ORSON SCOTT CARD: The Campaign of Hate and Fear

Opinion Journal ^ | Tuesday, December 16, 2003 12:01 a.m. EST | ORSON SCOTT CARD

[sr4402]

Some of my fellow Democrats are unpatriotic.

In one of Patrick O'Brian's novels about the British navy during the Napoleonic wars, he dismisses a particularly foolish politician by saying that his political platform was "death to the Whigs." Watching the primary campaigns among this year's pathetic crop of Democratic candidates, I can't help but think that their campaigns would be vastly improved if they would only rise to the level of "Death to the Republicans."

Instead, their platforms range from Howard Dean's "Bush is the devil" to everybody else's "I'll make you rich, and Bush is quite similar to the devil." Since President Bush is quite plainly not the devil, one wonders why anyone in the Democratic Party thinks this ploy will play with the general public.

There are Democrats, like me, who think it will not play, and should not play, and who are waiting in the wings until after the coming electoral debacle in order to try to remake the party into something more resembling America.

But then I watch the steady campaign of the national news media to try to win this for the Democrats, and I wonder. Could this insane, self-destructive, extremist-dominated party actually win the presidency? It might--because the media are trying as hard as they can to pound home the message that the Bush presidency is a failure--even though by every rational measure it is not.

...

Am I saying that critics of the war aren't patriotic? Not at all--I'm a critic of some aspects of the war. What I'm saying is that those who try to paint the bleakest, most anti-American, and most anti-Bush picture of the war, whose purpose is not criticism but deception in order to gain temporary political advantage, those people are indeed not patriotic. They have placed their own or their party's political gain ahead of the national struggle to destroy the power base of the terrorists who attacked Americans abroad and on American soil.

Patriots place their loyalty to their country in time of war ahead of their personal and party ambitions. And they can wrap themselves in the flag and say they "support our troops" all they like--but it doesn't change the fact that their program is to promote our defeat at the hands of our enemies for their temporary political advantage.

Think what it will mean if we elect a Democratic candidate who has committed himself to an antiwar posture in order to get his party's nomination.

[sr4402]

This is Orson Scott Card who wrote "Enders Game" and other Science Fiction Books. He is a Democrat and sounds like Zell Miller. May the force be with him!

[mewzilla]

There are Democrats, like me, who think it will not play, and should not play, and who are waiting in the wings until after the coming electoral debacle in order to try to remake the party into something more resembling America.

Ah, just do what I do, Mr. Card: vote Pubbie.

[eureka!]

Interesting and honest. I loved his books and was sorry to hear he was a 'rat. This is some consolation...

[Snake65]

I met him at a convention. He's a class act, as this article shows.

[JustPlainJoe]

This guy's got an ounce of brains! What a refreshing viewpoint coming from the left. I didn't think you could
be a Democrat and have common sense at the same time.

[Sam Cree]

"he dismisses a particularly foolish politician by saying that his political platform was "death to the Whigs."

Neither the Democrats or the Republicans bear much resemblance to the Whigs. But the Republicans come closer.

[cake_crumb]

"What I'm saying is that those who try to paint the bleakest, most anti-American, and most anti-Bush picture of the war, whose purpose is not criticism but deception in order to gain temporary political advantage, those people are indeed not patriotic. They have placed their own or their party's political gain ahead of the national struggle to destroy the power base of the terrorists who attacked Americans abroad and on American soil."

Exactly.

[pgkdan]

Instead, their platforms range from Howard Dean's "Bush is the devil" to everybody else's "I'll make you rich, and Bush is quite similar to the devil." Since President Bush is quite plainly not the devil, one wonders why anyone in the Democratic Party thinks this ploy will play with the general public.

LOL! What a hoot. I wonder the same thing myself. I know tyou have to run to the left in the dim primaries, but this is ridiculous.

[Vermonter]

I can think of many, many reasons why the Republicans should not control both houses of Congress and the White House. But right now, if the alternative is the Democratic Party as led in Congress and as exemplified by the current candidates for the Democratic nomination, then I can't be the only Democrat who will, with great reluctance, vote not just for George W. Bush, but also for every other candidate of the only party that seems committed to fighting abroad to destroy the enemies that seek to kill us and our friends at home.

From your word processor to the DNC's ad machine

[Vermonter]

DNC = RNC

[bert]

He thinks he is a Democrat but he is wrong. He may have been a Democrat but not in 2003.

Time has passed him by.

[workerbee]

one wonders why anyone in the Democratic Party thinks this ploy will play with the general public.

Why wouldn't they? The one thing Dems understand is that this country is chockful of ignorant gimme-bots whose closest brush with reality is Survivor. Look the bilge they pumped during the Bubba/Algore occupancy, and look how close 2000 was anyway. Dean's a psycho nut, but said with enough brashness and confidence, even psycho nutiness can sway alot of sheeple. September 11 notwithstanding, it won't surprise me at all to see another squeaker in '04.

[Bean Counter]

What this really shows is that not all Democrats are "Leftists". Just as not all Republicans are "Rightists". There are a lot of us that really do fall somewhere in between, and have more in common than we know.

Food for thought.

[neverdem]

The smallest complaint up front, before I forget, is that you don't have to excerpt from WSJ's OpinionJournal.com. That done this post is still A+. If the author and yourself didn't write otherwise, never in my wildest dreams would I think he was a rat.

I was dumfounded and slackjawwed on all of his descriptions. He consistently nails it on all of the following:
1. The current rat campaign
2. The current war in Iraq and on terror
3. What really happened in the Viet-Nam War
4. The collusion of the major media
5. The recession and the current economy
6. The recession andd economy under Bush the elder
7. The manipulation of Blacks

He hit so many points, but I had to start writing them down and some probably were missed. Thanks for a great post.

[neverdem]

PING---This is a keeper. I'm Bookmarking.

[CedarDave]

PING---This is a keeper. I'm Bookmarking.

Beat me to it! That was to be exactly my comment when I saw yours!

[neverdem]

You know what they say about great minds. Don't believe it. I'm kidding. Merry Christmas

[zeus54]

This guy (Orson Scott Card) is a genius. I think I have read all of his books (Ender's Game, Speaker for the Dead, Ender's Shadow, etc) and he does not have any insane leftist axe to grind and by the way, his books are tremendous. Just goes to show, democrats are not all psychos. I suppose it's fortunate for us that the democratic "leaders" are so demonstrably off the deep end --that sensible democrats are jumping ship in droves if only to maintain their self respect and honor as we see with Mr. Card.

[auboy]

BTTT!

[Democratshavenobrains]

Many Democrats, particularly the Dean/Kucinich supporters don't even WANT us to go after terrorists militarily. They just want us to give loads of money to the Palestinians. See DU for the most obvious of these people.