The American Spectator

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br> Re: Enemy Central's Smell the Applause : /p>

She is more Hillary than perhaps you know, only more personable. Think Hillary ruthlessness with Bill slicktitude.

Strangest thing: During the primary I kept seeing this "negative attack ad," ripping Democratic gubernatorial candidates Bonior and Blanchard. Bonior was ripped for not protecting seniors' pensions while getting a special congressional pension, and Blanchard was ripped for raising taxes.

THE AD WAS UNSIGNED. No candidate or committee took credit for the ad. I thought that was illegal. It's certainly contemptible; there's nothing wrong with ripping the other candidate, as long as you stand up and take credit for the criticism; that's what elections are all about.

I was baffled; if this was a preemptive strike by Republican candidate Dick Posthumus, then why didn't the ad attack Granholm too? And if it was an attack by Granholm on other Democrats, then why was she bashing our last Democratic governor for raising taxes? I thought raising taxes for "investing in the American people" was good Democratic policy.

Turns out they were Granholm ads, as they later started appearing with a microscopic picture of Granholm. Perhaps she was forced to start signing her attack ads.

One thing is for sure: had a Republican run that unsigned attack ad on Granholm, our news media would have hammered him into the ground everyday from now to the election. But not one peep about Granholm; none of the usual fretting about "negative attack ads" paid for by "special interests".

Like Slick Willie, she's perfectly willing to say any two flatly contradictory things together, knowing our state news media will never bother challenging folly with facts unless the candidate is a Republican. For example she vaguely promised a vast new after-school program (i.e. cleverly disguised government-paid childcare for all families) and smaller class sizes, programs that will absolutely require vast increases in taxes, yet she's bashing Jim Blanchard for raising taxes as governor. She's developed her own riff on the "new tone" business to try to sell conservative West Michigan on the idea that she's a Democrat we can do business with; yet her "new tone" involves an unprecedented series of anonymous attack ads.

What really frightens me is the pure stupid insanity of the Democratic primary electorate. This state is absolutely dominated by government employees, first and foremost the teachers' unions. Yet here is their favorite candidate, ripping on Blanchard for tax increases! And they applaud!! Are they completely insane or mind-bogglingly stupid?! If you want vast increases in government programs and spending, fine, step up like a man and spell out for people whose taxes are going up by how much and why it's all worth it. Are these people complete children?

p>Given her obvious lack of character or integrity or honesty, her skill at peddling factual contradictions and mesmerizing the press, her pandering to the infantile contradictory wishes of the self-deluded government class, I predict Jennifer Granholm will go very far in the Democratic Party and national politics. br> -- Eric Richter

topics:
Taxes, John McCain, Television, Business, Sports, NATO, Unions