Calling Out The Political Bullies
By Frank Salvato
September 15, 2007
In the wake of the disgraceful yet defining full-page MoveOn.org ad in the New York Times, the one that denigrated Gen. Petraeus, we stand witness to the benchmark in today's political tactical maneuvering, the Bully Tactic. Increasingly, political operatives and zealots alike are turning to the coercive tactic of bullying those who aren't on-board with their candidates or agendas. This benchmark signals some of the darkest days in American politics.
Organizations like MoveOn.org have employed the Bully Tactic quite effectively. By utilizing deep-pocketed, agenda-driven benefactors and exploiting small donor advocates to advance their special interest causes, especially through the mainstream media, MoveOn.org has achieved it goal of placing their special interest demands above the will of the majority in our nation. By creating the illusion that they know what the "America people" believe they, in many cases, succeed in swaying public opinion using less than accurate information and propaganda.
But MoveOn.org isn't the only organization that employs the Bully Tactic.
CAIR and the ACLU have successfully employed the Bully Tactic, using it as a tool in litigation.
There doesn't seem to be a week that goes by when we don't hear about the ACLU suing one city or another over the Establishment Clause. Recently, the ACLU won a decision in the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals that would mandate the removal of a memorial cross from a World War I Veteran's Memorial in California's Mojave Dessert. The fact that they recoup court costs and legal fees each time they successfully sue an organization, municipality, state or the federal government means that they make the taxpayers, you and I, pay for litigation that the overwhelming majority of us would never want advanced in the first place.
CAIR has taken to the practice of "Litigation Jihad" as their favorite form of Bully Tactic. From suing airlines for removing indignant radical Muslim clerics for taunting the other passengers to threatening to sue Robert Spencer, director of JihadWatch and a noted authority on the subject of radical Islam, each and every time he speaks on his chosen topic of expertise -- thus depriving him of being able to make a living -- CAIR employs the Bully Tactic ferociously in spite of the fact that their membership has dropped to less than 2000 members since September 11, 2001. The deep pockets of the Saudis make sure that CAIR can financially outlast anyone they choose to sue.
But the Bully Tactic isn't exclusive to the radical Left or the Radically Islamic.
Recently, a noted new media writer, JB Williams, had to pull down the on-line poll on his website. The poll asked, "Which GOP candidate do you support for president of the United States?" After a short period he came to realize that US Rep. Ron Paul supporters had spammed his poll thus making what should have been an "on your honor" poll worthless. The same thing happened to a candidate poll that I had up at my publication, The New Media Journal. When ardent Paul supporters were confronted with this embarrassing reality (you know, most webmasters know how to see if someone is spamming an on-line poll or not) they opted not to acknowledge that they were being overzealous in their support for a candidate which they have been supporting election cycle after election cycle. Instead they launched into attack mode claiming censorship and bias, demanding that their candidate be included.
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