"Why is it that Democrats aren’t 'allowed' to fight back?" (updated)

[ProSense]

The Moral Thing to Do Is To Go Into Combat Unarmed

by John Cole

And now here is Sullivan making no damned sense again:

Nyhan goes after the Democrats for baseless attacks against the US Chamber of Commerce. It is very depressing to see them descend to this kind of stuff. What they need are not tactics and resentment, which is what we’re seeing. What we need is a narrative of recovery and reform from Obama. He has the record, and he has made a couple of great speeches. But this distracts.

The Chamber of Commerce is spending 100 million dollars this election, who knows how much of it from foreign funding because they refuse to say, all of it to attack Democrats. And in Sully’s world, it is the Democrats to blame for pointing this out. “Ignore those attacks, Obama! Be above it all!”

Richar Cohen, is that you? Way to elevate concern trolling to an art form, Andrew.

Why is it that Democrats aren’t “allowed” to fight back? Why do our media elites like Andrew think this way?

Fox News spews lies non-stop for years, and the press corps gets the vapors when Gibbs points it out. The Chamber of Commerce is spending millions lying and fear-mongering, but if the Democrats point it out, Andrew gets a sad face. It is just baffling how the rules are different for the Democrats, and it is just ingrained for these guys.

*** Update ***

BTW- Rachel Maddow dropped the hammer on Andrew’s conventional wisdom on this issue tonight. Video when it is available.

<...>

MADDOW: The end result of this sustained White House campaign against the Chamber of Commerce, against this anonymous funding stuff came in a letter from the Chamber obtained by the “New York Times” today, quote, “The Chamber will not be silenced. In fact, for the next three weeks leading up to Election Day you will see us ramp up our efforts.”

<...>

This isn‘t a good thing for Democrats to talk about in this election. Keep hearing that today from beltway pundits. And you know, sometimes when people are giving that advice, it‘s not because they think the punch being thrown against them won‘t hurt them. It‘s because they just want to stop being punched.

Last night, in Wisconsin, in a very hard-fought Senate race, Democratic Senator Russ Feingold ignored this rapidly calcifying, stupid “disarm the Democrats” common wisdom and went ahead and hit his Republican opponent Ron Johnson on this issue over and over again.

<...>

FEINGOLD: I want everyone to have free speech but I want to be able to - as you just said, they ought to disclose. You haven‘t even called on these people to disclose. You just said you‘re for disclosure. You won‘t even call on them to disclose.

JOHNSON: I‘d be happy to have them disclose -

FEINGOLD: Why don‘t you ask them to do it?

JOHNSON: Disclose.

FEINGOLD: I want - I want disclosure.

JOHNSON: Let‘s see.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MADDOW: But don‘t forget, word on the street in Washington, Democrats don‘t bother with this issue. Nothing to see here. People don‘t care. Never mind those cheering people in the audience happy about their Republicans caving on this issue and having no way to defend their earlier position. Pay no attention.

more

Updated to add: Video

[ProSense]

1. No comment? n/t

[Mass]

2. OMG. Sullivan is not a progressive. Shocking?

:sarcasm:

I know you know that, but it always amazes me to see people fall in love with conservatives because they happen to be right once in a while, and then discover they love corporate America.

[ProSense]

6. Yeah, but

Cole's point was a good response to the conventional wisdom:

"Way to elevate concern trolling to an art form, Andrew."

Maddow summed it up perfectly:

"rapidly calcifying, stupid 'disarm the Democrats' common wisdom"

[WI_DEM]

3. because the media is owned by big business who support the Chamber of Commerce

[emulatorloo]

4. And the media is cashing in big with all the Chamber and Crossroads Ad buys

It really isn't in their best interests to cut of that cash cow.

[elleng]

5. Big Business IS the Chamber of Commerce!

[ProSense]

7. Obama's Risky Fight Against the Chamber of Commerce

Obama's Risky Fight Against the Chamber of Commerce

It's no great mystery what Barack Obama was doing when he accused the U.S. Chamber of Commerce of directing funds collected from overseas to a massive advertising campaign designed to shape the fall congressional elections. He wanted to remind voters that a powerful arm of corporate America is determined to derail some of the biggest elements of his domestic agenda. But he was also desperate to find some issue — even a contrived one — to inspire his cranky liberal base and avert a wipeout that could wreck the remainder of his term.

Someone is going to have to add up the number of articles pushing this meme over the past week.

[ProSense]

8. First They Came For the Chamber of Commerce, And I Said Nothing

First They Came For the Chamber of Commerce, And I Said Nothing

<...>

This raises the question of the week: Why the hell are Democrats going after the sources of funding of negative ads? Why would voters care about such a thing? Why would they care if any money going to the all-American, all-capitalist Chamber is "foreign"?

The arguments I've heard from Democrats here, where it's a major argument -- responding to lots and lots of third party ads --

1) Voters hate watching these ads. Yes, negative ads work. But voters, of their own volition, have expressed confusion and anger about negative ads at events for Democrats and Republicans that I've been covering. And attacking the sources, as I heard Michael Bennet do yesterday, is a way to side with the voters.

2) As good as the Chamber's image is (witness how many times Chris Coons name-checked it yesterday), fear of the foreign is a powerful, powerful argument to traditional Democratic voters who think the party has abandoned them. I've talked to union voters here who are angry at the Democrats but plan to vote for their House and Senate candidates because they think the Republicans will outsource jobs. Foreign = bad. Just keep repeating it.

Oh my, that title!

:rofl:

[Dawson Leery]

9. Sully was fully supportive of the Republicans when they fought in this manner.

Piece of s**t cannot leave this world soon enough! :mad:

[craigmatic]

10. The money powers that be don't want them to