Do They Realize How They Sound?

Peggy Noonan has an excellent column today on OpinionJournal.com about the recent rhetoric coming out of the mouths of the DNC Chairman and the likely Democrat Presidential Nominee in 2008.

While the pack mentality in Washington D.C. discourages Democrats and Republicans from mingling with each other, that's not the way folks outside of the beltway interact.

In America there is a lot of political integration. Democrats and Republicans are friends. Life forces them to be if they need to be forced, which most don't. They know each other from the office, Little League, school meetings, the neighborhood. Actually America is mostly filled with people who say not "I'm a Democrat" and "I'm a Republican," but "I voted for Bush" and "I like McCain" and "I voted for Kerry." They identify by personal action more than political party, at least in my experience.

Taking quotes from Howard Dean and Hillary Clinton, Noonan creates this hypothetical speech and asks us to imagine the President delivering it. (relevant quotes in bold italics)

Thank you, ladies and gentlemen. I want to speak this evening about how I see the political landscape. Let me jump right in. The struggle between the Republican Party and the Democratic Party is a struggle between good and evil--and we're the good. I hate Democrats. Let's face it, they have never made an honest living in their lives. Who are they, really, but people who are intent on abusing power, destroying the United States Senate and undermining our Constitution? They have no shame.

But why would they? They have never been acquainted with the truth. You ever been to a Democratic fundraiser? They all look the same. They all behave the same. They have a dictatorship, and suffer from zeal so extreme they think they have a direct line to heaven. But what would you expect when you have a far left extremist base? We cannot afford more of their leadership. I call on you to help me defeat them!"

The highlighted words are right out of the mouths of Dean and Clinton (with "left" being put in place of "right" and "Democrats" for "Republicans"). If Bush or John McCain or Ken Melman or any other prominent Republican gave a speech like that, not only would most everyone from the MSM to members of their own party denounce it as extreme but most people would think they had lost their minds.

She finds it disturbing that people who wish to one day run the country talk like this and I for one agree.

The comportment of Hillary Clinton and Howard Dean is actually not worthy of America. Their statements suggest they are in no way equal to the country they seek to lead. And something tells me that sooner or later America is going to tell them. But in a generous, mature and fair-minded way.

Read the piece in it's entirety here.

Posted by: Gary at 09:57 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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