Our Honor the Governor of Maryland (My State) gave a speech yesterday which has me laughing (sort of) this morning. Why? Because Hizzoner is one of the arch practitioners of assassin politics in the State. If he wasn't he wouldn't have done such a nice and well cut job in cutting up Kathleen Kennedy when he ran against him for Governor. It's funny watching Republicans like him -- I'm sort of half a Republican myself because I have a long memory for such things -- After nearly 20 years of assassin politics - decrying it.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A42541-2005Jan27.html
Unfortunately he's right. Though he is utterly hypocritical in uttering his criticisms.
He says:
"As a member, I stood against this type of behavior," said Ehrlich, who served two terms in the state legislature and four in Congress. "It's damaging. It's degrading to us."
Sure he was -- while practicing it.
Anyway, other people with long memories were shaking their heads in wonder at this speach and it's brazen "newspeak:"
"Democrats sat quietly through much of the speech. Sen. Roy P. Dyson (D-St. Mary's) said the member seated next to him jabbed his arm repeatedly during the address and whispered, 'That's not true. That's not true.'"
Of course it's not true, it's master demagoguery style politics and decent politicians have no chance against it unless they have support from the Press and the Prosecutors offices. Bush practices the same politics. His father tried to but the shame was too visible on his face for it to be effective. Nixon was a shameless practitioner of this and that makes Nixon and his cronies the models for the rest. Watergate's Ghost lives on.
But the worst thing is that some Democrats are falling into practicing a variant of this same politics. At the same time I read this report I was reading a e-letter from the DNC chairman characterizing Republican efforts at aimed at destroying Social Security. That may be their effect, but that is not their aim -- and more importantly -- no one buys it. This marks the effort as not only dishonest but amateurish and thus doomed to be counter-productive. As long as this is the kind of "assassin" language used by these folks they will be helpless against the professionals. These guys come and go from PR firms. They know what they are doing. Unfortunately.
Chris
Posted by cholte at January 28, 2005 06:35 AM