White Whale: This is absolutely no different from Democrats who don’t even court the black vote, because they don’t have to. I wouldn’t be surprised if more than half of the Democratic Congresspersons, and Senators, including blacks and hispanics, don’t care about blacks or hispanics, either.

Care for something a bit more recent, Frankie?

OK.

In 1996, the Family Research Council President, Tony Perkins (you’ve heard of him–Bill Frist is a big buddy of his) paid David Duke $82,500 for his mailing list.

In 1995 and 1997, GOP governor Mike Foster paid Duke for his mailing list.

Hmmm.

Seems GOPers seem to think folks who support David Duke might also support them, doesn’t it?

I’m sure Zappa would not have objected.

If you’re posting a story, and leave it open to interpretation, then it’s going to be interpreted by the readers.

If the writer has a problem, he can disagree.

What I’m reading here is that I’m wrong for about three or four different reasons, some of which conflict with each other.

One, as for De Lay, there is a legal proceeding pending which will determine the relationship between Abramoff and De Lay. It is not a “given.”

The influence of Reed on the RNC, or vice versa, is not a “given.”

Scanlon is a former employee of Abramoff.

The title of the post is “Useful Idiots”, an obvious play on Lenin’s famous quote.

What do you think he was driving at?

Look it up, I believe it made the papers.

Dkelsmith, David Duke has been linked to the Republican Party many times, right here in these threads, and, yes, there have been calls to denounce him.

In my mind they are the same? I hardly think so, I am probably not nearly conservative enough for your liking, but I am far from the type that regurgitates every right-bashing slogan I can find. But, I would venture to say that in YOUR mind you probably see anybody left of center sitting in the same light as Farakhan, Sharpton, and Jackson. I seriously doubt you refrain from lumping people together for the sake of argument.

Finally, and as usual, Frank pretends that the court of public opinion is the same as a court of law.

Let me help.

Suppose Cindy Sheehan were to be caught on tape or in an email saying something like, “Ha! I can always count on those screwy moonbats to back me up!”

That would be similar to the situation we have here.

Dkelsmith, David Duke has been linked to the Republican Party many times, right here in these threads, and, yes, there have been calls to denounce him.

Ralph Reed apparently spends way way more time with the Christian Coalition, than he does with the RNC, but, of course, in your mind, they’re the same.

Finally, as usual, DeLay, hated by the left, is guilty before trial.

Abramoff is hardly the “face of Corporate America.”

Since when did Al Sharpton use millions of dollars, illegally funneled through various organizations, to fund a morally repugnant and ethically challenged redistricting effort to flip the balance of the Congress in his favor; and attempt to quash boycotting opposition legislators by using a federal agency (DHS) to “round up” political opponents?

I mean, these are the guys we’re talking about. The very same people who pandered ceaselessly to the evangelical “wackos”, with promises of off-world, spayed and neutered homosexual colonies on Mars, and marketed the second coming of Jesus “W” Christ and his raging “armies of compassion”, marching from staged “town hall” to staged photo-op, only to be greeted with flowers and candy! Then delivered NOTHING but monies unto themselves and their crony friends.

Let’s just be honest with each other. You know, and I know…these “wackos” on the right have MUCH more influence over the GOP, than the wackos on the left have over the Democratic party. Michael Moore DOES NOT, and HAS NOT, influenced policy, whereas – currently – Dobson, Robertson and his ilk have their hands planted so deeply up the royal behinds of GOP policy makers all over the hill you can barely see their elbows.

Come on man. Likening Louis Farahkan to the left is like saying David Duke is your poster child for Conservatism. Yes, there is aquite a bit of mud-slinging and opportunism on both sides, but come on. But, you can’t deny that the folks in the referenced article are Republicans. But, to your defense, I never have been one that needed an apology or a forced denouncement from a group to make me feel any better.

I’m sorry you’re so afraid of Al Sharpton. He may have run for the Democratic nomination, but nobody voted for him. Anyone can run.

Ralph Reed works for the RNC, and Abramoff and Scanlon are accused of money laundering. Say what you will about Democrats, but these Republican fellas sure do seem to get into a lot of trouble over money laundering and lying to people.

As for elected officials, there’s McKinney, McDermott, McGreevy….

Jack Abramoff was known as the “godfather” of Tom DeLay’s lobbying network. DeLay himself once called Abramoff “one of my closest and dearest friends.”

Michael Scanlon (GOP Mega-lobbyist) – Currently under investigation together with his partner Jack Abramoff, Grover Norquist and Ralph Reed by separate state and federal grand jury investigations into lobbying performed for Indian tribes running casino gambling businesses. Before he became a lobbyist, he worked on Capitol Hill  as Majority Leader Tom DeLay’s press aide.

To compare a grieving anti-war mother to the corrupt power-brokers currently infesting the GOP just goes to show how far out of touch you are with reality.

Louis Farrakhan and Cinday Sheehan are not Scanlon, Abramoff and DeLay. To compare these less than moderate activists to GOP operatives and elected officials is laughable.

Do you even know how these people (Scanlon, et al) have come to have such power and influence in your party? Do you even know who they are?

Seems to me, you are completely oblivious.