Thursday, January 24, 2008

Democrat War (Primary) Update

I recently blogged about the war inside the Republican party.  There's also a war going on within the Democrat party, and while that one is perhaps less substantive, it is far more entertaining.

Since the early 90's, it has been commonplace for the Democrats (specifically, the Clinton machine) to slash, burn, and slander Republicans, playing the racism card, the sexism card, and any other 'ism' card they can think of at every opportunity.  So, it is with more than a little amusement and satisfaction that I watch these same tactics turned on another Democrat.  Even better is the fact that Hillary -- the 'inevitable' candidate with '35 years of experience' -- is rapidly losing ground to a rookie Senator who has done nothing and just happens to be a...gasp...black man.

I've often wondered what would happen if Condi Rice were to run for high office against the Clintons - would she, as an African American woman, get the same vicious treatment as, say, Newt Gingrich got from the party that supposedly best represents minorities?  Obama's experience is providing us with the answer in vivid color, and he's not even in the opposition party!

These are the true colors of the Clinton-led Democrat party.  Pay attention!  They will stop at NOTHING to grasp the reigns of power.

It all started with some innocent little racial slurs after Obama started looking like a legitimate candidate.  Starting out, Obama seemed to avoid taking the race bait, but did start fighting back, attacking Hillary's career as a corporate lawyer while he was on the streets helping real people.  Not one to shy away from the gutter, Hillary accused Obama of representing a slum lord in Chicago.  She also twisted his words about Ronald Reagan, accusing him of supporting Republican policies.  Even Bill Clinton got involved, accusing Obama of putting a ' hit job' on him and whining about how there was no outrage when Obama claimed Hillary was not truthful.  [side note here - I think we all KNOW that 'Clinton' = lie, so I'd be shocked if there actually WAS any outrage about that]  Trying to compensate for the professional mud-slinging tag-team that is the Clintons, Michelle Obama defended her husband, suggesting the Clintons will say anything to attain power.

Another question mark is that voter fraud has already cropped up.  The Obama campaign is citing hundreds of complaints about disenfranchisement and other irregularities in the Nevada caucuses.  Hm, does that remind anyone of Florida in 2000...?

Even Democrats are getting nervous about the vicious in-fighting:

"The truth matters, but how you fight the lies matters even more. We must be determined never again to lose any election to a lie," 2004 Democrat presidential candidate John Kerry said in an e-mail to [Obama] supporters.

"The fight is just heating up — we won't let them steal this election with lies and distortions."

I'm not sure how much credibility John Kerry lends to the argument against lying, but I still find it fascinating that he's using these words against the Clintons.  But he's not alone.  Former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle said Bill Clinton's behavior on the campaign trail is 'not becoming of a former president.'  He added:

"We want to do everything we can to change the tone," Mr. Daschle said. "In the long run we have to have a united party."

But there's still more from Democrats:

Sen. Barbara Boxer, who represents the big Feb. 5 primary prize of California, called the campaign "very rough, very tough" and added: "It's a fight to the finish."

Some statements that were said could be worded differently," Sen. Benjamin L. Cardin.

A few prominent Democrats, including Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (Mass.) and Rep. Rahm Emanuel (Ill.), have spoken to the former president about the force of his Obama critiques. There is some fear within the party that if Obama becomes the nominee, he could emerge personally battered and politically compromised.

Dick Harpootlian, a former chairman of the Democratic Party in South Carolina, accused the Clintons of using the "politics of deception."

Senate Judiciary Chairman Patrick J. Leahy (D-Vt.), who endorsed Obama last week, castigated the former president for what he called his "glib cheap shots" at Obama, saying both sides should settle down but placing the blame predominantly on Clinton.

Republicans are enjoying this, and hope to parlay this discord into some permanent damage when the general election comes around.  RNC Chairman Robert M. "Mike" Duncan released the following statement after a recent debate:

"For once, I found myself agreeing with Senators Clinton and Obama: Senator Clinton is right that Obama doesn't have enough experience to lead, and Senator Obama is correct that Clinton cannot be trusted. Tonight's debate was further evidence that Senators Clinton and Obama would lead America toward higher taxes and less security. With America's economy facing challenges, the Democrats' tax-and-spend policies would be catastrophic. The Democrats' liberal plans are a stark contrast to the Republican candidates' commitment to winning the War on Terror and keeping taxes low for hard-working families."

So, as you can see, both parties are in the midst of their own internal war.  The main difference is the nature of that war.  The Republican party is battling over issues, records, and its primary governing philosophy.  The Democrat party, on the other hand, is battling over race, gender, and integrity.  That's a big, big difference.

Regardless, all this really points to one more thing: the eventual Republican nominee needs to take the Democrat primary as a flashing red signal that the Democrats are going to play dirty.  Be ready.

There's my two cents.

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