The Race to the Bottom
[Guest post by Aaron Worthing]
Democrats, can we talk? Look, I know a lot of you are scared. You are in real danger of losing your jobs. There used to be a time when Barney Frank could have a prostitution ring running out of his house and still sail though to reelection. Now a columnist at the Boston Globe is saying it is time for him to go, and Frank is forced to invest $200K of his own money toward his reelection. And let’s face it, no one wants to enter the job market in this economy.
But I have to believe that when you started in politics you gave a crud. Okay, maybe not Alan Grayson, but I don’t think you intend to do us harm. I think you were genuinely trying to do us good, and your failures are not the result of genuine malice. You entered politics believing it could be a noble calling, right?
But the cold fact is a lot of you are about to lose your jobs. It can’t be helped. And in the process many of you are giving away your dignity.
I mean not Alan Grayson. Best I can tell he never had any to start. But let me give you an example.
Ron Klein (D-kleining), in Florida’s 22nd District denounced Alan West for allegedly associating with certain specific persons that Klein characterized as thugs. Only one small problem. Klein had associated with those exact same persons. Also the DCCC put out a print ad about the scary black man West, which also turned out to be complete crap.
And we get a similar story, via Neal Boortz, discussing “probably the sleaziest campaign tactic ever.” Now everyone here has seen the Devil and Daniel Webster race in Florida so you are probably thinking, “wait, worse than Grayson?” Well, maybe not worse, but it’s actually a pretty close call.
You see Roy Barnes (D-espicable) is running against Nathan Deal for the Governor of Georgia. And in an ad that reminds me of the infamous James Byrd ad run by the NAACP, it depicts a scene suggesting a woman is being raped while a narrator tells us how Deal has weakened the rape shield laws, and thus making it more likely that women would be raped. Dan Riehl has the video, but Boortz has the definitive takedown:
Now what DOESN’T Barnes’ ad tell you? Well … let’s see:
- The U.S. Constitution guarantees to the accused the right to confront all witnesses against him. That means that an accused rapists’ trial lawyer gets to ask testimony of the rape victim under oath. Roy Barnes is a trial lawyer. He knows this.
- Barnes’ ad is based on work by Nathan Deal to conform the rules of evidence in Georgia with the federal rules of evidence. This has been done in 42 of the 50 states.
- Roy Barnes served on the Georgia State Bar Evidence Committee during the time the Georgia rules of evidence were being reviewed and approved the very legislation that he is slamming Deal for supporting.
- Roy Barnes was a trial lawyer … he defended criminals
- Nathan Deal was a prosecutor .. he put rapists in prison.
And meanwhile in the race in Tennessee Kentucky between Rand Paul (R-eallyaLibertarian) and Jack Conway (D-imwit), the Democrat ran an ad so unfair that even Chris Matthews took him to task. But they have yet to find a Democrat who Fast Eddie Schultz won’t suck up to, except probably Joe Lieberman.
And then you have Joe Manchin (D-istressed), running for Senate in West Virginia who is so desperate not to be tied to the Democrats and their mistakes, his latest ad shows him actually loading a rifle and shooting it at a copy of the Cap and Trade law. Talk about trying too hard. I mean, yeah, I kind of laughed when Dale Peterson did his routine. But now, Manchin, you are just an also-ran.
Oh, and meanwhile the DCCC has decided to cut its losses in several races recently:
The DCCC did not spend money on behalf of Reps. Mary Jo Kilroy (D-Ohio), Debbie Halvorson (D-Ill.), Betsy Markey (D-Colo.), Alan Grayson (D-Fla.), Suzanne Kosmas (D-Fla.), Patrick Murphy (D-Pa.) and Steve Kagen (D-Wis.), the filings show. Republicans believe those seven seats are all but guaranteed to fall their way.
But… but… you can’t give up on Grayson. I mean if this @$$hole didn’t exist, I think I would lose a full fifth of my posts! Ah, crap, guys, we need to start up an Alan Grayson fundraiser! We can call it the “Give Us Something to Complain About” event.
Joking aside, it’s an interesting article and you should read the whole thing.
And finally, Phil “I don’t worry about the Constitution” Hare is down seven points in a recent poll. It might be because of ads like this.
Let’s face it guys, most of you are going down. The question is whether you go down with dignity and, as the Romans would say, with all your wounds in the front.
So, try to keep some dignity, okay?
But republicans and anyone thinking of voting republican… don’t get cocky.
[Posted and authored by Aaron Worthing.]
I’m thinking that by the end of the year Alan Grayson will be a commentator on MSNBC which is good news for him — and you, since he’s probably been holding back at this point.
Sean P (4fde41) — 10/21/2010 @ 5:04 pmThe only thing democRATS understand and can relate to about dignity is the fist letter of the word.
MJN1957 (6e1275) — 10/21/2010 @ 5:08 pmThe ads the Dem House and Sen candidates are running around here are remarkably brazen.
JD (0ec0bf) — 10/21/2010 @ 5:12 pmPaul vs Conway is Kentucky, not Tennessee.
rwtucker (a9ebf3) — 10/21/2010 @ 5:35 pmrwtucker
ah, f—, i knew it was one of my neighboring states.
Aaron Worthing (f97997) — 10/21/2010 @ 6:27 pmAll those flyover hilljack states are all the same, AW.
JD (eb1dfe) — 10/21/2010 @ 6:39 pmJD, the ads everyone around here are running are pretty brazen. But the most brazen and mendacious are the ones run by Rick Scott (R) against Alex Sink (D) for the governor. “Alex Sink blames others and doesn’t take responsibility for problems that occurred under her watch!” (The gist–Obviously, it’s a bit more detailed than that.) Which would be fine from another candidate, but isn’t so fine when it’s from Scott, who claims he had no idea that his company was defrauding Medicare while he was CEO, and it’s all the staff’s fault. So it’s a case of pot-kettle-black. And another ad which, in damning Sink because her company was fined $30 million by the SEC, clips a soundbite from Sink just before she mentions the amount by which Medicare fines Scott’s company–something north of $1.5 billion. (Yes, billion with a b).
kishnevi (6c49d9) — 10/21/2010 @ 6:40 pmGlad I do not live in Florida.
JD (eb1dfe) — 10/21/2010 @ 6:51 pmDemocRATS ask: Which way is up?
Bottom feedin’, lowest common denominator, pathological behavior preachin’, grievance groupin’, poverty pimpin’, pencil-necked geeks of the lowest sort.
ColonelHainku (1bc82e) — 10/21/2010 @ 7:37 pmhttp://hotair.com/greenroom/archives/2010/10/21/the-obligatory-i-dont-care-about-juan-williams-rick-sanchez-maureen-dowd-or-any-other-liberal-pundit-because-what-has-obama-and-the-democrats-done-to-our-economy-and-where-are-the-jobs/
This is a better example of how the R’s should be running against the D’s
JD (eb1dfe) — 10/21/2010 @ 7:41 pmI suspect that the people who actually stagger to the polls vote on their beliefs.
I suspect that the people who don’t stagger to the polls are pretty much voting for the candidate supported by whoever drives the van with a Lincoln for a payout.
I also suspect that a whole lot of people vote, by mail and absentee, through a machine operative guiding their hands.
Ag80 (743fd1) — 10/21/2010 @ 7:51 pmRick SCott is actually a crook and I hated to see him win the primary. Glad I don’t live in Florida although he might even be better than Jerry Brown who will win in California.
Mike K (568408) — 10/21/2010 @ 8:07 pmkish…the ball to keep an eye on is RE-APPORTIONMENT!
Who do you want overseeing that next year?
AD-RtR/OS! (a1a38a) — 10/21/2010 @ 9:10 pmAD, let’s just say that the last reapportionment round didn’t exactly leave the GOP (which was already dominant in the legislature, and Jeb Bush as governor) covered in glory. They made old Gerry of Massachusetts seem a novice at gerrymandering. A Democrat in the governor’s chair would probably produce some fruitful gridlock. Plus there are amendments on this ballot which would (in theory) prohibit gerrymandering, If passed (and amendments now need a 60 percent yes vote to pass) that will certainly make things even more complicated.
I’m not sure Scott is a crook, but he certainly seems to lack some basic integrity. And if what he claims about the Medicare fraud is true, he was not a very good CEO for Columbia–not a good sign when he’s effectively running for CEO of Florida.
kishnevi (33a0bd) — 10/21/2010 @ 9:21 pmOh, he’ll do OK. Fit right in in Tallahassee, in the grand old tradition of many past Governors – even if they were mostly Dems – drinking Mint Juleps with one hand and stuffing Benjamins into a valise with the other.
AD-RtR/OS! (a1a38a) — 10/21/2010 @ 9:27 pmI get where Kishnevi is coming from. I’m thinking along the lines AD is, where I am afraid of the gerrymandering, but wrong is wrong, and there’s no doubt some of Kishnevi’s concerns in FA are legit.
Dustin (b54cdc) — 10/21/2010 @ 9:35 pm8.Glad I do not live in Florida.
Comment by JD
JD, On November 2, I will be glad that I do live in Central Florida and can vote for Daniel Webster and against Alan Grayson. After the second it might not be so great to be around here because Grayson will be coming home.
Mike S (d3f5fd) — 10/22/2010 @ 5:38 ammike s
that’s right. grayson is a lawyer. that means he will be gasp, in court. scary.
Aaron Worthing (e7d72e) — 10/22/2010 @ 5:45 amI share the concerns, then again, if he was that guilty, they should have been able to convict
ian cormac (6709ab) — 10/22/2010 @ 6:12 am