The Republican self-redemption pattern.

[gulliver]

We Dems need to figure out a way past one Republican ploy/pattern. Call it the "Self-Redemption" pattern. It is the key to Republican teflon. Dems don't have anything like it.

When Republicans transgress, whether it is the law, their own political principles, their personal integrity, their foreign policy reputation, or their campaign promises, etc., they have a way out. They have several in fact.

1. Cry and admit transgression, beg forgiveness (Jimmy Swaggart, William Bennett)
2. Become reborn, go on the wagon (George W. Bush)
3. Go into "rehab" (Rush Limbaugh)
4. Point out that Dems are gleeful, therefore they are the bad ones.
5. Critize the Dems for being sanctimonious

My question is, how can we counter this? How can we keep these serial liars, screw-ups, and crooks from wiping and re-wiping the slate clean? How can a traitor in the White House continue to stay there and collect a paycheck? How can Bush conceal his Harken SEC records, his Enron ties, and his DUI?

[StClone]

1. Sadly

The powers that forgive Republicans are the same that flay the Dems/Libs/Progressives.

[arcane1]

3. yep, the media sycophants play up the forgiveness angle

and THAT's who the sheep follow..

:grr:

it all comes back to the media, doesn't it?

[nadinbrzezinski]

2. When you figure out

how to break through the State Run media you
will win half the battle, if not more.

[Karenina]

4. It's a no-brainer...

When American patriots realize what is at stake and organize to DISALLOW *corp media their "business as usual," FOLLOW THEIR TRUCKS, PICKET THEIR HQs, SCREAM IN THEIR FACES, REFUSE TO ALLOW THEM TO PASS OFF BLATANT LIES AS FACT... perhaps... just maybe... a few "not stupid, just misinformed, miseducated, propagandized etc. ad nausem" will FIND time between the trips to McD's and the gas station, to take notice.

Please accept my sincerest apologies for the "elitist tone" (as described by the writers of the WSJ editorial page :eyes:) of the preceding sentence. I am simply SO FRUSTRATED by the collective inability to "grok" what is being shoved into American citizens' faces and down their throats and the apparent willingness to SWALLOW FETID, STINKING, ROTTING SHIT. Mopaul did a GREAT cartoon...

[roughsatori]

5. You mean you don't feel sorry for people, you are a monster

Just kidding.:)I just returned from vomiting at the bizarre rash of sympathy posts at DU for the rich men who are ruining the world.

One way to fight this outside of the media is for the left to toughen up and not be black-mailed by the media (and our own misguided do-gooders) into the "sympathy for the Devil" trap.
Stay out of the morality and get to the hypocrisy and law-breaking of the Gropers and Illegal Procurers of Substances.

[neebob]

6. You forgot one

6. "If I offend someone, I apologize right then and there." (Arnold Schwarzenegger)

'Scuse me while I think on how to counter this effectively.

[neebob]

7. I think there might be some potential

in another line of Arnold's: "Where there's smoke, there's fire." That was brilliant. He took the very common sense that should have prevented anyone with a brain from voting for him, turned it around, and used it to make himself appear to have scruples. There's gotta be some little nugget like that, preferably one that calls into question the intelligence of anyone who falls for the changed-man show.

Okay, so I'm still thinkin' on it.

[msmcghee]

8. You forgot their favorite . .

. . Clinton made me do it by . .

fill in your charge of choice such as . .

a) he defunded and destroyed the military

b) he set the stage for immoral behaviour

c) etc, but you get the idea.