Minnesota War Support Ads Update: A Little 2+2 for Minnesota Voters
Previous Posts for those new to the controversy:
- Feb. 20 — Follow-up on TV Ads in Minnesota Supporting the War on Terror
- Feb. 18 — So Why Can’t Former Soldiers and the Families of Fallen Soldiers Speak Out?
_______________________
Powerline’s Latest Posts (here and here) on the TV ad controversy in Minnesota are primarily about one lone media voice in the intellectual wilderness that is the state’s Democratic-Farm-Labor Party (the DFL, which is the state’s version of the Democratic Party).
Katherine Kersten of the Minneapolis Star Tribune is the only person to go on record speaking out against the DFL’s documented characterization of the former Iraq War soldiers and the families of slain soldiers involved in producing the ads, which you can see here in various formats, as (I’m not kidding) “un-American”:
The DFL has branded the ad “un-American, untruthful and a lie.” The DFL isn’t bothering to present its version of the facts in an ad of its own. Instead, party chairman Brian Melendez launched a campaign to silence (OIF vet Bob) Stephenson and others who appeared in the ad. He demanded that the ad be pulled from the airwaves, so Minnesotans couldn’t hear its message and make up their minds themselves.
….. I suggest that the DFL itself deserves that label, for attempting to silence the speech of fellow citizens with whom it disagrees. If Republicans employed the same tactic, the media would be howling. But the silence here has been deafening.
I guess free speech doesn’t apply to un-American folks such as Bob Stephenson, and his supporters in Minnesota Families United.
Scroll down the DFL’s home page, and you’ll still see the full text of the party’s request that the first ad be taken off the air (the second hadn’t been released on February 16, the date of the DFL press release).
So let’s put 2 and 2 together here: You have conclude from all of this that the DFL and its non-objecting rank and file only believe in free speech that agrees with their worldview, and that the party would, if it held enough of the levers of power, move to repress dissent with the eager help of its faithful. What other interpretation is there? So exactly why would any DFL candidate for any public office in Minnesota deserve the vote of anyone who holds the First Amendment dear?
The DFL has managed to hurt themselves on two fronts. The first, as you just pointed out, is that they are not supporting free speech and individual rights which has been a longtime claim for the Dems. The second is that they are calling a man who has served over 23 years in the Marines and voluntarily left his seven children and wife at home in order to serve in this war un-American. Both of these blow my mind.
I am very glad, though, that we are making progress slowly with media outlets. The Washington Post came out with an editorial against the DFL as did the Minneapolis Star Tribune, as quoted above. I applaud the willingness of our troops and the families of our fallen soldiers who are strong enough to tell Americans a story that is not being told other places - a story of the success of our troops and the progress of the Iraqi nation.
Comment by Alise — March 1, 2006 @ 7:55 pm
#1, Glad to hear this. I was thinking that it was fading, but from 600 miles it’s hard to know.
The ironies of this are all over the place. In 2004, “How dare you question his service?” was the Kerry defense, from a guy who would tell you about his service at the drop of a phony hat. Now that soldiers returning from Iraq are talking about their service in the ads, it’s all of a sudden no fair and “un-American.
I hope the GOP saved the video from the Melendez news conference and plays it on the air nightly during the race to succeed Dayton and the Norm Coleman race in 2008.
Comment by TBlumer — March 1, 2006 @ 8:19 pm
It’s important to stay on top of this story and continue reporting on the disappointing position of the DFL to showcase why our troops need our support more than ever here at home. I don’t understand what is so threatening about a message (in these ads) that says “American troops are making real progress in Iraq.” All Americans should question the motives of this group that is criticizing servicemen and their families who offer a message of hope and optimism. It is our responsibility to counter this criticism with our getting the facts out there about the progress being made - schools are being built, sewage systems have been installed, and most importantly a new democracy is emerging.
Comment by AnnaB — March 5, 2006 @ 10:11 pm