It's interesting that conservatives can internalize their arguments and still stay sane. Conservative commentators have been frothing at the mouth because a campaign ad contest on MoveOn.org had an entry that compared President Bush to Adolf Hitler..even after the entry was rejected, removed, and MoveOn.org offered sindere apologies. The ADL rightly denounced the ads, as well.
However, Monday of this week (January 5th), the New York Post ran this commentary that calls Howard Dean and his supporters (and all liberals) Brownshirt Nazis. Despite protestests from progressives, there had been no apology from the Post of the author of the screed. There has also been a deafening silence from the ADL and the conservatives that were calling the contest entries anti-semitic.
So what's the deal?
The deal is that in the Republican mindset is that any opinions other than theirs are immediately wrong-headed or treasonous. When conservatives are criticized for their statements, they claim that they are being denied their Freedom of Speech, but woe to any progressive that dare speak his mind.
Want an example? How about Georgia Democrat Max Cleeland, a decorated Vietnam veteran who lost both of his legs and an arm in Southeast Asia. Because he disagreed with the Presidents war in the desert, Republican campaign advertisements claimed that he was in league with Saddam Hussein and Ossama bin Laden. No attacks on free speech, mud-slinging, or character assasination there.
How about Ann Coulture's allegation that all liberals are inherently traitors? Or Rush Limbaugh's labelling of all feminists as "femi-nazis"?
Buzzflash.com has many other pertinent examples, but the point is this: calling political opponents fascists is ok fo Republicans, but not for Democrats, even in the eyes of the supposedly liberal media.
Posted by Chris at January 8, 2004 02:41 PM