Saturday, June 11, 2005


Frum shows Dean a mirror

David Frum, writing on National Review Online had an interesting observation on Howard Dean's serial slanders against Republicans:

And is the insinuation here that there's something wrong with being white or Christian? That whites and Christians are a rather unattractive and robotically single-minded bunch? (If true, by the way, that would sure have spared Europe a lot of wars over the past 2500+ years ...) Isn't that an unwise thing to say for a Dem chairman who has promised to reach out to red state America?

I'm trying to think of what would be a Republican equivalent of a remark as omindirectionally bone-headed as Dean's. Here's my invention: It is the equivalent of a Republican party chairman sneering at the Dems, "Look at these people! It looks as if none of them ever cashed a dividend check in their lives! Why they have no stake in the country at all....."

Frum is right; can you imagine the outraged howls if Ken Mehlman ever said anything like that? Of course, the usual left-wing suspects are sniveling that the protests from conservatives are just another example of the "right-wing noise machine", that Republicans have no reason to be upset. Breaking out the mirror sometimes exposes the insanity of the arguments being presented by a party, in this case the Democrats.

posted at 08:12 PM | permalink | Comments (2)


And is the insinuation here that there's something wrong with being white or Christian? That whites and Christians are a rather unattractive and robotically single-minded bunch?
Strawman. Dean insinuated nothing of the sort. He noted that he himself was white and Christian, so I don't think his intention was to rip on himself.
The problem isn't the white/Christian aspect of it; the problem is that the GOP is overwhelmingly homogenous, and they intend to keep it that way, in spite of what they might say to the contrary. And what's aggravating is they then have the temerity to claim that they are a big-tent, inclusive party. I call BS.

posted by Kinbote on June 12, 2005 06:57 AM



No, he did imply such a thing (of course, since he is an "enlightened" liberal, he is exempt from such criticism). Just as lefties accuse Republicans of using "code words", the left uses uses jargon to paint the entire GOP flock as bible-thumping fundies. That in and of itself is an offensive characterization, but is also false and misleading. Bush's minority outreach is something that is pretty bold in scope, and (rather than pandering and misrepresentation of the other side), it is an example of trying to find common ground with blacks and Hispanics. The Democrats are terrified that two of their core constituencies might be persuaded to switch to the GOP, and are responding with vicious rhetoric instead of substantive proposals.

posted by timekeeper on June 13, 2005 08:56 AM






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