Kos/Hamsher/MyDD tell a big fat lie
I'm breaking my "avoid CT rule" for a moment because this just ticked me off.
Kos is following Jane Hamsher and Chris Bowers into telling a blatant lie about Lieberman's campaign. They all claim that Lieberman is out campaigning today with GOP Congressman Rob Simmons, who is in a tough race for re-election. Problem is that it's not true. From Hamsher's keyboard:
Because nobody could have predicted it — Joe Lieberman will be campaigning with GOP candidates Jodi Rell and Rob Simmons today at the Groton sub base (the one that Holy Joe claims to have singlehandedly saved). Simmons, you’ll remember, is the GOP candidate running against Democrat Joe Courtney for one of those hotly contested Connecticut House seats.Hamsher cited no source. She provided absolutely nothing to corroborate her claim. The reason why is simple - Lieberman wasn't campaigning with them.
Here is a link to the story that this is all based on, near as I can tell. Lieberman, Simmons, Rell, and other important CT pols were attending a strategy session and discussion panel on "how to improve the military value of the base and keep it from being on future planned closure lists."
The event will have no fundraising for any candidate. There were no endorsements. It doesn't even look as if they are supposed to mention each other's respective candidacies. In fact, I can't seem to find any campaign-related purpose to this event whatsoever.
To call this any kind of campaign event is absurd, unless you refer to any group of 2 or more politicians meeting together in one place a "campaign event." If this is to be the standard, Lieberman better check under the doors for feet the next time he goes to the bathroom in the Capitol building. If there's a Republican in one of those stalls, he'll be accused of campaigning with them.
It really is just a pathetic attempt at spin. Lieberman was meeting with other CT pols about how to keep a local base open. Because he had the audacity to join a discussion panel on that issue on the same stage as two GOPers, he was hit for "campaigning" with Republicans.
So Hamsher told a lie. No surprise. But in the world of the blogosphere, the sad reality is that the big-name bloggers often treat lies told by other elite bloggers as if they were truth, as long as the blogger cited agrees with them. In that spirit, MyDD and DailyKos duly picked up on the lie and accelerated it through their spin chamber. Their spin is just as egregious and dishonest as the ones that are peddled by the DC consultants they claim to despise. The only difference is that their spin originates from a press room rather than a laptop.
I still think Lamont should win this. But the ends don't justify the means, unless you want to subscribe to the Karl Rove line of political thought.
Check back in a few hours for my roundup of the races Dems actually should be focused on.
posted by cacambo at 1:56 PM
8 Comments:
A better title to this would have been "Kos/Hamsher/MyDD stretch the truth." This is not a campaign event in the traditional sense, but this was clearly done in order to help the campaigns out.
Matt said:
"In fact, I can't seem to find any campaign-related purpose to this event whatsoever.
To call this any kind of campaign event is absurd, unless you refer to any group of 2 or more politicians meeting together in one place a "campaign event."
You're kidding, right? A few incumbents show up at a Navy base to "strategize" 6 weeks out from an election, and you can't see any campaign-related purpose? Are you joking?
I would call this a campaign event, because it's a public event designed to help the campaigns. You think that's an absurd definition? You're joking, right? Right?
Completely non-partisan, harmless, pure coincidence that the event only had Republicans, right? Chris Dodd wasn't there, but that was just a coincidence, right?
I don't get why Lieberman constantly gets a pass and some people always assume he's operating on good faith. Condoning bad behavior enables and encourages more bad behavior, and yet Matt and other LieberDems want to ignore that bit of common sense...
P.S. You're really joking, right?
P.P.S. Is this a joke?
3:28 PM
Oops, I meant Cacambo, not Matt in the above post. Sorry.
3:58 PM
cfaller96,
No, I'm not joking. I don't think we should hang people for daring to show up at any event with members of the other party.
Have you seen a list of people at the event? Do you know there were no other Dems there? Here is the only line mentioning who was at the event:
Officials who campaigned to keep the base open, including Gov. M. Jodi Rell, U.S. Sen. Joseph Lieberman, D-Conn., and U.S. Rep. Rob Simmons, R-Conn., were planning to attend the meeting.
While you may well have telescopic vision and telepathy, and therefore know the political affiliation of all the people who were at the event, the information given seems to indicate that it was non-partisan.
As far as Dodd...you're joking, right? It's hardly Lieberman's fault that Dodd didn't show up, and I doubt you'll hear Dodd criticize Lieberman for being there and for campaigning to save the base. You actually think Dodd would object to Lieberman being there? You're kidding, right?
And yes, being at the event helped Lieberman's campaign, and that's no doubt part of the reason he went, same as Simmons and Rell. But also same as Ned Lamont did when he appeared on a stage with Jesse Jackson, the man who called New York "Hymietown."
And Jesse Jackson WAS formally campaigning with Lamont. I'd rather go to a moderated panel on how to save a local naval base with two moderate GOPers than go to an official campaign event with Jesse Jackson.
Saving this base is something that Lieberman has worked on in the past, same as Simmons and Rell. Their presence there was not any more campaign-related than the literally hundreds of non-partisan panel discussions and conferences that politicians attend every year. It's a normal part of what politicians do, both in and out of campaign season.
And I hope that you're the one that's joking if are going to keep trying to spin such panels as "campaign events." Just try to bring this "story" to an accredited news organization, and watch as it gets laughed out of the room.
I agree that Lieberman is no longer a Democrat, and shouldn't be treated as such unless does the right thing and drops out of the race. But attacking him over this doesn't do anything but make the person making the assertion look like a fool. Attack him on the real issues. Don't be lazy and hit him on trumped up ones.
4:08 PM
Few typos there that I fixed...law school is already eating away at my editing skills.
I also felt that my main point was diluted in all that. Here it is:
The event that Lieberman attended along with Simmons and Rell was the type of thing that members of Congress from both parties frequently attend, often (if not usually) with members of the other party in attendance. The organizers of the event were a non-partisan group, and no fundraising, endorsing, or other campaign-related activities occurred at the event, unless you count the presence of any two politicians at the same place/time as a "campaign event," which is patently absurd.
The combination of all those factors means that no fairminded person familiar with the types of events normally attended by members of Congress and other high-profile politicians would ever categorize this as a campaign event.
4:43 PM
This is what Lieberman haters do. They lie, tell half truths, and basically try to submarine anyone who doesn't buy into their narrow minded views. Jane Hamsher is a perfect example of this fraud. She's quickly becoming the Ann Coulter of the Democrats.
Oh by the way Cacambo, Joe Lieberman should not drop out of the race, yes he still is a Democrat, and will be forever. You've been listening to too many of Sundogs rants.
4:46 PM
cacambo, it's an election season. It's a polarized country. It's crucial that Democrats regain the majority of one or both houses. Ripe targets for pickup exist in CT, with Simmons being one of the highest priority targets for the Democratic Party.
Having said all that, as a "Democrat," do you really think NOW is a good time to appear in public with these Republicans? If you don't think it was a campaign event, that's fine, but it was a public event, and Joe's (and Rell's and Simmon's, etc.) appearance was for the purpose of the campaign, period.
Joe Lieberman made a public appearance with vulnerable Republicans during a crucial election season. I don't understand how you think this helps Democrats regain a majority, which should be the first, last, and most important priority of all sitting Democrats. This should also be the first, last, and most important litmus test to judge a sitting "Democrat's" activities. This doesn't help, and probably hurts Democrats running in CT, and THAT is why Joe deserves to be criticized.
If you still believe Joe Lieberman is a Democrat, that is. Unfortunately, Joe Lieberman is a "Democrat," not a real Democrat, so this type of thing doesn't shock me. I'm mostly shocked and dismayed that Reid and Schumer aren't doing more to rein Joe in.
You lament the rigid standard, potentially exposing politicians to criticism if they dare to work with members across the aisle. Reread the first paragraph, then read this: get used to it.
Republicans created this polarized, divided, 50+1 environment, and it's up to Democrats to adapt to it. Now is NOT the time to be working with Republicans, now is the time to work AGAINST Republicans. Appearing at a Navy base with Republicans NOW does not help. Later, maybe, BUT NOT NOW!
You want to criticize Kos and Hamsher for calling it a "campaign event?" Fine, whatever, as I originally said, I think they stretched the truth. They'll pay a price for it if they don't clarify or retract it.
But I take exception to your implication that this criticism is improper and overblown. I think you (willfully?) miss a bigger picture here, by choosing to criticize the critics. I reiterate: now is NOT the time to make ANY kind of public appearances with Republicans. Joe Lieberman is pretty much the only one that has to worry about that litmus test- shouldn't that tell you something about him?
(BTW, apparently Richard Blumenthal was there as well, which I think is wrong too. This isn't really a pattern of behavior with Blumenthal, though, so perhaps we could chalk that up to poor judgment)
1:56 PM
Hamsher has had serious problems with the truth, just as David Sirota has, just as any number of high-profile "left" bloggers have.
They are ALL a disgrace. I hate liars on both the left and the right, and the left liars make me even madder because they should know better.
Hamsher discredits the left every time she sits in front of her keyboard and types another moronic screed.
4:59 PM
seedfreak, are you a registered Democrat?
4:46 PM
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