"We have lost our ambition, our imagination, and our willingness to do the things that built the Golden Gate Bridge" - Barack Obama (aka President Malaise)
Conspiracies in the Democratic Party
By RHarrison | 20 October 2006 | Manassas City, 50th HOD District | 8 Comments
I am surprised by the response so far to the vandal attack on the GOP Headquarters last night. Mostly, I am pleasantly surprised. It appears a great many people are rallying around the Republican Party to express their outrage at what happened and at what was written.
I’m not the only one who has seen this response. A number of commenters on this site have speculated that the Republicans wrote on their own signs to generate sympathy. We didn’t (we’re really not that clever) and there is no evidence that we did, but some people apparently believe it anyway.
This seems to be a growing problem for the Democrats. When something bad happens to them, many liberals, including some national figures, blame the Republicans. The most glaring example of this was the 2004 Presidential election. It has become gospel in many circles that Bush stole the election in Ohio. There is no real evidence of this, and some senior Democrats have debunked the claims, but many, many Democrats believe it anyway.
This is bad for the country, because it undermines the public’s faith in Democracy. But it is also bad for the Democratic Party. The Democrats lost in 2000 and 2004 in environments that ought to have produced easy wins for them. But rather than do anything about it, they simply decided the election was stolen. This has the advantage of not requiring the Democrats to re-think how they go about winning elections. No messy debates were needed over what the party stood for. No hard work was necessary to build a grassroots GOTV network like the Republicans. Everything is fine with the Democratic Party. The Republicans just cheat.
The “Election Fraud” story allows Democrats to deflect blame for their electoral loses from themselves and onto the Republicans. In the process, it prevents the Democrats from reforming themselves so as to avoid losses in the future.
What does this have to do with Manassas? There are a growing number of hard-core liberal activists in this country who are just angry at Republicans. If you don’t agree with me, visit the Daily Kos or Democratic Underground. Sure, they are a small minority, but look what one of these angry people did yesterday. They rallied the Republicans, generated sympathy and support for local candidates and put Democratic candidates on the defensive. All bad from Rishell’s and Webb’s point of view.
So are the local Democrats confronting these angry activists? It appears not. It is easier to just decide it is all a dirty Republican trick.
Blaming the Republicans every time something goes wrong for the Democrats is easy and comforting. But it is also foolish, shortsighted and one of the reasons Republicans keep winning.
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8 Comments
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Well, as perhaps noted in some of my previous comments, I have been trying to keep an open mind regarding this outrageous behavior, and I still do not believe that this is being sanctioned by any campaign or political party leadership, but I agree with Mr. Harrison. It is absolutely the responsibility of the Democrats to reel-in this extremist element and make it clear to them that it is inappropriate behavior that will not be tolerated by either Party.
Except, of course, the fact, which you don’t care about, is that the Democratic Party, its leadership, its volunteers, and its candidates and campaign volunteers have not been connected to these thefts. While these vandals might regard themselves as somehow helping Democrats, they have no connection to us. So how, exactly, are we supposed to reel them in when we are as in the dark about who they as you are and have, at every instance, made it clear to everybody that it is never acceptable to commit acts of vandalism. Or are you, like Dennis Hassert, trying to blame this all on George Soros. We’ll accept responsilbity for what we do, we’ll share your outrage at acts of vandalism, but quit implying we can somehow prevent it because we can’t and if you’ve actually managed campaigns you would know that.
Blame is not the issue here, as you are apparently loath to admit. The issue is public condemnation of these acts in such a way that it gets out to these anonymous vandals, anonymous. And having indeed managed a campaign or two, I also know that you can’t be absolutely sure that some of your people are NOT involved but, if you and other Democrats would make it absolutely clear to your followers that you condemn such acts in no uncertain terms rather than qualifying that condemnation by suggesting that it’s Republicans doing it or that Republicans have no right to ask their Democratic colleagues to help in ending this, then perhaps it would actually end. You’re giving tacit aid and comfort here and paying lip service to the PC position.
And BTW Anonymous, if you’ve actually been following this on BVBL, you will notice that I was the last one to suggest that the Democrats were responsible for this, but the reactions of you and a number of your colleagues has given me pause.
So I get angry at being falsey accused of tolerating vandalism, and that proves I must tolerate it. Well, that is just pure BS and is something I would expect James Young to say, not you. Where was Republican outrage and concern when houses at my house were vandalized four years ago. I had a letter in the MJM published. All Bob Marshall had to say, when told about it, was, well a lot of signs were getting stolen. Well, my signs were defaced with grafetti that was obscene and left with literature of a Republican campaign. Only one of the regular Republican contributors have taken time to acknowledge that I too was a victim of vanadalism. And, the fact of the matter is, you have no idea what we say to our volunteers, so you just assume we don’t make this point clear in the absence of any evidence.
You are missing the point Anonymous. I don’t doubt your signs were attacked and recognize that it was wrong. Republicans shouldn’t do that. The difference between Republicans and Democrats, however, is that it never occurred to me that you might have written on your own signs. You didn’t and suggesting you may have would be stupid. But a number of liberals have posted here stating that the Republicans probably attacked their own headquarters, which is equally stupid. When Republicans screw up, we recognize it and fix it. When Democrats screw up, you tend to blame us - and then make the same mistakes two years later.
You took this to a personal level with me Anonymous (and how dare you compare me to that Young person!). I do not now, nor have I ever, had any problem with anonymous commenters UNLESS they want to take something to a personal level. You know who I am, have no idea who you are and, by my count, there have been 25 anonymous postings (not counting those who used such pseudonyms as Anon., or Anonon, etc.) just since this all started. Are they all you?
I agree with you Mr. Harrison…obviously Anonymous does not, or will not, understand. All the obvious, or apparent, Republican commenters here have been decrying the vandalism and theft of signs, regardless who it might be perpetrated against, and are growing frustrated at the apparent lack of equal outrage of their fellows from the other side of the isle…and actually accusing US of doing it to ourselves!?? I mean, really…there comes a time when these kinds of defensive protestations take on the appearance of a guilty conscience. I am particularly upset about this because it came immediately upon the heels of a comment I made on another thread the same day it occurred (NLS CHANGES RATINGS ON THE 50th):
AWCheney said on 19 Oct 2006 at 6:22 pm:
“Does it really matter if he slams the door on Rishell? At least the campaign in the 50th has been totally issue driven, leaving personalities out of it. It has TRULY been a breath of fresh air in this political climate.”
As Bwanna then pointed out:
Bwana said on 20 Oct 2006 at 9:02 am:
AWC-
Dang, first you make this post and within hours the GOP HQ is attacked to prove you wrong!
…and he was absolutely correct!
Correction, I meant 15 anonymous postings.