Today I received a disgusting piece of political mail concerning a Republican candidate for state senate in Northern "Not the Real" Virginia. Sent by an organization calling itself Our Heritage USA in Lynchburg, Virginia, the postcard was headlined: "Patrick Forrest: Coming Out of the Liberal Closet!" The postcard then laid out the following:
"Patrick Forrest is Openly Homosexual...He was endorsed by the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund.
Patrick Forrest supports illegal immigration reform. He is a Federal Gov't immigration attorney, who worked for migrant farm workers.
Patrick Forrest worked for President Obama's Transition team."
This little postcard closed with the point that: "And finally, Patrick Forrest has voted in Democratic primaries."
While this kind of attacks won't get much traction in liberal Democratic Arlington, this is just a glimmer of things to come as these people--who don't represent my heritage--spew their nativist, homophobic and racist rhetoric. What's particularly ironic here is that Patrick Forrest's opponent is a moderate to liberal Democrat, who these people apparently fear less than an openly gay Republican. As they say "A liberal Republican, like Patrick Forrest, is a greater threat to a conservative agenda than a Democrat will ever be."
We cannot let them win. While we may be disappointed in President Obama, we cannot let the descendants of the Know Nothings win. If they do and the White House is captured by the purveyors of hatred and the conservative agenda, the entire country will suffer.