Andy Martin, a noted conservative dirty trickster, put out a spot on local radio in which he pushes a "solid rumor" that fellow Senatorial aspirant, Rep. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.), "is a homosexual.".... "I helped expose many of Barack Obama's lies in 2008," the ad goes. "Today, I am fighting for the facts about Mark Kirk. Illinois Republican leader Jack Roeser says there is a 'solid rumor that Kirk is a homosexual.' Roeser suggests that Kirk is part of a Republican Party homosexual club. Lake County Illinois Republican leader Ray True says Kirk has surrounded himself with homosexuals.".... "Mark Kirk should tell Republican voters the truth."
The legacy of Lee Atwater lives, honed and perfected by Karl Rove and a generation of Atwater-wannabes concerned with one thing and one thing only- the aggregation and maintenance of political power. In this game, there are no rules, no morals, and no scruples...for the willingness to play by the rules is viewed merely as evidence of weakness. Andy Martin seems to have the rules of this game down pat, and no smear, no matter how sad, disgusting, or egregious is beyond the pale.
'Course, it's not like this is the first time Martin has engaged in those sort of behavior. He was also heavily involved in an organized whisper campaign against Barack Obama during the 2008 Presidential campaign. The idea of branding a political rival as a homosexual is mere child's play for someone as devoid of a conscience or simple human decency as Martin. Perhaps the saddest aspect of this sorry saga is that the sound you hear emanating for to lips of Republicans leaders is...silence. Tacit in this collective silence is the unspoken but freely recognized permission to using any and all tactics, no matter how sleazy or underhanded. IF Republicans are to reclaim the political throne the lost in the 2006 and 2008 elections, the only way they're going to be able to create a base that will stand the test of time will be to play the game the right way. That means something resembling honesty, integrity, and fair play need to be part of the package...things that Andy Martin couldn't find if you gave him a map, a flashlight, and pointed him in the right direction.
No, I'm not going to pretend that Democrats aren't capable of this sort of behavior. Lord knows one doesn't have to look far to find sleaze and dishonesty on the Left side of the political spectrum. Isn't it interesting, though, that these recent stains seem to be sticking to Republicans? I suppose when you have no idea or vision of your own, the path to political power can wind through some pretty sleazy and disgusting territory.
It doesn't have to be this way, of course, but when you have no real ideas of your own to sell, and nothing positive to add to the public discourse...well, this is what you get.
