Alright, I've had it pretty much up to here with this nonsense. Much has been made of the total meltdown of Obama surrogate Kirk Watson on MSNBC, and how he really reflected poorly upon the Obama campaign. As an Obama supporter, I'd be the first to say that is exactly the case. I'm not deluded into insane apologias for my candidate or his campaign. Another thing Obama gets criticized for is his use of right wing frames on social security, the separation of church and state and on other issues as well. But as Kagro X so perfectly demonstrated on the front page, the Clinton campaign is going above and beyond, moreso than any instance of Obama adopting "right wing frames."
I really thought we were kind of done with 2004. But I suppose those delightful tactics embraced by the Kerry and Gephardt campaigns (and the Club for Growth) in nuking Howard Dean just had to make a comeback, and apparently at the hands of the Clinton campaign.
Well, I have news for them.
They may think that one instance of Barack Obama using the word "crisis" to describe Social Security is buying into a right wing talking point, but much more so is falsely criticizing another Democrat for saying that they plan on raising taxes by a trillion dollars. "Tax and spend" are three more that should never be uttered by a Democrat towards another Democrat.
That really got me angry, when that flyer got sent out in New Jersey on the eve of Super Tuesday, but I brushed it off, this is just politics, it wasn't truly ad hominem or anything like that.
But I'll tell you what is ad hominem, what will destroy our party in November: going on the attack and calling Barack Obama "two-faced," a "thespian," a "man in love with the microphone," and so on. The animosity is out in the open now, for all to see, and the true embrace of right wing talking points is upon us, and at the hands of the Clinton campaign.
Nothing, NOTHING comes close to what was said by Buffenbarger today. When you use Club for FREAKING Growth language to attack another perfectly decent Democratic candidate that has never been so personal towards HRC, that's a right wing frame. When you attack Obama supporters (who only happen to be most of the Democratic Party, as has voted thus far), as "latte-drinking, Prius- driving, Birkenstock-wearing, trust fund babies," that's a serious right wing frame, and there better be some response from the Clinton campaign on this.
Anything short of that, it's clear that the gauntlet has been thrown down, and attacks like this will only motivate those in support of the critical mass for change even more, and the Clinton campaign better be ready for it.