Posted on 08/21/2003 10:35:35 AM PDT by ladtx
California's chaotic gubernatorial recall election and nasty redistricting fights in Texas and Colorado are symbolic of a new damn-the-rules brand of politics being honed by a power-greedy Republican Party, says veteran Democratic strategist Donna Brazile.
"What's now happened across the country is this Republican majority is not intent on just winning elections . . . they want to become a one-party country," Brazile said in an interview Monday before delivering the keynote speech at the Utah Democratic Party's annual Eleanor Roosevelt luncheon.
"They do not play by the rules. They will break the rules and then say Democrats are obstructionists," she said.
Brazile, manager of the Gore-Lieberman 2000 presidential campaign, says the tactics are part of a pattern that emerged in the Florida presidential recount debacle.
"When they lose elections, they seek to overturn them. When they fall behind in an election, they seek to recall them," she said. "They did it in Florida and now they're doing it in Texas with the redistricting, and look at California. That's a national disgrace and an affront to democracy."
While Brazile's concerns are admittedly partisan, the lifelong Democrat is not alone in viewing the new hardball politics with alarm.
Alan Ehrenhalt, executive editor of the staunchly bipartisan Governing magazine, wrote a scathing column in the current issue, titled "Republicans Behaving Badly." He pointed to many of the same events as Brazile -- the recall election in California and redistricting games in Texas and Colorado.
"Since this is a column assailing partisanship, I would very much like to strike a bipartisan note right at the beginning and tell an equal number of horror stories at Democratic and Republican expense," Ehrenhalt wrote. "Unfortunately, I'm not able to do that. The reality is that most of the serious outrages lately have come from the GOP side of the aisle."
Utah Republican Chairman Joe Cannon scoffed at the notion Republicans have taken politics to a new low.
"It is very hard to see Donna Brazile making that argument with a straight face," Cannon said, adding Democrats are just "whining" about losing elections.
"Democrats are really angry and bitter because they don't have control," he said. "They're not used to being the minority."
Cannon said he doesn't support and defend all of the political advantage-seeking around the country, counting himself as an opponent of recall elections and altering voting boundaries already redistricted in the year after the once-a-decade U.S. census. But he denied those acts are orchestrated by the Republican Party, insisting, "they're not part of a right-wing conspiracy."
On Rush's show I just heard that Joe Lockhart is heading up a website to recall President Bush. Rush pointed out that if Lockhart is involved, that means it was probably the Clintons' idea.
Weird turn of phrase. That's like "extremely mediocre" or "outrageously bland".
"Democrats are really angry and bitter because they don't have control," he said. "They're not used to being the minority."
"They're not used to being the minority." This seems to be the problem with the Texas RATs. They have been in power for over 100 years. The past two elections have gone to the Republicans, and the RATs are beside themselves.
First the 51 reps left for OK and now the 11 senators in NM. I personnaly think they should lose their official titles and have a special election for replacements. They don't realize how stupid they are acting and what people are saying about them.
How about the Gore campaign, led by Donna Brazile, sending an army of lawyers to Florida on the eve of the election expressly to challenge the results if they did not go Gore's way? And when the 100% clear Florida law on ballot counting was overturned by partisan Democrat judges?
I'm sorry to be blunt, but Brazile and the other democrat strategists are not stupid people. They know all this. They ae simply liars and propagandists.
The Dims seem to be doing a much better job of making this a one-party (Republican) country.
HillaryCare, Gray Davis, Filibustering Judges, The Most Corrupt Administration in American History, Vince Foster, Chinese Communists Donors, Al Gore.
I would absolutely love it for the Republican Party to be smart enough to do that kind of damage to the Dims.
Donna Brazile, "veteran Democratic strategist", "manager of the Gore-Lieberman 2000 presidential campaign".
"While Brazile's concerns are admittedly partisan, the lifelong Democrat is not alone in viewing the new hardball politics with alarm."
Dan Harrie of the Salt Lake Tribune has identified who and what he really is - a mouthpiece for the Democrat Party. Donna Brazile is the female version of James Carville - without Carville's politeness and manners.
What - you all the sudden got a problem with our 800 Philosopher-Kings? ;-)
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