Republicans are circulating a new smear, saying that Democratic Congressional staffers advised aides to get vaccinations before visiting NASCAR events. It is, of course, just a lie designed to drive the "elite limousine liberal" and "Democrats hate regular people" narratives.
In fact the aides were visiting "health care centers, detention facilities and other operations where they could be exposed to communicable diseases" and the immunizations are routine.
The Drudge Report has been headlining the smear for a several days. Of course Republican talk-radio has been running with it. Here are just a few examples of the spread of the smear:
FOX: Aides immunized before NASCAR race,
Going to a NASCAR race? Better get your shots.That's the message Rep. Robin Hayes seems to think is being sent as a handful of congressional aides were told to get immunized before a fact-finding trip for a House Homeland Security Committee.
The group was immunized for hepatitis A, hepatitis B, tetanus, diphtheria and influenza before attending last weekend's NASCAR race in Talladega and this weekend's race in Concord, N.C.
And days after the lie was refuted, the lie continues to spread:
Atlanta TV: Congressman Insults NASCAR Fans
Indianapolis: NASCAR races danger to government workers?
One way the Republican machine spreads this stuff is posting to forums. And here is an example of a "regular person" posting a comment in a sports forum:
It is offensive that the Democrats choose to be vaccinated from Nascar fans. I thought they claimed to be inclusive of everyone and they blame Republicans for having stereotypes. If they went to a football, baseball, or basketball game would they have been vaccinated? NO. It's when they go to a Nascar event that they are vaccinated. Obviously they consider Nascar fans to be a group of rednecks, southerners and Christians that are apparently disease ridden.
Follow Dave Johnson on Twitter: www.twitter.com/dcjohnson
All politicians and pundits should stay the f*ck away from the track. We're not rednecks or conservatives or Christians (though some of us may be). We're racing fans. That's why we're there. Good grief.
Apparently these staffers are more concerned by EMPTY health care facilities and EMPTY detention centers at a NASCAR stadium than they are about a hospital full of patients, many of which have been overseas, and many of which have had surgical procedures. It just doesn't add up, unless they think NASCAR fans are crawling with worse diseases than are found in a hospital.
This story isn't a smear. It's the most reasonable explanation for their actions. I dare any liberal here to clear the air by asking these same people if they have ever visited any other medical facility, or any other detention center, and whether they got a full load of immunizations before those visits as well.
Suprise.. Rep. Bennie Thompson is Black.
It may be a coincidence but the only NASCAR fan I know out here in Orygun lives in a Double Wide and is dumber than a fence post.
I'm an auto racing fan, not NASCAR, but I know a number of NASCAR fans here in Oregon. None of them are dumb, including the ones I work with in the non-profit charity organization that employs me.
This b-well98 must be a Replubican ringer.
I belive that the republicans launched this mis-information campaign because Rep. Thompson is black.
If my sense of humor offends you, good. I find it fascinating that people attribute things they dont like to "ringers".
I hate those Repugs. They lie, lie, lie.
They lied to get us into a war.
They lie and smear people opposed to the war.
They lie about the sick kid poster boy.
Bush lies about why he vetoed SCHIP.
They are dirty rotten scumbag liars.
The point is that this is another smear tactic based on lies by the right wing nutjobs who don't know how to fight with truth on their side. Then you folks get taken in by it and they get to keep their fancy jobs and stolen elections and stolen money and powerful positions from which they can solicit man on man sex from their young pages and from strangers in bathrooms.
Or were you just kidding?
If you're going to blindly swallow their spin, I suppose those obvious questions aren't worth asking. Otherwise, I think they deserve answers.
Real race fans watch the Wing Sprint cars and the World of Outlaws.
That is why the thinking Democrat will support John Edwards. Yes he's wealthy now, but he is the son of a millworker. He understands how to connect with ordinary people. He will bring Nascar families to progressive populism.
All they have left now is attack and smear ... like I stated ... this is just the beginning ...