Time for Some Turnabout

Red meat was on the menu last night at the Democratic Convention. Each speaker was there to throw great big bloody chunks of partisan rhetoric at the crowd, who responded enthusiastically. Both parties set aside a night for this tradition, and it's always great fun to watch because it gives speakers and attendees a chance to throw barbs at their opponents.

Last night, amidst all the one-liners, clever phrases and entertaining half-truths of the speeches, the Democrats continued to pound away at their primary anti-McCain talking point. John McCain, they argue, will be nothing more than a third term for George W. Bush. John McCain votes too often with his party and is a Bush-Cheney stooge. John McCain may have once been a maverick, but now he's only a party guy. One speaker last night said that McCain voted with the president 90% of the time, and that's 90% too much George W. Bush.

As with most lines of attack thought up by the Obama Brain Trust, they might want to rethink this one, because the charge of mindless partisan tool fits the accuser more than the accused. Obama and his surrogates constantly claim he's a post-partisan candidate who has a record and a willingness to reach across the aisle and work with the other party.

Obama voted against the majority of Democrats and reached across the aisle a whole 4% of the time. For those keeping track at home, that's 96% partisan. One of the men who made the charge, John Kerry, is actually more post-partisan than Obama, voting with his party only 95.6% of the time. Joe Biden? 96.6% Just for kicks, how about Hillary? She's actually the most partisan at 97.2% of the time.

When you consider what the Democratic leadership has done this term, their near-total loyalty to Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi doesn't seem like something they really want people to examine in much detail. Just this summer, Democrats have failed to pass a budget and stood firmly against new domestic oil production despite high gas prices. The Reid-Pelosi leadership has led the Democrats to set records for Congressional approval ratings.

How did "McSame" vote this term? He voted with his party only 88.3% of the time. As irritating as his Maverickyism is at times, it makes him a much more post-partisan, willing to reach across the aisle sort of candidate only without the Messianic complex.

Democrats are going to keep using this line of attack because it whips their base into a frothy frenzy of good old Bush hate. But, like much of the Obama campaign rhetoric, it doesn't stand up well under even cursory examination.

Hmmm - Just how far left was Barack Obama? Pretty far.

posted by Slublog at 08:52 AM

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