Posted on 7/18/2004, 7:58:10 PM by Mark
Now who's calling whom 'unpatriotic'?
By Chris Weinkopf Editorial Writer
It's a standard political complaint these days to deplore the "questioning" of one's patriotism.
We hear it often from some opponents of the war in Iraq and supporters of Sen. John Kerry, who condemn criticism of their rhetoric or candidate as tantamount to a charge of sedition. In their view, to challenge a liberal's outlook on world events is to challenge his love of country - an act of modern-day McCarthyism.
Yet what happens when the one issuing the challenge is a Democrat, and those challenged are Republicans?
When a group of Golden State conservatives recently announced the creation of the California Club for Growth, Bob Mulholland - political strategist for the California Democratic Party - derided the organization as "a front for unpatriotic Republican millionaires."
How's that for questioning patriotism?
The California Club for Growth is an offshoot of the national Club for Growth, which raises money for candidates who favor reducing taxes and regulations - policies that, to those left of center, may seem thoughtless, even destructive, but unpatriotic?
After reading Mulholland's quote, I decided to seek some elaboration, and, graciously, he took my call. Club for Growth members aren't just "unpatriotic Republican millionaires," he told me, but "unpatriotic Republican millionaires with Caribbean mailing addresses to cheat on taxes."
Oh. Could he name any of these tax-cheating Club members who live in the Caribbean? No, "but if you listen to (national Club for Growth President Stephen Moore) and all their comments ... they've never proposed building anything or expanding the military ... it's all one agenda, cutting taxes. It's all for millionaires."
And that makes them unpatriotic, Mulholland explains, because these are "guys who, in the middle of the War on Terror, want to cut more taxes for millionaires." Mulholland would prefer "a War on Terror that's fully funded" - as opposed to relying on deficit spending. "That's the American way."
Now, questioning patriotism has its place, particularly in the case of those who have said or done things to suggest an animus toward their country or its well-being. Jane Fonda, for example, played pinup girl for the Viet Cong while American troops were dying in Vietnam. And there are some (no, not all) "anti-war" fanatics today whose contempt for America far exceeds their disdain for its enemies.
One can oppose the war for patriotic reasons (e.g., a genuine fear that it hurts American interests) or unpatriotic ones (e.g., a genuine fear that it furthers American interests). And, by extension, it's theoretically possible to imagine someone like the bogeyman Mulholland has conjured - a traitor who supports tax cuts for unpatriotic purposes, like bankrupting the country so it loses the war. But I've never encountered any such person, least of all among the members of the Club for Growth, several of whom I know personally.
These are people who love their country fiercely. Far from hoping to put the cost of the war on credit cards, they advocate cutting spending in areas unrelated to national security, which, in turn, would free up plenty of cash for tax cuts !ital!and!off! national security. (And they have often condemned Bush and the Republican Congress for their decidedly unconservative spending habits.)
It's fair to question these fiscal conservatives' analysis, even their priorities, but to call them unpatriotic is an utterly unsupportable smear, one that would be roundly condemned were it leveled against a more "progressive" statewide political group - say Mulholland's employer, the California Democratic Party.
This isn't the first time Mulholland has taken to speciously questioning his opponents' patriotism. Last fall, he denounced the effort to recall Gray Davis as "irresponsible" and - you guessed it - "unpatriotic."
So, by his estimation, the 55 percent of Californian voters who opted for ousting Davis are also traitors. That's the danger of defining "patriotic" as "anyone who agrees with me" - the number of true patriots quickly dwindles.
But during times of war, it's not only decent, but prudent, to make the critical distinction between real enemies and mere political opponents. Take Mulholland: He can fairly be described as brash, rhetorically reckless, hyper-partisan. But don't call him unpatriotic. Let's save that slur for the louts who've earned it.
--- Chris Weinkopf is the Daily News' editorial page editor. Write to him by e-mail at chris.weinkopf@dailynews.com.
As usual, the left redefines words and phrases to correspond with their warped perspectives.
And that makes them unpatriotic, Mulholland explains, because these are "guys who, in the middle of the War on Terror, want to cut more taxes for millionaires." Mulholland would prefer "a War on Terror that's fully funded" - as opposed to relying on deficit spending. "That's the American way."
It's so sweet when someone actually takes the time to give an idiot an opportunity to hang him/herself with his/her own words.
BUMP!
Mulholland is a total jerk and perfect as a spokesman for the Demoncrats.
I think you will like the interview of President Bush by Daily News I posted.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1173780/posts
Given this country was founded greatly based on opposition to taxes I think there is nothing more patriotic than to avoid taxation to the maximum extent possible by law. Kudos to the corporations who incorporate offshore to protect their shareholders assets from double taxation.
Ditto that. He's lower than what excreta.
what = whale
sheesh.
"Mulholland would prefer 'a War on Terror that's fully funded'"
Hmmmm? "Fully funded" .. that's interesting in that KERRY VOTED AGAINST FUNDING THE WAR!!
Great point, CyberAnt!
And .. IIRC Edwards did too.
Great point. And, to try to be all things to all voters, John Flip-flop Kerry "actually did vote for the 87 Billion Dollars, before [he] voted against it.
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