Dan Riehl: There needs to be outrage

Dan Riehl and Melissa Clouthier caught on Fox News camera during CPAC 2010 last month. "The youth are first and foremost among us in throwing off authority," writes Riehl. We agree with him that "McCain's progressivism does not represent any future for the GOP … Statism will never appeal to the silent majority of America's youth. In fact, libertarianism can. And the large presence of young political guns at CPAC demonstrated it."

Dan Riehl is a force of nature and a master of the agitator's art. The average person's reaction to news of Harry Reid's wife's and daughter's accident yesterday was to express sympathy and wishes for a speedy recovery. We were sort of there ourselves, trying to repress our visceral disgust with the Senate Majority Leader's totalitarianesque health-care-reform agenda in recognition of our common humanity when human suffering strikes. But not Riehl, who burst fearlessly center stage into the blogosphere this evening with a politically incorrect showstopper guaranteed to precipitate a social-network-a-lanche in the coming hours: 

Isn't it time to euthanize Reid's wife?

Vintage Riehl. Anyone who's been paying attention through the years knows the man has a heart of gold, but when it comes to defending this Shining City Upon a Hill, he takes no prisoners. His wilfully callous-sounding words had the usual suspects shocked, shocked at the insensitivity of it all. The point was that Democrats trying to ram Obamacare 2.0 — AKA socialized medicine, which always leads to long waits, rationing of treatment and, yes, death panels — down our throats have no intention of submitting themselves and their families to such substandard health regimes:

I'm not sure I quite understand this, given that cost is so important as a burden to taxpayers when it comes to health care. If Democrats want so badly to abort babies because of it, why are we bothering with someone who has a broken neck and back at 69? It sounds to me like she's pretty well used up and has probably been living off the taxpayers for plenty of years to begin with. Aren't we at least going to get a vote on it?

I realize her crook of a husband and his pals in Congress have excluded themselves from the mess they're going to compel everyone else to join, but we're still paying the bills, are we not? I don't see that she's worth it at this point, frankly. I can't recall her ever doing anything for me.

Come on, Harry — do your civic duty. The nation's broke and counting on you guy. Pull the plug and get back to work.

"A lot of people [are] pissed at Dan Riehl right now for saying what deserved to be said," writes Dan Cleary in a Twitter exchange among Dan, Melissa Clouthier, Leon Wolf and Cleary this evening:

Leon Wolf: I'd love to see where the people comdemning Dan Riehl right now got equally outraged at this.

Clouthier: It is taking the argument to the end, but most people won't read it that way.

Cleary: I say life's too short to waste on people who miss the quite obvious point of Riehl's post.

Clouthier: There will be outrage. Still, since Dems use the utilitarian argument, might as well use it back.

Riehl: Let them be outraged. Where's the outrage at their willingness to kill babies, many hispanic and black and they know it! There needs to be outrage, we have been civil for decades, only to lose more and more ground. When will people stand up?

Well, a "Call to action! March 16th, 2010 — Stop Obamacare 2.0," when tea-party-minded citizens from across the nation converge upon DC to speak with as many representatives as possible, encouraging them to just say no, should be a good start.

Update: Instalanche! Our secret is out:

FORCE OF NATURE? I think Sissy Willis kind of has a thing for Dan Riehl. At least a blog-crush, anyway …

Update II: A bit of advice to Gregory Koster and others in the comments:

You need to work on your sense of irony. As fellow commenter Filbert Rusco notes, your argument suggests you "probably thought Jonathan Swift really wanted to eat Irish babies too."

Neither Dan Riehl nor we are advocating death panels that would say one person's life is worth more or less than another's. Quite the opposite.

Update III: "I've always maintained that irony is the final proof of our transcendence beyond mere evolution," writes Joanofargghh in the comments:

Judging by the misguided outrage at Dan's splendid debating style, I'd say my observation stands up to the proofs.

Take that, primordial ooze!

Update IV: Joanofargghh links with a rousing "Dan Riehl: Man on Fire."

Update V: Little Miss Attila weighs in with a link: "Who doesn't have a thing for Dan Riehl?"

Comments

[Art]

Apparently, ironic repartee is now to be considered as distastful as wishing people should die screaming of rectal cancer!

[Joan of Argghh!]

If Baird read Mr. Riehl's post, would it make him decide to stick to his "no" vote? Or might it anger him enough to make him flip?

Then he is as vapid and shallow as any other Congresscritter; not a serious man in touch with the ponderous responsibility of his office. He may as well be Obama. . . just another effin' politician.

To take my liberties: The time for "what if it offends" is over. It's time for Truth.

[CrypticGuise]

@Greg Koster...get a life. Thank you so much, Sissy, for your blog and your willingness to hear me out at such short "three word" length.

[Vanderleun]

That's the thing about Conservatives. They want to win but they only want to win from the clouds above. It is often said that Second Place is First Loser, but in the Winner Take All Realm of American Electoral Politics Second Place is Total Loser.

Oh well, Conservatives mutter, at least we have our ideals!

[M. Report]

@ Gregory Koster: Effect on votes ?

About the same as the little child who cried "The Emperor has no clothes !'

The Democrats are running scared, emotion overcame reason long ago, and politicians have no principles; If this lese majeste goes viral, it could swing a few votes, to 'NO'.

[Joanofargghh]

Dear Gregory,

I read the news today, oh boy!:

Four more Dems say no to Obamacare.

Just sayin'.

[Joanofargghh]

Donna B., I would suggest that if I were an Irish mother of that day, Swift's proposal would be blunt enough for my shock.

[Gus]

Nah, Dan Riehl's just kind of an asshole.