'Gaffes' and Personal Destruction-Borking is reaching an epidemic level.

Wall St Journal ^ | 5-5-03 | ROBERT L. BARTLEY

[SJackson]

To judge by the headlines, the GOP is suffering an epidemic of "gaffes." But if you read further, you find what Republicans call "Borking" and Democrats call "the politics of personal destruction."

The notion is to find some comment or anecdote that can be labeled beyond the pale, making the victim "controversial" and unsuited for office. Not that this is new, witness the lies about Robert Bork or the trumped-up ethics charges that toppled Speaker Newt Gingrich. But we're reaching the epidemic stage. It's the Lott virus. When the Senate majority leader was dethroned for some boneheaded if ultimately frivolous comments on Strom Thurmond's segregationist 1948 presidential campaign, other infections were inevitable.

[aristeides]

But we're reaching the epidemic stage. It's the Lott virus. When the Senate majority leader was dethroned for some boneheaded if ultimately frivolous comments on Strom Thurmond's segregationist 1948 presidential campaign, other infections were inevitable.

A lot of people on this board did not believe those of us who opposed throwing Lott to the wolves because doing so would be a big step in the direction of subjecting all of us to PC tyranny. I'm glad Bob Bartley seems to have seen the light.

[tdadams]

If you want to see a perfect example of this, check out this story.

Despite saying nothing remotely racist, a Tennessee state legislator is being accused of making "outrageous racial remarks" and certain accusors are calling for his resignation.

This is one of the most disturbing cases I've seen yet. It's the epitome of the politics of personal destruction. It's based on a completely fabricated charge. It's attacking a man's character, accusing him of things he didn't say, and demanding him to atone for remarks he didn't make.

[ReleaseTheHounds]

Another fine opinion piece by one of the really astute observers of the political scene. This whole mess of "Borking" shows the insidious power of the biased, slanted liberal media: the only effective "Borking" happens to people who don't share the liberal "progressive" slant. Fortunately, alot of this cr*p gets properly vetted by Talk Radio and FoxNews where that slant doesn't exist -- oh, yeah, it also doesn't make it with the voters who get their chance to weigh-in every 2 years or so. Too bad Jerry Nadler doesn't have to face the voters in a red-state district.

[Joe Bonforte]

A lot of people on this board did not believe those of us who opposed throwing Lott to the wolves because doing so would be a big step in the direction of subjecting all of us to PC tyranny.

Don't worry about it. As the post following yours indicates, the Democrats will keep going to this well until it is dry, and it's pretty shallow to start with. The legislator in TN is fighting this tooth and nail, and making his opponents look like complete idiots.

[Spirited]

Read it and weep, those among us who were so willing to put Lott down. He may not have been worth much but there was a priciple which was sacrificed. Now there is every reason in the world for the coalition of slanderers to repeat the performance every other day.

Worse than that, just wait until they bring us the Bush statement that it pleases them to enlarge into a demeaning controversy so that they can "Lottize" him along with Estrada et al.

One doesn't stop a Commie, an Islamicist or a brigand with anything but blatant, blunt force but Republicans haven't conceived of the meaning of the words, much less the courage to use it. Yet anything short of that is scorned by the other side as stupidity.

[TLBSHOW]

Good story from the Journal.

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[browardchad]

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[Egregious Philbin]

The Republicans stepped aside and let Lott have it though.

[Fred Mertz]

Bump!

[TLBSHOW]

When the Senate majority leader was dethroned for some boneheaded if ultimately frivolous comments on Strom Thurmond's segregationist 1948 presidential campaign, other infections were inevitable.


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