Posted on 02/12/2004 4:52:48 PM PST by Pokey78
I'm beginning to worry that the Republicans might be behind this smear-job on Kerry. So does a reader:
"Well, this may be it. As a life-long Republican, I have defended my party and its leaders through thick and thin over the years, but I don't know if I can do it any longer. I voted for Reagan in 1984 (my first Presidential election), despite my misgivings about the rising influence of the Religious Right and my displeasure at the ludicrous budget deficits, because of his moral clarity on the issue of Communism. I voted for Bush Sr. in '88 and '92, and for Dole in '96. Both were serious men, deserving of respect. Nevertheless, I was disgusted by the conduct of my party in the 1990s, vis-a-vis the Clinton scandals. That man has no moral compass, in my opinion, but the debased and lurid tone of the Republican attacks was reprehensible. The further intrusion of the Religious Right into the private lives of the American people, including the President, was not what I signed on for when I joined the Republican party.I agree. If the Republicans are behind this, they deserve to be trashed. This is absolutely not something that deserves to be a factor in our current debate.
When 2000 rolled around, and the "Clinton Wars" finally seemed to be behind us, I breathed an enormous sigh of relief. I was not overly impressed with George W. Bush (I voted for McCain in the primaries), but I was confident that the "grown ups" in the party would steer a responsible course for the ship of state. That has obviously not happened. The budget deficits are nigh unforgivable, and though I agree entirely with the vision of the President's foreign policy, the diplomatic execution has been, shall we say, somewhat less impressive than his father's. Further, the proposal to reverse the course of history and once again enshrine discrimination in our Constitution via the Gay Marriage Amendment, about which you have spoken quite eloquently, almost makes me embarassed to admit I'm a Republican. This is what the party of Lincoln has come to?
Now, after all this, it appears that the conservative/Republican diaspora is preparing yet another round of peeping-tom character assassination rather than a substantive debate on the very important issues our country actually faces, using Drudge as its point-man. I just can't take it anymore. I realize the feelings of one person are irrelevant in political calculations at this level, but if the Republicans really do take us back down the Lewinsky path, this is one vote they will most assuredly be losing in November."
As a practical matter, acting on that assumption is the best political strategy for the GOP. The religious right faction is irreconcilable -- giving them part of what they want just makes them more strident. Economic conservatives, on the other hand, would be satisfied with some good-faith effort to control spending; and leave-us-alone conservatives could be won over with some real rollbacks of government overreach.
Pandering to the former and giving the back of the hand to the latter is going to make for a like-father-like-son one-termer....
I can attest to that! I started out a Goldwater baby, became a hippie, worked for McGovern, first became disenchanted with early 70's political correctness, became disgusted with Democrat hypocrisy regarding the betrayal of the Vietnamese and Cambodian people to Communist genocide, embarrassed by Carter's ineptitude and stupidity, and finally found myself during the Reagan years. What is wrong with the truth? I am proud that I saw the error of my ways and have since attempted to make good. Facts being as they are, do not change, and cannot be changed with spin or opinion. Accept them and move on.
The same is true with this entire new Kerry blowup. What is wrong with the facts as a reason to ask questions? Could it be... that Kerry IS actually an amoral womanizer, and has done exactly that we are now hearing about? Could it be, that Clark let the cat out of the bag, just a few days too early, and thereby exposed Lahane's activities? Is that why the Clinton's directed Clark to act deferential to Kerry, regardless of the fact that it won't help Clark, and just doesn't matter? Plausible deniability for the Clinton puppet masters maybe? This is the Clinton MO, and so... Occam's Razor is just as sharp as it ever was. Susan Estrich seems to perceive this, when will everyone else.
Perhaps the larger picture is just as it appears to be also... the Democrats have stepped in it again. They watched one clown (Dean) implode, with Hillary's willing help, and have almost coronated another clown that they also knew very little about, and now suddenly the skeletons are pouring out of his closet, sooner than they were supposed to. I will never understand people who can twist facts inside their minds just to let a proven culprit off the hook, if he has a (D) after his name. Clinton stretched the limits of that mental twisting, when he drove whole cadres of Democrat partisans insane attempting to somehow blame the Lewinsky affair on the Republicans.
Sorry folks, if Kerry is a womanizer, no Republican could have caused him to be so irresponsible and so reckless as to throw away his one and only chance at the presidency this way. He is to blame, alone and singularly, for his own actions, if what we are hearing are the facts. Kerry cannot be smeared by those facts, regardless of who that might help or hurt. Smearing involves deceit and dishonesty. If he did these things then these are the facts. He must face them. Even then it may be too late for this man, desperately trying to escape his own past. No one can ever do that.
Maybe she's staying with Theresa Heinz's relatives there.
The " KERRY DROP ", to Dredge, was done by Dems.
The GOP may be " the stupid party "; but they sure as shootin' aren't THAT stupid, to air this now.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.