Personally I will enjoy seeing FOX news put
"retarded" and "Bush" together over and over.
I hope this backfires by virtue of power of suggestion.

Steven Clemons, I love your site. Honestly, I learn something every day. I had no idea that this other flyer controversy was bursting. My family, my relatives, my neighbors are becoming obsessed with your daily missives.

Go after these guys. You have good sense regarding the balance between politics and integrity.

From a Wasington Note Groupie, Darci

Maybe I am a Groupy? How is that spelled. hmmm. Keep up your awesome work,
Darci

I don't understand how anyone who wasn't a partisan hack could could continue to wax hysterical about the flyer that adverted to "banning the Bible." As Eugene Volokh pointed out, the flyer was using the word "ban" the same way the American Libarians Association uses the word, and liberals never squawk about that. I never saw anyone respond effectively to Volokh: of course, he's a lot smarter than you, so it might be hard.

What can you tell me about what's going on with the RNC and throwing away democratic voting apps. and all those other rumors that are flying around about people not being registered as promised???

WSM -- Thanks for the uplifting note! best,
Steve Clemons

what difference will rove's dirty tricks make to kerry anyway? tennessee isn't in play at all (last poll Bush 58-Kerry 39)

The first response here, by "marky", is an example of the reason Karl Rove gets away with tricks like this: he knows that deep down, the idea expressed in the flyer delights more left-wingers than it insults.

Associating Bush with retardates is unfair to retarded people, most all of whom are sweet souls incapable of the evil that Bush routinely dispenses. That the oval office is currently occupied by an intellectual cripple does speak well of America's commitment to affirmative action, however.

This is ludicrous. I just read JMM's analysis of the Alabama See/Ingram episode, but sure in a national election in TN it should be obvious that there are plenty of other people besides the Kerry campaign who don't like Bush. .and not all of them even like Kerry. I saw that picture on the internet weeks ago, and though, ugh, that's in poor taste. It never occurred to me that Kerry or his campaigners were responsible because people have been trying to outdo each other in slamming Bush since long before we even knew Kerry would be the Dem nominee. For one thing, Democrats have done a hell of a lot more to help out the Special Olympics and its constituencies than Republicans--so, no, "Friend," I dont' think it delights the vast majority of them.

And WSM--from Volokh: "(except in unusual contexts, such as for instance a comparative religion class, likely in the upper grades)".Firstly, I don't think that's a remotely unusual context but in the fact the most appropriate one. You wouldn't give Tolstoy or Salinger to to small children, so on a literary basis (not a religious one) why would you give them the Bible? Secondly, the flyer is painting with ridiculously broad strokes. All liberals do not remotely equal Democratic politicians. Just because a few people have tried to get the bible either removed from school shelves or taken from the entire curriculum (preventing *access*) doesn't mean the politicians the flyer was aimed at want to.
And actually, yes, I have complained about the broadness of the ALA list.

rove is going to get busted if he's not careful. these tricks may go unscrutinized in the backwoods of alabama and texas, but in the wider world where there are people who are *gasp* smarter than him, his sophistication may be lacking...

Isn't Bush the guy who gets a kick out of executing the mentally retarded?

As an Alabamian, I can testify to the truthfulness of Green's Atlantic Monthly article about Rove's dirty tricks. People here really do vote out of "fear and anger." Tennessee may be similar. The fact that these tactics are used in not-in-play Tennessee is beside the point; the goal is only to smear Dems in general, to make it to the national news (however briefly) to fill up space Kerry might get, in an effort to slow Kerry's momentum if possible, etc.

Same old tricks from the same old playbook...

Does it start with the college campuses? The college GOP has a lot of support among frat boys. The Democrat support typically comes more from issues groups. It is not surprising that a lot of frat boy tactics are incorporated into the party. The GOP is more similar in the composition of its membership. In primaries, such tactics would blow the more diverse Democratic Party into pieces. The effect on the GOP is not as great. Could anyone imagine Kerry attacking Sharpton or Mosely-Braun in a primary the way Bush attacked McCain and still have a Democratic party left in November?

As I recall, this "flyer" was posted by a commenter on the Daily Kos site some time ago, but within the last three weeks. Be interesting to find out where that person got it. People rejected it as being inappropriate quite quickly. Wonder if it was a plant there?

the Tennessee bush flyer "homophobic?" If being gay was a qualifying disability for entering Special Olympics, I think we would have seen it on the news....

Here's the link to the Kos posting:
http://tinyurl.com/4hho4

Was roundly rejected by the Kos community and may have been an attempt to discredit it.

The obvious key here is naming and investigating the person who "found" the flyers in the trash. If they are in any way related to the RNC or another partisan entity it should be easy to run down.

"...but sure in a national election in TN it should be obvious that there are plenty of other people besides the Kerry campaign who don't like Bush..."

The giveaway: "Shortly after some unknown individual dropped the flyers in the trash can, another individual came into the office and found the flyers in Fitzhugh's trash -- and then made this public."

I believe the term the Nixon Dirty Tricks squad used was "ratfucking." You remember when we were so shocked that a national political party would play this way? How cynical we've become that we all just acknowledge that that's just what we can expect.

"Could anyone imagine Kerry attacking Sharpton or Mosely-Braun in a primary the way Bush attacked McCain and still have a Democratic party left in November?"

Speaking as a (still) registered Republican, I believe that the Republican Party lost its soul when it was unable to transition from out-of-power opposition party to in-power governing party. It is truly sad - we need a two-party system (which is another "checks and balances") in which the philosophy of both parties is that they are Americans and honorable human beings before they are members of any party.

Ripping up voter registrations of the opposite party is despicable, and "Ratfucking" is despicable, no matter who (or which party) does it. "Win at any cost" has too high a cost, IMO, if you value America and your own personal honor.

Wow! What a dirty rotten trick. Kind of like telling people that if John Kerry gets elected paralysis will be cured.

Steve,
what if you are wrong and a democrat really did this?

There are Republicans and Democrats who take the high road, and Republicans and Democrats who take the low road. As reported by Ashley Bach Seattle Times Eastside bureau October 14, 2004: A man was arrested and released on suspicion of third-degree theft, a misdemeanor, said Mercer Island police Sgt. Lance Davenport (for the theft of Bush signs.) Do you believe that only one side does tricks?

David in NY: Thanks for the link to the flyer.

Todd: The homophobia I am referring to is part of the previous RNC Mailer that I posted a ways back and which received a great deal of attention -- not the flyer in Tennessee.

Thanks,
Steve Clemons

Hey Sean -- You are absolutely right. BOTH SIDES have engaged in dirty tricks...and my antennae are up for both right now. One can always be wrong in this kind of commentary -- and I think I have the integrity to admit being wrong if that's the way things go. That said, when firm denials are made by people blamed -- then one has to treat those denials seriously. My point comparing this to the Arkansas/West Virginia mailer is that Gillespie did not deny that the memos were RNC-created.

I talked with a couple of people in the Fitzhugh office today -- and I reported what was shared with me. This may have been the act of an individual, perhaps not connected to the RNC, but someone who wanted to stir this kind of debate. Given the manner in which the flyers were delivered to the office -- and found, and then denied as belonging to the DNC or Fitzhugh's office, something else is afoot.

I believe in my gut that this is a dirty trick job being run in a local campaign.

But if I'm wrong -- I'll post it here. I hope to get some word from the District Attorney's office soon.

-- Steve Clemons

As a sister of a Special Olympian, I am deeply offended by the flyer, which reeks of a Rovian stunt. My family deplores Bush and his compassionate conservatism. Just as the Bush folks are willing to use gays to fan their base by opposing gay marriage, I would not be surprised if they would be willing to sacrifice mentally retarded people to win this election, also. I don't know if the BC04 campaign could handle a swarm of Special Olympians marching on their offices around the country.

Being from Tennessee, I have seen several anti-Bush smear, MoveOn Hitler film clip type, flyers around. Your uncritical acceptance of what the campaign that got caught says is naive.

There is no need for us to pull dirty tricks in TN, Bush is going to win by a landslide. Besdies, from my own personal knowledge, our people who are mean enough to do this are all in Ohio and PA. :)

I just love hypocritical leftie anger.

Dan,

How pathetic. As if trotting out that MoveOn Hitler slander would prove anything other than the already well-establish hypocrisy of the right-wing.

How did those values folks get on the case so fast? Is there any evidence those flyers were handed out? Any evidence by whom? And who found them in the garbage? More facts would be nice. More found on Kos in diaries, I think.

Pam,

There are allegations coming out of several states that an Arizona corporation called Sproul & Associates is engaging in various dirty tricks to cut off Dem voter registration. These include falsely representing themselves as working with a liberal political interest group and the destruction of Democratic voter registration cards. Nathan Sproul, head of S&A, is a former regional director for the Christian Coalition and the former ED of the Arizona Republican Party, from which platform he butted heads with non-movement conservatives like McCain. For more info, you can either -- shameless plug -- check out my blog, or JMM's Talking Points Memo.

praktike: "Isn't Bush the guy who gets a kick out of executing the mentally retarded?"

Perhaps, but it was Bill Clinton who famously flew down from New Hampshire just before the crucial 1992 primary just so he could be "presiding" in Arkansas during the execution of a retarded man who said, "I'll eat my dessert later" as he walked away from his half-eaten last meal. (On the other hand, the man was lobotomized because he shot himself in the head in a failed suicied attempt, and he was a cop killer.)

As a Democrat, I hope that whoever is responsible for this is prosecuted to the fullest extent, whichever party they are from. Kerry doesn't need this kind of help and I am confident that he would never support or condone it. Unfortunately, I cannot say the same thing about Bush. The cynicism and ruthlessness that he has shown every day of his term shows that he would not hesitate to stoop to these tactics. Case in point: the SwiftLiar smear. For these reasons, I am quite confuident that this will ultimately be shown to be a Karl Rove classic dirty trick.

The flyer's author is probably a fan of Michelle Malkin's blog. Remember when Atrios called Mr. Bush a "retarded chimp" and Ms. Malkin complained?

Strange how this flyer showed up only a few days later - almost as if reading Ms. Malkin's blog gave someone an idea!

ok, now I get it. the homophobic was directed not at the Tennessee flyer that was the subject of the post, but a different piece that was distributed in west Virginia. I was led astray by the casual use of "dust clears on this one..."

bakho - bad experience during rush? I think that youth and irresponsibility are not confined to the greek system, and blaming it all on frat boys is perhaps giving those nasty kids that gave you a swirlie too much credit....

I'm in Fitzhugh's district.
While I would *love* to know if the RNC was somehow behind this, I am fully capable of believing that it was a rabid anti-Bush person who thought these flyers would be a good idea.
I just want assurance that this person was not authorized by the Fitzhugh campaign to be handing these flyers out.
Thanks Steve, for getting in contact with the campaign.

Joe

This mailer business is not a political prank! This is exactly the kind of thing the neo-fascists excell at, as did their forbears in Europe in the 1930s. No trick is to low if it results in your ultimate goal. Lee Atwater was exceptionally good at this and worse and it has been honed to a high science by Karl Rove and his minions and lackeys. Character assassination, lies, and any other nefarious deed is what we have to look forward to until Nov 2, and then we'll see the legal systems abused to carry on their deceptions in search of many more bogus court decisions at local, state and federal courthouses across the land.

JBP

There's something amazing that all these dirty tricks have in common:

Whether they're attacks on Democrats, or attacks on Republicans, Rove is always behind them.

No doubt he also tricked the AFL-CIO into storming Republican offices.

Remember minorities, if you don't vote, that's like letting another Black church burn!

goethean: "Case in point: the SwiftLiar smear. For these reasons, I am quite confuident that this will ultimately be shown to be a Karl Rove classic dirty trick."

The Swiftvets are open about their identities, and willing to interview even with opponents (e.g., last night's Nightline). In contrast, Kerry's Swift backers have (all but one of them) almost completely avoided press situations where they might have to answer questions.

BTW, that minister (Alston, the big black guy with the head scar) who went on and on at the DNC about how he saw Kerry up close in action: he was on Kerry's second boat, but not when Kerry commanded it; he was wounded at the same time his lieutenant was wounded, prior to Kerry's taking it over "in late January" of 1969, as Kerry's web site put it with deliberate vagueness before Alston's absence was essentially proven in the days after the DNC.

akmdave-

go and play somewhere else. no one has any desire in debating you. the right and their twisted arguements has lost all credibility with level headed moderates and progressives. besides, your close minded and offensive statements are a depressing reminder of the callowness afflicting millons on the right.

>>he was on Kerry's second boat, but not when Kerry commanded it;

I guess that explains the photos showing Alston & Kerry together on a boat in Vietnam....

Einstein.

I'd look at the photoshoppers on FARK.com for the original creator. There are a number of talented photoshoppers (and many others) who compete in the daily contests. The image of an athlete with trisomy 21 is commonly used in the comments there, along with the caption "arguing on the internet(s) is like winning the special olypmics, even if you win you're still retarded"

The reason this can be done in Tennessee, rather than a so-called "battleground" state is that that it cannot do damage there. The Republicans can pull the stunt in Tenneessee and, even if they get caught, it won't cost those electoral votes. Nor will it necessarily resonate elsewhere, given the compliant nature of the mainstream corporate media. However, if they can draw national attention to it, without getting their hands dirty, they may be able to tip the scales to their side by the smokescreen of Democratic dirty tricks (they've tried this already in California and Washington, but it hadn't found legs because of its transparent falsehood). Rove may have no ethics or scruples, but he is certainly smart and devious.

Where can I get one of those flyers? I'd love to frame it up as a keepsake of this election, where a retarded zealot is dead even with a war hero and career public servant.

I saw this story on a local channel a couple of days ago. They reported it a little differently. According to the local report, a man entered the headquarters and plopped a stack of these flyers on a table, then walked out. A staffer saw them, took them outside, and tossed them in the trash. The trashcan was on the street outside the headquarters, just outside the front door. And that's where they were found and the stink begun.

Not a major difference, but a difference nonetheless. My very first thought was - Karl Rove. I don't think he'd bother to order it in such a small, provincial market, but whoever did it was reading from his book.

(re: bakho's comment) Fratboys and the GOP (pranks, etc.) I can't remember the luminary who said the following about why she became a Democrat while in college: The Republicans were always the ones who threw up at the parties.

I live in Tennessee, go to school in Tennessee, and last semester interned in an office across the hall from Randy Button and several others connected with this. I wish you could all meet them, and see for yourselves what kind of people they are. Driven, passionate, funny, and SO FAR above doing this kind of thing it makes my head spin.

I've always thought the GOP has the edge in elections because they can make the dumbest, most simplistic and emotional appeals to their 'base' and win.

Democratic Party candidates who try this are few and far between, and most will lose (in my untested theory) because people who are likely to vote for Democrats are a cut above the GOP rank-and-file.

So you can run as a Republican by smearing and lying, and you won't alienate GOP voters. But to run as a Democrat, you have to appeal to a more intelligent, thoughtful, and ethical group of people.

Someone once told Adlai Stevenson that he had 'every intelligent person's vote', to which he replied, 'yes, but it takes a majority to win.'

I think that sums up my attitude about the GOP and in particular, the tactics they are using this year.

Special Olympics? No. Retarded? Yes. I don't equate developmentally disabled or old 'retarded' meanings with the current definition of 'retard' which I define as 'evolutionarily in need of catching up.'

Maybe I'm not PC in doing so, but I think it helps to understand we're currently under siege from the retardocracy.

That flyer is actually an edit of something that has been around for a while:

http://carcino.gen.nz/images/image.php/463c5922/arguing.jpg&cb=20030927020448

The funny thing about the edit is that the humor of it is clumsy -- it doesn't parody by parallel construction. In fact it looks like something a Republican would cook up to blame on the democrats.

Of course the Bushies have a large contingent of assholes, and some of us partisan Bush-haters are assholes too. The difference here is very subtle: on our side, the few assholes are wildcats, are marginalised, and are discouraged from multiplying. When they get out of line, we correct them or disown them if necessary.

On the Republican side, the assholes are IN CHARGE OF THE CAMPAIGN and driving the agenda... from Rove at the top down to the "banned bible" sleazeballs running the local party in TN.

I think you can easily find lefties who wouldn't hesitate to call Bush a "retard". A few have even commented here! Hell, my wife calls Bush a "dickwad". But you would have a much harder time finding people in positions of power in the DNC, Kerry campaign, or any of the 527's, who would do, condone, or encourage such a thing.

Like I said, a subtle, but IMHO significant difference here.

My first comment is that it appears to be an ibvious setup by someone in the Republican Party. Why? No flyers were distributed. The flyers were found next to the Democratic candidate's office. Why would a Democrat make up a clearly volitile flyer and leave it where it could be plainly associated with the Democrats? I could understand if it were found among the supplies in the office itself. Then it could be contended that the Democrat had it made up and had not had time to distribute it.
As to blaming Karl Rove, it is just as I tell my Grandson all of the time: Once you have been found guilty of something, be it stealing your sister's stuff, cheating on a test, etc then every time something like that happens you are going to be the first one everyone looks at as having done it, Karl Rove has not only done things like this repeatedly but has bragged about it to anyone and everyone. He is rarely written about because journalists know that their careers can likely be ruined by him, Just as the Alabama Suoreme Court Justices were all ruined by his false stories of being homosexuals and pedophiles, so to would any journalist who ran afoul of his. Even his closest freinds will not comment upon him on the record for fear of what destruction he may bring upon them. What lind of person is that to be.
The commenter who decried the "Nazi" type MoveOn.org ads should look at people like Karl Rove. He operates exactly as the Nazis did in the 1930's. There is not one iota of difference between the terrorism they practiced upon the German Government in order to gain power for Adolph Hitler and the terrorism that Karl Rove has displayed toward American Government Officials in order to win control for "his" candidates.
Right down to setting the Reichstadt on fire in order to blame their political enemies being identical to how he attacked his own candidate, Justice See and his family, and then blamed it upon See's opponent.
What is sicker yet, is that as a Republican, I have to watch these candidates accept his tactics and even embrace them. They are worse than he is because they have so much greed for power that they discard all principals in order to achieve victory. No matter who it destroys or hurts. I don't like Daschel at all as a Senator but I admire the fact that he exacted a toll upon President Bush for what Rove did. By throwing away all of the rules, Bush and Rove allowed Daschel to do likewise and so therefore Bush's plans for the nation were basically halted and will remain halted should he be re-elected again. The tragedy is that should Kerry be elected, the GOP will now use the same tactics on his administration. Karl Rove let the demon out of the bottle and it may never be gotten back in again in our lifetime. What a legacy this man will have left this nation. The legacy of hatred and distrust for everyone who doesn't agree with your point of view.

"Kerry on Mary sittin' in a tree,
R.A.P.E.I.N.G.
She says no, said no, said wait--
So Kerry outed her ass in national debate!"

Seen around U. of Wisconsin-Madison campus.
College Republicans reluctantly took credit,
but refused to wash the chalkings off the
sidewalk. When the a couple of College Dems
did, the CR apparently went around and
erased several "Kerry 04"-type chalkings.

Now I'm seeing "Osama would vote Kerry. Are you voting Osama?" Gee, who could the culprits be?

Sorry, but I don't know of all that many Democrat faithfuls, outside our "I'd, like, vote Green if I knew where the green button was" members, who would write something as atrocious as this.

I thought that Bu$h had so much support because people were unaware. For instance, I thought people didn't know about Rove and didn't know that Kerry's honorable service was smeared by Bush's lawyers. I mean Rove bugged his candidate's office to frame the other guy. But I realize I was wrong. Many of folks are angry. They like the "whatever it takes" attitude of bush and company. Look up PNAC on the net. It's a document PROJECT FOR A NEW AMERICAN CENTURY. It talks about that it's America's right and moral obligation to shape the world with our military and that "what it takes is fine". It also says that America won't go to Iraq unless it has a new Pearl Harbor. How many times has Powell said that phrase? Scary stuff. I see in the Repugs an anger and I don't think anything will turn them off against Bush. They hate us, they hate laws and regulations, civil rights. I just don't get it.

wow people need to get over them selves. it is lies on both sides and then people want to get there panties in a bunch over two guys who is going to sell out the american people any chance they get =

The Tennessee flyer clearly fits the pattern of previous Rove dirty tricks: Secretly distribute something that appears negative toward your own candidate, but make sure it is over the top and indefensible. Then, discredit the document and imply that it was the work of your low-life opponent.

Am I the only person who sees this pattern in the fake documents given to Dan Rather, and NOT diputed by the Bush White House until after the story ran?