I suspect most Americans had not even heard of Willie Horton before that ad ran.
(Though it is worth noting that it was the GOP exploiting tragedy for political gains once again…)
Why are posters to the SDMB often so damn partisan?
We get people like december, pldennison, and then some real yahoos like JanL who seem to call others partisan while behaving in a partisan fashion themselves.
What does this serve in debate as well as life? Is the purpose of this board, not to mention the Straight Dope itself, to ferret out the truth and expose that which is completely fallacious and ignorant?
With as smart as most of the members of this board are, why can’t this be a place to discuss issues without being partisan?
Why can’t the focus be on the FACTS and what ramifications come from these FACTS?
[sub]Why do I feel that this will fall on deaf ears?[/sub]
No offense, but Dick Gephardt came up with the Willie Horton idea first.
My counter-example would be Clinton bombing Iraq to try to short circuit the impeachment.
Is that partisan? Of course it is. How the dickens do we discuss politics without being so?
The Republicans are raising funds before campaign finance reform kicks in. The Democrats are trying to blame 9-11 on Bush for not paying attention to the warnings he received.
It’s business as usual, and anyone who says otherwise is trying to get over on you.
Regards,
Shodan
Wait a sec . . . I point out that I’ve always voted nearly exclusively for Democrats, but I’m defending the Republican Party in this thread, but I also point out that the Republicans did try to make political hay out of the Willie Horton thing . . . and I get accused by Hastur of acting partisan?
Um, can you maybe explain that just a little bit more? Because I think you might be, um, wrong.
A bit of calibration on the Offense-O-Meter is called for, I think.
Fundraising with Lincoln Bedroom. Registers 2.3 Tacky
Using 9/11 photos for fundraising Registers 2.4 slightly more tacky
“Willie Horton” Registers 8.7 Vile and reprehensible
Now, in the interests of bi-partisanship, I invite a comparison. I will await such “with the calm confidence of a Methodist with four aces.” (Twain)