Such a deal: I put out zero effort, get loads of credit

All of you who are Democrats should thank me profusely. You could say, "Thanks a million," or even "Thanks two million!"

Not that I did anything — I promise. Nevertheless, I am apparently entitled to all the glory. Such is the message I derive from this press release, written in the standard bogus-personal style of these things:

Dear Brad,

It’s all thanks to you.

It’s because of you that we surpassed our $2 million goal by $58,270 in the hours before the September 30th deadline.

Every day when I walk into DSCC headquarters, the first thing I do is check on our online supporters and grassroots activism. And I continue to be astounded and invigorated by our partnership. As DSCC Chair, I can say that we are sustained by supporters like you who realize that early resources are the key to victory in 2008….

… Thank you again.

Sincerely,

Sen. Chuck Schumer

Any time, Chuck, really.

If you’re curious, this supposedly links to a video that tells just how I helped bring this about. You watch it. I can’t look. After a while, I get embarrassed by all this praise.

Kidding aside, who falls for this stuff? Who actually gets all warm and fuzzy from such utter hokum?

4 thoughts on “Such a deal: I put out zero effort, get loads of credit”

  1. weldon VII

    If you’re getting thank-you notes from Chuck Schumer, that explains perfectly well why I can’t make a dent here.
    Not that I think you’re a grass-roots Democrat. Your view of Iraq certainly doesn’t fit that mold.

  2. Brad Warthen

    Maybe I’m a Brian Baird Democrat.

    Well, no, since he was once against our involvement in Iraq, and still says it may be "one of the worst foreign-policy mistakes in the history of our nation." And yet now he’s saying crazy Warthenesque things like:

    Progress is being made and there is real reason for hope. It would be a tragic waste and lasting strategic blunder to let the hard-fought and important gains slip away, leaving chaos behind to haunt us and our allies for many years to come.

    Which brings up another subject… I really admire a politician who can change his mind. I think the country would be a LOT better off if "conventional wisdom" allowed people to change their minds, instead of excoriating them for it. I’ve always thought one of George H.W. Bush’s finest moments was when he broke the "no-new-taxes" pledge. Of course, I think the moment when he MADE that pledge was one of his lowest. The very idea of promising ALWAYS to do such-and-such or NEVER to do thus-and-so is the height of idiocy.

    Therefore, in keeping with this principle, if I decide to run for president on the UnParty ticket, I think I’ll promise to break at least one promise — by changing my mind based upon the evidence — at least once a year.

    No, just kidding. The key is not to make the promises to start with. That’s where the intellectual dishonesty begins. A person running for office never knows what challenges he will face, and what will be required. The right thing to do is to present your basic values and credentials, and ask people to trust you. Sound naive? No, it’s based upon up-close-and-personal observation of the way the world works. I’d much rather have someone I just plain TRUST in office to figure out what to do when the time comes than to have some idiot who handcuffed himself in advance.

  3. Brad Warthen

    No, wait — I’m a Jimmy Carter Democrat. He is, after all, the last major-party nominee I voted FOR, rather than just voting AGAINST somebody.

    But, obviously, I’m not for the post-presidential, peace-love-doves Jimmy Carter. I’m a follower of the former Navy officer, "Ah’ll whup his ass" Jimmy.

Comments are closed.