Courtesy of Crooked Timber's John Quiggin:
That's a Purple Heart on a band-aid, and Republican delegate Morton Blackwell is distributing these boutennieres to delegates at the RNC. As an admirer of Kerry's service, I'm sure President Bush is plainly disgusted by the display. Much as he fretfully pooh-poohed the RNC's decision to award the opening invocation to Sheri Dew, who publicly compared support for gay equality to support for Adolph Hitler. (Which really doesn't even make horrible-sense, since Adolph Hitler exterminated homosexuals with the passion he showed for Jews.)
Delegates aren't exactly part of the established party hierarchy, it's true, and a party can't control for its every bad apple—these are arguments I'd be more willing to acknowledge had I not just seen Kerry's strict, on-message, disciplined, don't-screw-this-up-guys convention in which no one slurred President Bush.
Posted by Kriston at August 31, 2004 10:53 AMTo their credit, I heard on NPR this morning that the party has asked Blackwell to stop distributing these delightful souvenirs. They'd better watch it -- I'm not sure a lot of Republicans realize that impugning Kerry's purple hearts is not going to win them many fans among veterans. There are better ways to court that vote; going after the medals is just a cheap, self-destructive thrill for the right. I don't think it's going to get them anywhere they want to be.
Posted by: tom at August 31, 2004 10:58 AM...in which no one slurred President Bush.
Just step outside MSG for a moment...
Posted by: j.scott barnard at August 31, 2004 11:34 AMHow many decorated veterans are serving as delegates and alternates at this convention? (Aside from the active duty military who, as Eric Alterman has noted, are not allowed to participate.) There can't be many, if this cowardly f*ckhead was allowed to distribute those obnoxious bandages for any longer than about 15 seconds. If I had a Purple Heart of my own, and I saw Rep. Blackwell coming at me, I'd only stop to take off my coat before I lay him flat and spat on his face. If this did not happen to him forthwith, then the Republicans are going to lose more military votes than they can even count...
Posted by: diddy at August 31, 2004 12:19 PM"...in which no one slurred President Bush.
Just step outside MSG for a moment..."
Ummm, just a fact checker here, but the Democratic convention (that would be Kerry's) was in Boston. MSG is in New York. The people in the streets in NY are outside the RNC- you know, Bush's convention. I know Bush is always saying he's a uniter not a divider, but really, these are in fact different.
Posted by: fast & wily at August 31, 2004 12:37 PMfast & wily, the Democrats have organized a continuous slur against W since he whipped Gore's ass in the recount. From that day, through Michael Moore's nonsense to the anarchists on the streets of New York, it's all a coordinated effort...
Posted by: j.scott barnard at August 31, 2004 12:53 PMyes, the anarchists on the street with paper mache penises on their heads are certainly in on a coordinated effort with the democratic party to bring down the president.
anyway: big difference between crazy protestors on street slurring a candidate and party members doing it or condoning it.
Posted by: catherine at August 31, 2004 1:07 PMand doing it at the convention seems to have been the point made in the original posting:
Kerry's strict, on-message, disciplined, don't-screw-this-up-guys convention in which no one slurred President Bush.
Also not sure what recount ass-kicking you are referring to-- the one where Gore received half a million more votes (were we to count, you know, one person one vote instead of via the disenfranchising electoral college)? That's some ass kicking, whoa nelly! Or was the the recount that had all those retired Jewish couples voting for Buchanan (which even he noted were not really votes for him)? Or was it the tally that went something like this: 1 brother in the governor's seat + 9 supreme court justices = a "win"?
Beware of the paper mache penises worn as headgear! They might hold a puppet show- and then you would be in REAL TROUBLE.
Posted by: fast & wily at August 31, 2004 1:26 PMI read your blog, Catherine, because I find it to be a very literate advocate of the Democratic point of view. I don't always agree, but that's why I like to read it. However, today, I'm not at all sure that your characterization of the DP Convention was quite accurate. I seem to recall Michael Moore, among others, making numerous convention related appearances at which he did not refrain from making personal attacks. I didn't save any of the other examples I recall seeing, but I don't think you are correct here.
Posted by: RP at August 31, 2004 1:51 PMSorry about calling you "catherine". That was a silly mistake.
Posted by: RP at August 31, 2004 2:29 PMSorry about calling you "catherine".
I was wondering about that. Because Catherine's, like, totally illiterate.
I wonder if there can be a prohibition on people's making generalizations about the RNC protestors if said people are not in New York City.
I monitored a protest on Sunday afternoon. Those were not the Democratic party faithful. There were several times more people with "Bush=Kerry" stuff than there were people with pro-Kerry signs or buttons. Being anti-Bush doesn't make you a Kerry fan. Hell, I'm anti-Bush, and voting for Kerry, and I wouldn't wear a button for him.
Republicans, having successfully lock-stepped their own side, appear unable to grasp the concept that the left is a chaotic mess of yellow dogs, lesser-evil voters, Naderites, socialists and even anarchists. Trying to lump them all as Democrats is dumb. There is more to political life in America than the two major parties -- as dismayingly confusing as this may be for some observers.
Posted by: PG at September 2, 2004 1:15 PM