Posted on 03/17/2004 10:28:44 AM PST by Lando Lincoln
John Kerry says Republicans are “the most crooked ... lying group” he’s ever seen. Old Longface may be onto something; as their king, Kerry is undeniably qualified to recognize crooked liars.
So far, the Democratic presidential nominee refuses to apologize for this nasty outburst. Good on him, I say. Kerry clearly believes the GOP is crooked and deceitful, and he stands by that belief. This may be the one and only time Kerry hasn’t switched positions on an issue, so let’s appreciate it for the rarity it is.
Democratic National Committee Chairman Terry McAuliffe mustered up enough brainpower to say that he’s cool with Kerry’s comments. “I think it’s great,” he told reporters, presumably reading from a teleprompter.
Naturally, Hillary Clinton also weighed in, seeing an opportunity to get more press. Though I’m sure she prefers her eloquent and infinitely quotable “vast right-wing conspiracy” moniker over Kerry’s uninspired “crooked, you know, lying group of people,” New York’s junior senator went on record as saying Kerry’s charge is “quite descriptive of reality.”
Republicans seem hell-bent on wringing an apology out of Kerry and other Democrats, saying his remark was not at all becoming of a presidential candidate. They’re just now noticing? The rest of America knew Kerry wasn’t fit for the Oval Office when he cheerfully dropped the F-bomb in a magazine interview.
Truth? I hope the race for the White House gets even more honest. Voters are in need of rough and unvarnished talk from those men who would be their president. The polite back-and-forth of yesteryear is dated in light of Sept. 11, 2001. Too much is at stake in this election for political niceties.
This election will determine whether the war on terror continues. This election will determine if the United States remains a world power. This election will reveal how seriously we take our responsibilities and future as a nation.
Kerry is simply repeating what most Democrats believe deep down, not just about Bush but about the entire Republican Party. In print editorials, on the Internet, in speeches and around watercoolers, Democrats equate Republicans to Nazis. They say the administration lied about the case for war. They nodded eagerly when Howard Dean hinted that Bush knew the Sept. 11 hijackings were coming.
Likewise, Republicans see Democrats as more concerned with eliminating any mention of God in school than protecting our shores from terrorists. They believe Democrats sympathize with criminals, appease murderous regimes and would tax 95 percent of workers’ income if permitted.
The difference? Republicans are correct.
Response to Kerry’s campaign finger-pointing has been weak. Yes, President Bush is wise to emphasize his accomplishments during what undoubtedly has been one of our country’s most difficult times. But simply saying a Kerry victory would be bad for national security isn’t enough.
Bush and his team must hit back hard and, in some cases, throw the first punch. President John Kerry would be a disaster in every way for the United States, and I see no shame in saying so. If he’s truly the most liberal senator in Congress, tell Americans what that means. He is a fervent supporter of abortion. He does not support intelligence spending in an age of terror. He once tossed a veteran’s war medals toward the White House he wants to occupy, as if they were rubbish.
Kerry dishonored an entire generation of war veterans by accusing them of rape and other war atrocities. While decrying “special interests,” he accepts hundreds of thousands of dollars from the health-care, automotive and airline industries. These are facts that Americans shouldn’t have to hunt down online. Take out full-page ads. Buy up TV and radio time in huge chunks, and use it to highlight Kerry’s hypocrisy. That’s right, hypocrisy. The last time I checked, the FCC didn’t levy fines for using that word on air.
Bringing up the negative is always a political risk. More of a risk, however, would be a president who once said U.S. soldiers should only be deployed the United Nations, an organization that for decades gazed at its navel as genocides raged in Eastern Europe and Africa.
Memo to President Bush: the old saying “nice guys finish last” didn’t write itself. You’ve proved to be tough on America’s foreign enemies. It would be reassuring to know you’re willing to fight her domestic enemies as well.
Matt Grills is a writer and conservative activist living in Indianapolis, where he works for a nonprofit organization. In 1997, he earned a bachelor's degree in religious studies from Olivet Nazarene University in Bourbonnais, Ill. He has written for a handful of Hoosier newspapers and is a member of the Indiana Leadership Forum, a program that encourages emerging community leaders to increase their involvement in the Republican Party.
Did you notice he said this to a group of trial lawyers and union leaders? LOL!
Are we sure he was talking about the GOP and not the audience? Maybe he had to start spinning to cover himself when he realized the mike was on... :)
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