Posted by
flagwaver on Thursday, December 29, 2011 6:11:02 AM
At this point I am sick to death of hearing the refrain, “Remember Reagan’s 11
th Commandment: do not speak ill of a fellow Republican.” I am tired of it, because it is one of the stupidest things I have heard coming out of this Republican nomination campaign. I am sick of it because it makes no sense in this type of political context. And I am sick of it because it is being used by some as a shield to ward off any criticism of them by their opponents.
I am pretty sure that Ronald Reagan was smart enough to understand that when running in a primary against fellow Republicans, at some point you are going to have to go after them. I mean, this is the guy who managed to start the total implosion of the Soviet Union…so he should have been smart enough to recognize the realities of campaigning.
Now, I am not saying that what we should want is for our candidates to spend their time on the trail relentlessly attacking one another on a personal level. That would be foolish, as voters generally don’t take to that kind of thing. It makes the attacker look weak, since all he/she has to say is something personal about the other candidate, and not anything positive to say about themselves.
However, I see nothing at all wrong with candidates going after each other on policy, temperament, political history, or character issues, since all have a bearing on how one would likely govern. Anybody remember the famously flawed LBJ, the paranoid Nixon, or the horndog Clinton? Those things matter in choosing a candidate for the highest elective office in the world!
I mean, why shouldn’t Newt Gingrich call Mitt Romney a flip-flop artist in the same league as John Heinz-Kerry? It’s not like it isn’t true, now is it? Mitt has had more positions than a porn star in a double feature!
And why shouldn’t Rick Perry call Newt a Washington insider? Again, there’s nothing but truth there. Newt went from being Speaker of the House to influence peddler, basically lobbying for Fannie and Freddie in his time away from elective office. Is that not the definition of an insider, and an example of the government-lobbyist revolving door?
Likewise, why shouldn’t Michelle Bachmann state her concerns about Ron Paul’s foreign policy positions? In my opinion, there is nothing wrong with pointing out that a President Ron Paul would allow Israel to be wiped off the map and an American locale to be transformed into what Brian R once described as “A City of Glass” before he saw fit to challenge anyone who threatens us. I mean, last I heard from Mr. Paul, we should take a totally “hands-off” posture in Iran and allow them to become a nuclear armed exporter of terrorism in the hopes that they wouldn’t attack us. Or we should abandon our military bases around the world, because God knows no one would rush to fill the power vacuum an American retreat would cause!
Furthermore, it is the height of stupidity to act as though anyone running for POTUS should be having a love-in with his/her opponents. If you want to win an election, you had damned well better be able to differentiate yourself from the opposition and be trying to convince voters that you are the only choice for the job. I mean, how foolish is it to be in race and stand around singing the praises of your competitors? I mean, if Candidate A is so taken with Candidate B, why the heck should I vote for A?
So I say that during a primary, break the 11th Commandment! If you believe that you are the best person for the job, say so. And if you think your opponent is a worthless hack, say that too. As the saying goes, all’s fair in love and politics!