Posts
Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell goes hot and gets written up over at the NYT's "The Caucus" blog. This is the sort of thing Dems need to do: blunt, loud, angry, and correct.
And kudos to Kit Seelye for writing the phrase "the McCain camp distort Mr. Obama’s proposals" instead of writing that "Democrats say" McCain is distorting the proposals. McCain's campaign has clearly decided to run a balls-out, lie-driven strategy. It's time for the media to call a lie a lie.
"Rendell: ‘The Big Lie Strategy’"
By KATHARINE Q. SEELYE
Gov. Edward G. Rendell of Pennsylvania just accused the campaign of Senator John McCain and Gov. Sarah Palin of flat-out “lying” about Senator Barack Obama’s plan on taxes.
Mr. Obama would cut taxes for the majority of Americans, according to theTax Policy Center that has examined his proposals, and yet the McCain campaign continues to say that Mr. Obama would raise them.
“I call on Senator McCain to stop misleading, stop lying, about Senator Obama’s tax plan,” Mr. Rendell said in a conference call with reporters.
Politicians rarely accuse each other of lying, preferring euphemisms instead. Mr. Rendell’s unusually blunt language is a sign of the anger that Democrats are feeling as they watch the McCain camp distort Mr. Obama’s proposals (Factcheck.org says the McCain campaign is engaging in “a pattern of deceit”) and their frustration at being unable to stop it. Governor Rendell was highlighting the issue in advance of a visit Tuesday to Pennsylvania by Mr. McCain and Ms. Palin.
Mr. Rendell repeated his accusation several times. He said that most speakers at the Republican convention in St. Paul last week had “lied” about Mr. Obama’s tax plans and that Mr. McCain’s television ads “have continued to lie.” He said Mr. McCain was using “the big lie strategy,” which is to repeat something often enough in hopes that it will stick. And, he lamented, “to some extent it has stuck.”
The McCain campaign had no immediate response to Mr. Rendell’s characterization, but we’ll post it as soon as we receive one.
1 comment:
Living in the Philly suburbs I'm ashamed that PA is becoming a battleground state. Rendell is right to challenge McCain directly. After all, “he approved this message”. I just hope this doesn’t turn into a screaming match. Ultimately, the press needs to start checking and reporting the facts and challenging each candidate’s positions. You know, like they used to do…apparently Palin has already stumbled.
Post a Comment