Traitorous Accusations



One reason Republicans have been so fond of publicly calling Democrats traitors (particularly since World War II, but especially in Joe McCarthy's days, and since 9/11) has been that there has been absolutely no cost to doing so. The mainstream media he-said/she-said method of reporting imposes no penalty for the most scurrilous of accusations. So, why not accuse your opponents of being the vilest dregs of humanity, if that's the way you feel? Hardly anyone will call you on it, and you might win advantage through bravado.

That standard approach may be changing now, in part thanks to YouTube. Michele Bachmann's views expressed on "Hardball" attracted a wave of money for her opponent and condemnations from many, including Colin Powell. Not what you want when you are in a close race! And her denials of having ever said these things:

Despite the way the blogs and the Democratic Party are spinning it, I never called all liberals anti-American, I never questioned Barack Obama’s patriotism, and I never asked for some House Un-American Activities Committee witch hunt into my colleagues in Congress.

can easily be judged by watching the video - you can bypass the he-said/she-said media baloney and judge for yourself.

(Her defense is perhaps technically true - she said Obama surrounds himself with anti-American liberals, but said nothing directly about Obama, and called for the media, not the HUAC, to lead an investigation - weasel words, to be sure.)

Politicians are like dogs playing on the freeway - they resist crossing to safe harbor, but they are capable of learning discretion if they see enough of their own (like Michele Bachmann) get thrashed in the axles of semi-trailer trucks. In fact, fear is the only way most politicians EVER learn anything!