They Shoot Rednecks, Don't They?

This seems to be an emerging theme. Like the hullabaloo with Saltsman from yesterday--the new theme seems to be "blame the south":

The danger became apparent as far back as 2007. With Bush weakened by the Iraq war, Hurricane Katrina and the midterm election losses of 2006, a Southern-led revolt killed his immigration reform bill. Junior senators such as Jim DeMint of South Carolina directed the rebellion, and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, unable to stem the insurgency, joined it.

The price was paid in the 2008 presidential campaign. Despite his personal credentials as a sponsor of comprehensive immigration reform, John McCain was caught in the backlash of anti-GOP voting by Hispanics. It contributed to his loss of Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, Florida and other states.

And here I thought this divide and conquer strategy was something hatched by the left. Broder's criticisms basically amount to bashing southern Congressmen for standing up for the core values of the party.

Apparently he's forgotten that Senator Corker himself bashed the so-called 'southern strategy' tactics used by Mehlman in 2006? As to the auto bailout measure, would he rather have the American taxpayers bailing out the United Auto Workers' so they can save their six million dollar golf course or some kind of reasonable bi-partisan compromise? Who's the real villain here?

As for Jim DeMint and Mitch McConnell's opposition to the amnesty bill being the cause of McCain's troubles because they're southerners, that's laughable to the extreme. Even idiot bloggers saw how little McCain gained with Latino voters for his long time role as Mr. Amnesty. Perhaps he forgot about things like that Obama commercial that put Spanish words in the mouth of Rush Limbaugh and distorted his comments to gain cheap votes in those states he mentioned (does he believe his own paper over CNN)? Hmm, is deception the new path towards future GOP victory?

Has he considered that perhaps Latino voters, like many others, saw Obama as the more attractive candidate because he promised steaming chickens in every pot, vowed to calm the rising planetary waters and would weild a magic wand to stop war and human suffering?

They say success has a thousand fathers but failure is motherless child. Right now experts are groping around in search of scapegoats and who better to blame but a bunch of rednecks? Maybe it's a new "forget the south and act more like Democrats for victory" strategy, but one thing's for sure--the dog won't hunt after it's been shot. It's legitimate to bash party members--anywhere in America--for race baiting or other low-down tactics to gain votes. It's quite another to hang a collar of blame on those who didn't earn it because they're easy targets.

BARRY'S YEAR IN REVIEW 12/28/08

Dave Barry, that is. Writes satire. Lives in the south. Some gems:

On the Democratic side, the surprise winner is Barack Obama, who is running for president on a long and impressive record of running for president. A mesmerizing speaker, Obama electrifies voters with his exciting new ideas for change, although people have trouble remembering exactly what these ideas are because they are so darned mesmerized. Some people become so excited that they actually pass out. These are members of the press corps.

And this:

On the Republican side, John McCain emerges as the clear front-runner when Mitt Romney drops out of the race, citing "motherboard issues."

And:

The economic news is also gloomy for the U.S. automotive industry, where General Motors, in a legally questionable move aimed at boosting its sagging car sales, comes out with a new model called the "Chevrolet Toyota."

And finally,

But it is not enough; the financial system is in utter chaos. At one point, a teenage girl in Worcester, Mass., attempts to withdraw $25 from an ATM and winds up acquiring Wells Fargo.

Long live satire.