Dave Noon, commenting on the Republican presidential candidates:
Wow, that list there is just a Macy's parade of inflatable fuck-ups . . .Which seems about right to me. (This is setting aside speculation about Giuliani's attractiveness to a party that loathes his positions, which, let's just say I'm neither convinced nor unconvinced.) Anyone here remember the 'seven dwarfs' gibes back in 1988? Well, that's what we've got (more or less) on the Republican side--the weakest field of Republican candidates in decades (and wouldn't it be lovely if we could make a similarly dismissive epithet stick to them?), and the Republicans--the ones who aren't called K-Lo, anyway--know it.
But while they may not have candidates, they've always got slime. Add the fact that two of the Democratic frontrunners are female and African-American, respectively, and you have a perfect storm of twisted hate.
The vituperation has begun, and Steve M at No More Mister Nice Blog is all over it (see also here and here). Obama is a crypto-Muslim terrorist sympathizer, and by the way, did you notice he's black? Hillary is--well, they've been practicing for 15 years on that one; the latest is a claim that she staged her campaign announcement. Um, right.
The point is that it's starting early and it's only going to get worse. This time we have to be ready. We know that there is no strength they cannot portray as weakness, and no limit to their mendacity in the cause of character assassination. There's no excuse for being unprepared. We bloggers (and readers) have to be part of the fight, of course...but I'm beginning to think of this as the primary before the primaries, the first crucial test for all the candidates: if they fight back effectively, they're worth giving a shot; if they lie down like a Kerry or a Dukakis, then it doesn't matter what their positions are because they won't survive the general.
And by the way, if we do elect a Democrat (and I think the odds are very good), expect the first mention of 'impeachment' to come on Inauguration Day. That's the way they play the game now.
[That's all, folks]
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