The author of this excerpt found in the Washington Post, Donna Brazile, is a Democratic political consultant, and managed Al Gore's 2000 presidential campaign. (Although obviously not very well.) Those on the far left who have a an axe to constantly grind with this President, take note. A hat tip to Donna Brazile demonstrating some class from moderate Democrats.
By Donna Brazile
New Orleans is my hometown. It is the place where I grew up, where my family still lives. For me, it is a place of comfort and memories. It is home.
Now my home needs your help, and the help of every American. Much of my city is still underwater. Its historical buildings have been wrecked, its famous streets turned to rivers and, worst of all, so many of its wonderful people — including members of my own family and my neighbors — have lost everything.
On Thursday night President Bush spoke to the nation from my city. I am not a Republican. I did not vote for George W. Bush — in fact, I worked pretty hard against him in 2000 and 2004. But on Thursday night, after watching him speak from the heart, I could not have been prouder of the president and the plan he outlined to empower those who lost everything and to rebuild the Gulf Coast.
Bush called on every American to stand up and support the rebuilding of the region. He told us that New Orleans and the entire Gulf Coast would rise from the ruins stronger than before. He enunciated something that we all need to remember: This is America. We are not immune to tragedy here, but we are strong because of our industriousness, our ingenuity and, most important, because of our compassion for one another. We are a nation of rebuilders and a nation of givers. We do not give up in the face of tragedy, we stand up, and we reach out to help those who cannot stand up on their own. More...
Contrast the accounting of her personal loss in New Orleans to the rantings of Cindy Sheehan. Note the lack of divisiveness and the call for America to come together. Moderate Democrats are better served to identify with Ms. Brazile than with the divisiveness of Cindy Sheehan.
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Article comments
— go to most recent comments1 - Michael J. West
Not that I'm taking issue with the main thrust of your post, y'understand, but:
Donna Brazile...managed Al Gore's 2000 presidential campaign. (Although obviously not very well.)
Does taking cheap shots at Brazile really help make your case that political divisiveness is bad?
2 - Anthony Grande
Wow, it sounds like one of the DemocRats got tired of the lies, bashing, pointing fingers, name calling and ignorance and actually said something American.
3 - Silas Kain
Contrast the accounting of her personal loss in New Orleans to the rantings of Cindy Sheehan. Note the lack of divisiveness and the call for America to come together. Moderate Democrats are better served to identify with Ms. Brazile than with the divisiveness of Cindy Sheehan.
Republicans, Democrats, conservatives, liberals, gays, straights, whatever. There's an example that's been set here by a liberal black Democrat female that we all should follow. It took a lot of class for Ms. Brazile to write this piece. Now that she's reached out, who on the other side is willing to do the same?
4 - Anthony Grande
Reach out to what??? Liars or Bashers??? Sheehan or Moore??? Planned Parenthood or MoveON.org???
We have tried to reach out to you. We reached out to help you, but no. Why do you think they call us "Right" wing.
It is because we are on the right side.
Bush took the blame for the Federal problems with Katrina, but then Blanco went and took full blame. It looks like Bush was trying to reach out to the bashers when it wasn't necessary.
For a Republican to reach out to a DemocRat we would have to get down on both knees to reach your level. Someone might hurt there back.
Brazile grew up a couple feet.
5 - Silas Kain
Anthony, dude, you're perpetuating the hate. Come down off the cross, sweetie, we can work togther if we really try. You've brought up many good points along the way and if you'd just realize that I am flexible it might help you learn to overcome your fears.
6 - Anthony Grande
Silas, dude are you trying to make me gay??? It sure sounds like that when you read comment 5.
Why are you talking about the cross??? You are using a stereotype.
I will not get down on my knees to shake your hand. It isn't worth it.
7 - RJ
AG - That was pretty rude. SK is good people.
8 - Anthony Grande
That wasn't a personal attack on Silas, it was an attack on Liberals and DemocRats in general.
9 - Jess Turisch
[edited]
10 - Silas Kain
Sticks and stones can break my bones but ant-knee can never hurt me.
11 - Anthony Grande
Silas, when did I mention are infer that I was trying to hurt you??? It was an attack on the DemocRatic Party in general.
Jess Turisch where did you get "first" cousin at???
Jess Turisch, no one posted here for 2 hours than you and Silas post 2 minutes from each other. I don't know you and I haven't seen you here before. It leads me to believe that there is no such Jess Turisch and someone posted under this name so they can throw an insult my way and still keep their respect and credibility.
12 - RJ
AG:
I realize you are a hard-core right-winger. And that's cool. We probably agree on a number of things.
I also have praised you in the past for the fact you are precociously interested in politics. Another good thing. Congrats.
But, there are numerous moderates and left-of-center types who post on BC.org regularly who are NOT pond-scum.
They are intelligent, well-meaning people. They are open-minded and interested in rational debate.
Personal attacks and conspiracy theories, however, and not going to do any good. They just make you look bad.
SK is open to serious debate. So are many other liberal-Leftists on this site. It is counter-productive to attack them.
Bring facts to the table, and try to change minds, if possible. Don't just attack, attack, attack. That gets you nothing in return.
13 - Silas Kain
I'm with you A.G. I hope no one is hanging around just to insult you. There's no need for that pettiness. I've tried more than once to reach out to you in the spirit of compromise, A.G. Unfortunately I get the impression that your beliefs are so ingrained in you that it is difficult for you to step back and look at all sides of an issue.
14 - Anthony Grande
RJ, the problem with the Republican Party today is that they are constantly on the defense and they never are on the offense and that is what makes them look bad.
I never personally attacked anybody. I have attacked the DemocRatic Party because they are the cause for poverty in America!!! And they are the reason why Blacks and other minorities are behind the rest of us social wise and educational wise. All they do is bash and they never do anything exept talk and bash and bash and bash and bash and bash!!!
They are truly pond scum.
Now I am not really hard core right winger and I am just a right wringer. There are many things I disagree with the majority of the right.
I have tremendous respect for you RJ. But I cannot say the same for everyone here. Victor Plenty, Bennett, Roger Miller, and Gonzo Marx are people who constantly use personal insults against me and never get edited or blamed. When I get close to using a personal attack everyone jumps all over me.
You are right personal attacks get nothing but personal attacks against yourself. That is why I don't use them.
P.S. Jess Turisch does not exist. I would have lost all credibility if I would have answered him directly.
15 - bhw
Anthony, if you're going to accuse someone of posting under more than one name, you need to have some facts.
The "Jess Turisch" comment was not made by Silas. Stop making accusations you can't back up.
And if you're going to whine about editing, be truthful about that, too. If you look at other threads, including the one on free speech, the people you claim to have "never been edited" have indeed been edited.
16 - Anthony Grande
"The "Jess Turisch" comment was not made by Silas."
It was made by someone that is known here. Jess Turisch is not known here. Only someone that is known here would remember my references toward my cousin at the Free Speech site.
Silas, I cannot remember you reaching out to me. On every issue me and you have been on opposite sides.
17 - Silas Kain
Anthony, how can you say the GOP is constantly on the defense? If anything the GOP has become completely stagnant in the last 20 years. The Republican Party that I was once proud to be a member of has gone so far over to the right that I feel I have been betrayed.
I grew up in a family of firmly entrenched Democrats. For years I argued with friends and family as to why I believed in the Republican Party and what it stood for. I worked tirelessly for Gerry Ford in my first Presidential campaign back in 1976. I was proud to be a Reagan supporter and worked harder for him. I became disenfranchised with the GOP during the first Bush Administration because I saw that my party was backing away from the President and turning scarily to the fundamentalist right more so than during the Reagan years.
The division and spirit of meanness that enveloped Capitol Hill during the first Clinton Administration did me in. I saw the party of the Big Tent be taken over by an immoral minority who had the money to usurp all that the GOP stood for. Instead of remaining and fighting to regain the spirit of my party, I chose to take the coward's way out and walk away. That's a mistake I dare not repeat.
With all due respect, Anthony, it's time for a more moderate wing of the GOP to rise up and take back the party of Lincoln. It's time for Republicans in the spirit of Christie Todd-Whitman, John McCain and Teddy Roosevelt to stop the train wreck that is about to occur. America is looking for fresh leadership. We are crying in the wilderness, begging for a voice of vision and character which restores the American dream and faith in her people.
It's my hope that Republicans and Independents will look in their own backyards for people who can replace those which we have entrusted with our lives. I'd love to see a Republican primary in every Congressional and Senatorial district in this Nation. In Pennsylvania, the polls look dismal for Republican Rick Santorum. It seems that Democrat Bob Casey could very well send the sanctimonious Senator packing. To me, that's a temporary solution. I'm hoping that we see Santorum's Republican opposition knock him out in the primary. The same can be said for Tom DeLay in Texas. Perhaps it's time to send a fresh Republican majority to Congress. It would be one hell of a message to this White House and to the powers that be about how they've completely mismanaged the government we entrusted to them.
18 - Al Barger
For my part as leader of the Blogcritics wing of the VRWC, I want to make a special point to send some love out across to aisle to Brother Silas Kain. RJ's right on in noting that he's good people.
ZZ's a groovy fellow too, but the little potshot about Brazile not managing Gore's campaign very well was, as previously noted, a bit counterproductive to the sending out of love he was mostly trying to do here.
Also, it's not really fair to blame Brazile for 2000. She made at least a pretty good effort, but she really had a weak product to sell. Actually, I'd give her pretty high credit for getting Gore that close.
19 - Dave Nalle
Al, wasn't Brazile the one who suggested Gore hire an image consultant to make himself more of an Alpha Male? That was pretty damned dumb.
Dave
20 - Al Barger
Not sure on that one Dave, but I'd give her credit for at least recognizing the problem if she did. But again in fairness to Ms Brazile, what was she supposed to do to make Al Gore look like a real alpha male?
21 - Anthony Grande
No, it is time that the Republican Party becomes more conservative. Bush is a good conservative but he is too much of politician to speak out against abortion and gay marriage. I am also extremely worried that Mr. Bush is going to appoint Attorney General Gonsalez to the Supreme court.
The Republican party is not made up of moderates. A moderate like John McCain will never get past the primaries. The major majority of the Republican Party are Pro-Life and we do not need any Pro-Death moderates.
Speak for yourself Silas. My mom is a Democrat but she is Pro-Life and voted for Bush. The only reason why she is still a Democrat is because she calls herself a REAL Democrat and says that the real Democratic Party was the party that helps people. She claims DemocRats today have lost this concept. She sounds quite like you, wanting to go back in time and all.
The GOP IS always on the Defense. Rove, Bush's nominees, Iraq, and hurricane Katrina are all issues that Republicans have defended while the DemocRats have been on the ofensive witch hunt.
Why is the being a Conservative is a bad thing??? Why is it that being Pro-Life a bad thing??? Why is being religious a bad thing???
22 - Z.Z. Bachman
(Although obviously not very well.)
Ok -- I should have added... "Through no fault of her own". I'll concede that much. Mr. Gore not Ms. Brazile could have done more to convince more of middle America to vote for him.
Interesting how the point, even though it should be obvious to any reader, that Al Gore did not win the Presidency, was mis-interepreted as a "cheap shot" and used to side track my major thesis. That thesis being extremist positions on the Left or Right are counter productive for this country.
23 - Michael J. West
We know that Al Gore didn't win the presidency, Z.Z. I had interpreted the point of the remark as "Donna Brazile was a poor campaign manager." But that was clearly not your intended point; I therefore stand corrected.
I wasn't trying to sidetrack from the main point...I was merely trying to indicate that if your message is that divisiveness is bad, the message itself shouldn't be divisive.
Again, however, you have explained that your intention was not to be divisive. So, I stand corrected, and clearly the issue is resolved.
24 - Z.Z. Bachman
Good enough for me.. :)
25 - Dave Nalle
>>No, it is time that the Republican Party becomes more conservative.<<
Well, you got that one dead wrong. The extreme right trend in the party has been disastroust thus far. It's time to back off from it.
>> Bush is a good conservative but he is too much of politician to speak out against abortion and gay marriage. I am also extremely worried that Mr. Bush is going to appoint Attorney General Gonsalez to the Supreme court.<<
Did you ever think that Bush might just be too sensible to assume those extreme positions which do no good for society or the party?
>>The Republican party is not made up of moderates. A moderate like John McCain will never get past the primaries. The major majority of the Republican Party are Pro-Life and we do not need any Pro-Death moderates.<<
Moderates are not really what the Republican party has ever been made up of. But to some they look like moderates. Republicans used to be socially liberal and fiscally conservative, but sometimes extreme on one or the other scale. The majority of the party is not truly pro-life, they're just against abortion. It's not the same thing. Anyone in their right mind is against abortion. That doesn' t necessarily mean supporting a ban on it. Most rational people - including Republicans, but not extreme pro-choicers - like the idea of doing what's needed to make people need abortions less. Polls have supported this. Most Republicans are willing to accept early term abortions, especially if they are not state funded.
>>Why is the being a Conservative is a bad thing??? <<
It's only a bad thing when you are conservative by rote and don't even consider the possibility of new ideas.
>>Why is it that being Pro-Life a bad thing??? <<
Because it's an illogical and extremist position which runs counter to the good of the nation and most importantly is entirely inconsistent with support for individual rights.
>>Why is being religious a bad thing???<<
It's not. What's a bad thing is when you try to introduce religion into national policy where it has no place at all.
Dave