Tea-phobic Progressives

The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee is so desperate to win an election that it has staged one: a pick the bumper sticker slogan election.

Apparently this contest is what passes for grass-roots activism among Democrats these days. Or perhaps it's just a way to save money; instead of hiring an ad agency to pick the slogan, the DSCC has farmed out the task.

The "voters" have narrowed the potential bumper sticker down to two slogans:

GOP: It's Not My Cup of Tea

-or -

No Tea For Me, Thanks. I Prefer Progress

Both slogans show that Democrats remain obsessed with the Tea Party. This plays into the Mainstream Media narrative that the Tea Party is a racist horde. It also incorrectly assumes that all Tea Party members are Republicans, when in fact, many are independents who voted for the fiscal conservative candidate in 2010. Most of these candidates were Republicans, but it doesn't necessarily follow that Democrats can't recruit fiscal conservative, libertarian candidates.

In light of two slogans in the run-off, however, it seems that the DSCC has decided to kiss off the Tea Party vote. Big, big mistake.

The second slogan reflects the Democrats clinging to the "progressive" label they have attempted to supplant "liberal." As if voters cannot discern that not much has changed among the Democratic party since Jimmy Carter was president.

DSCC Spreads Wealth to Kentucky TV Stations

The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee is still sulking about Tom Daschle's defeat four years ago to Sen. John Thune (R-S.D); that's why the DSCC has dumped $2 million in Kentucky in a vain attempt to defeat Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, according to The Hill.

That looks downright stingy compared to the $ 18.5 million that the DSCC has spent on television advertising against Sen. Elizabeth Dole (R-N.C) and Sen. Gordon Smith (R-Ore.) Bruce Lunsford should call his buddy Chuck Schumer and complain.

The Hill notes that Democrats

have been waiting to give Republicans a taste of their own medicine after then-Republican leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) broke an unwritten rule of Senate civility and targeted Daschle for defeat. Frist took it a step further by traveling to South Dakota to campaign against Daschle - a shock to some of his Senate colleagues.

Democrats were denied the opportunity to directly retaliate against Frist, who retired from the chamber in 2006, but now appear to be settling for McConnell, instead.

DSCC chairman Charles Schumer told reporters Wednesday that he had no qualms about targeting McConnell because of Daschle’s experience.

Schumer's lie of the day: "Schumer insisted, however, that he had not targeted McConnell because of his leadership position." Right, and tonight the Great Pumpkin will rise out of the pumpkin patch and bring toys to all the good children.

Lunsford's Race Baiting

The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee has dropped a reference to Secretary of State Elaine Chao and her Chinese ancestry from its website republication of a memo from Bruce Lunsford's campaign. The Lunsford campaign memo dated October 27, 2008 complains of Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell's alleged ties to China. McConnell is married to Chao, who emigrated to America from China with her family at age eight.

The memo attacks McConnell for, in essence, selling out America to China, supposedly because he has a conflict of interest. A screen capture of the original shows that as of 2:00 Monday afternoon, the original Lunsford memo posted on the DSCC website contained a sentence that read,

1. McConnell is married to Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao, a prominent Chinese-American, and said that her connections were instrumental in raising money from Chinese-Americans.

That sentence is no longer on the website. The sanitized memo, as currently posted on the DSCC web site, reads:

McConnell has a Major Conflict of Interest When it Comes to China.

1. McConnell received contributions from donors with ties to Chinese intelligence agencies.

2. McConnell’s father-in-law was a schoolmate and close friend of the former head of the Communist Party in China, with whom McConnell worked to expand trade with China.

3. McConnell’s family owns a Chinese shipping company and profits from trade with China.

Note that there is no longer any reference to Chao. As originally posted on the DSCC web site, the memo contained four points under the "conflict of interest heading." The DSCC dropped point number one (regarding Chao, "the prominent Chinese-American") and renumbered the points two through four as two through three.

The Democrats rise up in outrage whenever anyone uses Sen. Barack Obama's middle name, Hussein. We are told that the country has "turned a page" and that we must not demonize Obama for having an "exotic-sounding name" and "not looking like" the Dead White Guys on our currency. We are reassured that just because Obama has a Muslim name, that is no basis to question his patriotism or portray him as Muslim or a Muslim sympathisizer.

It is equally despicable to campaign against McConnell for being married to a woman of Chinese ancestry, and to accuse him of casting votes because Communist China bought for or otherwise influenced his vote. In fact, the reference to Chao is even worse, because it calls to mind the statutes that criminalized intermarriage between races.

So the DSCC was correct to edit the reference to Chao from the memo; it's good to know that even the DSCC has its limits. The Lunsford campaign, on the other hand, is so desperate to win and so bereft of ideas that it has appealed to racisim as a basis for voting against McConnell.

National Dems Tell Fischer to Play Nice

The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee's spokesman, Matt Miller, warned Greg Fischer to stop attacking other Democratic candidates, such as Bruce Lunsford.

Fischer's campaign confirmed remarks that Fischer made Saturday at the Kentucky Democratic State Central Executive Committee in Frankfort, as reported on Kypolitics.org.

Fischer took a shot at Senator Chuck Schumer and the DSCC for interfering in the Kentucky primary for U.S. Senate --interference on behalf of Lunsford, that is. Suffice to say that in the unlikely event that Fischer is elected, he will not be known as one of the Senate's best orators:

"Because there’s powers in Washington D.C. - you know, led by Chuck Schumer, and you all are hearing this just as well as I am – that he’s trying to manipulate this election in Kentucky.”

Then Fischer attacked Lunsford, stating at least three times that the Democrats should nominate someone with a "clean record."

“It’s clear to anyone who follows politics in the state Kentucky that the Senator from New York and his folks are trying to force upon the voters of Kentucky a failed candidate who has more baggage than Samsonite. We need a fresh candidate with a clean record who offers bold ideas and new solutions.”

"More baggage than Samsonite" -- this is Fischer, the bored rich guy who wants to be Senator, attempting to sound like a man of the people by pretending that he uses Samsonite instead of Louis Vuitton or whatever.

His point that Lunsford has a dirty record, however, is correct. Indeed it's starting to look like Lunsford engaged in some legal gymnastics to buy his two million dollar Phoenix mansion by using his Chicago address -- and now substituting his Kentucky address. The poor rich guy has so many properties he doesn't know where he lives.

Since he has the property in Illinois and Arizona, Lunsford might as well try to run for either John McCain's or Barack Obama's Senate seat. Then maybe he could dupe voters who have not heard the name Vencor. If elected, Lunsford could contribute a unique perspective on the housing market, given all that he has done to stimulate it.

Update: Lunsford's loan documents contain a rider that allows him to use the Phoenix mansion as a second home.