In our latest example of why we hate politics in Florida because way too many people involved act like children, let us now examine the letters sent between the chairs of the Florida Democratic Party and the Republican Party of Florida this morning over GOP Rep. Allen West's comments about how he heard that 80 sitting Democratic Congressmen are secretly members of the Communist Party.
DPF chair Rod Smith sent the first volley by writing an open letter to his RPOF counterpart Lenny Curry. Obviously it's designed to stir the pot and keep the controversy running. Its tone is a bit over-the-top (making references to dictators and murderers) but its tone isn't completely nasty. Here's an except from the full letter:
Each of us understands the hyperbole that surfaces during every political season. It is a long-standing practice in American politics. But there are and must be lines. To suggest that elected Democrats share political views with Joseph Stalin, Mao Zedong or other communist dictators who murdered their people and suppressed the freedom of hundreds of millions for generations recalls the shameful practice of Joseph McCarthy. I am sure you proudly recall that it was a Republican Senator, Margaret Chase Smith, whose statement of conscience publicly admonished McCarthy's tactics of accusing unnamed persons of being "card carrying communists."On the childish scale, Smith scores at about "10th grade honers student."
RPOF Chair Curry decided to reply by completely ignoring West's comments. In fact, its like he thought to himself, "Hmmm, has a Florida Democratic congressman said anything ridiculous lately? Oh, no. Well, how about any elected Democrat anywhere? Nope, not in this news cycle. Oh, wait there was that thing that lady said about Anne Romney that was mean to ladies." Then he ran with it:
"Rod Smith could better invest his energy by asking fellow Democrat-leaders like Hilary Rosen to stop their hateful speech against stay-at-home mothers. Women -- whether they work outside the home or inside the home -- deserve our respect. For those choosing to work outside the home, there has been a tragic collapse in employment under the failed Obama presidency. While President Obama and Chairman Smith focus on political games, Republicans have offered a vision of economic opportunity that helps all Americans support their families and pursue their dreams."Curry's reasoning is apparently: I am not going to stop people in my party from saying ridiculous things, but you should stop people in your party from saying ridiculous things. This is why people continue to say ridiculous things in politics.
Rosen was on CNN yesterday when she said, "Guess what, (Romney's) wife has actually never worked a day in her life." Probably because Romney is lagging behind in polls of female support, Republicans jumped on it. Democrats, including members of the Obama Campaign and Michelle Obama herself criticized the comment as well. Rosen has now apologized.
West has not.
So Curry gets a "3-year-old" on the acting-like-a-child scale.
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