EVERYONE is missing the key to destruction of the "RIGHTISTS"

[Tyler Durden]

Who remembers why Al Capone died in jail, besides stage 4 syphillis?

NOT for murder. NOT for extortion. NOT for ANY VIOLENT CRIME.

TAX EVASION.

This has bearing on politics:

Who remembers why Nixon resigned?

NOT for illegal invasion of Cambodia. NOT for expanding the war. NOT for his "enemies list."

WATERGATE, and not even for the break in, FOR THE COVER UP.


YOU WILL NEVER DEFEAT THE RIGHT WING BY ATTACKING THEM ON HONEST GROUND. You will only defeat them by using their own tactics of confusion, inunendo, gossip, and attack from the rear.

Pick something like a coverup, and worry it to death like a wolverine shaking a rabbit.

We will never defeat them with an honest, frontal assault. It is a Political "Picket's Charge" and we will lose every time. Honor is not at stake here; it is survival.

Turn loose the political "snipers and assassins," and go for "blood."

[OldLeftieLawyer]

1. Excellent

Thank you for the historical reminders.

It's not about "defeating" them, though. It's about circling them, and watching every part of what they do, not just the public stuff.

That's why Ronnie Earle and, perhaps, Patrick Fitzgerald will go down in the history books as the same kind of heroes Woodward and Bernstein became.

It's about hanging them with the nooses they've fashioned for themselves.

Arrogance. It gets everyone in the end.

[tompayne1]

2. The man has a very irritatingly right point

I just wish we could get them in prison for their big crimes and not their little ones. I mean wouldn't it be nice to send Karl Rove to prison for outing a CIA agent as opposed to voting in a state where he does not reside.

[AllyCat]

3. No kidding. And Welcome to DU!

[Sparkman]

5. or conspir'g to line war profiteers/big oil pockets by falsifying Iraq thr

threat, resulting in the deaths of 100,000 Iraqis and 6,000 U.S. troops?

[Tyler Durden]

8. There you have NAILED it.

The phrase we need here is:

"Don't go away MAD, JUST GO AWAY!"

We should not care HOW they get destroyed, just that it happens before it's too late.

[CitrusLib]

4. Not getting the analogy.

You say we will never defeat them with an honest, frontal assault. If you are advocating dishonest stabs in the back, I don't see how that correlates to working within the law to put Capone behind bars and forcing Nixon to resign. From my interpretation of the historical events, it took some creative thinking to nail Capone - all done within the letter of the law and Nixon did himself in. No one had to use underhanded tactics. They just had to uncover the truth and expose the slimy bastard.

I disagree with stooping to their level. I think it can be done with legal thinking 'outside the box' and a concerted effort to legally expose their criminal behavior. Roast away.

[tompayne1]

6. Yeah but

You need to realize people will belice the rightwing spinners till doomsday. I have a friend who still will not believe Rush Limbaugh took painkillers for fun.

[CitrusLib]

13. But are you looking to appeal to the extreme?

Sounds like you're talking about the extreme end of the spectrum. If they believe the rightwing spin till doomsday, what makes you think dirty tactics by the left are going to swing them? If your friend doesn't believe Limbaugh took painkillers for fun, videotape of him doctor shopping to get a fix or forging Rx's is not going to sway them.

I think it's more accurate to say 'some people' will believe the rightwing spinners...

There's mounting evidence a lot of self-identified Republicans and Independents who voted for Bush are feeling very betrayed and his approval ratings certainly don't bode well for giving his party a push in '06. Particularly if they stay where they are or continue to decline.

I maintain becoming Karl Rove isn't the way to appeal to the people we need to bring to our side. The very idea gives me the heebie jeebies. Sounds like we'd be heading down the same dark path. If you compromise your morals and ethics the first time, it becomes easier to do it until you wind up like them. I don't want to be 'them'. I want to show them there's a different way.

[tompayne1]

14. hmm nice line

I am just a little crusty on the whole different way bit.

[CitrusLib]

15. It's totally my personality.

I'm one of those 'can't we all just get along' people. :-D

[tompayne1]

16. i worked

What was, to my knowledge the only city concil race to make the front page of the Wall Street Journal. (very very dirty race)

[Tyler Durden]

18. I wish you were right, but you aren't.

Example?

The guy across the street still has his "BUSH/CHENEY" sign nailed 25' up a tree in his front yard.

LOVES THEM. WHY? FOR OPENING UP THE NATIONAL PARKS TO HIS SNOWMOBILES AND 4 WHEELERS. Also "Those damn Libbies want my GUNS!"

It's ALL about misinformation, and as long as we take the high road, THEY will take the low road and cut the legs out from underneath us.

[CitrusLib]

20. I still don't believe the folks you guys are describing

are going to be swayed by the Democrats following the Republican lead on how to be nasty. If we started playing dirty, sounds like your guy would move to Idaho, stockpile AK-47's and wait for the Libbies to come pry his guns out of his cold dead hands.

If we are to 'defeat' them, we need to appeal to the middle and the Independents who I think would be just as disgusted by underhanded Democrats as they are becoming with underhanded Republicans.

Abdicating your moral high ground is such a slippery slope.

[Tyler Durden]

23. Moral High Ground is a one way street to "Pyrrhic Victory."

There is a phrase that describes the minority party in this country's government: POLITICALLY POWERLESS.

[Tyler Durden]

9. No flame here.

The rePukes et al will do that themselves when they win. AGAIN.

You want proof? Watch the next Supreme Court nomination.

[Jackpine Radical]

32. I think TD meant something nore along the lines of attacking

from an unexpected direction, finding small areas of vulnerability, rather than charging at their defenses where they are the strongest. Not an illegitimate or dishonest attack, but an unanticipated one.

[TlalocW]

7. Did Capone die in jail?

I thought he died after he got out, and the syphillis had gotten so bad that he spent his last years trying to catch fish in his swimming pool.

TlalocW

[psychonaut]

11. maybe this is why

the shit keeps coming back to get us. we don't bust them on their big crimes but we pick irrelevant things like tax evasion. if nixon had been busted for invading countries, murdering people, and being a megalomaniac, then maybe americans would have accepted the fact that those are *bad things." maybe we wouldnt have gotten reagan and the same shit all over again.

[newyawker99]

19. Hi psychonaut!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[Tyler Durden]

22. You expect this from a country that sold the War Debt Bonds..

from the Revolutionary War to the rich via the new Federal Bank (THANK YOU, ALEXANDER HAMILTON!) FOR 5 CENTS ON THE DOLLAR?

We have a history of busting people for the little shit. Take "Violation of Civil Rights" instead of "MURDER by shooting, hanging, etc in front of a cheering crowd."

Think SUCCESS, and look up "Pyrrhic Victory."

[napi21]

26. I think we DO try to bust 'em on anything we can get, but it's

much more difficult to PROVE the charges on the "BIG" crimes. I have to give the Pubs credit for very carefully covering all the bases so crimes CAN'T be proven! That's the reason most high profile criminals go down on relative minor charges. They're very, very careful to cover their tracks on the big stuff, and make stupid mistakes on the insignificant ones.

I say, we need to take our successes any way we can get them!

[Joe Chi Minh]

27. But, surely, he can still be tried for larger crimes.

And the indictments for smaller crimes - both small and large among the neocons being so numerous - will engender a climate, an impetus, a snow ball, leading to indictments for the larger ones.

[longship]

10. Capone did not die in jail.

He died in Florida after he was released.

[LiberalArkie]

12. Don't forget Clinton -- Lying.

[Tyler Durden]

17. So Capone didn't die in jail: big deal on a detail.

He also didn't go there in the first place because he was a mass murderer.

[abluelady]

21. Ahhh, but whose going to do it?

They are all wimps in our party these days.

[The Sleeper]

24. Agree....

but it's not an either/or situation. It's use as many different methods as possible, both clean and not so clean. Keep them off balance. Coordinate the attacks, so that it puts the RW on the defensive. The more harried they are, the more likely it will cause them to make mistakes...which can be seized upon.

Look at Rove; in addition to CYA about Plame, leading chimpy around by the hand,keeping everyone in lockstep,and lord knows what else, now he's going manage NO.... All those lovely places for someone to jam a monkey wrench into the works....

...these guys are all so dirty to begin with, they can't even afford to have "Official Policy" memos leaked...

[ArkDem]

25. Al Capone was a republician?

[LoZoccolo]

28. This argument does not make much sense.

Who remembers why Al Capone died in jail, besides stage 4 syphillis?

NOT for murder. NOT for extortion. NOT for ANY VIOLENT CRIME.

TAX EVASION.

This has bearing on politics:

Who remembers why Nixon resigned?

NOT for illegal invasion of Cambodia. NOT for expanding the war. NOT for his "enemies list."

WATERGATE, and not even for the break in, FOR THE COVER UP.

OK, I get this.

YOU WILL NEVER DEFEAT THE RIGHT WING BY ATTACKING THEM ON HONEST GROUND. You will only defeat them by using their own tactics of confusion, inunendo, gossip, and attack from the rear.

This does not follow, except for maybe the "attack from the rear" part.

[katty]

29. Agree-said this the second the Supremes appointed the boy

[katty]

30. Agree-said this the second the Supremes appointed the boy

[bobbieinok]

31. Nixon lost his base b/c tapes showed he swore a lot

Nixon always made a big deal of the president setting a good example 'for the children'

conservatives, especially religious conservatives, at the time were extremely anti-swearing

I think Billy Graham commented about how disappointed he was

and YES, he lost support b/c of a small thing