Understanding Democrat Political Gymnastics
By Christopher Adamo (12/01/03)
When attempting to comprehend recent, and sometimes-surprising changes among Democrats on pivotal issues of the day, Americans should never forget that infamous red and blue map of the United States. Published in USA today just after the 2000 presidential election, the map portrayed the entire country, divided into counties, with those counties supporting George W. Bush depicted in red, while the counties where Al Gore predominated were shown in blue.
Apart from the irony of the choice of colors (any faithful representation of Gore could only have assigned him red), the stunning message of the map was instantly recognizable. With the exception of a few coastal zones and the major metropolitan areas, the entirety of the country went for Bush. Clearly Democrats sense the magnitude of the situation.
Even before the “cliff hanger” 2000 elections results rolled in, candidate Gore was already responding to polling research that didn’t bode well for the Democrats. During one presidential debate he espoused a surprising enthusiasm for hunting and outdoor gun sports... an obvious attempt to make inroads among voters who hold the Second Amendment as paramount. In the aftermath of the election, Bill Clinton unequivocally asserted that the NRA had turned the tide against Gore.
Since that time, Democrat strategists have openly expressed their alarm at having lost “NASCAR men” as a constituency group. This represents a radical departure from the nearly exclusive focus, only a few years prior, to the vaunted “soccer mom.” Unfortunately for their upcoming political fortunes, Democrats repeatedly show that they misinterpret the true nature and constitution of this voting group.
One aspiring politician who, several years prior to USA Today’s renowned map, recognized the problem and sought to deal with it, was Wyoming liberal Democrat (and Clinton enthusiast) Kathy Karpan. Realizing that antipathy towards the Second Amendment is a political “kiss of death” in Wyoming, she set about to bolster her image as an ardent gun-rights advocate by running campaign ads portraying her on a duck hunt, and by distributing bumper stickers that read “Pro-gun, Pro-Karpan.”
The bumper sticker endeavor was inadvertently undermined by some of her staunchest supporters, who frequently sported these banners on their bumpers immediately next to others that read “Clinton/Gore ’96.” Furthermore, the deceitful nature of her entire pro-gun crusade became obvious when it was revealed that her duck-hunting safari had been staged a short distance from the state capitol, in the city park. Subsequently, her campaign for U.S. Senate went down in flames.
Nevertheless, Senator John Kerry (D. MA) has taken a page out of her playbook, appearing recently on a pheasant-hunting expedition in Iowa. No doubt he hopes such visual platitudes will help win him the White House. The ruse is working as well for him as it did for Karpan.
Down in Dixie, former Vermont Governor Howard Dean sought to ingratiate himself to Southerners (or at least to his stereotypical perception of them), by publicly seeking the votes of “guys who have Confederate flag decals on their trucks,” and it is probably safe to assume, gun-racks in their rear windows. As with the two previous examples, Dean’s unabashed pandering promptly blew up in his face.
Democrat strategists have, in recent weeks, arrived at the amazing conclusion that they have lost touch with voters who consider themselves “religious.” This penchant for eventually recognizing the obvious may briefly raise hopes that one day they might even notice a danger posed to Americans by Islamic terrorists. In truth, their present concern for America’s spiritual condition recalls their dire concern, expressed throughout 1996, for the rash of “burning churches” in rural America. That concern mysteriously evaporated on the day after the ‘96 elections.
While their past record indicates a less-than-sincere regard for those issues of importance to Heartland America, another factor needs to be entered into the equation in order to understand the full extent of Democrat fraud whenever they attempt to claim the “middle ground.” Democrats know that key to successful advancement of a leftist agenda is maintaining control of the judiciary.
The courts are their “trump card,” whereby they legislate through an unelected, unaccountable, and unrepresentative governing body. Last week’s anti-Second Amendment decision by the Ninth Circuit Court, along with the Massachusetts Supreme Court’s iron-fisted implementation of gay “marriage,” inarguably spotlight the source of rampant liberalism now threatening America. Despite all their recent posturing, Democrats’ true colors and heartfelt contempt for traditional values are ultimately evident in their unwavering obstruction of worthwhile judicial nominees.
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