Debra Saunders just wrote a revolting op-ed in the San Francisco Chronicle in which she lazily asserted that the Democrats elected to the House of Representatives are conservative. In the battle to frame the agenda after the election, we must not let silly talking points from the right go unchallenged.
We're coming off a wonderful period of improving media accountability, and just because the election is over doesn't mean we can rest!
Didn't See it Coming Op Ed
Here's the full text of my letter; write your own if you like to
dsaunders@sfchronicle.com and don't forget the Chronicle's reader representative
readerrep@sfchronicle.com !
Dear Ms. Saunders,
Your selection of two words to quote from a fringe consultant without offering any supporting examples of your thesis smacks of intellectual laziness.
In fairness to you, I'll quote a large portion of the introductory paragraph from your recent op-ed:
As Democratic pollster Douglas Schoen noted in a
conference call Wednesday morning, Dems won the
House by picking candidates who were "running away"
from liberal Democratic positions.
In an attempt to check the context of the two words you quote, I was unable to find any coverage of Douglas Schoen in Google News aside from your op-ed since coverage of a separate unrelated event in October. Quoting only two words from a person as if that lends any bipartisan authority to your conjecture is silly, especially when their identity and opinion on an issue is not widely known by your readers.
Furthermore, if you took the time to check the positions of those newly elected, you would find that so-called conservative Democrats are hardly the majority of the newly elected members. The only representative you mention aside from Representative Pelosi is the outgoing Representative Pombo. You would have done well to mention Pombo's victorious opponent, who is anything but conservative. He's pro-choice, pro-labor, an environmentalist, in favor of embryonic stem cell research funded on the federal level, and a supporter of many other progressive issues. The only issue Representative-Elect McNerney could be said to have run away from is gay rights, but considering the problems our country faces and the protections gays already enjoy in his home state that as a non-issue.
In case you're unaware of Pombo's stances, he can be safely characterized as an arch-conservative. The change in Pombo's district is not one from the far right to just left of center, but one from the far right to well left of center. For every legitimate conservative Democrat elected in centrist parts of the country like Indiana, you might have found a moderate and a true liberal elected as well. Aside from the three in Indiana, Shuler in North Carolina and Lampson in Tom Delay's old Texas district are the only other conservative Democrats from the 28 or more new Democratic members of the House of Representatives. I'm sure I don't need to explain how conservative Tom Delay was.
If you are unwilling to do more than parrot a meme that's surprisingly pervasive yet inaccurate, so soon after the election, perhaps you should step aside so a more rigorous discussion of important issues can take place between conservatives and liberals.
Regards,
Me
You can find McNerney's issues here, if you need any convincing:
http://www.jerrymcnerney.org/...
If your local conservative hack is pulling the same crap, please post links and your letters!