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Throw the Book at Him
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The Current Crisis
CNN Plays Dirty Too
Joining in the fun of “the dirtiest presidential campaign in history.”
WASHINGTON — I first heard it two, perhaps two and a half years ago. A sage sitting in his New York City office pronounced it. Said the sage to me: “This is going to be the dirtiest presidential campaign in history.” I would pass on my prescient friend’s name, but he is a gentleman of high profile. It would be best if he were to continue his life unmolested by the Living Saint in the White House, whom a benighted majority of Americanos deposited there in 2009.
Now, roughly six months from Election Day, I fear my friend was right. Financial donors to Mitt Romney have suffered unflattering attention from the press, from boycotters, from labor thugs and stink bomb throwers. It is only a matter of time before the government begins harassing them with its vast array of federal agencies. Mitt Romney himself has suffered from the media and from assorted psychopaths. Yet, in time what goes around comes around, as the phrase has it. President Barack Obama will get similar treatment, though not from the government. He controls the government, and thus far only a sole Marine has objected to him. He is Sgt. Gary Stein. Needless to say, he got the old heave ho.
I say I fear my friend was right in his gloomy prediction of a very dirty campaign, but here I am telling a little white lie. Truth be known, I relish the contumely, the dirty tricks, the ginned-up controversy of it all. I smack my lips and clap my hands. Bring it on! Let us see the full spectacle of idealists and progressives revealing their true selves, their lust for power, their libido for slander. Let us see their naked souls. Bring on the dirty stuff! Frankly, I am never happier than when I see a refined Liberal acting illiberally, even criminally.
Already we have seen the venerable Washington Post rummaging through Romney’s past. Almost fifty years ago he was a bully and anti-gay, committing other horrors I dare not repeat in this, a civilized forum of opinion. Well, maybe Romney was innocent. Maybe it was Adolf Hitler’s high school days that the illustrious Post researched or Benito Mussolini’s or Stalin’s. It does not much matter. The Post gets things wrong. Romney’s alleged victim is dead. His family claims the Post mischaracterized the unfortunate man who is now deceased. And there are journalistic problems with the Post’s reports on all the other alleged witnesses. But who cares? It was a good story. Next will come accounts of even greater misbehavior by the otherwise suave and decorous Republican candidate. He picks his nose in public. He has halitosis. He walked out on a bill in 1963 and never tried to pay it back.
President Obama’s day will come. He was born in a foreign country, possibly a Communists country. He is a Muslim, possibly a Muslim cleric. He never washes his hands after using a public comfort station. Occasionally he does not even avail himself of a public facility. Some sleuth will produce pictures! John F. Harris, in his presidential biography of Bill Clinton, between pages 224 and 225 produced a picture of the Boy President and Al Gore participating in statecraft in a public restroom. It was a presidential first. So we already have some pretty coarse pictures of Democrats in action, and Harris was a friendly biographer. Now let the Obama haters have their say.
Actually, I may have contributed to the impending outbreak of vitriol and mayhem in the coming presidential campaign by referring in my current book, The Death of Liberalism (Thomas Nelson, Inc.), to the most spendthrift president ever as “the stealth socialist.” I was joking, of course, exaggerating the particulars of Obamacare, which nationalizes one sixth of the American economy, satirizing Obama’s attempt to buy up heretofore private corporations, and with taxpayers’ money place bets on Solyndra and other of Obama’s green friends. He also has attempted to extend federal control over the banks and other financial institutions with the likes of Dodd-Frank. I think the case can be made for Obama’s stealth socialism, no? How about calling it Corporatism?
Alas, apparently out there in the Kultursmog this goes too far. I can speak facetiously about Obama the stealth socialist on Fox News, talk radio, and C-SPAN, but not on ABC, CBS, NBC, and CNN. In fact, on CNN I have been disinvited from a show. The claim was that calling Obama “the stealth socialist” was rude. Yet what about the charges against Romney? They have all been made on the above networks, and poor Romney has to go through the laborious procedure of saying he cannot recall incidents from 50 years ago. Anyway, if he was a rowdy high school jerk, he is now sorry. That is the double standard that will obtain in this election.
It is all going to be a spectacle to watch. Yet in the end I have predicted in The Death of Liberalism that Romney will win. The conservatives and independents outnumber the Liberals by a staggering majority, and they are alarmed by the deficits that have been rung up by the… ah — try this, the prestidigitator of a mixed economy in the White House. How is that my friends in mainstream media, or is prestidigitator still too rude?
About the Author
R. Emmett Tyrrell, Jr. is the founder and editor in chief of The American Spectator. He is the author of The Death of Liberalism, published by Thomas Nelson Inc. His previous books include the New York Times bestseller Boy Clinton: the Political Biography; The Impeachment of William Jefferson Clinton; The Liberal Crack-Up; The Conservative Crack-Up; Public Nuisances; The Future that Doesn’t Work: Social Democracy’s Failure in Britain; Madame Hillary: The Dark Road to the White House; The Clinton Crack-Up; and After the Hangover: The Conservatives’ Road to Recovery.
Letter to the Editor View all comments (33) | Leave a comment
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Darin| 5.17.12 @ 6:36AM
Watching the mudslinging, is it any wonder the majority of Americans prefer to stay uninformed about politicians, thus leading them to vote for a completely unqualified, arrogant, man-child in 2008? Then again, perhaps that was the strategy all along. Make the process so ugly that decent people prefer to stay out of it, thus never learning how truly horrid many of these people really are.
Jack in Wi.| 5.17.12 @ 6:59AM
Well: If we conservatives had an articulate, principled, and knowledgeable candidate it would be a lot better. But this campaign will be fought the Chicago way, down and dirty. I think the usual suspects of both parties will sling a lot of personal mud. Heaven forbid that we have a reasoned and thoughtful discussion on the issues.
LiveFreeOrDie| 5.17.12 @ 11:35AM
If the best they've found so far is drummed up accusations of bullying in high school, I'd say that's an indication of a principled candidate. Not to mention a good sign.
Joev2v| 5.17.12 @ 5:35PM
to say it will be a " Dirty" election campaign is to say we the people don't contribute. We are always out for the truth and yet usually find it out way past the election. Millions upon millions of our voters put a non-American into the White House because to question it in 2008 would've made us " RACISTS " Not going to work this time. We have had ample time to find out who Obama really is. He is a man who was born in Kenya and went to school there and Hawaii. ( Hence the Hawaiian fake Birth certificate ) His whole recolection of his past is a lie and is being put to question, Why and how is this narcissistic pathological liar into the White House. If we can survive this then the Constitution is and always will be the most important document in history. Not just of the USA gut the world. The Bill of Rights falls right in step with it. Whem Obama questioned the authority of the U.S. Supreme Court I think alot of Americans woke up. I really really hope so !!
Moe Blotz| 5.17.12 @ 9:02PM
For close to 240 years the elections in the USA have been full of mudslinging and innuendo. Why should 2012 be any different?
Tweety| 5.18.12 @ 7:15AM
There are no issues to discuss. Do you want a second Obama term or the continurd existence of the United States? That is all.
Chalkdust| 5.17.12 @ 7:21AM
Decent people should be horrified by this clown of a so-called president and I think they are. If anybody who thinks "mudslinging" turns people off and keeps them away from the ballot box, they don't know crap about the American people.
People line up for blocks to see the creepiest movies,traffic accidents, car races, Bruce Springsteen, it's the having to hold a thought in their heads that keeps them away from the ballott box.
Von Mises Jr| 5.17.12 @ 7:18AM
Socialist must change the subject since they cannot tell you their real plans. Here is what the socialist have in mind for America in the lame duck session or in Obama's second term:
http://www.trevorloudon.com/20.....:+NewZeal+(New+Zeal+Blog)
http://www.heritage.org/resear.....of-the-sea
Since they cannot talk about their Agenda21 plans to return us to serfdom, they must make us hate the bourgeoisie as a diversion.
Shamus| 5.17.12 @ 7:29AM
Rather than a socialist, I would say Obama is a crony capitalist (a crapitalist in short).
W| 5.17.12 @ 7:54AM
Let's say he is a Chicago crook. He enriched himself with the two memoirs written by Ayers, got money from Rezko for his house, got his wife a $300,000 no work job at a hospital that he arranged a federal grant--and now the job is filled by his buddy Whittaker that offered the $150,000 hush money to Rev Wright, and takes lavish vacations on our dime.
He is like the Commie Russian and Chinese commissars with expensive homes, cars, and lifestyle while pretending to care for the masses.
Von Mises Jr| 5.17.12 @ 11:50AM
"Crony Capitalist" is doublespeak for fascist. It is the "Third Way." It is when government controls the means of production instead of admitting to owning it. Can you say: "GE?" How bout "GM?" Are you listining Perp/Brooksie/DRed/Twitvin (there all the same person logging in and out from mommies basement). Can you say "Berkshire?" How bout "Sunpower or First Solar?"
Marvin E. Fox | 5.17.12 @ 6:46PM
You mentioned "Crony Capitalist" in your Blog. I was told something right after WWII that fits; and it, in some way, may be expressing the eventual objective of crony capitalism.
"It isn't those who own money who have power; it is those who control money who have power."
I was an impoverished schoolboy when I heard that, and I didn't know what it meant. Over the years I have come to a very good understanding of that sentence. You do good work Von Mises Jr. Keep it up.
Marvin E. Fox
Al Adab| 5.18.12 @ 3:44PM
Correct on the definition Jr.
Chalkdust| 5.17.12 @ 8:24PM
Oh don't you believe it. In order to be even a small c capitalist, one would have to believe, individuals working to feather their own nest is good for all of us. Barry believes the government is the answer to all our woes. He a socialist alright, with a capial S.
Ken (Old Texican)| 5.17.12 @ 8:03AM
Emmett,
you know, one theme that I would like to see threded through the campaign: "We no longer care about Obama's college records...we now have his public Presidential records....and they suck."
Anthony| 5.17.12 @ 9:04AM
Emmett, you didn't have to travel to NY to get the scope two years ago that this would be the dirtiest election in American history.
Many of your faithful were saying the same thing, and adding it would be the nastiest to boot.
It's all beginning to fall apart for Obozo, drip, drip, drip, finally the truth begins to emerge, like water, it must find a way to flow.
Klein's book will expedite the unraveling of the Muslim Marxist faster than Bill Clinton can tell a lie, and that's damn fast.
Leftism is indeed dying, finally. But we need to put a stake in its heart, just to be sure!!!
PolishKnight| 5.17.12 @ 5:10PM
I think dirty politics from the left started with the Barry Goldwater campaign and the little girl counting daisies who dies from an atomic bomb because BARRY IS CRA-ZEEE! When that worked for them, they hit Nixon and made him out to be a mean loner in the White House. Then Ford was portrayed as an idiot. Then they tried the dunce cap (their favorite accusation since they like to think of themselves as smart) on Reagan and... it didn't stick. And it INFURIATED them! They were seething angry and then accused of Americans who voted for him as STOOPID which was a turning point for the left when they revealed their seething hatred for the American electorate and outright anger if they ever lost an election again.
When Reagan was succeeded by GHB and beat a weak Dukakis, they treated him badly and GHB didn't seem to mind as he broke a "no new taxes" pledge and gave the left what they wanted.
Then Clinton came to town and they were overjoyed! They WON a presidential election! Finally! But... Clinton was dirty and their attempt to get national healthcare passed bombed. Then after making a big stink about sexual harassment, he got nailed and they had to say it was ok when THEY did it. So Clinton was basically a leftist figurehead slushing some kickback money to his buddies but largely didn't help the leftist ideology at all.
When Bob Dole ran against him, another moderate similar to GHB, they got mean again (both mean in terms of how they were and how they portrayed the good natured Bob Dole) and got another term for Clinton.
And then.. the unthinkable happened for them. A 2 term president didn't get a successor. They thought Al "I'm so smart and those who disagree with me are stupid!" Gore LOST and the SC said so. You know, the guys who could find abortion rights in the constitution were WRONG to not let them recount votes over and over until they won. So the election was STOLEN in their view. And even worse, GWB went to war and didn't spend money on social programs. The horrors!
So if they were "mad" before (fake angry) and just plain dirty jerks, now they were mad in addition. In their view, an election was stolen and most unfairly, it didn't benefit them. When something bad is being done, it's only "fair" that it's always their opponents it's happening to.
So the modern leftist psyche of smug superiority and delusions of grandeur is now tinged with rage. Madness. One hopes, as RET points out, that they might make a mistake in their madness. They are sharp, clever politicians unrestrained by notions of morality or humanity but this emotionalism from them may be their undoing.
Joe D.| 5.17.12 @ 10:06AM
You are right. The 50 year old lie was just the start. Or was it the 12 old lies on Cain. Where are his accusers now. Or was it the 25 year old rock story on Perry. I am sure I a missing something.
Anthony| 5.17.12 @ 10:56AM
Shhhh, Joe, never taunt a sleeping snake, let Gloria Allred stay quietly in her hole.
nathan| 5.17.12 @ 11:21AM
First suggesting he has spent the most money of any president in history ignores the Constitution. Once again all spending bills originate in the House, not in the White House. All presidents, this one included are free to propose anything they wish, ACA included but at the end of the day they can only sign or veto financial bills which originated first in the House then passed the Senate. They lack the ability to independently authorize expenditures outside this process. So, instead of talking about Bush deficits or Obama deficits let's talk about Pelosi deficits or Boehner deficits. The Constitution still prevails here in terms of how bills get authorized and passed folks meaning that there really aren't any "presidential" deficits.
As for negative campaigning/dirty campaigning call it what you will. So what? Historically this goes back to the founding of the Republic (republic not democracy can "conservatives" at least get it right please?) and much of what happened then makes a lot of this look tame by comparison. During Jefferson's run at the presidency his relationship with his slave Hemmings was openly brought out and he was blasted for it. (Yes, the questions of the parentage of her kids, something that a few years ago seemed to be so startling "new" and revelatory, was really ancient history.) We can look at election after election and see how really personal those attacks were. The attack on Andrew Jackson and his wife were particularly vicious weren't they? Jackson screamed bloody murder. And yet today we look at some of the stuff that gets thrown around and we hear, "that's unfair! How could they?!" Boo bloody hoo. Folks if candidates can't handle it and by all accounts Sarah didn't seem up to it, then don't run. Because trust me if you can't handle attacks like this, if you're precious little feelings are so easily bruised, then how is it going to be when you're going up against that old KGB'er Mr. Putin who used to do a little personal "enhanced interrogation" himself in his youth? So can we all just stop whining about this stuff already? If the attacks are unfair, then as we have seen in previous elections the electorate with a limited tolerance for "unfair" will react accordingly.
Albert Constantine Jr.| 5.17.12 @ 5:13PM
The attack on Jackson's wife was that she was a bigamist, in that she was not shed of her first husband when she married Jackson. Jackson resented the hell out of those who made such insinuations (so I once read, anyway) that he wished to challenge those who made the assertions to duels for challenging her respectability.
I, of course, have made some of the same assertions here a number of times about Biden's wife Jill, who began dating Biden while she was married to Bill Stevenson. While it is an easily verifiable fact, it is not reported upon, and more importantly, most people don't care.
Certainly, while there is more than one lesson here, one is that the definition of what is vicious and what respectability is have certainly "evolved" over the last 180 or so years.
The Big E| 5.17.12 @ 11:30AM
Emmitt,
What would happen if CNN and the other networks you cited reported an Obama victory in November, even when one has not occurred?
What if they report on massive riots which do not exist, or which have been manufactured for the purpose of intimidation?
What will Obama do in those circumstances? How will CNN and the other networks report on that?
There have been extremely dirty campaigns for the White House in the past, but what happens this year could go beyond merely dirty.
John Q. Public| 5.17.12 @ 11:46AM
The toothpaste is out of the tube.
Obama is entropy IN PERSON!
Of course, in order to be with it, to be NOW, it's time to update the toothpaste saying.
In Obama's cutting edge case, what's being squeezed out is coming from a lower orifice, and lot's of people are starting to see and smell what it really is.
I think, going forward---FORWARD!---as the election gets closer and closer, more and more people are going to become more and more petrified at the nugatory effects Obama promises to continue to foist on THEM.
Even now, I believe a lot of the people, who claim to be for Obama, when pollsters ask them their opinion, are like those who tell pollsters they’re for gay marriage, and then vote the other way, when alone in the voting booth.
It might not even be close, by the time November rolls around, after America has been buried in oodles of noospheric excrement dropped from Obama’s “trousers”.
Just you wait, Henry Higgins, just you wait!
Harry Nhadzack| 5.17.12 @ 12:17PM
Obama and his dirty tricks appeal to the Jerry Springer Generation, which makes me wonder, They are without so much cognitive thought, how DO they find their way to the polls?
Oh, that's right, Obama has illegal aliens vote FOR them
silly me
MONTOVINE| 5.17.12 @ 3:41PM
I hope your prediction is right, but I fear the fix is in.
Barn Cat| 5.17.12 @ 5:49PM
A lot of innocent people will be harmed. That's nothing to celebrate. Obama has turned America into a banana republic and the Republicans have done nothing about it. There should be hearings about Obama supplying the Mexican Cartels with guns in exchange for campaign contributions. You can't tell me he didn't get anything in return.
Marvin E. Fox | 5.17.12 @ 6:34PM
In your article, "CNN Plays Dirty Too" you mentioned your book "The Death of Liberalism." I have published a book titled "Bubble." In my book a bunch of democrats/socialists founded an "Ice Water in Hell Democracy." Could that happen if liberalism dies?
Marvin E. Fox
Brad Logan| 5.17.12 @ 11:42PM
I'm with you Emmett. Bring it on. I wish I were as confident of the outcome. My sticking point is Obama dirty tricks. I could see him fomenting the 'Occupy' movement, and others, to create chaos to a level that "He" determines is sufficient to declare martial law . . . then cancel the election. Just the kind of Chicago Thuggery he would pull.
old progrmr| 5.18.12 @ 2:15PM
What if the now deceased, supposed victim of Mitt's nastiness wasn't gay. Can somebody associated with the man sue the Washington Post for defamation. Although these leftists celebrate the gay lifestyle, many men would abhor being named as a gay man in a worldwide press outlet. Where is the evidence? I believe tha family has protested the Post. Oh, it doesn't matter who is destroyed by our leftist press, anything goes to protect the historical, great fraud in the WH.
POST American| 5.19.12 @ 1:11AM
-----------------------FINAL WORD-------------------------
ALEX JONES ------------------IS---THE---PRESS.
E B | 5.19.12 @ 1:52PM
Oh, me too! I can't say I love it, but I can say that I love to point out their illiberalism and read Breitbart because they do more of the same. Liberals haven't learned yet that tolerance is a two way street.
Sam Houston| 5.20.12 @ 6:35AM
As much as I agree with everything you say about MSM, calling Romney a "Conservative" is so far from the make it's comical. He is the textbook definition of RINO. The fact that the RNC has given us Dole, McCain, and now Romney only tells me that they’ve lost touch with their base. It's time for a third party that isn't ran by the same people that run the DNC and RNC. One that lets the people determine who the candidates are.
Mattled| 5.20.12 @ 11:08AM
Mr, Tyrrell,
In your column, you mention CNN, NBC, CBS, etc.
How about starting an ad campaign and start calling out the media anchors by name and face? Embarrass them, humiliate them and first and foremost question their honesty and integrity. Once that is called not question, they have nothing left.