How has turn the other cheek politics worked for Pres. Obama the last 20 months? You won’t beat Tea Party Republicans in an historic election off season by playing that game. Even with it the chances are still uphill. That Dems have been on the receiving end of continual Republican scorched earth seems to have escaped many swooning with the vapors today.
Sen. Claire McCaskill is on the fainting couch over Jack Conway’s hard hitting ad. Evidently she’s had a brain freeze over how Saxby Chambliss beat three-limb amputee veteran Max Cleland, who is campaigning today with Conway, which was done through a now infamous Osama ad. Swiftboat veterans taking down John Kerry by lying about his Silver Star, something she’s also forgotten.
The unintentionally incoherent Josh Marshall, who evidently believes politicians should give up before a single vote has been cast, has a post entitled “Jack’s In it to Win it,” letting his Clinton derangement slip, opining how Conway has –gasp!– “not reconciled himself to losing this race.”
Between Alan Grayson and Jack Conway we have seen Democrats who aren’t afraid of playing hardball Republican type politics. They’ve been slammed by the political elite, as well as the Well I Never chattering class. Democrats way too often judge their own in a way that Republicans would never do to a candidate on their own side trying to win a tough race.
Did anyone hear a peep out of Republicans when Sarah Palin took a swipe at First Lady Michelle Obama recently? Never mind Mrs. Obama just happens to wipe the floor with Palin on favorability, even coming in higher than Sect. Clinton. You didn’t hear Mitch McConnell on cable ripping Palin, now did you?
TNR’s Jonathan Chait says the Conway ad “may be he ugliest, most illiberal political ad of the year.” Unfortunately, Chait’s criticism exists in the intellectual world where Democrats lose elections if they don’t make the switch to retail politics.
I actually don’t doubt the implication of the ad, namely that Rand Paul harbors a private contempt for Christianity. He’s a devotee of Ayn Rand, who is a fundamentally anti-Christian thinker. And much of Paul’s history, which he is frantically covering up in an attempt to pass himself off as a typical Republican, suggests among other things a deep skepticism about religion.
The trouble with Conway’s ad is that it comes perilously close to saying that non-belief in Christianity is a disqualification for public office. That’s a pretty sickening premise for a Democratic campaign.
Chait gets the vapors over the ad while admitting Paul’s likely an “anti-Christian thinker,” even if his Christian facade truthiness is on display for all to see.
Political black arts never bother the Republicans.
Democrats feel guilty about them, instead preferring an intellectual argument to an emotional connection that is the key to driving out voters.
Ezra Klein:
Jack Conway embarrasses himself by indulging in this sort of demagoguery.
Demagoguery is only for Tea Party Republicans.
But it is true that today’s Dems aren’t very good at the political black arts on the whole, thinking if they disarm so will the Right, while not being able to recognize a good closing argument to save their seats. See Obama’s and the DNC’s foreign money “stealing” the election gambit, which has been a disaster, proved because they had to shift the debate after being pilloried on it to one about financial disclosure and secret donors.
People go negative when they’re up against it and their opponent has pulled away; either that or their opponent is closing. Conway is up against it, that’s for sure, as are many Dems. An upset in Kentucky would be sweet, but Paul’s public truthiness has been seducing far too many people.
Sean Hannity cited Sen. McCaskill today at the top of his show saying, “even Claire McCaskill” –insert quote slamming Conway here– using her as a case of Even Dems Can’t Stand Conway. Hannity also jumped in to help Paul by giving him a platform on his show to fight back. Hannity claiming there should be “some decency,” which coming from the man who has lied, spewed hate speech every single day of his career, is really rich.
But why is Hannity coming to Rand Paul’s aid?
Because Conway’s ad hit a nerve in Kentucky, which has the potential of hurting Paul, because in that state people take their Christianity seriously.
How many times have Republicans and Tea Party activists attacked Pres. Obama’s religious beliefs, which they continue to do? Obama’s reaction was to be seen going to church.
The bodies atop the Democratic fainting couch are piled high today.
I, for one, am not surprised. I was just laughing at the Democratic reaction when I tuned in here to see your very timely post. This is typical of the pusillanimous Democrats. They are scared of their own shadows. Heck, I was shocked a Democrat produced such a tough ad. But good for him.
Well …. now that Rand Paul has responded with his own ad, but still evading the question, it’s time for Conway to stay the course and hit him again with yet another ad on the same subject demanding that he ANSWER THE QUESTION.
Why did he have a woman bow down to him yada yada yada.
Two very different positions — bodies atop the fainting couch and bodies under the bus — but neither is a great position from which to be helpful to the Dem candidates.
My Democratic Seantor (McCaskill) did not aquit herself well this morning at all on MJ. First she assured everyone that Conway was not a liberal but “an easy to work with moderate”, and then when Willy flat out asked her to defend Democratic values she could not do it. The worst performance I have ever seen out of her.I’m sure her Mom sitting in the wings could have done much better!
Tweety has Conway on Hardball right now and he is replaying Paul’s rant during the debate. No one on MJ this morning pointed out that he was a thin skinned jerk.
Thinned skin? Rand Paul mentioned the ad in his opening statement. He ‘outrage’ was a quality theatrical performance. Not award winning, but still good acting.
That is what I mean.
Hear this from a life-long Democrat. As a matter of fact, when I began posting here a few months ago, I think I described myself as a “sandal-wearing liberal Democrat” although I didn’t wear sandals.
Anyway, it took, Barak Obama of all people, the one I have been waiting for, to make me realize, that as long as our fortunes are tied to the Democrats and the Democratic Party, we will be lost. We just cannot keep making the same mistake over and over again.
Democrats today are effete, corrupt, debased, degenerate, spineless, and a pale shadow of the Republican Party.
Strategically, they are no match for the Republicans and they will never be able to bring about progressive/liberal change, because they are too feckless and too timid.
We need not only a third party, but a different species of politician with different values, and convictions, and principles. And we have to build this party from the ground up. Our own tea party.
And it cannot be done by Democrats. Or Ex-Democrats. Democrats do not have the will, the skill, the street-smarts, the native cunning, the ruthlessness, the conviction or the vision to make it happen. Moreover, at the very first sign of trouble or push-back, they will cave.
So we should prepare ourselves for our journey to the promise land. But just know, a DEM will not be the one to take us there.
Sign me up!
I’ve been at the “we have to get beyond the two corporate parties” place for a long time. The last few years have only reinforced that conclusion.
Krugman says this administration has never missed an opportunity to miss an opportunity.
http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/10/18/epitaph-for-an-administration/
I read that, too, LL. Krugman went on to say, “And soon there won’t be any more opportunities to miss.” Fits with the conversation about the need for more than two parties.
Go Conway. What a bunch of cry babies, Paul included. He’s just jealous because he got knifed first. That is how they play politics in the South from what I remember. Anyone recall the Tinker incident in ’08? Conway is just manning up and I hope is just getting started. Seriously more Dems need man up.
I agree….I wish more Dems took Conway route. At least he is actually fighting back.
oh i knew they would be fainting. a good slug in the gut- gee what is that? paul did it to himself- those bible thumpin folks in ky may find this loon paul too out of their league and this aqua budda stuff to freakin off the charts. u gotta hit and hit hard. boxer did in in ca with her brutal famous ad with fiorina discussing outsourcing our jobs. sestak has beat upside toomey’s head for al get out- showing toomey saying no to taxing any company ever, to toomey saying eliminate ss w/ real srs int he ad reacting to it etc.. dems with balls.
kudos to all the dems in cong races idgging up the dirt on their gop thug opponents. every day yeilds new stuff to turn off tea flirtin voters. you got hit hard, dig the dirt etc.. if u dont u lose. oh claire mckaskil- gee u used to know hot to hit hard- she did when she ousted a sitting dem guv bc he was so corrupt, then in 06 hit the hell out of sen talent on the min wage, stem cells , the war etc.. she ran a great great campaign. but now ole jack conway is mean! oh boo ho. dems need to get mean and be bastards to win and be ruthless to govern. im serious. follow conway.
conway hands mathews his ass.
http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/10/jack-conway-defends-aqua-buddha-strategy-video.php?ref=fpi
Taylor,
I continue to ask myself is there anything worth fighting for in this upcoming election. I early voted, but I had to hold my nose. That makes me sad as I couldn’t change the status quo with my votes.
Let’s see: Ezra Klein, Jonathan Chait, Josh Marshall? Corporate Dems AKA DINOs. I prefer calling them HOs. All awaiting their turns into the Klieg lights of corporate TV. They annoit and bless the *centrist* way, while sanctimoniously dissing or ignoring us Progressives/Liberals. Joan Walsh also comes to mind.
Same goes with Senator McCaskill. Check out her voting record. It is WAY to the right. Whether we will admit it or not, the reason they are upset with the Conway ad is because they agree with those crazy Republicans, like Rand Paul. Not representing We The People is the centrist way, whether as a crazy Republican or as a *moralizing* Democrat. Heck, Claire is buds with the Village Idiot MSM. Like Joe Scarborough, a corporate RWer, pretending to be a centrist. My apologies to Lake Lady.
Same could be said of the Senate Majority Leader, the DNC chairman (Tim Kaine? OMG!) or Obama with those that surround him. They are owned by the same people that will next own the tea party candidates. Game Set. Match.
I just saw Conway on Hardball. He’s just another corporate Democrat. Doing the DNC (Obama) talking point that he will follow Admiral Mullen’s 11 month path of ending Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell as a *policy*. As I have stated on this site before, DADT is NOT a policy. It’s a Congressional LAW that will require a Republican majority to vote to repeal it next year. Hell, we couldn’t even get our Super Majority in the Senate to repeal it.
I live in Indiana. The Midwestern Democrats are Republicans, they are not Progressive or Liberal. Therefore, I would have a hard time voting for Jack Conway. Not just because he’s following Obama’s lie about DADT, but because he’ll be another corporate Democrat denying people like me in favor of his corporate owners. Which is the status quo we finds ourselves in today. No thanks.
Trust me, folks, Kentucky is full of crazies and it won’t matter who wins that one. Either would have to vote crazy to retain that seat. I do endorse, wholeheartedly, Conway’s strategical ad. I just wish he was a REAL Democrat. *sigh*
I really appreciated the below from Ramsgate:
***Democrats today are effete, corrupt, debased, degenerate, spineless, and a pale shadow of the Republican Party.
Strategically, they are no match for the Republicans and they will never be able to bring about progressive/liberal change, because they are too feckless and too timid.
We need not only a third party, but a different species of politician with different values, and convictions, and principles. And we have to build this party from the ground up. Our own tea party.***
Well said. The only part I don’t agree with? Dems being feckless or timid. They are not. Again, they have the same owners as the GOP. Corporate America has already selected the new majority. No amount of *fighting* ads will save our centrist majority. Crazy will win today, because the Democrats didn’t do enough for Corporate America while ignoring their promises to us: the REAL majority!
We need a revolution to remove the fascists that own both parties and our media, not a new third party which would also be corrupted by the same broken system. Our own Tea Party Revolution, indeedy!!!
No need to apologize Ron99. One can’t be progressive and get elected in MO but she has really veared from her Democratic roots. She was raised by a true Democrat.She is BFF with Obama so you can take what she says as what he thinks on most things.
I plan to call her office tomorrow and raise hell about giving aide to the enemies.
I cannot believe some in the democratic party. This party can’t govern like this. The dems are so spineless !!! Dems like Missouri senator Claire McCaskill will end up helping the republicans. She gave them all they needed !! Even Chris Matthews jumped down Jack Conway. The dems are ticking me off so bad. I am starting to see why they are in so much trouble.
Fairmindedindependent, our elected/soon to be elected Democrats are rotten to the core…
Is there any accountability left in America? There is accountability, but you must either be rich or very influential, then you escape any and all accountability. For the rest of us, tazed, beaten and indefinite detention without trial. As blessed and carried out by the three stooges of DC: Barack, Nancy and Harry.
*Our President*
Strongly opposes:
– Health insurance abuses
– Wall Street abuses
– DADT
– Torture
– Illegal Wars
– Unidentified donors to campaigns
– Federal intervention into State laws
– Roving wiretaps
– Legal system abuses
The President also supports and engages in…
See above.
Taylor, I had to read that Josh Marshall post twice before realizing he had his tongue very firmly in cheek. So far into his cheek it almost didn’t sound like parody.
His last sentence mock-chiding Conway for running the ad: “Voters resonate with candidates who don’t attack their opponents and ignore attacks on themselves because their unwillingness to defend themselves signals steelymindedness and strength.”
That’s clearly a joke, referencing Kerry on down.