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| Rangel on Chavez -- distancing himself from "a creation of Democratic anger" |
| 2006-09-22 |
| Greg Pollowitz, "Sixers" blog, National Review Online For close to six years now, the left in this country (except for a few weeks around 9/11) has done everything possible to discredit President Bush. From statements that Florida was stolen to the present day attacks that President Bush lied us into a war with Iraq to steal their oil. These statements have ramifications. One of those ramifications came to a head with Chavez's address to the UN yesterday. Charlie Rangel's comments on the Chavez speech seem to have been generated during Chavez's trip the next day to Harlem. Why was Hugo Chavez in Harlem yesterday anyway? The answer is he was there to promote Venezuela's donation of heating oil to NYC. A program that Charlie Rangel, in my post yesterday, was widely in favor of. . . . Why is NYC taking the oil in the first place? Republicans and Democrats in Maine have come together and have said no to Chavez's donations. Why are Democrats in NY not doing the same thing? Hillary, Chuck, Eliot, Charlie and the rest are releasing statements on how awful Chavez's statement was, but will continue to take the donations. Memo to a certain GOP hopeful sitting in Albany right now: SEND THE OIL BACK. Make Democrats defend the oil donations from the man all of America has seen exposed as the two bit dictator he really is. . . . These propaganda stunts are no different today than they were years ago when done by the Soviet Union. Hugo Chavez has been a darling of the left in this country for years, but now Democrats are in the uncomfortable position of distancing themselves from what is in effect a creation of Democratic anger toward President Bush. Rangel's soundbites are getting a lot of play in the media and they're strong soundbites, I'll admit. But here's part of the written statment Rangel released yesterday: I feel that I must speak out now since the Venezuelan government has been instrumental in providing oil at discounted prices to people in low income communities who have suffered increases in rent as heating oil prices have risen sharply. By offering this benefit to people in need, Venezuela has won many friends in poor communities of New York and other states. I am surprised that American oil companies have not stepped up to provide that kind of assistance to the poor. To paraphrase Rangel, "Keep giving me the oil, as it makes Bush and big oil look bad, but stop with the silly statements." Democrats are afraid right now. Bush's poll numbers are going up and the latest generic ballot has it tied. Something has changed in the country where, I think, voters have had about enough "bash Bush" that they're going to take. I think Rangel knows this and this faux outrage is the defense that Democrats are putting up against further voter anger against their attacks on the President. |
| Posted by:Mike |
| #2 Let them talk, let them talk. They will keep themselves out of the white house if you let them. |
| Posted by: Whaviger Unerelet4716 2006-09-22 19:01 |
| #1 The Demo's have a problem when third world dictators start using your talking points and the majority of Americans see it on tv. :) |
| Posted by: djohn66 2006-09-22 15:06 |