Timmy, this fine mild man bursting with southern honeysuckle and chapel-bell reason, a nice new "I pray a lot too" Democrat, has been elevated. He's received the golden tap. He's the donkey-designated counter-puncher to our august sleepwalker-in-chief, after the boy mummy reads his, or rather somebody else's, "state of the union" speech.
What a digital dust-up this has triggered. Take for just one the progoshere's Arianna Huffington. She's raging like Mrs Macbeth before the dirty deed: Why why why, oh you dunderish doltniks -- I'm paraphrasing a little here -- why this guy? Why another rock-candy DLC huckster? Is this the best pinup you jackasses have got? Another tootsie-roll Dixie-lite smile puppy, another far-from-the-beltway, potlatch-proofed, green-acres goobner from the sovereign state of bogosity. Thats what you vontzes are putting center stage? I'm told the shocked and galled Arianna has been flapping and grinding her jaws so hard over this, she may have to move forward her next chin lift.
The Washington Post says, in a more general context, and more decorous language, this latest snafuzzy is giving the party bigwigs
"an early glimpse of an intraparty rift.... fiery liberals raising their voices on Web sites and in interest groups [denouncing] another flaccid Democratic response.".... Another in a line stretching back at least to the muffed Murtha moment and running at full steam right up to yesterday's Alito flubaduster. Now Bush will be standing up there reading his lines, a target as big as a barn door, and this sugar-coated termite Kaine is the party's chosen "Sunday school slugger."
The Post item goes on to say it's not just the proglo-bloglodytes out there howling in the electronic wilderness, but the entire off-to-the-left base may be erupting because "party leaders [are] gutless sellouts."
Gotta hand it to the Post. Unlike the NY Times, they do sometimes fail to miss the story.
By the way, this Kaine strode to the Virginia governor's mansion over some mighty hallowed old oaken planks: "faith, values and fiscal discipline." What a "victory formula" that is, for the party of Jefferson and Jackson.
But Kaine is a man of principle, to hear him tell it. As the Post says,
The Virginia Democrat said he will not adjust his speech to placate the party's base."I'm not anybody's mouthpiece or shill or poster boy for that matter. I'm going to say what I think needs to be said ..."In other words, Kaine will pay no attention to the people he's supposed to be representing.
What does this heart-of-oak man of principle think about the Iraq war? Well... er... ahh... then again....
Kaine is not alone in his contempt for the base. Again, the Post:
"The bloggers and online donors represent an important resource for the party, but they are not representative of the majority you need to win elections," said Steve Elmendorf, a Democratic lobbyist who advised Kerry's 2004 presidential campaign. "The trick will be to harness their energy and their money without looking like you are a captive of the activist left."Well, if that doesn't say it all. "Harness their energy and money" -- and then fuck 'em. It would be difficult to come up with a clearer statement of the party's relationship to its leftish base.
This Elmendorf, by the way, was a key player in that petrified waltz to nowhere put on by the Kerrymen back in '04. You'd think he'd be ashamed to show his face, but no, here is is bigfooting it around DC like he's some fearsome hard-nosed badass, telling the base to lie back and enjoy it -- again.
Chutzpah will take you quite a long way in life, even if you're a born fool.
Comments (3)
Love that phrase "fiery liberal" -- belongs in the George Carlin list of oxymorons, with "jumbo shrimp" and "military intelligence."
Posted by Michael J. Smith | January 29, 2006 2:03 PM
Posted on January 29, 2006 14:03
I did a bit of looking up of Steve Elmendorf, with his [url=http://www.bryancavestrategies.com/contents/biographies/elmendorf.asp]promotional webpage[/url] having quite a few howlers to it:
"Elmendorf managed the floor for House Democrats and designed the Democratic Caucus’s strategic response to crises including the impeachment of a sitting president and terrorist attacks on the United States. Elmendorf was also deeply involved in every major legislative initiative considered during his tenure including the Clinton 1993 economic program, the Clinton effort to reform health care in 1994, NAFTA, the 1997 Balanced Budget Act, McCain-Feingold campaign finance reform and the Iraq war resolution..."
A bit later on...
"After serving as chief of staff and senior advisor for Gephardt’s 2004 Democratic presidential campaign, Elmendorf served as deputy campaign manager for Sen. John Kerry’s 2004 presidential bid. In that capacity, Elmendorf served as the primary campaign liaison to U. S. senators, members of Congress, governors and mayors. He also supervised the field operations in twenty one battleground states and was a senior member of the strategic team involved in overall campaign planning. Elmendorf was a key player in the campaign’s outreach to constituency groups and organized labor..."
Where does the Democratic Party keep dredging up people like him (ie Bob Shrum Jr.) who are apparently paid outrageous amounts of money in order to lose time after time?
Actually my previous statement might be inaccurate: he seems to be capable of winning something when it helps the wealthy at the expense of everyone else. It's only our interests that inspire him to drive every campaign he's ever been involved in off a cliff.
Posted by DoubleHelix | January 30, 2006 2:20 AM
Posted on January 30, 2006 02:20
double hx :
delightful !!!!!
u embarass me with
the power of your dirty facts
while
here i stand
naked
but for my nasty opinions
js paine
Posted by jsp | January 30, 2006 2:53 PM
Posted on January 30, 2006 14:53