Only liberals are "unhinged", "wacky", etc. Never RW nutcases.

[arendt]

Linda Chavez - Oreo-hipanic (what's the correct term for Uncle Tom
Hispanic?) mega hypocrite and withdrawn Bush nominee
for Labor Secretary goes totally ballistic.

I suppose this isn't news.

But its all part of the Total War of the GOP on all things Democratic.
This week it may be Howard Dean, but next week it will be YOUR
candidate.

I hear that Gov Dean has made some "controversial" statements.
However, they are hardly unprecedented in the heat of a primary
fight, especially in the middle of an on-going illegal invasion.
They are certainly every bit as credible as the ludicrous soundbites
emmanating from our Rajahs in Baghdad and our Aristos in DC.

But, to Ms. Chavez, this is not political rhetoric. It is another opportunity
to use the Gingrich memes of "sick", "perverted", etc. Another run
of the character assasination used against Al Gore.

Here is what she has to say in her Dec 17 column. Fill in YOUR
candidate's name and see how it feels:

"HD is increasingly looking like he is coming UNHINGED."
"He has begun saying things (that) sound downwright WACKY."
"Dean tried to back away from the NUTTY accusation."
"Dean can't help himself from saying WEIRD thiings."
"HD lashes out with such VENOM AND HATRED that he sometimes
CAN"T CONTROL his words."
"anger is making the candidate behave as if he were slightly
UNBALANCED."

This haridan was nominated for a Cabinet Post? She belongs in
a detox ward.

I ask my fellow DUers to write LTTEs about this awful rhetoric,
which is NEVER used about any of the various crooks, liars,
criminals and perverts of the GOP.

</rant>

arendt

[blm]

1. Isn't Dean known for dumping on the "looney left"

and that only "whackos" vote on foreign policy issues?

[arendt]

2. Sorry, my satire module is having a glitch...

Chavez's BS is so vile and distorted, its hard to know
where to begin.

Of course, Dean is not left. That is one of the GOP labels.

----

I'm sorry, I don't get your reference with whackos and FP.

----

I don't want this to turn into a pro/anti-Dean thread. I
want to point out that Chavez is scum and this kind of
rhetoric has to be called early before it becomes another
"crystallized" propaganda point against ALL Dems. I mean,
suppose Dean is NOT the nominee. I guarantee that
SOMEONE who supported or worked for Dean WILL
be working for the nominee.

What will Chavez say? That Nominee X tolerates person
Y who used to work for that insane Dean. Therefore X
is also insane. Guilt by association.

Don't let it start.


arendt

on edit: more details

[Julien Sorel]

3. I think the other gentleman has a valid point.

Dean himself is fond of language like this; it's somehow fitting that he gets it back.

And I'm sorry, but the whole 'Bush knew' thing is insane, and casts discredit on the entire party every time some nutjob, here or elsewhere, starts spouting it off. For Dean to have even brought it up was stupid, stupid, stupid. Pushing the Vince Foster nonsense probably hurt the right wing wackos, and that wasn't as bad as the conspiracy theories swirling around 9/11. At least no real Republican politician ever tried pushing Foster conspiracy theories, but here you have a guy running for president, and he's shooting his mouth off foolishly.

Byh the way, I said 'foolishly,' but I believe the Republican spin machine is trying out the word 'recklessly.' I can only assume they've tested it with their focus groups, and discovered that it plays well against Dean.

[YNGW]

6. BillyBunter

>...the whole 'Bush knew' thing is insane, and casts discredit on the entire party ...

I agree with you, but I'm afraid it's falling on deaf ears. I wish I could get people to see what it does. Maybe it's a "live and learn" thing.

[Eric J in MN]

7. The State Dept put embassies on alert before 9/11/2001

The government knew that something might happen, but not where or when.

Howard Dean never said that Bush knew exactly what was going to happen, only that the reason Bush is refusing to release White House memos is that they may contain a warning of some type of attack.

[Dr.Phool]

8. Do you ever do research?

Dean never said that! read the TRANSCRIPTS!

He was asked a question about why the White house refuses to turn over documents in the 9/11 investigation. Dean said that failing to do so encouraging all sorts of conspiracy theories. When asked "such as" he replied that his favorite one was that the White House had advance warning from the Saudis.

He never said they did. He never said he believed it. He just gave an example of the kind of nonsense floating around out there.

If you spent more time listening to Dr. Dean instead of yammering talking heads who are distorting everything he says, you'd have a better idea of what he's about. He did use a bad example on the confederate flag, but he wasn't endorsing the flag, but saying those working people down south need to start voting Democratic for their own economic well-being.

I've heard him speak at the Florida Convention, speak at dinner, watched interviews, and he's nothing like whats portrayed in the press or TV. It's just talking points for Democratic rivals and Repukes.:bounce:


:nuke:

[arendt]

9. You haven't addressed my point about this kind of smear on all Dems...

Its Al Gore all over again.

The point is that her rhetoric is just a few decibels down
from Ann Koulter. What are we as Democrats going to
do about that?

You seem to just want to stay in the circular firing squad.

I said I did NOT want this thread to be about Dean, but
rather about the RW attack machine tactics in general.

arendt

[blm]

5. The point being that Dean uses that exact same type of language...

not too long ago he said we can't get too "weepy and liberal" in reference to a question about sentencing measures.

[arendt]

11. Weepy is not wacky; liberal is not unhinged. Her rhetoric is TOXIC.

Doesn't anyone remember Newtie's ten smear words?

Or is the party so fratricidal it makes the Polish Nobility
look like Rev Moon's cult followers?

Someone has to dish it back to people like Ms Chavez
on behalf of ALL Democrats.

Ms Chavez is trying to draw conservative boundaries
around the debate. If they frame the debate, we lose.

Doesn't anyone remember these things?

arendt

[blm]

15. Sure, I do, but what about the "looney left" and "whackos"

used by Dean to describe the progressive wing in Vermont? Dean employed the same rhetoric to make his case for his centrist policies.

Karma

[arendt]

16. I don't want a Dean thread. I want a Linda Chavez thread.

> Dean employed the same rhetoric to make his case for his centrist
> policies.

Geez, blm, I KNOW you are smarter than this!

<humor>

Here are some bullets for your circular firing squad:

DUM-DUM, DUM-DUM, DUM-DUM, DUM-DUM, ...

</humor>

arendt

[redqueen]

4. Coconut

That's the term you're looking for... a hispanic on the outside, establishment (because it's not only whites) on the inside.

[arendt]

10. Thanks

I'm a Northern city kid. Is the inside of a coconut not completely
white?

arendt

[arendt]

12. KICK, so Dems don't get kicked n/t

[opihimoimoi]

13. The Pub psyops often use PROJECTION in their dialogue and

discussions. It works on the unsuspecting sheep. Its a bluff. Dean wins points by calling that bluff with a stronger Hand, the Truth.

[arendt]

14. Projection may work on sheep, but it drives me up a wall

I just get so fed up with the news flashes from
Bizarro World, where black is white, etc.

Why does Bush get away with saying "what's the
difference?" between scaring us to war about
EXISTING WMDs and merely suggested WMD DEVELOPMENT
IN THE FUTURE? How can this in anyway justify the massive
lie with "but we got Saddam"?

</rant>

I want to take this frustration out on Linda Chavez,
not my fellow DUers.

I think a lot of the intra-Dem flaming is pure
frustration. DUers know that most fellow DUers
can follow an argument; so they get in arguments
that at least are RATIONAL here.

arendt