Dem Vets Get No Respect
— Bruce Kesler
Democracy Project
I hate to say I’m truly sorry for the Democratic Party but its treatment of the lineup of veterans it recruited for the Fall campaigns is insulting to veterans and once again demonstrates the self-defeating lack of respect by Democrats for those who serve. That’s not how to build a broad American political party.
I’ve written several times about the campaign by the Left to use disaffected veterans in the Fall campaigns to bolster the Democrats’ image and chances. (See links below.)
Non-partisan election handicapper Stuart Rothenberg [HT: Betsy’s Page] writes today of these candidates’ decimation at the hands of the Democrat apparatus and base. Rothenberg concludes that, at best, they were recruited on suicide missions:
In district after district, Democratic insiders preferred
to recruit established political figures who already
demonstrated that they could run effective campaigns,
raise money and appeal to voters. Only when they couldn’t
did they turn to Iraq War veterans.
When I first wrote on the subject, I concluded:
How well will the Democrats' ploy play next November? We
won't know until then. Count on the major media to be
parroting, a la Kerry, "did I mention he's a veteran?" at
every opportunity. There is, as yet, nothing pointing at
these veterans having manufactured their service records,
which all appear honorable. Many other local and national
issues, and party registration balances in the districts,
will likely count for more. Nonetheless, the veteran bona
fide will also count with many, and could tilt many voters.
Rothenberg says, even more pessimistically of their veteran bona fides, that:
<<< But if they win, it will be because they are the Democratic nominees in a year when a Democratic wave sweeps across the country, not because of their status as Iraqi veterans. This year, it is far better to be a Democratic nominee in a competitive district than an Iraq War veteran running anywhere. >>>
Most tellingly, Rothenberg reports on the bandwagon favorable meme echoed by so many MSM journalists about the so-called Fighting Democrats:
<<< Finally, the national media once again deserves plenty of criticism on the way it has covered the candidacies of Iraq veterans. Too many journalists (some of them from as far away as France and Japan) jumped on the story – how those reporters and television producers love “telling a story” – without considering whether the Democratic spin was true. >>>
Don’t worry Democrat vets bitter at being used as stooges. Go into any bar in the country not a liberals’ fern-bar, and another vet will buy you a drink.
The Democrats' '06 replay of veterans gambit
augustafreepress.com
Dems Cynical Veterans Politics 2006
democracy-project.com
“Band of Brothers” Redux
democracy-project.com
Democrats’ 2006 National Security Strategy
democracy-project.com
democracy-project.com
townhall.com
augustafreepress.com |
