In the last 5 or 6 years, we've seen many Republicans turn against their party and proclaim I did not leave the Republican Party, the Republican Party left me! Some said this because they disagreed with the war while others were disappointed with Bush's limited achievements in creating a theocracy. Many resented the bigger government and some mourned the lost opportunities for more wars and invasions. These former Republicans had little in common except that the truth: The Republican Party had changed so fast and so quickly that they did not recognize it anymore. For some like me, it was a change from bad to worse, but a change nonetheless.
Voter suppression, race-baiting, xenophobia and Islamophobia, fear mongering, deceiving voters, distorting candidates' positions and politics of personal destruction are some of the reasons why many of us never considered being Republican.
Three members of the Clinton campaign had to resign after forwarding a smear email about Obama, while fully aware of its false content. Among other lies, the email claimed Obama to be part of a Muslim conspiracy to destroy America:
Please forward to everyone you know. The Muslims have said they Plan on destroying the US from the inside out, what better way to start than at The highest level.
Bill Shaheen, Hillary Clinton's New Hampshire Co-Chair and one of the state's most powerful Democrats, attacked Obama for his admitted drug use during his teen years under the guise of concern over electability:
The Republicans are not going to give up without a fight ... and one of the things they're certainly going to jump on is his drug use. It'll be, 'When was the last time? Did you ever give drugs to anyone? Did you sell them to anyone?' There are so many openings for Republican dirty tricks. It's hard to overcome.
Former Nebraska Senator and Clinton surrogate Bob Kerrey played on Islamophobia in his supposed praise of Obama by repeated use of his middle name and reminder of his paternal roots, while endorsing Hillary Clinton:
I like the fact that his name is Barack Hussein Obama, and that his father was a Muslim and that his paternal grandmother is a Muslim...
In Nevada, it was hard to not see the move of Clinton supporters as a voter suppression effort once they filed a lawsuit to shut down "At Large" caucuses in reaction to the Culinary Union's endorsement of Obama:
A lawsuit filed late Friday in federal court seeks to stop the Democratic Party from holding caucus meetings at nine Strip hotels, which would diminish the influence of casino workers and hamper Illinois Sen. Barack Obama's campaign.
While campaigning for Clinton in South Carolina, Bob Johnson (founder of BET) made the following remarks:
As an African American, I am frankly insulted that the Obama campaign would imply that we are so stupid that we would think Hillary and Bill Clinton, who have been deeply and emotionally involved in black issues, when Barack Obama was doing something in the neighborhood that I won't say what he was doing but he said it in his book...
These were hardly isolated incidents, given the myriad of other subtle and not-so-subtle references like Cuomo's shuck and jive comment, Bill Clinton branding Obama's campaign (or record on the Iraq war, depending on whom you believe) as a fairy tale and Hillary Clinton discounting MLK as merely an orator and claiming that it took a president in LBJ to get something done.
Of course this was all before South Carolina. Once Obama's landslide victory in South Carolina was apparent, Bill Clinton discounted it with his unsolicited comparison of Obama to the candidacy of Jesse Jackson in 1984 and 1988. The implications were clear, African Americans are expected to vote for the black candidate just as much as others are not.
The dirty tactics and backhanded compliments were not to the exclusion of direct attacks, voter deception and distortion of other candidates' positions on the issues. Direct mailers in New Hampshire questioned Obama's pro-choice credentials despite his 100% pro-choice rating with Planned Parenthood and NARAL, while robo calls deceived voters about Edwards' position on free trade by referring to an old Senate vote.
But we all know that this is one candidate who will say and do anything to win. Can we really hold the party accountable for her actions?
The day when the Democratic Party affirms this behavior and endorses such tactics by nominating Hillary Clinton to represent the Democratic Party, that day when being a loyal Democratic means turning a blind eye to everything we've believed in and rubber stamping the nominee, the day when believing the Democratic Party campaign ads will take the same faith it now takes to believe those of the Republican Party...
On that day I will proudly say, I didn't leave the Democratic Party, the Democratic Party left me!