The Dems Sympathy Ploy

Now that the Democrats have finally passed their much-despised health care bill and have approval ratings in the low double digits (Nancy Pelosi’s approval rating is 11% and Harry Reid must have set a record at a stunningly low 8%), they’ve decided they’d better try to get back in the public’s good graces.  It might seem impossible, but the way they’re trying to do it is particularly insidious: they’re going to denigrate the Tea Partiers.

It’s interesting to note that there were few–perhaps no–incidents  at any Tea Party protests up until this week, (there wasn’t even any trash left after the 9/12 March) but suddenly the Tea Partiers are portrayed as raving lunatics.  (Well, the left has always portrayed them as raving lunatics, but now they’ve upped the claims.)

Even more interesting, there isn’t video or audio for many of the claims of the supposed nastiness.  Think about it,  a black congressman claims someone shouted a racial epitaph at him as he and others marched to the Capitol, yet no slurs can be heard in video of the walk.  Missouri Democratic Congressman Emanuel Cleaver  claimed he was spit upon as he walked the steps, yet it can’t be seen in video.  (Apparently he’s since backed off the claim.  Hmm.)

The cynic in me wonders if these congressmen took this walk specifically in the hopes of having something occur, and when nothing did they fabricated these incidents.  After all, when is the last time you saw a bunch of congressmen walking to the Capitol?

Several other congressmen, including Bart Stupak, have released some mean messages left on their voice mail after the health care bill.  (Bart Stupak Received Threatening Messages for Health Care Vote.)  Gee, I’ve heard worse stuff on the playground.  (and again, there’s no proof that the message came from a Tea Partier.)  Not that spewing mean speech is ever appropriate, but it hardly rises to the level of terrorism–except in the upside down world of this administration and congress.

It doesn’t even rise to the hate speech leftist Alec Baldwin spewed a couple of years ago–to his own daughter!  (Alec Baldwin’s Threatening Message to Daughter.)

Even more interesting, only a week or two ago Stupak claimed his family was getting threatening phone calls in the  middle of the night because he was supposedly going to vote AGAINST the health care bill.  (Bart Stupak Family Getting ‘Abusive’ Phone Calls.)  If we’re going to pick the lowest of the low, who is worse–those leaving nasty messages on his office voice mail or those who threaten his family in the middle of the night?  Yet we didn’t hear much whining about the calls to the family when they were coming from the left, and it’s only now that there are calls SUPPOSEDLY from Tea Partiers (again, where’s the proof?) that it’s a big deal.

We’re not saying it’s ever appropriate to be threatening or abusive in any way.  We’re just wondering why the Dems are suddenly making such an issue of this, and wonder if they are perhaps fabricating some incidents to benefit themselves, based on the total lack of video.

And, the winner in the “poor, poor, pitiful me” contest, Kathy Dahlkemper, (PA, D, 3rd) claims her office has received a “number of threatening letters, e-mails, faxes and phone calls.”  However, she’s careful to say that the threats are coming from outside her western PA district.  (Dahlkemper Denounces ‘threats and insults’)  What, she doesn’t want to anger her constituents while she tries to milk the sympathy vote?

This is ridiculous.  (But just so all you nasty out-of her-district callers know, Dahlkemper’s working with law enforcement.)  We’ll be watching to  see if she makes any announcements about who it was.  Somehow, I don’t think that information will be forthcoming.

Michelle Malkin has written about this: How the Left Fakes the Hate: A Primer.

Amended to add:  Now Patrick Murphy is getting into the act.

Tags: Congress, health care reform, Tea Parties