The Winners Write The History Books
In this post Digby is talking about Michelle Malkin’s outrage over the fact that “Joe the Plumber” had his privacy violated by the press. But put aside Joe the plumber and think about the deeper points that Digby makes.
Republicans Like Copeland and Clatworthy have basically said, “The rules do not apply to us.” For them the concept of honor has ceased to exist. Dave Burris has mocked me in the comments section as if the very concept of “truth” is some kind of liberal mumbo-jumbo.
Copeland has demonstrated that there is no objective truth as far as the GOP is concerned. As a result there is no way to hold them accountable for their out and out lies. They don’t even try to deny that are lying. There are no lies, there is no truth, there is only winning.
In a world in which the conservatives weren’t such post modern shape shifters, we could come to a consensus on certain issues in this country — like privacy, for instance. We could agree that it’s wrong for government employees to use private information for partisan purposes — or for the media, including bloggers, to stalk and publish private information of anyone who dares speak out for a political cause. But we don’t live in a world like that.
We live in a world where the right wing ruthlessly and without mercy degrades and attacks by any means necessary what they perceive as the enemy, and then uses the great principles of democracy and fair play when the same is done to them. They leave the rest of us standing on the sidelines looking like fools for ever caring about anything but winning.
It’s not that I believe liberals are purely good and decent. We have many, many faults and are almost preternaturally talented at seizing defeat from the jaws of victory before we even get finished celebrating. But failing to truly grok just how pernicious this right wing rejection of hypocrisy really is and how much power it gives them is a foolish mistake.
I think we’re about to get schooled. Again. The torture loving right is dusting off its completely hypocritical “government is full of jack-booted thugs” playbook — and it’s going to drive us all completely crazy.
It’s always about the hypocrisy.
Gay children = bad parenting
Gay republican children = please respect our privacy
Cheating Dem politician = impeachment
Cheating Repub politician = no biggie
Dem busted for drugs = no sympathy for low life addicts
Repub busted for drugs = great sympathy for their addiction problem
Jamie Lynn Spears = slut
Bristol Palin = Madonna
By Madonna, u mean the Virgin one, not the slutty one, right?
Ha! I never even considered… My pop culture meter is slipping, either that or I’m an elitist!
Right now, Matt Denn is running ads criticizing Copeland for voting against an infant mortality bill that does not once have the word “infant” in it.
You know what that is? Dirty, sleazy, smear-mongering?
No. It’s politics.
Dirt and sleaze are what the Democrats did to Mike Ramone in 2006.
FSP – Mike Ramone is dirt and sleaze.
All of those conservatives who were cheerleading for torture or renditions; the government being able to read your email or listen to your phone calls or to put you on a Do Not Fly list for no discernible reason; the Unitary Executive; signing statements that basically rewrote law and all of the other extraordinary power grabs of the last 8 years should be asked if they still think that all of that power should be granted to a President. I’d bet they’ll all say no now. Because the Party of Moral Relativism will now remind us that they think that all of that stuff is just fine with them as long as Republicans do it.
They’ll be aided and abetted by a willing media who badly needs its he say/she say “objectivity” and will report all of this new found principle without ever reminding us it was these people who are responsible for this state in the first place. Part of what we’re going to have to work out in the coming months is how keep up the incessant fact-checking that was a major factor in interrupting the McCain narrative.
The thing that Copeland and Clatworthy are doing are playing by the Republican rules. They aren’t accountable to any others, and certainly within their party they won’t be measured by any other measures. The fact that they’ve quite embarrassed themselves won’t matter as long as they are able to hold their heads up at Party HQ.
“The thing that Copeland and Clatworthy are doing are playing by the Republican rules. They aren’t accountable to any others, and certainly within their party they won’t be measured by any other measures. The fact that they’ve quite embarrassed themselves won’t matter as long as they are able to hold their heads up at Party HQ.”
You people have lost your minds. Is this your first election cycle?
Sokola v. Ramone 2006
Minner v. Lee 2004
Carper v. Roth (through PACs) 2000
People play rough in politics when it’s close.
Plus, you can cancel Copeland off the list right now, because Denn’s doing the exact same thing. Will you be intellectually honest and share the exact same sentiment now about Denn that you have about Copeland?
FSP… the original post was about the nature of truth and its abandonment by Republicans. You cannot equate Dem “negative-but-true” campaigns with Republican “claim the opposite of your actual record” campaigns. That is a false equivalence.
“You cannot equate Dem “negative-but-true” campaigns with Republican “claim the opposite of your actual record” campaigns.”
If you actually believe this, you’re not worth debating.
I can’t speak to the three races cited, but you can’t equate the typical rough and tumble politics to outright lying — as in “I created the Challenge Program”. But anon’s summary of the argument is a good one.
Thank you for your concession. I suppose you think Roth was not old, and Copeland supported the wind deal. Which means you are not worth debating – but it is still worthwhile to correct you.
I don’t think Copeland and Clat can return from this level of toxicity if they lose.
They will forever be known as nothing but shit covered gutter dwellers. Running a normal campaign would be almost impossible for them at this point.
“I don’t think Copeland and Clat can return from this level of toxicity if they lose.
They will forever be known as nothing but shit covered gutter dwellers. Running a normal campaign would be almost impossible for them at this point.”
For a moment, I forgot where I was. Thank you for reminding me that reality is proudly suspended here.
Ask Copeland why he is trying to “buy the vote in Wilmington”? Ask him how much money he gave to Norman Oliver, Derek Johnson and other sinister ministers to get them to back Copeland. They are taking his money but they will not vote for him.