by Taylor Marsh
originally posted at The Patriot Project
Going after a man's daughter; a little girl fighting for her life? I'm spee---wait, I'm getting ahead of myself.
We've learned to expect anything from Republicans these days. Remember Rep. Musgrave's little veteran photo op?
Look at their attacks on John Murtha. They've turned swiftboating into an art form, black art, that is. So whenever a Republican is in deep trouble, especially if he or she is facing a Democratic veteran, you can be sure they're going to go on the attack. That would be fine if the attacks were about substance, policy or the issues. But for today's Republican Party, attacking veterans, the uniform of the United States, is job one. Just look what Republicans did to the generals.
Democratic candidate Joe Sestak is their latest target. He's facing Curt Weldon, the Indiana Jones of the Republican Party.
Talk about embarrassing; Curt Weldon should be the laughing stock of Pennsylvania. Instead, to bolster his sagging political fortunes, he's swiftboating a veteran.
John Kerry knows how it feels and has had Sestak's back from Day One. In fact, since Senator Kerry's own swiftboating experience in the 2004 presidential campaign, he's made it his personal mission to make sure this never happens again, to anyone. This is what Kerry had to say when I contacted him about the latest Sestak attacks:
Meet Representative Curt Weldon. The man who's taking on veteran Joe Sestak . Let's just say that the scales don't balance on the resume side of things. You've got Curt Weldon versus a 31-year veteran, former 3-star Navy admiral, Joe Sestak, who also has a doctorate from Harvard and has "commanded battleship groups during the Afghanistan and Iraq wars, served on the National Security Council (NSC) and revamped the Navy's strategy for winning wars in the post-Cold War era," according to The Hill News.
Does it count that Weldon is also running his own personal government employment agency for his family?
No wonder Curt was feeling, shall we say, desperate. But when desperation turns into an attack on a 5 year-old little girl, who just survived a battle with death, and who also happens to be Joe Sestak's daughter, I'd say Weldon's decency wagon has not only lost its bearings, but has veered into a ditch. Weldon thought it appropriate to bring Sestak's daughter into the political mix.
What kind of man challenges a father's choices when his daughter is fighting for her life, all to make a political point?
Sestak fired back.
Unfortunately, "ethicially challenged" Curt Weldon was just getting started. Since attacking a veteran's courageous daughter didn't work, Weldon had to think of something else.
Visions of John McCain in 2000, Max Cleland being compared with Osama and Saddam, as well as the swiftboating "success" of John Kerry danced in Curt's head. Enter the push poll.
I could give you a long explanation, but Tom Ferrick of the Philadelphia Inquirer already has.
Perfect! Curt Weldon's kind of politics.
Here's the question voters were asked:
A former Senior Advisor from the Kerry campaign said to me yesterday that he was "fairly certain that if Osama bin Laden had swum by the Admiral's ship in the Indian Ocean, I'm pretty sure Joe would have caught him."
Now here comes the good part. Weldon's people said the company who ordered the push polling, Venture Data, don't even work for his campaign. Here's Ferrick's take on it: Venture Data does not appear on Weldon's campaign reports as a vendor, but a company called Progressive Opinion Strategies L.L.C. does. It got $17,000 from Weldon's campaign committee in March. The clips reveal that Progressive and Venture are often aligned in polling operations.
See how this works? Weldon gets to say he didn't fund the despicable Bush-like polling question, because it's technically true, while paying for it through another agent. Now whether this is actually push polling or simply "push questioning" is for someone else to decide. But I'd offer it's just plain wrong, immoral and dishonest. But hiding reality is a specialty of the Republicans.
But don't turn that dial, because the swiftboating of Joe Sestak isn't over. After all, Curt's got over three more months until November, so it's time to get busy.
Last Thursday, the PA GOP released this statement.
The Republican Party is telling a 31-year Navy veteran and retired admiral that he has no respect for the uniform?
Rep. Weldon, prepare for more incoming, including from some of your own, Republicans, that is.
Now let me direct you to a conservative blog that has picked this story up and run with it, using tags like "corruption" and "stolen valor." The first picture in the comments section is of veteran John Kerry's 1971 testifying before the Senate. It gets worse from there.
John Kerry's statement comes back, a haunting message to any Democratic veteran who dares challenge a Republican:"I'd like to know what these Republicans who never wore the uniform of our country have against those who did. ..."
Weldon's got more troubles, because Sestak is out fundraising him, too.
Democratic veteran Joe Sestak just wants another opportunity to serve his country. Frankly, he doesn't quite get all the vitriol; the audacity to challenge a United States veteran's honor, regardless of party, first using his daughter, then the push polling charge about letting Osama escape; topped off by accusing him of disrespect for wearing the uniform while honoring fallen heroes. James Boyce of the Patriot Project had a discussion with Sestak during the YearlyKos convention this past June. He reminded Sestak that "the Navy doesn't hand out Purple Hearts like jelly beans." That obviously got Sestak to thinking. Republicans will say anything to harm their opponent, truth be damned. James then reminded him that the Republicans came after John Kerry the same way. Their whole campaign strategy is attack - attack - attack. Sestak gets it now. Welcome to political warfare, Admiral.
I also spoke with Rocco Polidoro yesterday, the Republican co-chair of Veterans for Sestak quoted above, who is completely incensed by what Curt Weldon is doing to Joe Sestak. "He has every right to wear it," said Polidoro, talking about the uniform. They were honoring veterans who had served their country with honor. Then Polidoro got personal: "Where is Weldon's uniform? Why didn't Weldon serve during the '60s. There was a war on; there was a draft. ... He wasn't drafted. Why?"
Someone should ask Curt Weldon those questions. His answers matter.