patriotism

Guess all that "dissent is patriotic" stuff is gone.  Oh well, it was fun while it lasted.  Time to move to Australia.

(h/t RedState)

One of the greatest Democratic tricks this past 8 years has been the Patriotism Dodge: their inexplicable ability to convince the press that their patriotism was being attacked at every turn.  Sadly, the press rarely followed up the Democratic harumphing with a simple corrective: "However, nothing had been said about their patriotism."   Their feigned outrage after the Max Cleland ad was probably the first notable example of this misdirection tactic, but they used it routinely.

Even more impressive, if that is the word, has been the Democratic ability to play the martyred patriot even as they were explicitly questioning the patriotism of their opponents.  Unfortunately, they've provided two more charming examples...

"[Some Southern Senators] unpatriotically blocked a bill..." -- Rep. Dingell

""It is unacceptable for this un-American, frankly, behavior of these U.S. senators..."   -- Gov. Jennifer Granholm

Republicans have ignored the patriotism dodge for far too long; long enough that it developed into conventional wisdom.  They even took to preemptively explaining that they weren't questioning Democrat's patriotism.   And yet, what do they do when Democrats explicitly do this?  Nothing.  Well, that's how you find yourself stuck in a bad narrative.

Republicans need to confront these charges head-on.  Not in tersely worded statements to the press, letters to the editor or even blog posts (though, of course, we'd welcome a guest post response from any of the Senators charged).  No, the Senators who have been maligned need to confront Rep. Dingell and Gov. Granholm personally.   Stand outside Rep. Dingell's office (video running) and challenge him to repeat the charge in person and on camera.  Do the same with Gov. Granholm. 

Is confrontation unbecoming of a US Senator?  It shouldn't be.  It's certainly not as bad as failing to challenge these charges.  But if Republicans are unwilling to defend themselves, they'd better get used to being defined for the next decade by their opponents.  By people like this...

• "John Ashcroft is not a patriot."—Howard Dean

• "[In the Bush administration, there is] a group of people around the President whose main allegiance is to each other and their ideology rather than to the United States."—Howard Dean

• "We hear them in the cries of the false patriots who bully dissenters into silence and submission".—Ted Kennedy

• "I don't think it's patriotic to put on a flight suit and prance around on the deck of an aircraft carrier looking for a photo op." — Gen. Wesley Clark

• "The policy that the administration is following in Iraq is ... anti-patriotic at the core..." — Sen. Bob Graham

In World War I, they called us the Doughboys. Thought we were soft and weak.

Hitler said the same thing about us in World War Two. We weren't the ones with a rampant black market breaking the rationing system.

In the great depression, we sucked in our gut, and did what it took to get this place running again.

Now is the time to aspire to greatness again, to make those sacrifices that we need.

http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/i/msnbc/sections/news/081210_NBC-WSJ_ReleasedP...

Would you be willing to take a five percent pay cut if it meant saving jobs at your place of work?

Yes, would be willing  64
No, would not be willing 28
Not sure 8

Start with the government. And maybe put this on people who are above the poverty line. But throw the net wide. I don't know how we can get everyone to do this, but... I'm hopeful that some pressure from the workers can convince companies that paycuts are better than firing workers (particularly as I fear there may be more widescale deflation).

Podcast Show Notes

Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee Chairman Chuck Schumer (D-NY) creates a run on the IndyMac bankwith wreckless comments leading to the second largest bank bail out in American history.

The troubling decision of Senator Obama to consider Chris Dodd for the national ticket. (Hat Tip: Instapundit.)

Barack Obama goes back on a promise to debate Senator McCain anytime, anywhere on foreign policy.

Obama throws himself under the bus on bilingualism.

Obama's tax plan contradicts his own voting record.

A broken promise in Illinois provides insight into the type of President Obama would be. (Hat Tip: Instapundit.)

McCain attacks Obama for missing a vote McCain also missed.

Do Democrats have a new tune on energy production?

Liberal group ACORN chooses to leave an embezzler on staff for 8 years and not report his theft of nearly $1 million. (Hat Tip: Michelle Malkin.)

Plus gun owners defend their lives and property in our 2nd Amendment Update.

A British woman is convicted for defending a World War 2 memorial from clueless vandalizing teens. (Hat Tip: Right Wing News.)

Wolives in sheep's clothing push abortion in the Black Church.

A woman who begged for euthanasia changes her mind.

An Atheist blogger plans to desecrate a communion host as a matter of free speech, but doesn't like people speaking up to ask for him to be fired.

A heart warming animal adoption story from the Netherlands.

Click here to listen, click here to download.

H/T to Michelle Malkin for showcasing this stellar video "Freedom Never Cries" featuring John Ondrasik of Five For Fighting.  Freedom Never Cries, but if you're like me, you probably will when you watch this - so grab a tissue, cowboy up, and have the best 4th of July evah. 

Yesterday, Barack Obama's campaign released a "Fight the Smears" website -- basically a repackaging of the campaign's pushback on "whitey" / the Muslim rumors / patriotism.

But what's striking is the site's liberal use of patriotic iconography. See these American eagles wrapped in the Obama logomark:

This matches the campaign's use of a version of the Great Seal of the United States, seemingly lifted from a 19th century historical print and superimposed with an Obama logo. This is visible for a moment as the site's background image before the page you're on completely loads:

Doesn't this seem like an odd use of imagery for a candidate who has repeatedly denounced the manipulation of patriotic imagery for political purposes, going so far as to refuse wearing a flag pin? And he does it in a way that goes well beyond plopping a stylized flag in your logo.