Attacking a Veteran and Mischaracterizing All Democrats... 2/16 : BEGIN TRANSCRIPT Now, the party out of power at this moment in time is the Democrats. They are not in power for specific reasons. There are specific reasons that a majority of Americans are voting against them, not just in national elections, but in the Senate races and in many House races which have become national elections in many districts rather than just local elections as House races used to be. Well, what is it that is relegating the Democrats to the status of second-rate? It's not Vietnam. In fact, the Democrats' effort to focus on a war 30 years ago is a profoundly illuminating thing if you take off all the blinders and if you forget the prism through which the mainstream press is looking at this. Try this. Here we have a war in our nation's history which nobody thinks was, well...fought very well. I'm not talking about the troops. I'm talking about the government. The Democratic Party particularly thinks that war was immoral. The Democratic Party particularly thinks that there's nothing about that war to recommend it. There's nothing about that war that America should be proud of. And yet, they now turn around and lead forth a nominee who claims to have been a hero in that war and many others are making that claim as well — and now all the sudden that war has become something we should all be proud of. This is another example of the Democratic Party switching on a dime trying to define themselves in ways that are untrue, trying to present a picture of themselves that is false. Now, their candidate is trying to keep the, and their whole campaign, is trying to keep the presidential race so far focused off of the things that have made them a minority party. END TRANSCRIPT Rush begins by inaccurately insisting "a majority of Americans are voting against democrats". In the 2000 presidential election, 24% of eligible voters cast a ballot for Bush. The popular vote went to his opponent. In regard to the mid-term election, much of that clearly had to do with Bush being artifically inflated by very extraordinary events. It is unfortunate he used the favor bestowed upon in response to 9/11 to suit the needs of political partisanship. Another very large component of the democrat's loss in 2002 was being branded as unpatriotic by the right for questioning Bush and standing against republican policies. Rush should know this as he was and is certainly part of the effort. Rush should speak without looking through his own prism. Rush goes on to intentionally mischaracterize the recent discussion about Viet Nam. The democratic party is not attempting to make the 2004 election "about Viet Nam". The question is in regards to character. Here we have a candidate who volunteered vs. a sitting president who evaded serving through family power and got a cushy slot in the National Guard. It is that simple. Rush also implies negativity regarding Kerry's service using the phrase "claiming to be a war hero". Kerry was a decorated Navy Seal. Rush also makes the unfortunate and unfounded implication that "democrats particularly think the war was immoral and goes on to state "they think there is nothing about the war we shoud be proud of". About 78% of the public believes our action in Viet Nam was wrong. It is safe to say that most are Americans are indeed proud of the sacrifice made by the soldiers. And this certainly extends to democrats. Afterall, unlike Rush and Bush, they fought in it. This is yet another example of Rush trying to define democrats in ways that are untrue. It is amazing that anyone can be a devoted listener to this show and also think they are being exposed to reasoned analysis.
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