Alan Grayson’s latest campaign ad smears his Republican opponent, Daniel Webster, as a draft-dodging America-hater. Which means, according to established Democrat protocols: Alan Grayson hates America.
For eight years under President Bush, the loud left loudly protested against people “impugning” their patriotism if they opposed the war. Loudly. It didn’t matter what they were doing or saying. Crafting the “slow bleed” strategy to ensure high death tolls among our troops for partisan political gain? Just don’t call it traitorous. Disclosing top secret terrorist surveillance methods to sell newspapers? Just don’t call it treasonous. Traveling the world calling our President a war criminal? Giving aid and comfort to the enemy in the name of the “peace” movement? Suggesting on the House floor that President Bush was sending troops “to get their heads blown off” for his own “amusement?” JUST DON’T IMPUGN THEIR PATRIOTISM!!!!
It didn’t have to be so dramatic, though. “Don’t impugn my patriotism” was a universal talisman, a cure-all against criticism. “I think we need universal health care.” “Hmm. I don’t.” “STOP IMPUGNING MY PATRIOTISM!!!!1!!!!” And all this leaves aside, of course, that the left continuously and deliberately were the ones making it about patriotism in the first place, with that other endlessly repeated gem that mysteriously died once Obama took office: “dissent is the highest form of patriotism.”
In 2008, it was morphed into racism. Campaign ads pointing out Obama’s socialist aims were “racist” because they were painting him as an outsider, or “other” as the uniformly uncreative left typed in unison every day of the campaign season. The McCain campaign, they whined, was trying to make Obama seem un-American, because he doesn’t look like all those other presidents on all those dollar bills.
In fact, in a neat trick, it was portrayed as “un-American” to portray democrats as “un-American.” And for years the left has made “impugning” their patriotism one of politics’ cardinal sins. So …
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I9M2I_1VynQ[/youtube]
Um. Yeah. If you can’t watch the vid, let me summarize. “Daniel Webster is draft-dodging America-hater who is breaking old soldiers’ hearts because he doesn’t love this country or care about the people in it.” That may sound like I’m being snarky, but it’s darn close to a verbatim transcript. Not only is the ad one of the most gross and crass attack ads I’ve ever seen, it’s also wildly inaccurate. At Hot Air, allahpundit breaks it down.
Daniel Webster, Grayson’s Republican opponent, didn’t dodge the draft; he received academic deferments while attending college — during which time he was in the ROTC — and then tried to enlist after graduation. But he failed his medical exam and was graded 1-Y and then 4-F, making him ineligible. According to Grayson, this means he … “refused the call to service.” And who’s the alleged “old soldier” narrating this spot, who seems so heartbroken over Webster’s very troubling, um, medical problem that he’s willing to accuse the guy of not quite loving America as much as everyone else? Grayson’s campaign won’t say. Quoth FactCheck: “Grayson’s ad concludes with a message on screen saying, ‘If Daniel Webster didn’t serve America then, why should he serve now?’ Viewers might ask the same question of Grayson.”
Of course, it’s not really a surprise. After all, it’s only a cardinal sin to direct such accusations at DEMOCRATS. Nobody had a problem with painting Bush as a draft-dodger. Just with painting Kerry as a sniveling military-hater who turned on his comrades. When Democrats do it, the President thinks they are “outstanding.”
Still, if we were going to apply the established democrat methodology against democrats, we’d have to conclude that Alan Grayson hates America. After all, by their metric, questioning someone’s patriotism by suggesting that they are incorrect about the war is the most un-American thing you could ever do. How much more so when you actually make the literal accusation in a campaign ad?
And unlike Daniel Webster, we have other evidence to introduce in the case against Alan Grayson. After all, it’s not his first foray into treason accusations. On MSNBC late last year, Grayson stated that “Fox News and their Republican collaborators are the enemy of America.” That’s pretty explicit. Far more so than, say, factually pointing out a benefits cut for veterans.
Or how about more traditional un-American activities? Also in late 2009, Alan Grayson was faced with a parodic website mocking him for all the crazy things he says. His response? He tried to get the website creator imprisoned for five years. How very patriotic, Alan. Imprisoning political dissenters. I guess post 2009, dissent is the highest form of criminality, hmm?
Of course, the serial fabulist has many more sins to be counted. Remember “Republicans want you to die quickly?” But don’t forget, it’s the tea parties who use over-the-top rhetoric. Grayson has also claimed that Bush knew about 9/11 in advance but “let it happen.” He has more than once compared Republicans to Nazis. (Remember how the Hitler-Obama signs carried by lefties at town hall meetings meant tea partiers WANT OBAMA ASSASSINATED!!! Again, different rules for dems.)
But let us see how Grayson deals with this question directly. Chris Matthews asked Alan Grayson how he felt about Dick Cheney supposedly implying that Barack Obama doesn’t really “love” America. One would assume, from the above, that Alan Grayson “has approved this message.” Right?
[youtube]5Lc2_PSaOFM[/youtube]
Grayson’s ad says Webster doesn’t love America the way the narrator, or by proxy, Alan Grayson does. You know something? Let’s hope not. The fewer people with Alan Grayson’s version of “love” for America, the better.
Oh, and Congressman Grayson? Physician, heal thyself: STFU.
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