"Confederacy of Dunces"

[Padraig18]

Confederacy of Dunces

Credit Howard Dean for running a shrewd campaign, but one reason he's leading the Democratic Presidential sweepstakes is because his opponents don't seem to understand his appeal. Look no further than this weekend's flap over Dr. Dean's alleged embrace of the Confederate flag.

The former Vermont Governor was quoted in Saturday's Des Moines Register as saying that "I still want to be the candidate for guys with Confederate flags on their pickup trucks" and appeal to "a broad cross-section of Democrats." His rivals immediately jumped on the remark as a sign that Dr. Dean was somehow soft on civil rights. "It is simply unconscionable for Howard Dean to embrace the most racially divisive symbol in America," said John Kerry.

Democrats usually smear Republicans with this kind of race-baiting politics, but it isn't any more justified when Democrats use it against on of their own. Dr. Dean is hardly sympathetic to the Confederacy, or Jim Crow, or apartheid or any other kind of racial discrimination. He was merely saying he'd like to win the support of Southerners who over the years have fled the Democratic Party represented by the Kerrys and the Dick Gephardts.

One reason those and so may other voters have left is precisely because of the kind of litmus-test, interest-group 'gotcha!' politics that this racial pandering represents. Yet Dr. Dean's opponents continue to attack him for violating liberal taboos on guns, Medicare, trade and now civil rights. No wonder Democratic voters find him refreshing.

<snip>

Political correctness, which we abhor when practiced in the Republican media spin-cycle, is alive and well among the Olde Democrats in our own primary. To avoid universal scorn, candidates must sanitize their speeches, eliminating any reference to prohibited terminology, and replace it with focus-grouped, poll-tested pablum.


http://www.opinionjournal.com/editorial/subscribers.html (requires registration)

[Rowdyboy]

1. Trying to change that damn flag just cost me

the second best governor of my lifetime. It's a political lightning rod with rural voters and anyone touching it is incinerated. South Carolina Governor David Beasley, Georgia Governor Roy Barnes, and now Mississippi Governor Ronnie Musgrove all had their careers ended for trying to appease people by changing this piece of crap rag.

I hope it was worth the loss. I'll be paying for the next 8 years.

[a_lil_wall_fly]

2. Bravo Rowdyboy

Give Deanites reference points of politicals that have used the Rebel flag and it has backfired on them.

:nopity: for those that have alot of the public's hard earned money and that can not hire good researching and PR.

[lastliberalintexas]

3. Umm, no

That wasn't the point of Rowdyboy's post. If you knew anything about Southern politics, you'd understand what he meant. Barnes, Musgrove, et. al. have lost (at least in part) for taking strong stands AGAINST people flying the confederate flag.


As someone else so succinctly put it, love the sinner, hate the sin. Going after these peoples' votes does not mean you agree with their stand on the flag.

[Padraig18]

4. Thank you!

Some refuse to acknowledge that point. :thumbsup: