Mudslinging in America

Campaign note - Sarah Palin's charge that Barack Obama is "palling around with terrorists" indicates that we are re-entering the mudslinging portion of the political contest - who knows/has associated with/met/served on boards with/been endorsed by/lived in the same neighborhood/took money from --- etc.--- the sleaziest people, the most anti-American, the crookedest, the slimiest, the most dishonest, etc., etc. FOX NEWS is gearing up, too, I bet. Faux News, Fox Noise, etc., etc.
Sean Hannity must be licking his chops!

I was talking with a political science faculty acquaintance about why the conservatives get more of a free pass when it comes to their associations with dishonest sleazy corrupt anti-democratic criminal right wing elements of our country. And why the revelations of those relationships don't get liberals much traction in the politics of the day.


And his answer was disarmingly simple: too many of the far left wing lunatics out there tend to hate America, while the right wing lunatics have American flags displayed everywhere, tatooed all over themselves, pasted on briefcases, bumpers, baby strollers, and everywhere else possible to paste an American flag, and invoke God and America and Patriotism at every opportunity. They may not agree with equal rights for all, or free and fair elections, or basic democratic principles, or inalienable rights, or a level playing field, may be racist, xenophobic, and stupid, but dammit, they are for "America." And get a free pass more or less.


So in the who knows more sleazy characters who corrupt American ideals and democracy, I'm giving the nod to John McCain because he's been around longer; but John McCain will get more cynical and destructive and effective political gain from his mudslinging during these next few weeks than Barack Obama can ever hope to.


Ideologic Republican partisan strategists in the Atwater/Rove tradition have a great deal of experience in tearing down opponents. And Barack Obama will give them plenty of opportunities with the Democratic tendency to forgive the far left for their anti-American nuttiness. Republicans are also tolerant of their own right wing nut balls, but for the above mentioned reasons don't suffer the same political consequences.


Republicans are therefore able to mudsling very effectively. Democrats just aren't very good at it.



Bud C