Poor, poor David Broder. It's so sad he's come to this, isn't it? I mean, look at this logic:
[Unity08 is] the effort to launch a Bipartisan
third-party campaign with the first Internet nominating convention in history.
Maybe somebody could explain to me what a "bipartisan third party" might be? Either it's a third party--which I suppose would mean it's tripartisan--or it isn't. And don't you love the picture of Ho Lieberman and [genuflects] John McCain squabbling over who gets to be at the top of the ticket?
The column is one long masterwork of teabagging and fluffery in service of one Douglas Bailey, a Republican consultant, whose assertions Broder evidently did not feel the need to check. (Surprise! I mean, it would never, ever occur to the Republicans to siphon off the protest vote in 2008, would it?) Here's the money shot:
"To the degree that the nominees of the two parties recognize that bipartisan leadership is essential, then it shows the political process has made a self-adjustment, and that is good," [Bailey] said. "But the usual game is to target the base of your party, rile it up with wedge issues and ignore the middle.
"If they do that again, we will be ready. It is possible the parties can right the ship themselves, but I don't have a lot of confidence in that happening."
Actually, that's the "usual game" of Beltway consultants like Bailey! They make their money at the margin, and so they need to keep the parties relatively close.
NOTE 1 Oh, and I love the idea of "the first Internet nominating convention," because it looks like they don't have any identity policy at all. So, bring on the trolls!
NOTE 2 Here's the very first comment in Unity08's blog, from "Hope." Somehow, I don't think this is what Broder had in mind:
Obama vs. Hillary
Hope on February 24, 2007 - 4:11pmIDIOTS IN NEW YORK VOTED IN HILLARY
IDIOTS IN ILLINOIS VOTED IN OBAMA
COME ON REST OF THE COUNTRY
SAVE US FROM OURSELVES
Call for Condolezza Rice to run.....Vote for Sam Brownback, Senator from Kansas, or Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania, or McCain
I have come to become an intelligent adult and in understanding and realizing the hostile environment throughout the world these days I can not in any way support any candidate for President of USA who is of the Islamic faith---the President would be privy to CIA/FBI information and I just do not want an Islamic tied President knowing what Islamic Intelligence Work is going on. Period. Islamists brought this upon themselves; not being trustworthy, so I have nothing to be apologetic about or ashamed in saying as I see the reality of the situation to be.
UPDATE Snicker.
- lambert's blog
- Login or register to post comments
- 1+[CSE]+#b94+
Front page
Comments
Rice/Allen would be the
Rice/Allen would be the perfect ticket wouldn't it? haha
Hagel sniffing at this too?
Odd timing on a note over at Taegan Goddard's joint this morning:
Said Hagel: "If I decide to get into this, I would run not just to make a statement."
"He said that if he ran he would seek the Republican nomination. Yet he's also talking up Unity08. That's a plan by a bipartisan group of political operatives to draft a bipartisan presidential ticket on the Internet and offer voters an alternative to the Democratic and Republican candidates next year."
(emphasis added)
Interestingly enough I've just been dipping into a book about the junior member of the last successful "fusion ticket" in US politics. You remember the blazingly successful, nationally-healing-'n'-calming career of Andrew Johnson, right?
(Okay, that was cruel...since actually what I've been finding in this book is that along with having the most confusing name in politics aside from Lyndon Jackson, the guy really gets a bad rap today from having his history written mostly by his enemies. Picture people a hundred years from now knowing nothing about Bill Clinton except what was said about him by Newt Gingrich.)
And sniffing is the operative word....
Operation Steaming Load continues...
No authoritarians were tortured in the writing of this post.
First they ignore you, then they ridicule you, then they fight you, then you win. -- Mahatma Gandhi
I love you, Lambert.
You Vituperative Foul-Mouthed Blogger of the Left, you.
Blue Gal
http://bgalrstate.blogspot.com http://r...
Blue Gal
http://bgalrstate.blogspot.com http://r...
i don't know
lieberman may have been able to hornswaggle the CT voters last year, but now? and more importantly, what about almost two years from now, as the war in iraq drags on? for it seems likely we'll still be surging there, or whatever 'new' word they come up with to describe our constant victories that never seem to be enough...will this whole unity crap work for "moderate dems" or will be in fact only split the republican vote?
let's face it, it's harder and harder not to feel your left-leaning urges, if you're a dem. sure, there are still some who want "unity" with republicans, but it seems to me there are more republicans looking for a way out of the nutty marriage of theocracy with cronyism.
the 'silent third way majority' myth is just that, total bunk. we've passed 60% who want an end to the war, now or really soon, and i don't see those folks voting for the party of "let's just give it another surge or two" minus the xenophobic frothing at the mouth.