No wonder Dean didn't react too much to the "document" from Tweety.

I was just reading about it at Red State, and thinking to myself hey why in the world are they upset because the DNC does research? I was scratching my head. The "document" is simply research done by the DNC, and they keep it handy....good for them.

But I will let this post at Kos express my feelings. Hunter is calling Tweety out on it. No wonder the Gov sort of smiled and said well I didn't do it but I'll take responsibility. There is nothing to it.

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2005/10/31/224929/21

"Well look what we have here. Tim Chapman at Townhall has the entire Democratic document that Chris Matthews called "disgusting", and which Republican liars from Drudge on down are using as the basis of their claim that Democrats attacked Alito for being Italian American. Yeah, the attack I talked about here.

Only one problem. Read the so-called "disgusting" memo. It doesn't say anything like that. Do a search. The word "Italian" isn't even in it. The whole so-called "outrage" has been a complete fabrication by Chris Matthews, by Matt Drudge, and by the perennially race-baiting right.

Oh, by all means, the memo talks about 'Scalito', a long-held nickname given to Alito by legal friend and foe alike to describe his far right, Scalia-like views.

And -- horror of horrors -- one point out of fifteen talks about a case where as a U.S. Attorney, Alito failed to win convictions of twenty mobsters after the longest criminal trial in U.S. history.
Doesn't say anything even remotely implying Alito had any connection to the mobsters except prosecuting them and apparently botching the case. Doesn't say anything at all about Alito being an Italian American. Doesn't imply jack-shit about it.

So Chris "Fair Game" Matthews, in addition to being the smarmy sack of pundit crap that we always knew he was, flatly made up the part about the Italian American slam in the memo. He lied. He put two-and-two together in his own head, and came up with Mobsters = Italian = Alito as his own slam, then sold it as a "disgusting" Democratic attack."

So Chris "Fair Game" Matthews, in addition to being the smarmy sack of pundit crap that we always knew he was, flatly made up the part about the Italian American slam in the memo. He lied. He put two-and-two together in his own head, and came up with Mobsters = Italian = Alito as his own slam, then sold it as a "disgusting" Democratic attack.

Let the bastard hear about it tomorrow. He fabricated the entire race-baiting slam in his own warped head. Ask him why he did it, because as an Italian American I'm interested in hearing that.

This is so sick, but it is so sad. We really have to not let this go by.

racism in what he put together, two plus two equaling five in this case.

Simply unbelievable.

Dean explained it very well.

Tweeter also wanted to pin Dean down on choice, and Dean explained it well: it's about keeping the gov. out peoples private lives.

He wanted Dean to say the Democratic Party was 'pro-choice'. The Democratic party is a big tent. We aren't single issue voters like a lot of these pukes.

Of course, Tweety won't even hear a word said about it.

Just as criminal behavior is now "everyday politics",
lying and inventing fake stories is just "everyday journalism.

Dean got attacked by a madman(shades of zell miller) on national tv and was Grace under Fire.

Dean did a great job on every show tonight. Kept his cool.

She asked him who signed the documents. He ripped through them furiously and said that they had NO NAME on them. He then proceeded to tell her that HE'D GIVE THEM A NAME. DEMOCRATS. Then she asked him where he got them. He said a NBC Executive gave them to him. Nice.

peace.

Sounds like ANOTHER Scandal brewing!

Rat Bastards.

peace.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x2203956

Peace.

http://www.democrats.org/a/national/honest_government/abuse_of_power/

They call them The Corruption Files. These are just the ones they have posted.

They would post these long smear documents: "Who is Wesley Clark", "Who is John Edwards" and post them right on the party web-site.

Where was Tweety then?

It is only bad if Democrats do it.

Tweety should be fired for his pandering to the GOP today and other times. He was outrageous tonight, and Dean kept his cool.

that it's perfectly acceptable with these ass-hats that someone be described as "French-looking" and then continually attacked for it?

I'm getting so tired of this nonsense crap like this. :eyes: It's so pathetic and lame.

We must stop this now.

Peace.

The reaction by Hatch, Tweety and others was totally over the top. On the other hand, what exactly was the point being made by including in the document a discussion of the Mafia case? Did he win every other prosecution he brought? If so, then what's the big deal about losing one? If he lost others, what's the big deal about this one.

I'm pretty sensitive to the use of code words, given the frequency with which the right smears the left with that tactic. Highlighting a case involving the mob out of all of Alito's prosecutorial work may not have been intended to suggest some sort of "Alito is soft on the mob - wink wink" reaction, but whoever wrote it should have been cognizant that it could in fact be read that way. I don't see what the point adds to the case against his confirmation. Its his rulings as a judge that make him unacceptable not his failure to secure a conviction in a particular case as a prosecutor years before he was appointed to be a judge.

Beating this guy requires a smart fight that minimizes the opportunity for the other side to evade the real issues. Just throwing stuff against the wall isn't smart. Every point, every argument needs to be well thought out to make sure that its the other side that remains on the defensive.

That being said, I think the Dems should simply ask Mario Cuomo to go on some of the shows and slam Hatch (and Tweety) for suggesting that Democrats are guilty of ethnic prejudice against Italian-Americans.

onenote

A code word is meaningless unless there is someone who is looking for it. The modern GOP is built on Nixon's southern strategy, so when the Right gets up and starts using racially charged code words in reference to minorities, it's fairly obvious what elements of their party they're attempting to appeal to. Therefore, assuming the reference to Alito's botched mob case is indeed intended to convey subtle racial connotations, then the question is, who is the message supposed to appeal to? Is there a sizable anti-Italian American faction in the Democratic party that I'm not familiar with? Do the Democrats have a history of discriminating against Italian Americans? If not, then purposely using racially charged code words serves no purpose.

That's what I don't get. And that's the problem. If we can't explain why this one case out of his career as a prosecutor is relevant (and more relevant than any other case) then we leave the door open to the other side to mischaracterize it however they choose.

Again - we need to be focused and to hit this guy hard on what matters and not just throw stuff against the wall.

onenote

As Hunter at Kos pointed out...what Tweety said was in there...ain't in there. It is just research.

I still don't know the purpose of pointing out that Alito lost a case against the mob. How does it reflect on his qualifications to be on the SCOTUS? I haven't seen any explanation. Its one 17 year old case for which there is no indication (at least not in the memo) of prosecutorial misconduct. What makes it so much more significant than any other case that Alito won, or lost, while he was a prosecutor?

Look, I want to beat this guy and I think we should filibuster him if it comes to that, nuclear option threat be damned.

But good advocacy requires that you focus your arguments. If our side can't explain the relevance of the "mob case" example, then we leave the door open for idiots like Tweety to ascribe to it any meaning that they can dream up. And it lets them change the subject away from our strong argument.

onenote

They did not say anything about it. It was listed with other research. Any interpretation was made by Tweety, not the DNC.

That's not just listing research. There must have been some point in listing this. I just don't know what it was. Again, we need to fight this guy with his record as a judge. If there are other things in his record worth bringing up, by all means, we should do so, but I don't get this one. One loss as a prosecutor doesn't define someone.

onenote

Where do you see this one being singled out more than others? I saw a whole list of things. I see it as Democrats keeping records and fighting back.

This is the only item from his tenure as a prosecutor. What makes this particular item, as opposed to any of the dozens of other cases that he won or lost, relevant to his qualifications to sit on the court. The court cases listed are all relevant because they show a dangerous mindset towards civil liberties, women's rights, etc. I don't know what this one case that he lost as a prosecutor tells us.

onenote

made that other shit UP.

Is KARMA causing the reeps to invent talking points that are RETARDED, illogical, and obviously disprovable (thanks to Al Gores' invention: The Internets!).

As my 3 year old daughter said, knowingly : "I shink so."

I wondered why Dean just gave a little smile and did not call Matthews on it. Can't stand Tweety.



Peace

He'll get away with it till the Dems threaten to punch his fuckin clock.

http://www.crooksandliars.com/2005/10/31.html#a5644

They bring up the Kos diaries as well. The only thing I think I disagree with them on is when they say Chris sandbagged Nelson and Dean on it. I don't think he sandbagged Dean, I think Dean had heard from staff and was prepared. His segment is at the end, he was smiling and casual. He knew there was nothing to it at all.

Thanks for the info

He's on my email list.

this ridiculous attack tells us more about the Republican mindset than anything else. Someone should deck every one of them for that ridiculous crap.

Italians, Arabs, Greeks, etc. are all Caucasian, if from original descent. There are, of course, people of all colors who hail from those countries, but, you understand what I'm saying.

Stupid Reich-wingers. :eyes:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8004316/

Scroll down about 3/4 of the way, click on Dean plays Hardball. He was smiling. It also shows his statements about pro-life and pro-choice.