Lourey engages in personal destruction

(H/T: Anti-Strib)
When Coleen Rowley used the Nazi image (hidden with the facade that it was from a TV show--the intent was still diabolic) I said that tactic made Rowley "officially fit[] in with the rest of the looney wing of the Democrat party" because they constantly attempt to destroy people on a personal level by comparing them to Hitler, Nazism, etc. Some of the more brazen Lefties do it outright. Some (like Rowley) do it in subtle ways.

Enter Becky Lourey's effort at the same.

On the page is the following text:

First they came for Governor Ann Richards and I did not speak out-- because I was not a Texan.

Then they came for Senator John McCain and I did not speak out -- because I was not a Republican.

Then they came for Senator Max Cleland, a decorated Vietnam veteran, and challenged his military honors, but I did not speak out -- because I was not a Georgian.

The intent is obvious as it is placed next to an image with the poem by Pastor Martin Niemöller:

First they came for the Jews
and I did not speak out
because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for the Communists
and I did not speak out
because I was not a Communist.
Then they came for the trade unionists
and I did not speak out
because I was not a trade unionist.
Then they came for me
and there was no one left
to speak out for me.

Lourey then continues on:

Then the "swift boaters" came after John Kerry, but because I wasn't on the campiagn, I sat back and waited for someone else to respond.

The list goes on, from Carol Moseley Brown [sic] to Bill and Hillary Clinton. The right wing extremists have become masters of the politics of personal destruction. I am deeply troubled by this kind of hateful politics.

Like many of you, far too often, I am frustrated by the lack of strong and principled response from Democrats. We have watched for too long as good public servants have been attacked without equally strong and coordinated responses coming from their friends and allies.

Now let me mention who Lourey is likening to the Nazis. The Republican Party of Minnesota.

I don't pay that close attention so maybe I missed it. Can someone please direct me to the articles where the Republican Party Minnesota went after Braun (who was legitimately criticized in her campaigns for financial issues and campaign spending that was shady at best). I missed the RPM going after Sue Richards. And going after McCain on his positions is ABSOLUTELY fair...unlike what Lourey is doing. (Yeah, have you caught that yet...Lourey is doing what she is accusing others of doing: personal attacks. Hypocrite. - 3)

Going after Bill Clinton (whose license to practice law was revoked because of his ethical challenges simply relating to the legal profession) and Hilary (Whitewater development, commodities exchange profits) is also based on issues of integrity and character.

Lourey instead makes a (unsubstantiated) link between Nazis and the GOP. There is no evidence to back up her claim. Becky, please show me the concentration camps. Are you being thrown into a shower for being subversive to the government? Shut the hell up then with the comparisons.

I do not tolerate very lightly comparisons to Nazis, Hitler, etc. for several reasons.

First, the target is 99% of the time not even close to the level of considering such considerations. As evil as Hilary is she is not close to warranting comparisons to Hilter (even if the Vince Foster and Ron Brown deaths were not suicide/accident she is not the level of Hitler).

Second, if the strongest a person can articulate their disagreement with another person is to call them, compare them or hint that they are like a Nazi they lack the intellect to even have a discussion with. As a candidate they simply prove their unworthiness of holding public office since they are absolutely unable to articulate real ideas.

Third, constantly comparing those with whom you disagree to Nazis cheapens what evil the Nazis and their leaders actually were. I promise that if this line of rhetoric continues coupled with the substandard education that the youngest generation is receiving there will be no real understanding of what actually happened in the world in the 1930s-1940s. The magnitude of the horrors will be lost, cast away as simply another bad leader. Even Sadaam Hussein pales in comparison to Hilter but the kids of today (and each generation after them) will not understand that. They will, as long as Democrats keep using this Nazi-rhetoric, believe that Sadaam and Hitler were on the same level.

The damage to the country and the future is too large to allow these things to continue. The destruction of constructive discussion of differences is hastened by Lourey's actions - 5. (I may revisited this penalty on the scoreboard for both Lourey and Rowley...these may need to be larger penalties.)

Finally, the point of Lourey's message was a facade. The true intent was the Nazi reference to smear Republicans in general. I will address her point anyway.

This past week we have witnessed a horrid display of the politics of personal destruction. The Minnesota Republican party leadership and their radical fringe supporters have coordinated a smear campaign against Senate Majority Leader Dean Johnson to advance their radical right wing agenda. These relentless and vicious attacks have become a frequent tactic of far-right Republican groups.

Becky, if you really cannot understand what the complaint was, well, I can understand. I personally think the whole thing was blown out of proportion. (Unless what he said was TRUE in which case this should have been blown out of the water even more.) But the contention was about his character and truthfulness. To some Republicans these issues matter (to others truthfulness and integrity and equality matters only when it benefits their campaign and is a non-issue when it becomes a hindrance to the candidate). The issue that the GOP had with Johnson was about him using his position to lie with the purpose of rallying support. Surprise. He's a typical politician. But it is not a "smear campaign" by any stretch. The very fact that you are unable to understand the difference between a "smear" and fact is probelmatic for a gubernatorial candidate (- 2).

(I think that is a deduction of 10 points bringing her new total to -55.)