Sunday, November 20, 2005

"Mean Jean" Schmidt

The New York Times has a priceless quote about Rep. Jean Schmidt's infamous characterization of war hero John Murtha as a coward:

Back home in her suburban Cincinnati district, the Whistleblower, an online newsletter that tracks local politics, rushed out a special I-told-you-so issue calling the speech "vintage Jean Schmidt."

"We have said innumerable times that she would go to Washington and open her mouth and create an embarrassment," said Jim Schifrin, the newsletter's publisher. "She will say things that turn people off like nothing you've ever seen."
Calling a bona fide hero a "coward" is certainly off-putting. It is worth noting, however, that this rhetorical tactic is limited by no means to Mean Jean Schmidt. It has come to characterize the entire 21st Century Republican Party. Nothing is sacred to these hideous people.

3 comments:

Zappatero said...

I betcha money is.

Wes said...

I used to live in Cincinnati. The Whistleblower is usually impeccably right-wing, but it does have this nasty habit of going after stupidity in power no matter where it lies.

So the fact that Schifrin put this out doesn't surprise me at all. The hard-core right wingers wanted State Rep. Tom Brinkman to win the primary, the wealthier types prefered former Rep. Bob McEwen, and the nepotism wing wanted County Commissioner Pat DeWine, son of Sen. Mike DeWine.

WF

Anonymous said...

It is worth noting, however, that this rhetorical tactic is limited by no means to Mean Jean Schmidt. It has come to characterize the entire 21st Century Republican Party.

you've only hinted at how deeply embarrassing schmidt is for the republicans. the delicious irony of schmidt's remarks, that "cowards cut and run" -- a major republican talking point -- is that the accusation, when directed at another member, is against the rules of conduct on the floor.

if schmidt hadn't retracted her comments, at her fellow republican's urging, the house would have had to vote on her censure -- which would have put the republicans in the untenable position of either voting no and being accused of not upholding house rules or voting yes and rebuking a fellow member for saying what most have been saying to every media outlet for several years.