Sunday, January 21, 2007
The Lie That Will Never Die II: Washington Post Edition
From today's Washington Post:
Robert P. Casey Jr. (Pa.), who is Catholic and opposes abortion, won a Senate seat with strong Democratic establishment backing -- although his father, the late Pennsylvania governor Robert P. Casey Sr., had been barred from addressing the 1992 Democratic National Convention because of his antiabortion views. (my emphasis)
Listen, media people, oh ye whipped dogs of Republican masters, that bold-faced statement is a lie that you folks keep repeating, and repeating, and repeating, and repeating, etc., etc., etc. I know that you keep trying to get lotsa love from your abusive Republican masters, but let's face it, even after you try to please them by lying like this, all they ever give you is another kick in the snout while shouting, "Filthy %$*&## liberal media!!!"
Lemme try to explain this one for you: First of all, I've never been able to find evidence of Casey Sr. ever making this accusation. Second of all, my memory from 1992 is that Casey wasn't allowed to speak because he refused to support the Clinton/Gore ticket -- an explanation that has been confirmed by James Carville, Clinton's campaign manager -- though dishonest Republican propagandists tried to push the lie that it was because of his anti-abortion views.
And of course, this explanation makes perfect logical sense given the evidence: Standard operating procedure for both parties is that if you wish to speak at the convention, you have to endorse the ticket. Several other anti-abortion Democrats (Howell Heflin immediately comes to mind) spoke at the 1992 Democratic Convention, though they didn't speak on that topic. Think about it: Would St. John McCain have been allowed to speak at the 2000 Republican Convention if he had refused to endorse the Bush/Cheney ticket? Also, Gene McCarthy -- who, like Casey, was a presidential candidate in the primaries -- was barred from speaking at the 1968 Democratic Convention, not because of his anti-Vietnam War views but because he refused to endorse the Humphrey/Muskie ticket.
I know I posted on this topic only two and a half weeks ago, but this lie deserves to be debunked each and every time it appears. Even after close to 15 years, this lie keeps rising from the coffin, and it's way past time that someone hammered a stake through its heart. Besides, media people, have you lost all your ethics and self-respect?
