IronDioPriest - 15 July 2007 06:30 PM
…
Unfortunately, the liberal machine does not hold liberals accountable for their self-destructive outbursts. Only when conservatives lose their tempers, will the media grip like a pit-bull until the person’s life and/or reputation are destroyed.
A good example of that would be ... Zell Miller.
In the run-up to the 2000 election, James Carville and Paul Begala wrote this in the Washington Monthly:
By choosing former Georgia governor Zell Miller as his running mate, Al Gore could add intellectual brainpower, rhetorical firepower, and lots of plain old populist piss-and-vinegar to this staid election.
...
Lest you think this New Democrat is nothing more than an old Republican, you should know that Zell Miller devoted a year of his governorship to the battle to remove the racist symbol of segregation from the Georgia state flag.
Here again, the contrast would be terrific. Juxtapose the footage of Bush sucking up to the racists in South Carolina, bowing and scraping at Bob Jones University, with images of Miller standing strong against the bigots.
...
Zell Miller is also a world-class campaigner and orator. His keynote address to the 1992 Democratic convention ranks with Barbara Jordan’s and Mario Cuomo’s as one of the finest examples of powerful rhetoric and partisan passion.
At a time when politics seems moribund, Zell would bring energy. When people are looking for heroes, Zell’s the real thing. And when Democrats need someone who’s not afraid to open up a can of whupass on the radical right, they need look no further than Zell Miller.
Link: http://tinyurl.com/2k75rt
Weeeell, what do ya know ... Just a few years later, in reaction to Mr. Miller’s speech at the 2004 Republican convention, this is what the Liberals had to say about their ole “piss-and-vinegar” pal:
Matthew Yglesias:
Watching that speech from inside the hall, I was genuinely afraid at one or two points. The audience was so enthused by his frankly fascistic remarks that at any moment I thought the distinguished Senator might point up and say “see, there, right there is one of these unpatriotic liberal journalists busy abusing the freedoms our soldiers fight to protect—he must be destroyed for the safety of the Republican” and that Matt Welch and I would need to fend for our lives against the onrushing hordes.
Of course it didn’t quite come to that, but I don’t believe I’ve ever heard a more disgusting speech delivered in the English language. The fact that I couldn’t see a single person on the floor who seemed to feel anything less than the utmost enthusiasm for that lunacy was, well, a bit disturbing.”
Link: http://tinyurl.com/5fr5g
Jonathan Cohn, in the New Republic:
It was one of the most vile political speeches in recent American history, every bit as offensive as Pat Buchanan’s infamous call in 1992 for “religious war” and, perhaps, a little more disturbing. Buchanan’s speech, after all, was an assault on decency. Last night Miller declared war on democracy.
Link: http://tinyurl.com/5hlbe
Kevin Drum, on his “Political Animal” blog in Washington Monthly:
A BRIEF MESSAGE....We’re all about civil discourse here at Political Animal, but what else can you say to Zell Miller except....
#### you, Zell.
Link: http://tinyurl.com/5udkx
“Thumb", a poster on the aforementioned Kevin Drum blog:
Zell’s speech reads better in the original German.
Link: http://tinyurl.com/5hlbe
‘Nuff said.
