Republicans are trying to buy the 2012 presidential election, so they're accusing Democrats of trying to buy the 2012 presidential election. The Republican presidential candidate is trying to keep his policy agenda vague and unspecific until after the election, so he's accusing the Democratic candidate of trying to keep his policy agenda vague and unspecific until after the election.
Republicans launched a policy agenda that was characterized as a "war on women," so they accused Democrats of launching a "war on women." The Republican candidate appears to be an out-of-touch elitist, so he accused the Democratic candidate of being an out-of-touch elitist.
Rachel calls this the "I'm rubber, you're glue" tactic, and Ari Berman reported this week, it's getting worse.
Republicans have passed more than a dozen new voting restrictions since 2010, including voter ID laws in ten GOP-controlled states, under the guise of stopping the virtually nonexistent problem of “ voter fraud.” Yet the real purpose of the new voting restrictions, as [Pennsylvania GOP House leader Mike Turzai] admitted, is to shape the electorate in the GOP's favor, since such laws disproportionately impact Democratic-leaning young and minority voters. As Bill Clinton said last year: "Why is all of this going on? This is not rocket science. They are trying to make the 2012 electorate look more like the 2010 electorate than the 2008 electorate."
In order to justify new voter suppression laws, GOP operatives are spinning increasingly elaborate conspiracy theories about alleged schemes of the Obama campaign and its allies to try to hijack the 2012 election. "Stop the corrupt Obama machine from stealing the 2012 elections," reads the headline of a recent fundraising letter from the conservative legal organization Judicial Watch.
Remember Judicial Watch, the group that went to such extraordinary lengths to push the impeachment crusade against President Clinton? The group is now arguing that Obama is "continuing to funnel tax dollars to the corrupt and criminal ACORN" -- a group that no longer exists -- while pushing "stealth amnesty" for undocumented immigrants in order to "steal" the election.
In other words, as GOP policymakers nationwide embrace voter-suppression tactics, and put new barriers between voters and their democracy, some on the right would have Americans believe that Democrats are trying to rig the electoral game.
I understand the point of this sort of thing -- if the right can muddle the picture, the truth gets obscured by both sides leveling similar claims -- but it doesn't make "I'm rubber, you're glue" any less absurd.
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I'm wondering, will this ridiculous tactic blow up in their face as soon as the debates begin? Much harder if the man across from you says "nope, you're lying and here's why."
The la-la land they live in is getting stranger and stranger every day.
And the question is: WHAT IS GOING TO BE DONE ABOUT IT?
Look, these unscrupulous asswholes do this BECAUSE IT WORKS.
What are the Dems going to do? They need to call this shhit out. Over and over and over and over... They need to use the word "LIE." Unabashedly.
Indeed it works. Rush uses this ploy all the time knowing full well the weakness of the Democrats spine.
you mean like the Dem's and Left did to get Obamacare through Congress and shoved down the throats of the American People?
LIE LIE LIE........
please do show evidence for your claims, "survivin". I do hope you'll also be a courageous person and make sure you never accept any thing like Medicaid or Medicare since you find the health care affordablity act so unacceptable.
But I'm sure you won't be.
That nonsense about Democrats "shoving" anything down anybody's throat has been debunked repeatedly. Go back and see how long there was debate on health care. Go back and see if Obama shoved single payer down anybody's throat. Go back and see if it wasn't blue dogs who weren't dumbing down health care reform. Go back and check to see if there was ever any intention WHATSOEVER for Republicans to contribute to the solution to the nation's no. 1 problem instead of an intention to stand in the way of solving the problem in order to deny a political opponent a political "win."
Get out of here with that weak shhit.
Disgusted @#3 has ask the right question: "What are we going to do about it?"
There is no doubt it is a fiendishly clever tactic.
What we first need to know is
1) Who it convinces; and
2) Who sees through it.
We need some serious polling, putting these exact points Steve has listed to a cross section of the electorate (in the way Pew Research and Gallup do it, for example) to find out exactly how it is influencing opinion.
Once we have that information we will be in a stronger position to counter it. Until we know how effective it really is, we are groping in the dark trying to deal with it.
Therefore, let's get some good polling set up. Anyone have contacts at Pew Research or a similar polling agency?
Absurd? On the contrary, Mr. Benen. This is a time-honored rhetorical tactic on par with such classics as "He who smelt it, dealt it" and "Your mother!"
"Republicans are trying to buy..."
Correction - Republicans are finagling to steal the 2012 elections! Their efforts to hold on to the levers of power have pushed them over the edge, at this point with their failed policies and ineffectual leadership they have no choice except to lie, cheat and steal to get their way!
VOTE THEM OUT IN NOVEMBER!
Well, I'm all for Mandatory Voter Laws and for TAXING voter Inactivity. If you are eligible to vote in a national election and you fail to fulfill your civic duty, you must pay a tax.
This is not snark or sarcasm. Republicans are reaping way too many rewards for stripping workers of their rights, transferring wealth to the 1%, suppressing growth and wages, creating unemployment, and now disrupting voters rights.
Obamacare is showing us the way to a Constitutional Solution.
WOW...way to buy everything you hear from the Left..Hook, line and sinker...
the 1% pay the most tax in this country already. Almost 50 percent of this country does not pay taxes and you want to still complain about the one percent.
...and as far as your "victory" for Obamacare...how does he answer now that it is a TAX if you do not obtain Healthcare. (I'm not arguing the point of Obamacare being against the Consitiution, from the way the decision read, they were right in upholding based on the Power of Congress to levy taxes.) I'm arguing now that this will be the single BIGGEST TAX INCREASE EVER!!!....
Oh Wait..I got it..The Liberal Answer...BUSH's Fault....!!! Grow up folks...
First, 50% do not pay INCOME taxes. Second, in no way is it the biggest tax increase ever. So, while I usually disagree with most loyalists to this blog, they don't need more ammo to bolster their view of conservatives.
I don't have much money to donate but I do have time. Does anyone know who I contact to volunteer time? I live in CA so our state is already going to Obama but I could send emails or post articles if I knew who to contact.
Jane
Here where to volunteer for the California Democratic Party
http://www.kintera.org/site/c.jrLZK2PyHmF/b.979009/k.E904/Volunteer/apps/ka/ct/contactus.asp?c=jrLZK2PyHmF&b=979009
Good luck!