Another Data Point

It’s a fairly well-documented fact that one of Republican strategist Karl Rove’s main tactics is to attack an opponent at his strength. Perhaps the best example is the “swift-boating” of John Kerry, an attack on his war record, which was clearly a strength in light of George W. Bush’s wartime “service.”

It worth looking at a more recent canard or talking point, if you will: That the Democrats have no ideas.

For starters, it’s obvious the Democrats have plenty of ideas, on health care, social security, the war on terror, and fiscal responsibility. The Republican “ideas,” such as they are, are cut taxes for the wealthy and “stay the course” in Iraq.

But the larger point is, to the extent that Republicans have ideas, they are wildly out of step with most Americans. This is why Rove’s tactics and those of the right wing echo chamber (Limbaugh, O’Reilly, Kristol, et al.) involve not ideas, but deceit. Rather than advance their weirdly bad ideas, they misrepresent the sound liberal ideas that made this country great.

Now, I don’t want to tar all Republicans with that brush; I think there are plenty of truly thoughtful, patriotic Republicans with interesting ideas. You just don’t hear from them nowadays.
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In a recent column, Cal Thomas wonders why the coverage of Mel Gibson’s recent drunken misbehavior hasn’t dragged Gibson’s marital problems into the discussion. (Apparently there was a young woman with Gibson.)

Because, you idiot, it’s none of our business. That’s between Mr. Gibson, his wife, and whomever he may or may not have been acting adulterously with.

Thomas is more concerned about people’s behavior in their personal lives than their public lives. This explains why he finds eight years of peace and prosperity under Clinton as time in the wilderness, whereas he thinks the corruption, deceit, hubris, and reprehensibly inept and inappropriate warmaking of the George W. Bush Administration so wonderful.

This, I think, is a good working definition of lunacy.