The only thing Americans love more than a good fight is watching
an underdog bring a bully to his knees. That will to fight back,
writes Salon.com editor David Talbot, is why Al Franken
and Howard Dean are such hot political commodities right now.
‘For years,’ Talbot notes, ‘we [liberals] have suffered while
right-wing bullies hijacked American politics and media —
persecuting a president for a consensual sex act; stealing the 2000
election; trashing the country’s economy, environment and
constitutional safeguards; handing the government over to the
highest corporate bidders; deceiving the public into a bloody
quagmire; and then brazenly smearing anyone who dared to criticize
this orgy of dreadful leadership as un-American.’
Unlike Democratic Party leaders, who barely lifted a finger to
fight Bush’s march to war and have taken pains to appear like
Republicans-Lite on the economy, the environment, and a host of
other issues, Howard Dean has stuck steadfastly to his rhetorical
guns, aiming them not at his Democratic rivals, but at Bush
himself.
Meanwhile, comedian Al Franken, whose new book Lies and the
Lying Liars Who Tell Them: A Fair and Balanced Look at the
Right has topped bestseller lists since its August release,
pulls no punches as he dissects the passel of right-wing
commentators who rule the airwaves and op-ed pages. From Bill
O’Reilly, Sean Hannity, and Ann Coulter on down to National
Review editor Rich Lowry, Franken proved ‘that the bullies of
the right quickly fold when confronted, or are unable to back up
their big talk about liberal perfidy and treason when challenged on
their facts,’ Talbot writes.
These fighters have tapped a wellspring of liberal resentment
for the scorched-earth tactics of the Bush administration and its
cheerleaders in the media. Their sudden popularity proves they are
exactly what the Left sorely needs right now.
— Leif Utne
Go there>>
Why Dean and Franken are so hot right now
Related Links:
- Howard Dean’s Campaign
Web Site - Al Franken’s Web
Site - Buy Franken’s
Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them at Powell’s
Books
Related Links from the Utne Archive:
Caf? Utne: Discuss the 2004 presidential
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