Borowitz writes: "After Mr. Obama made his controversial stopping-tragedies remark, prominent pro-tragedy members of Congress looked on in stony silence, refusing to applaud."

President Barack Obama. (photo: unknown)

Obama's Call to End Tragedies Angers Pro-Tragedy Wing in Congress

By Andy Borowitz, The New Yorker

29 January 14

�

resident Obama's call during his State of the Union address to "stop more tragedies from visiting innocent Americans" received a frosty response from the pro-tragedy wing in Congress last night.

After Mr. Obama made his controversial stopping-tragedies remark, prominent pro-tragedy members of Congress looked on in stony silence, refusing to applaud.

"I thought it was offensive and inappropriate," said Sen. David Vitter (R-Louisiana). "If the President wants co�peration from Congress, he should refrain from his divisive and inflammatory anti-tragedy rhetoric."

The pro-tragedy lobby is among the most powerful in Washington, spending millions annually to defeat politicians who oppose tragedies.

Another congressman with a strong pro-tragedy voting record, Rep. Joe Wilson (R-South Carolina), also blasted the President's remark, accusing Mr. Obama of conducting a "war on tragedy."

"If the President really thinks he is going to prevent more tragedies, he should be prepared for a fight," Rep. Wilson said. "The American people's right to tragedies is protected by the United States Constitution."

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+63 # mwd870 2011-10-21 15:48

Please, please, please let this be Eric Cantor's last term in office.

+44 # MainStreetMentor 2011-10-21 15:52

+37 # Capn Canard 2011-10-21 16:17

This can't look good for Cantor, but given the past year is there anything that could make him look reputable? Pulling stuff like this makes him look like a two face snake. Is there any need of more evidence? Canceling a speech because he is afraid of college students? Pathetic

+30 # bubbiesue 2011-10-21 16:21

Poor, poor Eric. The ladder of which he speaks is broken and he doesn't know it yet. I wonder who will have the temerity to tell him--if anybody does.

+32 # Kayjay 2011-10-21 16:30

If I lived in Virginia, I would be very pissed at Cantor. I mean why is he running around the northeast addressing Ivy league elites on economic opportunities. Shouldn't he be back in Virginia, pow wowing with constituents on how to better their lives? i agree with mwd870. Yes, Virginia.... should us there really is a Santa Claus and give this rat the BOOT!

+37 # mainescorpio 2011-10-21 17:35

He's the snarkiest of all the pols I've ever seen...and an ignorant idealogue to boot. How in the world did he win over a majority of Virginia's voters?

-29 # Gungadin 2011-10-21 21:54

Let me get this straight.... Shutting down free speech is something to be proud of? Yet we want the OWS people to be given their right to speak....sort of hypocritical, isn't it?

+2 # RLF 2011-10-22 17:13

Free speech isn't freedom to tell lies while muffling desent. Give a real liberal equal time and we won't shut him down.

+4 # reiverpacific 2011-10-22 19:59

Quoting Gungadin:

Let me get this straight.... Shutting down free speech is something to be proud of? Yet we want the OWS people to be given their right to speak....sort of hypocritical, isn't it?

SO.
How about the Tea Party violence and disruption of town-hall meetings prior to the last elections?
How about the Republican thugs who stormed and attacked the independent vote counters in Tallahassee, Florida during the stolen election of 2000 -flown there especially by Ken Ley's (Bush's buddy "Ken-Boy's") private plane.?
How about voter-suppressi on in Florida, Ohio and now in Wisconsin, and many others past and it seems, to come?
You want me to go on? There is much, much more!
It is people like the appalling Cantor who would take the opposition's right to dissent away and anyone else who doesn't march in lockstep with the reactionary extremes he represents, as would all of those -seemingly including you- who shout loudest about democratic freedoms.
There's a difference between suppressing free speech and showing up to speak truth peacefully and even loudly, to those who have held sway far too long over too many gullible voters.
If you can't get even this basic fact straight, then you're hardly "A better man than I am Gungadin"! -With apologies to Rudyard Kipling.

+1 # kelly 2011-10-23 11:56

They didn't WANT to shut him down. He shut himself down.He could have faced the crowd...just like all the other politicians do who have to come face to face with the people when they choose to make a stand on an issue. He is shutting down free speech when he disallows our right to be heard dissenting his opinion. If he does not hear a voice of opposition he does not remain a fair representative of ALL THE PEOPLE which is pretty much what you become when you're elected and not crowned. Not have you got it straight?

+22 # BLBreck 2011-10-21 22:26

He wasn't forced to cancel, he's what they would have called a lily-livered coward in the old west, by gum. Let's hope his constituents send him home with his tail between his legs in 2012.

+18 # BradFromSalem 2011-10-21 22:26

If Eric Cantor is so against the redistribution of wealth, then why isn't he out with the Occupiers? Wall Street took advantage of the US economy and have steadfastly been neck deep in wealth redistribution since 1980.

That was when the wealth of the Middle Class began to diminish. Their wealth didn't just disappear, it moved to Wall Street. We really saw this during the infamous Wall Street heist of 2008. The Middle Class had their already lowered wealth stolen from them.

We have redistribution of wealth in America, and we want it back. What could be more fair? Why do Republicans like Cantor believe that stealing our savings is OK, while when we ask the crooks to pay taxes on what was stolen, we are Commies?

+10 # giraffe 2011-10-21 23:03

Personal view: I think he is insane - mentally ill - screw loose - missing part of his brain -

If he gets re-elected, I'll personally send him a "get well" card.

VOTE DEM VOTE OBAMA -- if the GOP/TP get in we will be run by the evil Koch brothers et. al. And the Supremes will vote 6-3 when Gingsberg leaves.

I cannot stand another filibuster - on important matters while the house keeps passing the same bill on abortion.

Repugnuts have about 25% more registered now -- help the minorities / old etc registered in your area. Voting is free and if your state now requires IDs - for voting those IDs are also free. Phone, go door to door, email, fliers, drive them - anything - just get them registered and also ALL Dems should get mail-in ballots. Some Dem governors are also acting like GOP --

The Norquist Cult of GOP/TP will make us worse than slaves.

The GOP has this Cain up front for a reason. I think I know why! Cain is not even registered in most states (i.e. he won't be on the ballot). The racist GOP/TP are using this clown to hide their KKK reality beliefs.

VOTE DEM VOTE OBAMA - If we get a majority -- we will get Thomas/Scalia impeached. It's a coming.

2012 is the MOST important election of our time. GO OWS - awesome and OWS have changed the tenor of the country.

+11 # karlarove 2011-10-22 00:26

Clearly Eric is only worrying about the guys at the top of the ladder. How about those who want to get on the ladder? Oh, I just remembered....w e don't pay him enough moneyto represent us, the people of the United States. We need a elected offical, I mean a lobbyist who works for us.

+14 # Michael S. Cullen 2011-10-22 01:13

Pity Cantor couldn't speak. Now he'll run around spewing things like 'the mob won't let me exercise my freedom of speech'; and there'll be lots out there to cheer him on. Let Eric eat cake.
Michael S. Cullen, Berlin, Germany

+10 # jcdav 2011-10-22 03:53

So.. he is willing to speak to friendly, receptive audiences, but if there will be ANY questioning in the crowd he bails..What a sorry excuse for a man..if this is what passes for leadership.. and shows the political accountability we (don't) have it is indeed time for a change..COWARD

+3 # Diane 2011-10-22 17:58

The unwillingness to speak to a potentially unreceptive audience??? - does that remind you of someone else? A former president, I think. Let's see - his name, hmmmmm - "Shrub"? No, not quite. Ah, Geo. W. Bush, the one who always knew he would be speaking to adoring supporters because his pre-speech muscle cleaned the venue of dissenters.

I guess they both needed to bail given that neither of them would have a sane answer to a sane question.

+12 # 666 2011-10-22 04:58

how dare they speak against "income redistribution" ! that's exactly what's at the heart of the GOP economic agenda: run up the debt - so that debt service takes up a bigger share of the taxes we pay (who benefits? the rich who own the debt [bonds]). ditto with wars and defense spending. ditto with the bailouts. Socialism for the rich! That's what the GOP (and Dems) preach and practice, because it's (real) socialism they fear the most. And just like in post-ww1 italy and germany, that fear was leveraged to seize control of government! Be afraid, be very afraid.

+9 # rofo47 2011-10-22 06:29

I live in Eric Cantor's district and the chances of him being defeated next November are about the same as the Phillies defeating the Yankees to become reigning world champions this year. We may be only 90 miles from Washington D.C. but we are in the DEEP South and at least 30 to 40 years removed from the 21st century.

+12 # J.Lindsley 2011-10-22 06:38

Corrupt people love weasels.

+8 # vadem 2011-10-22 06:56

I live in VA in Cantor's district. It has been Republican as long as I can remember. It is difficult to find a viable Democrat to oppose him. Believe me, many of us are as disgusted as the rest of thinking people but we can't get rid of him in a very conservative district! He is a leader due to the Republican takeover of the House in 2010.

+8 # in deo veritas 2011-10-22 07:49

Ship his sorry butt off somehwere like Afghanistan on a "fact-finding" mission and maybe he won't come back. He could join others working to destroy our country.

+14 # in deo veritas 2011-10-22 07:56

"on the staging of his presentation" is a very telling statement from the Wharton School at UPENN. Anything these fascist weasels do is staged just like the Nazi rallies in Nuremberg. If they can't have a hand-picked audience of supporters and fools they will use stormtrooper tactics like they did at the last Repug convention with their rent-a-cops.

+11 # in deo veritas 2011-10-22 07:58

When the day of reckoning comes, there will be nowhere in this country for Cantor and his criminal puppeteers to hide. What other countries would give them political asylum? What no takers?

+12 # angryspittle 2011-10-22 10:33

Nice to see the little twerp is heeding Truman's advice regarding heat and kitchens and such.

+4 # Kayjay 2011-10-22 14:57

Maybe we should regress in our dealings with Cantor and his TP ilk. Bring back tar and feathers.

+3 # DPM 2011-10-22 17:08

Kayjay. We need the tar for roads and feathers for..well for anything is more worthy than Cantor. The way to treat him is national distain. If he becomes a national embarrassment, like Palin, his big sponsors will abandon him. He may be reelected, in his district, but he will not have a national voice.
And, Gungadin. Were you this outspoken when Tea Partiers were interrupting and shouting down speakers at public meetings? Not allowing them to talk. Hmmm? Just curious.

+1 # Annalois 2011-10-23 09:16

Can you imagine what America will look like if The right wing GOP are re-elected to office? They want Obama to lose so much that they wont even pass the Jobs Bill knowing that the American people need work. Shame on these cold hearted men!

0 # amye 2011-10-23 12:35

Cantor, you are not very smart if you don't think the only way to level the playing field is to redistribute wealth! That IS the ONLY way to level the playing field!! We must redistribute the wealth! How do you think the rich got rich?? Uhh, because it was redistributed to them? YES! Now we need to redistribute it to the middle class and working poor!

+2 # 4yourinformation 2011-10-23 12:40

Screw Cantor's "it's all about upward mobility" schtick. It's precisely that we have too damned many wealth accumulating blood suckers vacuuming up massive profits, that result in the inequality in the first place. Meeting in the middle is exactly where we need to go. No more rich people and no more people. We CAN do it by creating a system that rewards WORK with REWARDING work and not tolerating drudgery at one end and massive opulence at the other.

0 # rose 2011-10-23 14:49

Calling Cantor a weasel is an insult to weasels! Not surprised he did not want to speak in front of people who might jeer him...after all, it's tough to speak spontaneously and in the moment when the only notes in front of you are the same "talking points" that you've been spouting ad nauseam for years!

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