DEMOCRATS HAVE DECIDED THEY HAVE GOT A BRAND-NEW MESSAGE
THEY WILL GO WITH IN THESE 28 ELECTIONS, AND IT COMES STRAIGHT
OUT OF 2006.
LITERALLY.
SO IN 2006 THE DEMOCRATS FOR
CONGRESSIONAL RACES RAN ON THE MESSAGE THAT THE REPUBLICANS HAD
A CULTURE OF CORRUPTION,
CRONYISM, AND INCOMPETENCE.
NANCY PELOSI HAS NOW STARTED
TALKING ABOUT THE REPUBLICAN CULTURE OF CORRUPTION, CRONYISM,
AND INCOMPETENCE.
I HAVE MIXED FEELINGS ABOUT THIS, AND I
BELIEVE IT'S A MIXED MESSAGE OF SORTS, A LOT OF MIXED UP PARTS
OF THIS STORY.
STAY WITH ME.
AN ANONYMOUS GOP STRATEGIST SAID
ABOUT THEIR 2006 CAMPAIGN --
SO CAN YOU RUN AGAINST REPUBLICANS IN ANY GIVEN YEAR ON
THE ISSUE OF CORRUPTION?
OF COURSE!
THE WHOLE POINT OF THE
PARTY AT THE NATIONAL LEVEL IS
CORRUPTION.
THEY HAVE NO GUIDING PRINCIPLES OTHER THAN
CORRUPTION.
I KNOW, THE MAINSTREAM MEDIA HAS TO DO FALSE
EQUIVALENCIES AND PRETEND THEY
CARE ABOUT BALANCED BUDGETS WHEN THEY JUST PUT A $2 TRILLION HOLE
IN THE BUDGET.
SO I LIKE
THAT ISSUE, BUT --
SO BACK THEN EVEN REPUBLICANS SAID IT WORKED --
IF YOU ARE JUST FOCUSING ON THE SEX AS PART OF THE
CORRUPTION, OKAY, IT'S NOT AS
TARGET-RICH BECAUSE A LOT OF THOSE GUYS HAVE LEFT ON THE
REPUBLICAN SIDE.
IF YOU ARE FOCUSING ON THE KNICKKNACKS
WHICH THEY WILL AND THEY ALREADY
HAVE, AND THIS STARTED WITH VERY PREDICTABLY AN ATTACK ON SCOTT
PRUITT.
SHOULD THE ATTACK SCOTT PRUITT'S CORRUPTION?
DEFINITELY
THAT THEY ARE THEY GOING TO WIN THE ELECTION BY TALKING ABOUT
HOW HE PAID 50 BUCKS PER NIGHT
IN WASHINGTON, OR TALKING ABOUT HIS $40,000 PHONE BOOTH, OR BEN
CARSON'S $31,000 DINING ROOM TABLE?
NO.
I'M NOT SAYING YOU
SHOULDN'T TALK ABOUT THOSE, THAT'S ALL FAIR GAME AND GOD
BLESS YOUR HEART, AND THOSE ARE ALL REAL SCANDALS.
BUT THE REAL
SCANDAL IS THE BIG ONE, WHICH IS, THEY TAKE DONOR MONEY, THEN
THEY DO WHATEVER THE DONORS TELL THEM TO DO.
IN THIS CASE THE
NUMBER ONE PRIORITY, AND THE DONORS SAID IT IN PUBLIC, A LOT
OF THEM EVEN SET IT ON THE
RECORD USING THEIR OWN NAMES, THEY SAID WE WILL NOT FUND THE
REPUBLICAN PARTY ANYMORE UNLESS
WE GET OUR TAX CUTS.
AND THEN OF COURSE THE REPUBLICANS, IN THE
ERA OF INCOMPETENCE, COULDN'T PASS ANYTHING BUT THE GIANT TAX
CUTS FOR THE RICH.
SO, AMAZINGLY, NEARLY MIRACULOUSLY, THE DEMOCRATS
HAVE ACTUALLY FIGURED OUT THAT THE TAX CUTS ARE A BIG PROBLEM.
MAYBE THE POLL SHOWING THAT THE TAX CUTS ARE POLLING AT 27%
MIGHT HAVE HAD SOMETHING TO DO WITH IT BUT WITH DEMOCRATS,
YOU'VE REALLY GOT TO DRILL IT IN BEFORE THEY GET IT.
27%.
I MEAN, THREE QUARTERS OF THE COUNTRY IS ON OUR SIDE.
I DON'T
KNOW.
BUT IN THIS CASE, CREDIT WHERE CREDIT IS DUE.
TERKEL REPORTS:
TALKING ABOUT CORPORATE DONORS, WONDERFUL.
ROBERT KUTTNER WROTE AN OPINION COLUMN ON HUFFPOST BUT HE
BACKS UP THE ISSUE OF THE TAXES BEING A HUGE PROBLEM FOR THE
REPUBLICANS.
HE SAID:
AND THAT IS WHY PAUL RYAN HAD TO BRAG ABOUT, OH, I JUST TALKED TO
SOMEONE WHO IS GOING TO SAVE $1.50 PER WEEK.
$1.50 PER WEEK.
THE KOCH BROTHERS, WHO FINANCE PAUL RYAN, ARE GOING TO SAVE
BILLIONS.
WHEN YOU INCLUDE THE ESTATE TAX CUTS, TENS OF BILLIONS OF
DOLLARS.
THE AVERAGE PERSON IN THE 1% SAVES OVER $60,000
EVERY SINGLE YEAR FROM THAT TAX CUT AND THEN THEY LOOK AT YOU
AND LAUGH AT YOU AND GO, I HEAR YOU MIGHT HAVE GOTTEN $1.50
TAX CUT PER WEEK.
SO CAN YOU RUN ON THAT AND BEAT THE REPUBLICANS?
HELL YES YOU CAN.
SO DO I AGREE WITH HIS MESSAGE?
ABSOLUTELY AND LOOK AT WHAT HAPPENED IN PENNSYLVANIA'S
SPECIAL ELECTION THAT JUST HAPPENED.
THE REPUBLICANS HAD A 19
POINT LEAD THERE AND THEY LOST IT, AND THEY LOST THE ELECTION
AND PART OF THE REASON WHY IS THE REPUBLICANS RAN ADS IN
FAVOR OF THE TAX CUTS, AND THEY WERE COUNTERPRODUCTIVE.
THEY HURT THE REPUBLICAN CANDIDATE AND THEN THEY
STARTED TO BACKPEDAL.
STOP RUNNING THE TAX ADS.
PEOPLE FOUND OUT IT'S FOR THE RICH.
YEAH, WE FOUND OUT.
WHAT AM I MIXED ABOUT?
YOU KNOW WHAT WAY'S A LOT EASIER?
IF YOU COULD RUN A WHOLE CAMPAIGN ABOUT THEIR CORRUPTION
IF YOU YOURSELF ARE NOT CORRUPT.
WELL, FOR THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY AND ITS ESTABLISHMENT, THAT IS
A BIT OF AN ISSUE.
NOW THERE ARE A LOT OF CANDIDATES WHO CAN RUN ON THAT.
THERE ARE 52 JUSTICE DEMOCRATS WHO DO NOT TAKE CORPORATE PAC
MONEY, THERE'S BETO O'ROURKE DOESN'T TAKE CORPORATE PAC
MONEY AND IS BEATING TED CRUZ WITH A STICK DOWN IN TEXAS.
ANOTHER ARE AN INCREASING NUMBER OF SENATORS, IT STARTED WITH
BERNIE SANDERS AND ELIZABETH WARREN BUT NOW COREY BOOKER,
AND TODAY, KAMALA HARRISON, THE LIST GROWS AND GROWS IN THE
SENATE NOT TAKING CORPORATE PAC MONEY.
THOSE PEOPLE, THERE'S LOTS OF THINGS THAT I WOULD LOVE TO DO
AND GETTING MONEY OUT OF POLITICS, WE SHOULD PASS AN
AMENDMENT, ETC., BUT THAT IS A SOLID START AND THOSE PEOPLE GET
TO MAKE A CREDIBLE CLAIM THAT
THEY ARE NOT CORRUPTED, BEFORE THE GREAT OVERWHELMING
MAJORITY OF THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY THEY ARE GOING TO GO, LOOK AT
THEM, THEY ARE SO CORRUPT.
HOW ABOUT YOU GUYS?
YOU
TAKE THE SAME CORPORATE MONEY.
LET'S STOP TALKING ABOUT THAT.
I GUARANTEE YOU THAT MOST OF THE DEMOCRATS WILL NOT TALK ABOUT
THE CORPORATE DONORS BECAUSE THEY TAKE CORPORATE DONORS SO
THEY WILL PLAY FOOTSIE AROUND THE EDGES.
A DINING ROOM TABLE, A PHONE BOOTH, 50 BUCKS HERE AND THERE
AND THEY WILL NOT HIT THE ACTUAL
HEART OF THE ISSUE.
IF THEY ALL STOPPED TAKING CORPORATE PAC MONEY, THEY
WOULD ROUTE THE REPUBLICANS.
THEN WE WOULD HAVE ONE PARTY THAT IS CLEARLY CORRUPT
AND THE OTHER ONE THAT HAS BEEN UNCORRUPTED.
IT WOULD BE A LANDSLIDE LIKE WE HAD NEVER SEEN BEFORE BUT I
KNOW WITH THE DEMOCRAT ARE GOING TO SAY.
BUT WE NEED THAT CORPORATE PACK MONEY, WE CANNOT WIN WITHOUT IT.
WHAT YOU WANT US TO DO, DISARM?
I WANT YOU TO BE HONEST, NONE CORRUPTED.
IT IS NOT GOING TO
HURT YOU, IT IS GOING TO HELP YOU.
YOU ALREADY HAVE A MASSIVE BRAND BUT YOUR BRAND IS TAINTED BY
THE CORRUPTION OF THIS SYSTEM.
UNTETHERED YOURSELF FROM THE DONORS AND YOU WILL ROUTE THEM.
UNFORTUNATELY FOR MOST OF THE ESTABLISHMENT DEMOCRATS, THEY
WILL NOT BE ABLE TO DO THAT, SO THIS WILL BE A MIXED MESSAGE
WERE PEOPLE GO, I GET IT, BUT ARE YOU REALLY ANY BETTER?
SO DO NOT GET ME WRONG, IT IS EFFECTIVE, I AM GLAD THAT THEY
CHOSE IT, I AM JUST TELLING YOU THE WHOLE REALITY IN THE WHOLE
CONTEXT.
IT WOULD WORK A LOT BETTER IF THEY THEMSELVES STOPPED TAKING
CORPORATE DONOR MONEY.