“It shocks the conscience. Congressional leaders have admitted to covering up the predatory behavior of a congressman who used the internet to molest children.”
That quote comes from a new campaign ad by Patty Wetterling, the Democratic candidate for Congress in Minnesota’s 6th district. You have to admit, it’s pretty impressive – in two introductory sentences, Wetterling ably and completely misrepresents two of the key facts of the Foley scandal.
Let’s start with the most egregious example of demagoguery. The ad claims that Foley molested children. If Ms. Wetterling is privy to some news that the rest of us aren’t, she should share it with the world. Short of that, all we know is that Foley sent depraved emails to teens. While disgusting and sickening, this is not molestation, or at least not molestation as the term is understood outside the Democratic fever swamps. Ms. Wetterling’s choice to embellish Foley’s actions truly does, to coin a phrase, shock the conscience.
Almost as appalling is her suggestion that Congressional leaders have admitted to covering up the actions of the purported molester. Again, we see the demagogue’s classic need to embellish and exaggerate known facts. A lot of people think some House leaders fell down on the job here. But I haven’t heard any House leader admit to “covering up” anything. Again, Ms. Wetterling’s fondness for overreach is jarring.
It’s important to put this commercial in context. It’s already been linked to by Markos Moulitsas who gushes, “Patty Wetterling in MN-06 is already using Foley in an ad. More will follow.” We should also recall Nancy Pelosi’s promise last night to tar every Republican candidate with the Foley scandal.
Once again we get an unhindered view of the Democrats’ campaign philosophy: Offer pure bile, unconstrained by any fidelity to available facts. As has so often been the case in recent history, the last days of a campaign season are revealing the true face of the Democratic Party. It ain’t pretty.
Compliments? Complaints? Contact me at Soxblog@aol.com.