Tom's Xena Page    The Daily Scroll  Hop To Forum Categories  Poteidaia Tavern  Hop To Forums  Fight Club    A.H. -- Bush's Toxic Campaign Mix

Read-Only Read-Only Topic
Go
New
Find
Notify
Tools
A.H. -- Bush's Toxic Campaign Mix
 Login/Join 
Scroller Needing Therapy
Picture of Fahrenheit
posted
BUSH'S TOXIC CAMPAIGN MIX: GOD, COUNTRY AND PERPETUAL FEAR

By Arianna Huffington

Leave no sucker punch unthrown. That seems to be the scorched earth mantra of the GOP campaign as it heads into the final rounds. But if you're thinking these guys can't go any lower, guess again. George Bush doesn't just have his head buried in the sand — he's let his integrity sink below sea level, as well.

The latest dirty blows are a contemptible one-two combination with which Team Bush has portrayed John Kerry as both the enemy of God and, if not exactly the ally of al-Qaida, then at least the terrorists' candidate of choice. To hear them tell it, a vote for Kerry is a vote against God and Country. Talk about hitting way, way below the belt.

Let's start with God.

It was revealed last week that the Republican Party has sent out an incendiary mass mailing warning that, if elected, "liberals" (and I'll give you one guess which presidential candidate that includes) will try to — I kid you not — ban the Bible.

The full-color flyer features a picture of the Bible with the word "Banned" stamped across it, and a photo of a man, on bended knee, placing a wedding band on the hand of another man, accompanied by the word "Allowed."

Clearly, Bush and the GOP have taken their Bible-thumping ways to a whole new level: Now they're using the Good Book to try to bash in the skulls of their opponents.

This "God is on our side" attack is all the more outrageous because it's not coming from some shadowy 527 committee that Bush can publicly — albeit disingenuously — distance himself from but, rather, from deep in the heart of the Bush-run Republican National Committee. The president's team has undoubtedly "approved this message."

They've also used the official Georgewbush.com campaign website to attack Kerry, a Catholic, as being "Wrong for Catholics", while an RNC website, KerryWrongForCatholics.com, slams him for not being loyal enough to the Pope. We've certainly come a long way since another JFK had to assure voters in 1960 that he wouldn't take orders from the Vatican.

The idea that Kerry and the Democrats are anti-Bible and that Bush has a hot line to The Man Upstairs is both offensive and patently absurd. One look at the latest statistics showing the rise in the number of Americans living in poverty proves that Republicans — who, contrary to their claims, do not hold a copyright on the Bible — have grotesquely perverted its core teachings.

As Rev. Jim Wallis, the editor of Sojourners magazine, told me: "It's a bitter irony: these people accuse Democrats of wanting to ban the Bible, then proceed to utterly ignore the vast majority of its contents when it comes to questions of social justice, war and peace, and protecting the environment."

Perhaps the holy rollers in the Bush camp should crack open a Bible and see what it has to say about caring for the poor (Matthew 25:40), caring for the Earth (Genesis 2:15), and caring for human rights (Genesis 1:27). I've got a hunch Jesus wouldn't be too thrilled with Bush's first term.

And while they're acquainting themselves with the Book they purport to defend, the Bushies might also want to have a look at John 8:32 to see what it has to say about the moral imperative of telling the truth. Instead, they are doing everything in their power to convince nervous voters that a vote for John Kerry is a vote for another 9/11. It's the latest vile twist in the Bush-Cheney "all fear, all the time" campaign strategy, and the last desperate gasp of an administration utterly clueless about how to actually win the war on terror.

The fear-mongering has been relentless and revolting — bottoming out with a sewer-level attack ad put together by a 527 largely financed by a pair of longtime Bush-backers. The TV spot shows pictures of Osama bin Laden, 9/11 hijacker Mohammed Atta, the Chechen school murderers, and the Madrid train bombings and asks: "These people want to kill us. Would you trust Kerry up against these fanatic killers?"

Somewhere — and I don't think it's heaven — Lee Atwater is smiling.

And lest you think this line of attack doesn't have the Karl Rove seal of approval, just look at the long line of Bush surrogates lining up to parrot the "al-Qaida wants Kerry to win" talking point — including Sen. Orrin Hatch, the increasingly embarrassing House Speaker Dennis Hastert, Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage, and the hatchet-man-in-chief, Dick Cheney. They've all been echoing Hatch's claim that terrorists "are going to throw everything they can between now and the election to try and elect Kerry."

What's next, a photo of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi sporting a Kerry-Edwards campaign button?

This "terrorists for Kerry" routine is as laughable as it is loathsome. Why in the world would the terrorists want to get rid of George Bush? He is their dream president, after all: a man who has alienated our allies, isolated us and united the Muslim world against us.

The president's preemptive invasion of Iraq has been such a boon to al-Qaida that the British ambassador to Italy called him the terrorist organization's "best recruiting sergeant." Even Bush's good buddy, Pakistani President Musharraf (a guy who can't afford to share W's delusions when it comes to matters of security), said last week that the war in Iraq has made the world "more dangerous" and "further complicated" the war on terror.

Of course, the spinmeisters in the Bush camp would rather you never hear any of this, which is why they've been so quick to smear as unpatriotic anyone painting a less than rosy picture of Iraq — going so far as to imply that Kerry, by merely questioning the president's policies, has given aid and comfort to our enemies.

What a load of gutless garbage. As Thomas Jefferson made clear, "Dissent is the highest form of patriotism." But Bush can't seem to grasp that this country is too strong to be endangered by the truth — and that, indeed, hiding the truth, the hallmark of his administration, is what is making us weaker and less secure.

I know the president hates to read, but with the debates looming, maybe he should dust off his library card and brush up on his American history. And on the Bible.

© 2004 ARIANNA HUFFINGTON.
DISTRIBUTED BY TRIBUNE MEDIA SERVICES, INC.
 
Posts: 2989 | Registered: 22 June 2003Report This Post
Scroller Needing Therapy
Picture of Fahrenheit
posted Hide Post
 
Posts: 2989 | Registered: 22 June 2003Report This Post
Scroll Obsessive
Picture of KSena
posted Hide Post
Intresting, Heitie. Really intresting. I actually saw a documentary about Bush today on swedish television. It was intresting, it really was. But it just made me upset. I mean, this man, that is leading your country at the moment, he is really scaring me... Frown


<<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>>



My LiveJournal: A look inside KSenas mind...
 
Posts: 1120 | Location: Borås in Sweden | Registered: 30 June 2003Report This Post
Scroll Guardian

Picture of Sara
posted Hide Post
Amen.

Enough said.


____________________________


I <3 4 foot 11, blonde, operatic wonders from Oklahoma.

There is no charge for awesomeness or attractiveness
 
Posts: 2158 | Location: Seattle, WA | Registered: 22 June 2003Report This Post
Scroll Desperado
Picture of zoom
posted Hide Post
This "God is on our side" attack is all the more outrageous because it's not coming from some shadowy 527 committee that Bush can publicly — albeit disingenuously — distance himself from but, rather, from deep in the heart of the Bush-run Republican National Committee. The president's team has undoubtedly "approved this message."

i assure you, Karl Rove knows about & approves every message, regardless of it's 527 status...

The TV spot shows pictures of Osama bin Laden, 9/11 hijacker Mohammed Atta, the Chechen school murderers, and the Madrid train bombings and asks: "These people want to kill us. Would you trust Kerry up against these fanatic killers?"

Somewhere — and I don't think it's heaven — Lee Atwater is smiling.


i saw that ad when i was in New Mexico last week. (we don't get presidential politcal ads in Texas--not a swing state...ack). it's pitiful. and she's right about Atwater. who do you think Karl Rove's mentor was...?

i just have to believe the non-idiot voters still at least slightly out-number the idiot voters in this next election (but is such a way that the person who gets the most votes actually wins this time...). and i mean that...anyone who votes for George W Bush is either ignorant, for which there is just no damn excuse at this point...) or just lain stupid. or they have a direct interest ($) in Bush staying in office....


WHAT WOULD XENA DO?

are you sitting on the soap?

sometimes, you just have to say 'what the f...'

 
Posts: 5103 | Location: Austin Texas, baby | Registered: 22 June 2003Report This Post
Chief Chesty Forlock
Chief

Picture of Argeaux
posted Hide Post
No, no, no.

You people just don't understand how important it is to go and provoke volatile situations with countries in the Middle East, especially at election time.

Look, let my Prime Minister explain it to you:

"Managing an $800 billion economy and protecting Australia's security in an uncertain world are large, complex tasks. They demand steady leadership, experience, focus and good judgement. Good economic management is important to our local community because it is the basis of everthing else we do. In the coming weeks, we will be outlining some of our future plans for our community and demonstrating how we can build a stronger national economy and stronger local community."

John Howard, Prime Minister

"Howard Government Achievements:

National Security

Defence Funding: the biggest increase in defence funding for more than 20 years.

Better Equipped: State of the art jet fighters, weaponry,vehicles and technology are being provided for our troops.

Tighter Border Protection: Our national sovereignty has been reasserted.

Combat Focussed: ADF personnel employed in combat/support roles up from 42%in 1996,to 62% in 2001.

Iraq: The Government acted in the national interest when it contributed to the successful coalition operation in Iraq.

War on Terror: Australia has played an important role in the ongoing War on Terror,including in Afghanistan.

East Timor: Australia led INTERFET in East Timor in what is widely considered as one of the most successful UN sanctioned peace keeping operations.

Drug Seizures: Tripled under the Coalition. Heroin deaths have fallen by almost two-thirds,while there has been a 23%decline in the people using illicit drugs.

Guns: After Port Arthur 660,000 dangerous firearms have been removed from the community."

Whoops! they forgot to mention the Bali bombings and the incredible cost to the all-precious economy that all this defence spending has caused.

But it's the economy! The economy! The economy! The economy!

Too bad if the average life expectancy of an Aboriginal person is 36 in Australia.

Too bad if many young people are living below the poverty line.

Too bad if we've dragged ourselves into wars overseas which have bugger all to do with us.

We've got a good economy, dammit!

Written, spoken and authorised by Argy McBargy on behalf of herself.


~~~~~~~~~~

 
Posts: 5457 | Location: Oz | Registered: 22 June 2003Report This Post
Scroll Desperado
Picture of zoom
posted Hide Post
another satisfied customer, eh? smash

the presidential polls are just about deadlocked here again. i think there may just be a chance for a regime change after all...


WHAT WOULD XENA DO?

are you sitting on the soap?

sometimes, you just have to say 'what the f...'

 
Posts: 5103 | Location: Austin Texas, baby | Registered: 22 June 2003Report This Post
Chief Chesty Forlock
Chief

Picture of Argeaux
posted Hide Post
I think, if you're Aboriginal or a young person from a low socio-economic background in Australia, you're screwed no matter who you vote for in our election this weekend.


~~~~~~~~~~

 
Posts: 5457 | Location: Oz | Registered: 22 June 2003Report This Post
Scroll Desperado
Picture of zoom
posted Hide Post
well the whole damn world will be screwed (worst than it already is...) if W gets reelected next month.


WHAT WOULD XENA DO?

are you sitting on the soap?

sometimes, you just have to say 'what the f...'

 
Posts: 5103 | Location: Austin Texas, baby | Registered: 22 June 2003Report This Post
Chief Chesty Forlock
Chief

Picture of Argeaux
posted Hide Post
My country voted conservatively.

I hope yours fairs better.


~~~~~~~~~~

 
Posts: 5457 | Location: Oz | Registered: 22 June 2003Report This Post
Chief Chesty Forlock
Chief

Picture of Argeaux
posted Hide Post
The economy was the winner here today.


~~~~~~~~~~

 
Posts: 5457 | Location: Oz | Registered: 22 June 2003Report This Post
  Powered by Social Strata  

Read-Only Read-Only Topic

Tom's Xena Page    The Daily Scroll  Hop To Forum Categories  Poteidaia Tavern  Hop To Forums  Fight Club    A.H. -- Bush's Toxic Campaign Mix

© YourCopy 2002