Rightwingers Set to Mock Themselves

A valuable bequest from the Clinton administration is the revealing to a wide political audience of the American rightwing as hateful whack jobs.

Decent, hard-working people no doubt, but whack jobs nonetheless who pursued the Clintons relentlessly and shamelessly, casting every aspersion imaginable upon a cautious administration.

As a result of the Clintons' devastating rebuttal of the rightwing attacks [at the height of the impeachment, Bill Clinton's approval numbers rose to 69 percent], George W. Bush was forced to run as an anti-rightwing, centrist Republican, proclaiming non-divisive moderation in the 2000 election.

Progressive groups like Move On flowered as the attacks on Clinton became utterly untenable and the American people soured on the politics of the right.

Yet, there is every indication to believe that the rightwing is ready to launch another war on Obama led by many of the same characters.

Arguably, the war has already been declared in light of the vicious attacks that Obama has already repelled, and faces in the more doctrinaire Republican Party remaining in Congress.

But the vast majority of the American people have seen enough of negativity and hate as the results of the last two national elections clearly show.

During the 2008 presidential debates even an intellectual disagreement with McCain voiced and generalized by Obama as reflecting badly on McCain would result in focus groups effectively booing the statement because it came across as bordering on the mean-spirited side of the spectrum.

'Tell what you're for; not what the other guy is,' is the effective sentiment.

The GOP Southern Strategy is on its death bed though no complete victory is ever achieved. As the Clarance Darrow-inspired character in Inherit the Wind reminds us, "...fanaticism and ignorance (are) forever busy, and (need) feeding."

The attacks will still come, the vote suppression will continue [right here in Wisconsin as J.B. Van Hollen fights to cover his political behind in his losing quest], but in today's political culture here's a bet that those rightwingers still launching their hate-tipped cultural missiles will be perceived by the American people as merely making fun of themselves.

And that goes double for Milwaukee police detective Michael Sandvick; you blow-hard whack!

- via mal contends

No Rick Lazio Moment for Hillary

Update: Well, shi*, the broadcast media's over-the-top jumping on Hillary for being a human being today is making a liar out of me (see post below). See Pundit Nation's "I think this is ridiculous." "Admit it. She's right." So much for my thesis, the media is the foil, but will it be enough of one?

The problem Hillary Clinton faces in this campaign is that she has no clear political foil in the Democratic primary. No crazed, impeach-Clinton haters, no misogynists, no Rick Lazio.

In Sidney Blumenthal’s The Clinton Wars (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2003), Blumenthal chronicles the rightwing Clinton haters’ defeat after defeat.

Among the most satisfying passages from the book is that of Hillary Clinton’s knock-out punch of Long Island Congressman Rick Lazio, a Mitt Romney-esque, say-anything-to-win opponent for the 2000 New York Senate election.

Writes Blumenthal (pp 695-697): “On September 13, the candidates (Clinton and Lazio) met in a debate moderated by the host of NBC’s Meet the Press, Tim Russert. … Russert played a tape from January 27, 1998, in which Hillary said that she believed her husband when he told he hadn’t had an ‘adulterous liaison,’ as her interviewer put it.”

“’Regrettably, it was proven true. Do you regret misleading the American people?’ asked Russert.”

In the same debate Lazio dramatically invaded Clinton’s physical space, and attempted unsuccessfully to bully her: “(Lazio) whipped out a piece of paper from his suit jacket, held out a pen in his other hand, and marched over to her.”

Blumenthal went on to describe how a too-demanding-in-tone and disrespectful Lazio literally pounded his podium, took repeated inaccurate, hypocritical shots at Clinton, while she maintained her cool and counterpunched Lazio with an agreeable, well-reasoned, short rejoinder.

That debate sealed the deal for the voters of New York and they elected Clinton 55 to 43 percent weeks later.

Writes Blumenthal: “According to a poll conducted by The New York Times and CBS News, Lazio’s lead of 43-36 among suburban women in June had become a Clinton lead of 54-38 (after the debate). Russert’s embarrassing question, Lazio’s invasion, and Hillary’s composure were decisive. Actually seeing her fend off overbearing men made these women identify with her.”

But for Hillary Clinton today, she is a political giant (though not overbearing herself) seemingly aiming shots at underdogs fighting against the odds. That is a political narrative that will not work for Hillary Clinton or anyone else.

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