexpected as it was memorable.
read more...
http://www.politico.com/blogs/charlie-mahtesian/2012/09/webb-drops-the-hammer-on-romney-136858.html
Drunken Irishman
(34,857 posts)MotherPetrie
(3,145 posts)Piling on Mitt Romney has no risks for Webb now.
MADem
(135,425 posts)He worked for the Mother of All Republicans, Saint Ronnie, as an ASN and SECNAV.
He's mellowed substantially since then.
This isn't just "bladework," it's a thorough evisceration:
This was a time of conscription, where every American male was eligible to be drafted. People made choices about how to deal with the draft, and about military service. I have never envied or resented any of the choices that were made as long as they were done within the law. But those among us who stepped forward to face the harsh unknowns and the lifelong changes that can come from combat did so with the belief that their service would be honored, and that our leaders would, in the words of President Abraham Lincoln, care for those who had borne the battle, and for their widows and their children.
Those young Marines that I led have grown older now. Theyve lived lives of courage, both in combat and after their return, where many of them were derided by their own peers for having served. That was a long time ago. They are not bitter. They know what they did. But in receiving veterans benefits, they are not takers. They were givers, in the ultimate sense of that word. There is a saying among war veterans: All gave some, some gave all. This is not a culture of dependency. It is a part of a long tradition that gave this country its freedom and independence. They paid, some with their lives, some through wounds and disabilities, some through their emotional scars, some through the lost opportunities and delayed entry into civilian careers which had already begun for many of their peers who did not serve.
And not only did they pay. They will not say this, so I will say it for them. They are owed, if nothing else, at least a mention, some word of thanks and respect, when a Presidential candidate who is their generational peer makes a speech accepting his partys nomination to be Commander in Chief. And they are owed much more than that a guarantee that we will never betray the commitment that we made to them and to their loved ones.
http://www.politico.com/blogs/charlie-mahtesian/2012/09/webb-drops-the-hammer-on-romney-136858.html
Tom Rinaldo
(22,913 posts)That needed to be said, and there is no one better than him to say it.
whathehell
(29,067 posts)Sunlei
(22,651 posts)There is a huge contrast between draft dodger, Veteran ignoring Romney and our President and Mrs Obama with their years of love, devotion and hard work for Vets and their families.
AlinPA
(15,071 posts)about those people".
cr8tvlde
(1,185 posts)as the military is often their major employer/job program.
Rectangle
(667 posts)There were no servants!
They had to do their own laundry!!
Leave him alone!
He's suffered enough!
Pisces
(5,599 posts)have to take notice of these words. Powerful.
lillypaddle
(9,581 posts)Thank you, Jim Webb.
nc4bo
(17,651 posts)but seems the RW loonies are sprouting some of the nastiest, filth I've seen within the comments.
Just makes you want to kick someone's arse - how dare any of them say this garbage. Couldn't help myself to making a few comments against that insanity.
OTOH there are some wonderful people commenting that are absolutely positive!
Well anyway, thanks for posting the story!!
avebury
(10,952 posts)WillyT
(72,631 posts)<snip>
From Webbs introductory remarks before Obamas Virginia Beach appearance:
This was a time of conscription, where every American male was eligible to be drafted. People made choices about how to deal with the draft, and about military service. I have never envied or resented any of the choices that were made as long as they were done within the law. But those among us who stepped forward to face the harsh unknowns and the lifelong changes that can come from combat did so with the belief that their service would be honored, and that our leaders would, in the words of President Abraham Lincoln, care for those who had borne the battle, and for their widows and their children.
Those young Marines that I led have grown older now. Theyve lived lives of courage, both in combat and after their return, where many of them were derided by their own peers for having served. That was a long time ago. They are not bitter. They know what they did. But in receiving veterans benefits, they are not takers. They were givers, in the ultimate sense of that word. There is a saying among war veterans: All gave some, some gave all. This is not a culture of dependency. It is a part of a long tradition that gave this country its freedom and independence. They paid, some with their lives, some through wounds and disabilities, some through their emotional scars, some through the lost opportunities and delayed entry into civilian careers which had already begun for many of their peers who did not serve.
And not only did they pay. They will not say this, so I will say it for them. They are owed, if nothing else, at least a mention, some word of thanks and respect, when a presidential candidate who is their generational peer makes a speech accepting his partys nomination to be commander-in-chief. And they are owed much more than that a guarantee that we will never betray the commitment that we made to them and to their loved ones.
The attacks on Romneys lack of military service and his failure to mention Afghanistan or Iraq in his convention speech arent new to the campaign, which is the first in 80 years without a military veteran on either major partys ticket.
But coming from Webb a voice for the white working class, a former Navy secretary and decorated Vietnam veteran whose son left college to enlist as an infantry private in the Marine Corps and fought in the Iraq War his words carry a punch that few other Democratic surrogates can muster.
<snip>
From: http://www.politico.com/blogs/charlie-mahtesian/2012/09/webb-drops-the-hammer-on-romney-136858.html?hp=l7
Tx4obama
(36,974 posts)Zambero
(8,964 posts)I hope Virginia voters get to see and hear this speech. Not many politicians possess the credibility to utter those words, but Senator Jim Webb would certainly be one of them. He put "Macaca George" away 6 years ago and it's good to see he still has the spirit. Independence notwithstanding, Webb is a class act and he will be sorely missed.
nc4bo
(17,651 posts)The wingers aren't winning it either, I'm happy to say.