Have you no sense of decency, sir, at long last? Have you left no sense of decency?\
-- Joseph N. Welch to Sen. Joseph McCarthy, Army-McCarthy hearings, June 1954.
At long last, the Republican Party of Pennstylvania has apparently no sense of decency. Some of 55 years after the vicious, Red-baiting tactics of Joseph McCarthy were repudiated by America's better angels, the state GOP is picking up the tattered banner of McCarthyism and running with it -- literally, in fact, with this banner ad (top) on a popular political Web site. In this case, it's hard to say what is more appalling -- equating the sitting president of the United States with the Soviet dictators who slaughtered their political enemies and sent others to brutal gulags, or the cause this ad is promoting: The election of a judge to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court.
The ad was was first noticed on the Pennsylvania blog Gort42 (also h/t downwithtyranny) -- it appears on the top of the website GrassrootsPA, which is the leading state-oriented conservative Web site in Pennsylvania. Last night, the image -- as captured and posted by Gort42 and now here -- and this ad was at top of the site when I first visited there around 10:30; later in the night, the same banner displayed a different message -- about bailouts, healthcare and the stimulus. It's not clear whether the image with the hammer-and-sickle "Obama" was replaced or whether it alternates with the other message.
It's not the first time that the Pennsylvania Republican Party has used extreme rhetoric about Barack Obama. Last fall, when he was the Democratic nominee -- as reported here at Attytood -- the state GOP chairman Robert Gleason issued a press release that called Obama "a terrorist's best friend." This new ad also picks up a theme that gained attention earlier this fall in Kansas City, when an anti-Obama billboard placed on I-70 had the Soviet hammer-and-sickle emblem with the message: ""How do you like your change now? Obama Nation. They are coming for you! The Taxpayer. First and Second Amendments are in jeopardy. Live free or Die."
But that billboard was placed there by a lone wingnut. This message was paid for by the established Republican Party in a large battleground state. The banner ad clicks through to a Web site called PAGOPJUDGES.com, a site that was created and paid for by the federal Republican Party of Pennsylvania.
The purpose of the site is to elect the GOP's nominee for the state Supreme Court, Joan Orie Melvin, and other Republican judicial nominee -- supposedly impartial judges who'd be elected on the backs of calling the president a Commie dictator. Pennsylvania is one of only seven states that elect Supreme Court judges -- this episode may give you an inkling why the other 43 think it's such a bad idea.
Ironically, many experts think that 2009 is shaping up as a good year for Republicans because of voter anger at Washington and over the economy. You'd think they wouldn't need to play the Commie card, then, but apparently today's GOP can't help itself. Ironically, I wrote last fall that the state GOP had hit rock-bottom with its anti-Obama rhetoric. I had no idea.
UPDATE: Belated credit where credit is due -- Gert42 got it from John L. Micek's excellent Capitol Ideas blog, which I urge everyone to patronize.
Comment removed.
In case you missed it, braync, the Dem Party distanced itself from the lunatic fringe. The Republican Party is embracing it.— Talking point sleuth- In case YOU missed it, Obama surrounds himself with Commies and fellow travelers. His Dad was a full- on Red, as was his disgraced staffer Van Jones( also a "lunatic fringe" 9-11 truther!) Another staffer,Anita Dunn, recently praise chairman Mao! etc. etc. etc. You are known by the company you keep,and our "dear leader" has a habit of hanging with some hyper-left wing radicals. Will bunch ought to get his panties out of a bunch and look at history objectivity. The commies didn't come into power by proposing gulags and bread lines....they promised economic justice through class warfare, like the current body politik. And Mccarthyism, however wrong headed,was based on the absolute fact that Stalin, Marx and Lenin ALL stated that capitalism and SPECIFICIALLY the USA were diametrically opposed to Communism and must be DESTROYED!!! But hey , it's all good right? Im OK , your OK. Peace, love and understanding.— spikeD
- Shows you just how much of a RED-NECK state PA actually is. It's basically KENTUCKY + PHILADELPHIA!!!!!— phillygtown
- When your safe schools czar is a keynote speaker for the National Assoc of Man Boy Lovers, your not embracing the lunatic fringe, your just making whoopie with it.— Norton
- Obama's actions are what is portraying him as a communist not billboards or web ads. What's funny is that it was probably a Google Ad. These rotate frequently and are normally content specific. The writer should check his sources.— psyrus
"You'd think they wouldn't need to play the Commie card, then, but apparently today's GOP can't help itself." . . . . . It didn't work against FDR, and it didn't work against Truman. With the hammer & sickle now a quaint historic memory, it can only now work to scare up contributions from the aging dregs of the party's tea bag base. It's sad to watch, isn't it?- "What's funny is that it was probably a Google Ad." . . . . That just happens to link to the Pa GOP website. You see, Google is part of the commie conspiracy Will.
- Maybe it's the media control and their constant attempts to suppress and demonize any opposition while never questioning any of his or his parties policies and corruption that are giving people misgivings.— tr88
- Boo-freakin' hoo! The poor widdle moonbats are crying in their Cheerios this morning! SpikeD and tr88 got it exactly right!— Ellsworth
Will: You must be joking.— jmc- Comment removed.
- Comment removed.
- If I were a communist, I would be the one embarrassed being linked to an incompetent empty suit. At least the Chinese commies and the Russian commies aren't planning to destroy their own way of life like this low life from the slums of Chicago is.— WriteWinger
- Comment removed.
Will Bunch, a senior writer at the Philadelphia Daily News, blogs about his obsessions, including national and local politics and world affairs, the media, pop music, the Philadelphia Phillies, soccer and other sports, not necessarily in that order.
E-mail Will by clicking here.
PLEASE COMMENT WITH PASSION...
...but not with racial slurs, potentially libelous allegations, obscenities or other juvenile noise. Such comments will, at our discretion, be deleted in their entirety, and repeat offenders will be blocked from commenting. ALSO: Any commenter advocating killing any government official will be immediately banned.
Thanks.
- Atrios
- Kiko's House
- Suburban Guerilla
- Booman Tribune
- All-Spin Zone
- Philly (Dragonballyee)
- Afro-Netizen
- Rowhouse Logic
- MyDD
- Bad Attitudes
- Billmon
- iFlipFlop
- CorrenteWire
- upyernoz
- Tattered Coat
- Fables of the Reconstruction
- Slacktivist
- Citizen Mom
- The Next Mayor
- Philly Future
- Philadelphia Will Do
- Philebrity
- Young Philly Politics
- Phillyblog
- Welcome to Phillyville
- Phawker
- A List of Things Thrown Five Minutes Ago
- Keystone Blog
- Philadelphia - America's Hometown
- BlankBaby
- Above Average Jane
- Phillyist
- Metroblogging Philadelphia
- The Clog
- Josh Marshall
- Daily Kos
- Juan Cole
- Oliver Willis
- Andy Borowitz
- War and Piece
- Wonkette
- BuzzFlash
- Raw Story
- Cursor
- Crooks and Liars
- Swing State Project
- Kevin Drum
- Talk Left
- AmericaBlog
- Hullabaloo
- Mad Kane
- Think Progress
- Jesus' General
- The Carpetbagger Report
- Majikthise
- Echidne of the Snakes
- David Sirota
- Glenn Greenwald
- TBogg
- Fire Dog Lake
- Taylor Marsh
- Matthew Yglesias
- Jon Swift
- Drudge Report
- Beer Leaguer
- The 700 Level
- Dick Polman
- Balls, Sticks and Stuff
- Shallow Center
- Philling Station
- Phillies Nation
- A Citizen's Blog
- The Good Phight
- Romenesko
- Editor and Publisher
- Pressthink
- Buzzmachine
- The Inksniffer
- Media Bloodhound
- Eat the Press
- Mickey Kaus
- Media (Huffington Post)
- Blinq
- The Corner
- Instapundit
- Andrew Sullivan
- Free Republic
- James Taranto
- Blonde Sagacity
- ScrappleFace
- Blogorrhea
- February
- January
- December 2011
- November 2011
- October 2011
- September 2011
- August 2011
- July 2011
- June 2011
- May 2011
- April 2011
- March 2011
- February 2011
- January 2011
- December 2010
- November 2010
- October 2010
- September 2010
- August 2010
- July 2010
- June 2010
- May 2010
- April 2010
- March 2010
- February 2010
- January 2010
- December 2009
- November 2009
- October 2009
- September 2009
- August 2009
- July 2009
- June 2009
- May 2009
- April 2009
- March 2009
- February 2009
- January 2009
- December 2008
- November 2008
- October 2008
- September 2008
- August 2008
- July 2008
- June 2008
- May 2008
- April 2008
- March 2008
- January 2008
- News | Sports | Business | What's Happening | Restaurants & Food | Entertainment | Living | Marketplace | Jobs
