Molly Ivins: Remember When?

Living proof that the Democrats haven't gotten any smarter since the last time they ran a candidate for president: Much huffing (and a huffy Democrat is a terrifying sight) over the fact that George W. Bush used images of 9-11 and of the firefighters at Ground Zero to tout his candidacy in his first campaign ad. How crass , said the D's. Exploiting a national tragedy for political purposes -- oh, how tacky.

Dammit, the problem is not that the ad is in bad taste, the problem is that Bush screwed the firefighters in a famous case of his favorite bait-and-switch tactic, and now he has the chutzpah to exploit them anyway -- and that, my friends, is gall. Bait, switch and then claim credit anyway.

For those of you who have forgotten what happened (apparently including the entire Bush campaign) shortly after the 9-11 attacks, President Bush promised a $3.5 billion aid package to provide equipment and training in dealing with such attacks to local police and fire departments. For over 18 months, no money appeared, and when money finally did appear, it was nowhere near the promised levels (hey, he had to cut those taxes for the richest 1 percent of Americans).

Furthermore, the New York City firefighters who worked Ground Zero were specifically screwed. They were promised $90 million to monitor the long-term health effects of breathing in all that ash for months while they cleaned up. The money was to have been included in the overall post 9-11 aid package for New York City, but it got shifted to another bill that Bush rejected the following August. About half the workers screened before the money ran out suffered from respiratory problems.

more...

http://www.workingforchange.com/article.cfm?itemid=16563

to say this on all the cable scream-fests......

How the hell do we get her on those shows?

and refuses to getting into talking head shouting matches, so they rarely invite her back. She certainly has a way with words.

... nonsense in the bud RIGHT AWAY! And the best and most obvious way to do it is this way...

"You want to talk 'flip-flops'? Let's talk about Bush's record..."

Against nation-building, then for it.
Against a 9-11 commission, then for it.
Against an Iraq WMD Intelligence investigation, then for it.
Against a Dept. of Homeland Security, then for it.
For bringing a U.N. resolution authorizing use of force, then against it (swearing he would do so, even if it failed, to force other nations to "lay their cards on the table").
For including CO2 in environmental legislation, then against it.
Favoring states' rights in determining if gay marriage is legal, then backing a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage.
Against burying nuclear waste in Nevada, then for it.
Says he'll balance the budget, then runs the biggest deficits in history.
Says "The most important thing is for us to find Osama bin Laden.", then says "I don't know where he is. I have no idea and I really don't care."
Says the U.S. won't negotiate with North Korea, then negotiates with North Korea.
First he's for free trade; then he's for tariffs on steel; then he's against them again.

Etc.
Etc.
Etc............

A "debate" of Bush vs. Bush. Use clips from his debates with Al Gore saying one thing, then show debate clips from the 2004 campaign saying the exact opposite.

"For those of you who have forgotten what happened (apparently including the entire Bush campaign)....."

The trick to lying is to remember your lies; the problem with lying endlessly is that you can't.

Now, we everyday, average, normal-type people shouldn't be expected to keep track of and cry foul at every Bush Administration bait-and-switch scam. That's what a free press, our courageous elected officials, and various oversight committees should be doing.

In lieu of that, however, I suggest that we all keep a laminated copy of Ms. Ivin's column and BrotherJohn's list in our jacket pocket -- the way Newt Gingrich kept his laminated copy of the Contract With America in his jacket pocket. Then whip it out at will....

I'm sure there are some NYPD and NYFD members who would like to protest. I don't know if under their contracts they are allowed to or not. Also, I imagine the NYPD will be pulling extra shifts during the Republican Convention. Interesting. I'm going to have to follow up on this.

Why is plain horse sense so universally ignored?

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

That has been a hallmark from his Texas days so it is easy for Ivins to spot. Just as constant however seems the evidence that too many Dems have not gotten the point yet, much less headed off these predictable outrages at the pass.

The above points have been mentioned of course, but more importantly is defining the initial sound byte which alone gets repeated as the ultimate tag. Too much is left out just as in Florida 2000 outrageous fraud for the losing candidate became labeled as a process debacle, an embarrassing mess that means we should have shinier voting machines.

Our response team has to keep the jagged edge on the bannerline otherwise the story will never bleed the truth. The media will be of little assistance if you turn the other side of the blade.