McConnell's Aide and the Left: When Do Questions Turn into a "Smear"?

Only on the Left:
When Asking Questions About the Frosts Turned Into a "Jihad" and a "Smear"

by Mondoreb

You've got to hand it to the Sinister Sound Machine that is the Left blogosphere: the side that is forever fascinated with "fascists" and labeling opponents as "Nazis" sure knows how the National Socialists operated.

An aide to Sen. Mitch McConnell(R-KY) alerts reporters that there were questions about Graeme Frost and his family's resources and their use by the Democrats as an example of Republican coldheartedness toward the poor. Legitimate questions. Questions that have yet to be answered. Don't expect any answers to be forthcoming from the usual media mouthpieces: they're too busy hurling the words "jihad" and "smear" at anyone curious enough to ask.

From James Carroll at the Louisville Courier-Journal:
WASHINGTON -- Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell's spokesman acknowledged yesterday that he alerted reporters last week to questions bloggers raised about the financial circumstances of a 12-year-old boy Democrats had used to urge passage of an expanded children's health insurance program.

But Don Stewart, the Kentucky Republican's communications director, said he also wrote a follow-up e-mail later the same day that said a blogger he respected had determined that there was no story and that "the family is legit."

Stewart said there was no effort by McConnell to discredit 12-year-old Graeme Frost, of Baltimore, or cast aspersions on the family.

"It would be kind of hard to 'slime' somebody when I was telling reporters there's no story here and the family is legitimate," Stewart said yesterday.

But why let a few facts get in the way of a SlimeFest? Somehow, the alerting of reporters to bloggers' questions about the Frosts was an unspeakably filthy act. And, to the Left, it was: someone had asked some questions. Let the shoutdown begin.

A favorite tactic of the Brownshirts was to break up meetings of political parties opposed to the Nazis. Anytime someone questioned the Nazis or their methods, the speaker was shouted down. The pro-Nazi press piled on. The original questions never got answered and were soon forgotten. Sound familiar?

What of the questions of the Frosts, their resources and whether they were used in a dishonest manner by Democrats eager to score political points? Not much ink has been spilled by Patheosocialists answering them. The debate has shifted: now the questions are all about the "jihad" against the Frosts, the dirty "smears" they've had to endure. The guilty aide who did the "smearing.

Next time questions are asked and the curious person gets shouted down and attacked for their motives, ask where have you seen this before? You only have to go back 70 years for good examples; or you can watch Countdown.

Karen Tumulty at Swampland drives home the point:

As for Stewart, I have had few dealings with him in the past, but my colleagues who talk to him more frequently regard him well... I suspect that the next time something like this happens, Stewart won't be so quick to hit the Send button.

I'll bet he won't. That'll be one less questioner to take care of.

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