Damn Dirty Democrats

The Weekly Standard ^ | 11/04/2002 | Jonathan V. Last

[Pokey78]

Once the party of hope and idealism, the Democrats are now the party of dirty tricks.

A DEFINING MOMENT isn't about reality, it's about unconscious public perception. For example: Dan Quayle will forever be remembered for his "misspelling" of the word potato, not because it was an important event, but because the public already suspected he might be a dummy. John Ashcroft will forever be a religious nut because the curtain over the boob symbolized what people suspected--that he was a little too devout for centrist America. Never mind that Quayle is both bright and capable or that Ashcroft isn't a Wahhabi nutcase (or that he never asked for the curtain). Those caricatures are now cut into stone.

And so it may be for the Democratic party today. For two generations Democrats have coasted on the caricatures established by FDR and JFK. The Democrat from Central Casting was a slightly corrupt, slightly dopey do-gooder with stars in his eyes and gold in his heart. But a new Democratic caricature emerged this fall: One of the power-obsessed politician who will do anything to win.

Just consider the face of the Democratic party over the last few months:

-In South Dakota this fall, Democrats have pushed heavy voter-registration drives with Indians. So heavy, in fact, that lots of dead Native Americans signed up. State and federal authorities are investigating.

-In a September memo from the Detroit mayor's office, it was revealed that Detroit has 600,000 registered voters, only about 450,000 of which are legitimate. And you can bet those phantom voters haven't been trending Republican.

-In New Jersey, Democrats stood behind embattled senator Robert Torricelli, despite the fact that he was under federal investigation. Until he fell behind GOP challenger Doug Forrester in the polls. On the last day of September, Dems pushed Torricelli aside and brought in replacement candidate Frank Lautenberg, even though the law clearly stated that it was too late for a substitution. Democrats broke the law because, they insisted, New Jersey's citizens were entitled to a choice between major-party candidates. (In a related story, Democrats declined to field a candidate against Republican Virginia senator John Warner since Warner looked so formidable in early polling.)

-At a September debate in Maryland between the candidates for lieutenant governor, supporters of Democratic gubernatorial candidate Kathleen Kennedy Townsend passed out Oreo cookies to mock black Republican hopeful Michael Steele. At another debate that month, between Townsend and Republican Bob Ehrlich, Democrats also passed out Oreos--and then led the crowd in raucous booing of Ehrlich's wife and elderly parents. Afterwards, Democrats keyed the cars of several Ehrlich supporters.

-During October in Montana, Democratic senator Max Baucus ran an ad not-so-subtly insinuating that his opponent, Mike Taylor, was gay--closing the attack spot by saying darkly, "Mike Taylor. Not the way we do business in Montana."

-In an October debate in South Carolina, Democrat Senate candidate Alex Sanders attacked Lindsay Graham for having Rudy Giuliani stump for him. About Giuliani, Sanders said, "His wife kicked him out and he moved in with two gay men and a Shih Tzu. Is that South Carolina values? I don't think so."

-A few days ago in Hawaii, GOP gubernatorial candidate Linda Lingle, who's running neck-and-neck with her Democratic opponent, became the target of a whispering campaign claiming that she, too, is homosexual.

-In Iowa, Tom Harkin spent autumn in Tape-gate. As the Washington Post explained, "Harkin's campaign provided a digital recorder to a former Harkin aide to take to a Sept. 3 strategy session of the Ganske campaign, to which the former aide had been invited. The campaign then leaked a copy of the recording to an Iowa reporter. Harkin's campaign staff first denied any involvement, then admitted to it. Harkin dumped his campaign manager and fired a young, low-level aide, whom the campaign said was solely responsible for getting the former Harkin aide, Brian Conley, to record the session."

-And then, of course, there was the Wellstone affair last week (see the above now-famous photo). At the memorial service Democrats whipped the crowd into a partisan fervor, chanted "We Will Win," and generally had a rollicking good time while the 20,000 attendees booed Wellstone's Republican colleagues who had come to pay their respects.

The Democrats haven't just become Nixon, they've become the exaggerated liberal nightmare version of Nixon: Today Democrats are what they believe Nixon was.

The change didn't happen overnight. For a couple years now--since 1992ish, to be more exact--Democrats have been showing signs of a desperate, win-at-any-cost mentality. It started with Clinton's women and then his fund-raising and impeachment. It carried over to Gore's challenge to the 2000 election and Tom Daschle's unprecedented obstruction of George W. Bush's judicial nominees.

(As a side note, last Friday on Blanquita Cullum and Janet Donovan's radio show, "The Beltway Broads," I asked Orrin Hatch if there was any weight to the charge that Republicans had been just as bad with Clinton's nominees. The straight-laced Mormon said those arguments are "pure B.S." Also, he interestingly noted that "we may get one or two [Supreme Court] nominees before the end of the year.")

None of this has been lost on the public. And the angry chants and rabid cheering from the Wellstone "memorial" may have provided the Democrats with a new defining moment. Once the party of JFK and FDR, the Democrats are now the party of dirty tricks.

[mikeb704]

Once the party of JFK and FDR, the Democrats are now the party of dirty tricks.

It's not exactly that Demos have been following Marquis of Queensbury rules. Remember 1960?

Minnesota’s Senator Hubert Humphrey was a leading candidate against John Kennedy in the primaries. He didn’t have any problem identifying JFK’s major asset: “I don’t have any daddy who can pay the bills for me. I can’t afford to run around this state (West Virginia) with a little black bag and a checkbook. I don’t think elections should be bought. They’re spending with wild abandon.”

Evidence suggested Humphrey knew what he was talking about. A Baltimore Sun reporter claimed he saw votes bought. Rumors surfaced that one of Kennedy’s brothers-in-law had withdrawn all the $1 bills from a Charleston bank to buy votes. Humphrey even hired a former FBI agent to look into the matter.

The editor of the Logan Banner claimed the West Virginia primary was “one of the most corrupt elections in county history” and payoffs “ranged anywhere from $2 and a drink of whiskey to $6 and two pints of whiskey for a single vote.”

Kennedy’s forces hit back at Humphrey, suggesting he was a draft dodger during World War II. That wasn’t accurate; Humphrey had a deferment, as many fathers of three children did. When he volunteered for the Navy he failed the physical. These facts were irrelevant to JFK backer Franklin Roosevelt, Jr.: “There’s another candidate in your primary. He’s a good Democrat, but I don’t know where he was in World War II.”

Although officially “disapproving” of bringing up his opponent’s lack of military service, candidate Kennedy said that no one had contributed more to an honest discussion of the issues than his pal Roosevelt.

Robert Kennedy, his brother’s manager, asserted Teamster boss Jimmy Hoffa was backing Humphrey. Hubert’s response was, “This is just cheap, low-down, gutter politics.”

The Kennedys liked tossing Hoffa’s name around. They later claimed Hoffa was backing Senate majority leader Lyndon Johnson. The Texan denounced the rumors as “constant, crude efforts to smear candidates by association.” He also noted the Kennedys had “been running against Mr. Hoffa for several years now. . . the closer we get to the nomination, the hotter their breath becomes.”

Lyndon was not going to be outdone in the dirty politics department, of course. He attacked JFK's father: “I never thought Hitler was right. I was never any (Neville) Chamberlain umbrella man.” Johnson campaign chief John Connally called a press conference to announce John Kennedy was hiding the fact he suffered from Addison’s Disease.

Not wanting to miss out on the action, old war-horse Harry Truman decided to get his licks in. Charging Kennedy used unfair tactics and money to win the nomination, Mr. Truman asked: “Senator, are you certain that you are quite ready for the country, or that the country is ready for you in the role of President in January 1961?”

As I said, Demos haven't been following the Marquis of Queensbury rules for quite a while.

Michael M. Bates: My Side of the Swamp

[Fracas]

To paraphrase Julia Roberts:

Democrat: In the dictionary between 'Defraud' and 'Deranged'.

[floriduh voter]

I don't trust them either but if we can get into the practice of attacking the party and the awful tickets they run, it gives us room to turn dems into republicans. There are lots of dems that are supporting Governor Bush. They have more courage than the dem sheeple. And the teachers for Jeb have tons of courage as they've been under tremendous peer pressure since the race began.

ATTACK THE DNC, ATTACK THE TICKET AND THE VOTER FRAUD orchestrated by the hard core sore losers but we must reach out to the conservative dems who are fed up and ashamed of being a democrat. They have every reason to be ashamed, not of themselves but of the DEM PARTY. Invite them to join us.

[Mudboy Slim]

LOL...I've got Julia's RepugnantReptile Right here, baby...MUD

[PhiKapMom]

LOL!!!!!!!!! Gotta love it!

[Mark de New Brighton]

Thanks for doing that. I've seen the t.v. equivalent of that ad several times and it's just incredibly dishonest. Luther is one desperate dude - I'd love to vote for Kline but unfortunately I'm held hostage in the 4th District and there's little chance of uprooting Betty "Rubble" McCollum from her roost. Is Luther going to get away with all this crap he's pulling?

[Dutchgirl]

Thanks for the ping.

Speaking of "love your enemies" my husband is a Dem. Yesterday, after church we got into an argument, he said that Republicans are "social darwinists" and I said that Democrats were theives, trying to leave all of their "charitable" acts up to the government, paid for with other people's money...and that their actions were ultimatly destructive to the very people they tried to help, pointing out the rise in the number of old folks on "social security"no longer welcomed in their children's homes, farmed out to nursing homes which are hopelessly understaffed due to the inordinate cost of insurance, a direct result of the trial lawyers that own the DNC.

When the story broke on the "compassionate" Dem postal employee trying to cut 500 jobs in Arkansas, he refused to discuss it. He got all emotional, said he hated politics and would agree to no longer vote if I would simply never bring up the subject to him again.

We live in FL. I am considering his offer. I'm looking for input, here.

[Mo1]

Once the party of JFK and FDR, the Democrats are now the party of dirty tricks.

The Party of Bill Clinton hard at work for THEMSELVES!!!

Good article to send off to all my family and friends .. thanks for the Ping Fracas

[ravingnutter]

We had Dem houseguests this weekend...hubby's friends of course, LOL...I could not believe it when his wife opened her mouth and said she did not trust Bush, that Clinton was a much better President and when I contradicted her, she started the whole "it was all about his personal life" garbage...hubby unfortunately shut me down with one of his "don't go there" looks or it would have turned into a very ugly scene. Fortunately this dimwit does not vote. However, her mother-in-law is a rabid Dem and works for the DNC. Her MIL and I can't stay in the same room for more than 1 hour without getting in each other's faces.

On the other hand, I was able to get one of his other friends hooked on O'Reilly/Fox News a few weeks ago. Another dimwit that fortunately does not vote, but at least she will discuss things rationally when confronted with the truth. Told her I'd make a Pubbie out of her yet, LOL!

[StopDemocratsDotCom]

[gore_sux_2000]

Darn right they're the party of dirty tricks.....even my 87 year old grandmother says we don't need no more dirty crook Democrats in office:)

[gore_sux_2000]

Darn right they're the party of dirty tricks.....even my 87 year old grandmother says we don't need no more dirty crook Democrats in office:)

[Joe Brower]

Hmmm... If he promises not to ever vote again while not holding you to the same inaction, I'd call that a step in the right direction.

As for his "Social Darwinist" comment (implying that Democrats are "charitiable"), I offer you the following bit to bounce off of him (gently!):

A Lesson On Big Government
Dinesh D'Souza

The power of coercion, which is inherent in the nature of government, fundamentally undermines the claim that the government is doing a moral thing by helping people. Let me show why this is so.

I am walking down the street, eating a sandwich, when I am approached by a hungry man. He wants to share my sandwich. Now if I give him the sandwich, I have done a good deed, and I feel good about it. The hungry man feels grateful to me, and even if he cannot repay me for my kindness, possibly he will try to help someone else when he has the chance. So this is a transaction that benefits both the giver and the receiver.

But see what happens if the government gets involved. The government takes my sandwich from me by force. Consequently, I am a reluctant giver. The government then bestows my sandwich on the hungry man. Instead of being thankful to me, however, the man feels entitled to this benefit. In other words, the involvement of the state has utterly stripped the transaction of its moral value, even though the material result is exactly the same.

Now let's keep the same scenario but change the outcome. I am approached by the hungry man, as before, but this time, instead of agreeing to share my sandwich, I refuse to do so. Along comes a third man, who pulls out a gun, points it at my head, and forces me to hand over my sandwich to him, upon which he gives it to the hungry guy. What is the moral quality of the gunman's action? I think most people would consider him an unscrupulous thug who should be apprehended and punished. Yet when the government does precisely the same thing - forcibly seizing from some in order to give to others - the liberal insists the government is acting in a just and moral manner. This is clearly not true.

Good luck...

[Eva]

I think that the picture of Hillary pledging allegiance the the flag at the Wellstone memorial says it all. (Remember that Daschle did the same thing at an earlier event)

[Cuttnhorse]

Very good...thanks for the P.J. quote!

[GOPJ]

bump

[GOPJ]

Good one:

"My mother's mother, Grandma Loy, came from downstate Illinois....Grandma thought the Democrats were, like drought and wheat rot, an inexplicable evil of nature that America had done nothing to warrant....And she wouldn't even speak the word 'Democrats' if there were children in the room. She'd say 'bastards' instead."

[ZeitgeistSurfer]

Yes, vote Republican (not RINO, though). Talk to friends and collegues about the lies of the RATs, but remember this: the RATs are serious about terminating freedom and Constitional government. They are increasingly becoming a genuine communist party peopled with the most alarming radicals, fifth-columists and outright traitors. And they control the "commanding heights" of the media, popular culture and academia. If and when they really start to lose power, hold on to your hats. They will start doing things that were though unimmaginable except in a place like Cuba. Then things will move to a new level and the confrontation will take on different dimensions. This is the battle that is beginning to shape up today.

[martin gibson]

...to re-write it and thus subvert it for their own socialist agendae...

Uh,...F16Fighter...They are not 'Socialists' or 'Liberals' or 'Progressives' or 'Leftists' or any other such newspeak bullsh*t.

These are hardcore, unrepentant 'neo-Stalinists' and nothing but.

I get real tired of posting this, but I could really use some help down here in the language war....

[Doctor Raoul]

-At a September debate in Maryland between the candidates for lieutenant governor, supporters of Democratic gubernatorial candidate Kathleen Kennedy Townsend passed out Oreo cookies to mock black Republican hopeful Michael Steele

In KKT's mind, she owns black votes. They owe her for being a kind political slave owner. How dare they think their vote is their vote.