Will Democrats Repudiate MoveOn.org?
That’s the question that’s squarely being asked in the aftermath of MoveOn.org’s ad about Gen. ‘Betray Us’. Specifically, the NRSC is asking that Democrats return all campaign contributions from MoveOn.org:
Senate Republicans are calling on Democrats to return political contributions they received from MoveOn.org after the anti-war group took out an ad in the New York Times calling Gen. David Petraeus “General Betray Us.” Sen. John Ensign, chairman of the NRSC, attacked Democrats for not failing to condemn the ad.
“Democrat front group MoveOn.org is calling a unanimously confirmed United States General a liar and betrayer of the public trust,” the Nevada Republican said in a statement. “Apparently the prospect of campaign funds is enough of an incentive for Senate Democrats to stand idly by while a respected general is maligned before he has even presented his report to Congress.
He went on: “If Senate Democrats are serious about moving our country forward, they will denounce this outrageous ad and return the campaign funds MoveOn.org has lavished on them as well as the donations made through MoveOn.org, the choice is theirs.”
There isn’t a chance that Democrats will return the campaign cash and Sen. Ensign knows it. That’s what makes this move so brilliant. Democrats are now put in the position of ostensibly admitting that they won’t separate themselves from a radical fringe organization. Democrats are now caught in a lose-lose-lose situation. If they return the campaign contributions, their warchests will be considerably smaller. Secondly, they’ll risk alienating the Nutroots activists prior to next year’s elections. Thirdly, if they don’t get rid of MoveOn.org’s money, Republicans will tie every Democrat to this ad.
Democrats quickly responded by attempting to change the subject:
A Democratic aide responded: “There’s a reason Senate Republicans’ electoral prospects are rapidly fading and it’s not just because of a bathroom in Minneapolis or a whorehouse in New Orleans. Instead of playing politics with national security, they should join Senate Democrats who are working to end the war in Iraq and bring our troops home.”
That’s one of the lamest responses I’ve ever seen. Why should Republicans “join Senate Democrats who are working to” unilaterally declare defeat?
Here’s MoveOn.org’s ad:
The biggest bald-faced lie is in this sentence:
“Every independent report on the ground situation shows that the surge strategy has failed.”
That isn’t the conclusion that Ken Pollack and Michael O’Hanlon reached. That isn’t the opinion of Ralph Peters. Rep. Brian Baird and Rep. Keith Ellison certainly don’t think that it’s failed.
Here’s what Col. Peters told Bill O’Reilly:
MoveOn.org couldn’t care less about what’s actually happening in Iraq because they’re consumed with using the war to seize as much political power as possible in Washington, DC. They didn’t start their campaign against the war because they thought it had turned south. They started it because they’re pacifists who think that all war is wrong. Simply put, they’re despicable liars who’ll do anything to get their way.
Technorati Tags: MoveOn.org, Chuck Schumer, Campaign Contributions, DSCC, Netroots, Democrats, John Ensign, NRSC, David Petraeus, Military, Election 2008
Cross-posted at LetFreedomRingBlog
September 11th, 2007 at 1:52 am
Gen. Petraeus Goes Before Congress…
Gen. David Petraeus went before Congress on Monday to deliver his long-awaited assessment of Iraq, g…
September 11th, 2007 at 2:48 am
I notice the aide said nothing of Barney’s boy-toy’s whorehouse in D.C. (or wherever), but that’s another story (largely ignored by the MSM).
It is difficult to believe some of the outright traitorous garbage coming from the loonies, and they severely need to be called on it. I appreciated Hunter’s preemptive strike this morning, but it was almost an echo in a hollow chamber because the Republicans did little (in and outside of the “hearing”) to add to it and chastise the donkeys for their own betrayals.
September 11th, 2007 at 7:42 am
Again, Democrats making otrageous statements and Republicans, with few exceptions sit, on their ass and loose the day. And you think the Democrats are digging their grave. I think not.
September 11th, 2007 at 8:40 am
In most cases climbing into the “swamp” with the swamprats is a bad idea.
The media cares only about the rats.
Personally I have no problem shooting rats swimming in a swamp, but hey thats me :)
September 11th, 2007 at 9:52 am
While I don’t think this will be the straw that breaks the camels back, it will help set the stage for a Republican comeback. The other big help will be the Hsu (?) scandal. My greatest hope on that front is watching major Democratic party leaders being dragged off in cuffs.
September 11th, 2007 at 10:54 am
I can’t imagine Hillarious being dragged off in cuffs for the sins of Hsu, but it’s an interesting mental picture of her screaming behind bars that “You can’t do this to me! I’m HILLARY!”
BTW, in my first post it should have read “Barney’s boy-toy’s GAY whorehouse…”
September 11th, 2007 at 12:43 pm
It’s not the Democrats distortions that bother me, its credibility the press gives them and the gullibility of the public to buy into them unanswered by the closest thing to another party.
September 11th, 2007 at 1:10 pm
Let’s face it. If the donkeys were really honest they would rename their party The People’s Party of the People’s Republic.
It ain’t gonna happen, but it’s closer to the truth than calling themselves “democrats.”
September 11th, 2007 at 4:24 pm
Your correct Carlos, but I try to avoid using the same kind of cutesy “oh gee Im so clever” malaprops and that others use.
I used to consider myself a Dem. before the screwballs and flower children took over.
September 11th, 2007 at 4:36 pm
TA, at least the Communist Party U.S.A. is honest about their agenda (which just happens to be abysmally close to the screaming wing of the donkeys). Why isn’t the screaming wing repudiated by “centrists” like Hillarious and “the Breck Girl”? Because they are philosophically aligned with that radical ideology but can’t let the public in general know!
Liars and vipers!
September 11th, 2007 at 6:12 pm
Another case of republicans saying ‘do as I say, not as I do!’
Before you all cover yourselves in spit whilst salivating over MoveOn’s ad, consider:
• Where’s the call for republicans to disown Ari Fliescher’s group for making an ad buy of $15 MILLION dollars in support of the war? Oh yeah, its nowhere to be found because it fits with the skewed world-view held by the right wingnuts.
• Ties that bind come in all colors. Just ask the cop in Minneapolis who caught Sen. Craig, or perhaps the investigators who uncovered Rep. Foley’s “indescretions” or maybe even Sen. Vitter’s hooker/girlfriend.
• Changing the subject? Who’s kidding who… Gen. Petraeus was there to give testimony on the progress of the surge, not to focus on an advertisement calling for the general to be honest and forthright with the American people (rather than as he sadly did, toe the Bush cabal’s line).
• Joining Democrats in calling for defeat? Hardly. We’ve lost this war, given bin Laden his greatest recruiting tool imaginable, sewed the seeds of terror and violence for generations to come (or how else do you think a 5-year-old is going to act having watched American soldiers kill his entire family?), and taken our eyes off the mastermind behind 9/11, allowing him to regroup, rebuild, and plan anew for more spectacular attacks.
Did any of you bother to use the google for the origins of the “betray us” name? Here’s an example from 2005, and not just any example, but a right wing nut site:
The only bold-faced lie in Washington is that the surge is working. From the fuzzy math used to measure violence in Iraq (car bombs don’t count? Since when? Shia-on-shia and sunni-on-sunni attacks aren’t included, either, but simply not counting things you don’t like is nothing new to this
administrationcabal), to the overwhelming sentiment from Iraqis in Baghdad that the surge has made security worse, to the GAO’s report that the “average number of daily attacks against civilians have remained unchanged from February to July,” and finally, to our troops, who have endured their bloodiest summer yet with more killed every month this year compared to the same month last year, this is a failed policy from a failed presnit who is merely kicking the can down the road for the next president to clean up. Both shameful and disgusting, but what do you expect from a draft-dodger and 5-deferment Dick?Prior to his
reportreporttestimony, 53% of the American people believed that Gen. Petraeus would not give an honest assessment of the conditions on the ground, proving once again that crowds have wisdom that eludes the individual, and in this case, the decreasing (daily) number of republicans who support the war. MoveOn simply hoped that they could goad Petraeus into speaking some truths — truths that would surely sway even more of the public, especially those few republicans who have deluded themselves into thinking this war is still winnable, let alone that we should even be there.Sadly, he did not. And more Americans will die as a result.
September 11th, 2007 at 8:41 pm
Good Lord, Rocky, what planet do you live on? Fliescher’s ad was in support of the war. Moveon’s ad was a direct, scurrilous impugning of a man’s testimony before he uttered a word.
As far as the scandals you bring up, why not list some in order of importance: 1) Cunningham 2) Barney Frank’s boy-toy’s gay whorehouse out of their apartment 3) $90,000 in cold cash in Louisiana 4) a former “kleegle (or whatever it was) for the Klan being “the conscience of the Senate”
That list seems to me to be of at least as much importance (and irrelevance) as yours, but at least I’m honest enough to say it’s irrelevant (except for maybe Byrd).
And I can quote from other polls that show 53% or more of the population thought Petraeus would give a truthful assessment.
Remember the three lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics. That from a donkey presnit (as you so woefully call the President.)
September 21st, 2007 at 10:34 pm
Moveon.org…
America’s COMMUNIST insurgency.
As a soldier who served with General Petraeus some years ago, I am disgusted. I am a Democrat who voted for George Bush twice and would do it again before I would even consider voting for the socialists who have hijacked a once great political party (Clinton(s), Gore, Kerry, Obama, Biden, Edwards (Mr. Hairdo), Kucinich (what a joke)…
please send me hatemail…
September 23rd, 2007 at 5:53 pm
Friday Flotsam (Saturday morning edition)…
They would have to be completely delusional or believe that Americans are stupid to think that attacking this Advertisement drove any support for continuing this war. In fact, the additional focus on the ad fueled by the Republican’s cynical outrage, …