Jewish World Review Dec. 26, 2000 / 29 Kislev, 5761
David Limbaugh
A tinge of revenge?
http://www.jewishworldreview.com --
DEMOCRATS tell us that President Bush should foster an atmosphere of
bipartisanship in Washington. They insist that the "photo-finish"
presidential election requires that the new administration make
conciliation with Democrats its highest priority.
But what is the Democratic leadership offering to do to fulfill its
part in this golden rule equation: "Do unto the other Party as you would
have it do unto you"? Not a solitary thing, because to them the
requirement of bipartisanship applies only to Republicans. It won't be
enough for Republicans to move toward the political center. Unless they
adopt a full-fledged Democratic agenda, they will be guilty of rank
partisanship. And the media will not lift a finger to challenge the
Democrats, but instead, will defend them as being wrongfully deprived of
power by the Republican high court.
It is troublesome that Democratic Sen. Tom Daschle has telegraphed
his obstructionist intentions, but there is an even more ominous
harbinger for the next four years: Bill Clinton's coronation of his
confidante and fund-raiser Terry McAuliffe as head of the Democratic
National Committee (DNC).
Consider McAuliffe's own words as a reflection of his attitude toward
this exalted bipartisanship. In a conference call between Clinton,
McAuliffe and Joseph Andrew -- the now-vanquished would-be competitor to
lead the DNC -- McAuliffe rattled his sabers. "Let George W. Bush have a
good week. Let him have a good inauguration. But we need to give these
Republicans the same honeymoon they gave us: none."
I don't know about you, but I don't recall hearing one word of
condemnation of these pugnacious words from the man poised to lead the
Democratic Party by any Democrats or any of the mainstream media. Does
that mean they condone that tone? If so, my earlier prediction of the
Democrats' planned four-year war is even more of a no-brainer than I
thought.
But there are further disturbing aspects to McAuliffe's ascension to
leadership. It shows that Clinton, if not directly calling the shots for
the party after the expiration of his term, will at least be playing a
major role in its decisions. The Clinton-McAuliffe combination is a
strong statement from the Democratic Party -- stronger even than Tom
Daschle's promised recalcitrance.
As Clinton's alter ego McAuliffe will ensure partisan warfare for the
unforeseeable future. I'm not talking here about healthy partisan
battles on substantive policy disagreements. I'm talking the same old
dirty politics that have dominated the past eight years -- the very kind
of politics George Bush is determined to eradicate.
Remember that McAuliffe is the guru who presided over Clinton's 1996
reelection effort, which the Washington Post described as "the most
scandal-plagued harvest season in recent politics." Clinton and
McAuliffe would doubtless have us believe that the campaign finance
scandal involved not the Clinton campaign itself, but the Democratic
National Committee. But the truth is that Clinton was intermingling the
funds and activities of the two entities, and micromanaging each in
flagrant violation of the campaign finance laws. Clinton purposely
blurred the distinction between soft money and hard money so he could
get around the legal limitations applicable to hard money contributions.
McAuliffe, unwittingly or otherwise, had to have been complicit in this
arrangement.
In fact, that's one of the things that so troubled both FBI Director
Louis Freeh and Charles La Bella, the head of the Justice Department's
Special Task Force investigating the campaign finance scandal. They both
noted that there was strong evidence that Clinton had personally
controlled the Democratic Party's advertising campaign and used its
funds in support of his re-election effort.
Don't you think it's reasonable for Republicans to be concerned over
Clinton's continued involvement and the Democrats' apparent willingness
to let that happen? Maybe they still view Clinton, warts and all, as
their only salvation -- even his successor Al Gore couldn't hold on to
the baton.
Again, I hope I'm wrong, but it occurs to me that Clinton's influence
could be more than a bit mischievous. He's the guy who not long ago
reminded us that Republicans still haven't apologized to the nation,
meaning to Bill Clinton, for impeaching him.
So let me get this straight: Bill Clinton's not sorry for the
Lewinsky scandal; he's not sorry for the campaign finance scandal; his
wife's a new senator; and he's got his finger on the hot button of the
Democratic Party apparatus. Does anyone smell revenge in the
air?
JWR contributor
David Limbaugh
is an
attorney
practicing in
Cape Girardeau,
Missouri,
and a
political
analyst
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