Over at the great OpEdNews.com, Rob Kall addresses "the Democratic Wimp Factor."
But his editorial "The Wimp Factor: Defining the Real Wimps" was really too confusing.
http://www.opednews.com/articles/opedne_rob_kall_060226_the_wimp_factor_3b_def.htm
To put it plainly, Dems. will no longer be seen as wimps when they STAND UP for some core, basic issues, issues that currently they most certainly are NOT standing up for to date.
In a nutshell, they deserve the "wimp" label. They are repeating the "wimpiness" of Al Gore in 2000, John Kerry in 2004, and Tom Daschle/Joe Lieberman in 2002.
#1. Kerry stood their like a dumb punching bag, on national TV, as George W. Bush called Kerry a "flip-flopper" and then Bush sneered into the cameras "Not concerned about bin Laden? I don't ever recall saying that. I think my opponent is e-x-a-g-e-r-a-t-i-n-g."
Kerry stood there like a deer caught in the headlights, either too stupid, or too compromised, to say "Mr. Bush has FLIP FLOPPED on his 'get Osama dead or alive pledge", and we have the WHITE HOUSE VIDEO of his April 2003 press conference to prove it!"
#2. Al Gore and Donna Brazille ALLOWED george w. bush (and karl rove) to promote their so called "Texas public education miracle", even though a Rand Corp. test analyst who compiled some of the results went WAY out on a limb to contest the Republican braggado (as did many other critics of Gov.George W. Bush's slashing of state education funds). Gore and Brazille left that state contract empolyee (Rand Corp. was working for the state of Texas) whistleblower TWISTING IN THE WIND, just as they let the CHILDREN, mothers, and seniors who suffered from those Bush-Republican BUDGET SLASHINGS TWIST IN THE WIND, as Gov. Bush gave his signature TAX CUTS FOR WEALTHY CORPORATIONS to, well, Texas' wealthiest, most connected corporations. I realized 3-5 months out that Gore was too compromised, to weak, or too cowed to CALL Mr. Bush on his LIES and DECEPTIONS, and therefore Gore would loose the election. (To be precise, Gore BOUGHT INTO the right-wing lynching of Bill Clinton, which is why Gore selected "moral values" Jewish Orthodox theocrats Joe Lieberman as his running mate.)
Specifically, Gore and Brazille (an African-American) BOUGHT INTO the right-wing propaganda smear that to spend money on health insurance or education for poor schoolchildren (or seniors, or minorities) was to invite fraud, the usual right-wing charicature of "tax and spend Democrats." To belabor the point, Gore/Brazille REFUSED to CONFRONT or EXPOSE the Texas governor on his "MORE COMPASSIONATE Conservative" claims, his "uniter, not divider... more bipartisan" claims, his (Bush's) Texas ecological/environmental record, and of course the massive SHIFT of state funding from middle- and working class Americans to Texas's wealthiest donors and corporations. In so doing, Gore effectively GAVE AWAY the high ground in the 2000 campaign (allowing Bush-Rove to rant on about "character" and "moral values" and "restoring dignity to the White House), and thereby MAGNIFIED the Republican's campaign spending. (A charge or accusation left unrefuted in campaign politics is a charge or accusastion that circles the world effortlessly, and is on the tips of everyone's tongues - for free!)
#3. In 2002, Senate Majority leader Tom Daschle LOST the Democratic Senate Majority. The "DEFECTION" of courageous Vermont Senator Jim Jeffords "switched" the majority BACK to the Democrats, re-installing Senator Joe Lieberman as Chair of the Govt. Affairs Committee. From there, Lieberman (and Daschle) threw a huge WET BLANKET on the ENRON FRAUD investigations (and Enron's huge LINKS to Mr. Bush) thereby robbing mid-term Democrats of their best issue - framing (tarring) Bush Republicans as SYNONYMOUS with Enron CORRUPTION, FINANCIAL EXTORTION, and outright theft. Because of their appalling "leadership", Democrats LOST seats in the midterm, including (justice served) tom daschle's seat.
#4. The Senator Patty Murray Amendment - $2.7 Billion to fund Veteran's rehab - Veteran's Affairs - for returning Iraq war combat veterans. NOTHING ILLUSTRATES THE Dems' PREFERNCE for GIVING IN - for REFUSING to PAINT Mr. Bush and his Republicans as corrupt liars - than the ABANDONMENT of the Murray Amendment WITHOUT A FIGHT, WITHOUT AN ATTEMPT to win the press/media PR high ground.
THIS IS A CAN'T LOOSE ISSUE: it both portrays Democrats as "supporting the troops," AND it portrays Republicans as NOT supporting the troops.
The COWARDLY Democratic leadership PREFERS the fog of confusion, to CONFRONTING the Bush-GOP cons on this life or death issue.
I mean, just how cynical do you have to be, to have your supporters paste "We Support the Troops" bumper-stickers on their cars by the tens of thousands, while your party with malice and coordination aforethought SLASH a lousy $2 billion (out of tens of billions spent on the war) from Veterans affairs medical and rehab services??
This past week, one Iraq Vet shot his wife to death, and we know that there are Timmy McVeigh's and DC snipers brewing in the broken lives of other PTSD vets. (McVeigh and the DC sniper were both Gulf War1 vets.)
Speaking of, the above 5 issues have a common denominator that does indeed portray Democrats as WIMPS: the "disappeared" factor.
That is, our Dem. "leaders" buy into the Bush-Republican PR talking points - THERE ARE NO VICTIMS of Enron fraud...
There ARE NO VICTIMS of Mr. Bush's atrocious Medicare/prescription "reform" bill...
There ARE NO VICTIMS of Bush's BUDGET SLASHINGS....
There ARE NO VICTIMS of shortchanged Veteran's care for PTSD vets...
UNTIL Democratic "leaders" STAND UP FOR these "disappeared" Americans, they deserve the "wimp" label.
And as of right now, it looks like the Dems. are REPEATING Gore/Kerry/Daschle's dismal campaigns of 2000/2004/2002.
THAT puts the election in the hands of karl rove, who can spin a DEFENSIVE "sluff it off" campaign as they have become so proficient at (and are now doing - who is talking about the Abramoff and Cunningham convictions, now that cheney shooting and Dubai ports have taken over the news cycle?), and then, at the last second, RAMP UP THE SMEARING and SWIFTBOATING campaigns, using their tremendous media advantage. (COMPLETE MONOPOLY of ALL the major media airwaves, and most press. In 2004, kerry won CONSIDERABLE press support, or at least many editors REJECTED Bush, but the Deibold fix, and kerry's dismal campaign, overcame this LOSS of bush press support in the final "vote count.")
There you have it. On at least 5 major issues - public education, medicare/prescription drugs, veterans affairs/rehab, Enron fraud, and general social budget slashings, the Democrats would PREFER TO SELL THEIR CONSTITUENTS - American citizens - down the "disappeared" river, to STANDING UP AND CONFRONTING the LIES and DISTORTIONS of BushCo. And this listing hasn't even mentioned other atrocious Bush issues and policies... Tom DeLay's extortion racket, the inquisition-era CENSORSHIP of science (evolution) in schools, the intimidation of women seeking reproductive health care (abortion), torture and "preventive detention," etc., etc., etc.
It is that simple, and it is frankly appalling that the cowering Dems. FOLLOW the lead of the CORRUPT MEDIA in this abject betrayal of thousands of Americans.
The Wimp Factor; Defining the Real Wimps
Subject(s): Campaigns, Machismo, Right wing
February 26, 2006
by Rob Kall
http://www.opednews.com
I've been told by a few Republicans that they didn't particularly like Bush, but they couldn't bring themselves to vote for Kerry. Some say he was too much of a wimp.
I don't buy it. Part of the Right Wing, Republican battle plan is to tap the false machismo, the tough guy facade that right wing males embrace. Rush Limbaugh takes on a sotto voce to mock "girlie" liberal ways of being.
[continued at http://www.opednews.com/articles/opedne_rob_kall_060226_the_wimp_factor_3b_def.htm ]
But his editorial "The Wimp Factor: Defining the Real Wimps" was really too confusing.
http://www.opednews.com/articles/opedne_rob_kall_060226_the_wimp_factor_3b_def.htm
To put it plainly, Dems. will no longer be seen as wimps when they STAND UP for some core, basic issues, issues that currently they most certainly are NOT standing up for to date.
In a nutshell, they deserve the "wimp" label. They are repeating the "wimpiness" of Al Gore in 2000, John Kerry in 2004, and Tom Daschle/Joe Lieberman in 2002.
#1. Kerry stood their like a dumb punching bag, on national TV, as George W. Bush called Kerry a "flip-flopper" and then Bush sneered into the cameras "Not concerned about bin Laden? I don't ever recall saying that. I think my opponent is e-x-a-g-e-r-a-t-i-n-g."
Kerry stood there like a deer caught in the headlights, either too stupid, or too compromised, to say "Mr. Bush has FLIP FLOPPED on his 'get Osama dead or alive pledge", and we have the WHITE HOUSE VIDEO of his April 2003 press conference to prove it!"
#2. Al Gore and Donna Brazille ALLOWED george w. bush (and karl rove) to promote their so called "Texas public education miracle", even though a Rand Corp. test analyst who compiled some of the results went WAY out on a limb to contest the Republican braggado (as did many other critics of Gov.George W. Bush's slashing of state education funds). Gore and Brazille left that state contract empolyee (Rand Corp. was working for the state of Texas) whistleblower TWISTING IN THE WIND, just as they let the CHILDREN, mothers, and seniors who suffered from those Bush-Republican BUDGET SLASHINGS TWIST IN THE WIND, as Gov. Bush gave his signature TAX CUTS FOR WEALTHY CORPORATIONS to, well, Texas' wealthiest, most connected corporations. I realized 3-5 months out that Gore was too compromised, to weak, or too cowed to CALL Mr. Bush on his LIES and DECEPTIONS, and therefore Gore would loose the election. (To be precise, Gore BOUGHT INTO the right-wing lynching of Bill Clinton, which is why Gore selected "moral values" Jewish Orthodox theocrats Joe Lieberman as his running mate.)
Specifically, Gore and Brazille (an African-American) BOUGHT INTO the right-wing propaganda smear that to spend money on health insurance or education for poor schoolchildren (or seniors, or minorities) was to invite fraud, the usual right-wing charicature of "tax and spend Democrats." To belabor the point, Gore/Brazille REFUSED to CONFRONT or EXPOSE the Texas governor on his "MORE COMPASSIONATE Conservative" claims, his "uniter, not divider... more bipartisan" claims, his (Bush's) Texas ecological/environmental record, and of course the massive SHIFT of state funding from middle- and working class Americans to Texas's wealthiest donors and corporations. In so doing, Gore effectively GAVE AWAY the high ground in the 2000 campaign (allowing Bush-Rove to rant on about "character" and "moral values" and "restoring dignity to the White House), and thereby MAGNIFIED the Republican's campaign spending. (A charge or accusation left unrefuted in campaign politics is a charge or accusastion that circles the world effortlessly, and is on the tips of everyone's tongues - for free!)
#3. In 2002, Senate Majority leader Tom Daschle LOST the Democratic Senate Majority. The "DEFECTION" of courageous Vermont Senator Jim Jeffords "switched" the majority BACK to the Democrats, re-installing Senator Joe Lieberman as Chair of the Govt. Affairs Committee. From there, Lieberman (and Daschle) threw a huge WET BLANKET on the ENRON FRAUD investigations (and Enron's huge LINKS to Mr. Bush) thereby robbing mid-term Democrats of their best issue - framing (tarring) Bush Republicans as SYNONYMOUS with Enron CORRUPTION, FINANCIAL EXTORTION, and outright theft. Because of their appalling "leadership", Democrats LOST seats in the midterm, including (justice served) tom daschle's seat.
#4. The Senator Patty Murray Amendment - $2.7 Billion to fund Veteran's rehab - Veteran's Affairs - for returning Iraq war combat veterans. NOTHING ILLUSTRATES THE Dems' PREFERNCE for GIVING IN - for REFUSING to PAINT Mr. Bush and his Republicans as corrupt liars - than the ABANDONMENT of the Murray Amendment WITHOUT A FIGHT, WITHOUT AN ATTEMPT to win the press/media PR high ground.
THIS IS A CAN'T LOOSE ISSUE: it both portrays Democrats as "supporting the troops," AND it portrays Republicans as NOT supporting the troops.
The COWARDLY Democratic leadership PREFERS the fog of confusion, to CONFRONTING the Bush-GOP cons on this life or death issue.
I mean, just how cynical do you have to be, to have your supporters paste "We Support the Troops" bumper-stickers on their cars by the tens of thousands, while your party with malice and coordination aforethought SLASH a lousy $2 billion (out of tens of billions spent on the war) from Veterans affairs medical and rehab services??
This past week, one Iraq Vet shot his wife to death, and we know that there are Timmy McVeigh's and DC snipers brewing in the broken lives of other PTSD vets. (McVeigh and the DC sniper were both Gulf War1 vets.)
Speaking of, the above 5 issues have a common denominator that does indeed portray Democrats as WIMPS: the "disappeared" factor.
That is, our Dem. "leaders" buy into the Bush-Republican PR talking points - THERE ARE NO VICTIMS of Enron fraud...
There ARE NO VICTIMS of Mr. Bush's atrocious Medicare/prescription "reform" bill...
There ARE NO VICTIMS of Bush's BUDGET SLASHINGS....
There ARE NO VICTIMS of shortchanged Veteran's care for PTSD vets...
UNTIL Democratic "leaders" STAND UP FOR these "disappeared" Americans, they deserve the "wimp" label.
And as of right now, it looks like the Dems. are REPEATING Gore/Kerry/Daschle's dismal campaigns of 2000/2004/2002.
THAT puts the election in the hands of karl rove, who can spin a DEFENSIVE "sluff it off" campaign as they have become so proficient at (and are now doing - who is talking about the Abramoff and Cunningham convictions, now that cheney shooting and Dubai ports have taken over the news cycle?), and then, at the last second, RAMP UP THE SMEARING and SWIFTBOATING campaigns, using their tremendous media advantage. (COMPLETE MONOPOLY of ALL the major media airwaves, and most press. In 2004, kerry won CONSIDERABLE press support, or at least many editors REJECTED Bush, but the Deibold fix, and kerry's dismal campaign, overcame this LOSS of bush press support in the final "vote count.")
There you have it. On at least 5 major issues - public education, medicare/prescription drugs, veterans affairs/rehab, Enron fraud, and general social budget slashings, the Democrats would PREFER TO SELL THEIR CONSTITUENTS - American citizens - down the "disappeared" river, to STANDING UP AND CONFRONTING the LIES and DISTORTIONS of BushCo. And this listing hasn't even mentioned other atrocious Bush issues and policies... Tom DeLay's extortion racket, the inquisition-era CENSORSHIP of science (evolution) in schools, the intimidation of women seeking reproductive health care (abortion), torture and "preventive detention," etc., etc., etc.
It is that simple, and it is frankly appalling that the cowering Dems. FOLLOW the lead of the CORRUPT MEDIA in this abject betrayal of thousands of Americans.
The Wimp Factor; Defining the Real Wimps
Subject(s): Campaigns, Machismo, Right wing
February 26, 2006
by Rob Kall
http://www.opednews.com
I've been told by a few Republicans that they didn't particularly like Bush, but they couldn't bring themselves to vote for Kerry. Some say he was too much of a wimp.
I don't buy it. Part of the Right Wing, Republican battle plan is to tap the false machismo, the tough guy facade that right wing males embrace. Rush Limbaugh takes on a sotto voce to mock "girlie" liberal ways of being.
[continued at http://www.opednews.com/articles/opedne_rob_kall_060226_the_wimp_factor_3b_def.htm ]
posted by verifi at 12:57 PM
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