Spin is alive and well at the National Journal

[ProSense]

What were the great political moments of '06?

The long fall of Bush, GOP Congress provide plenty of fodder for reflection

By NationalJournal.com Staff

Updated: 24 minutes ago

Snip...

Democrat of the Year
The Independent Voter
The Democratic Party couldn't have pulled off its midterm sweep without this bloc (if it's even cohesive enough to call it that). Independents and libertarian-minded voters may have been more interested in firing the current leadership than embracing the Democratic agenda, though, so the future of this marriage depends on the party leadership's sensitivity to these new (perhaps temporary) converts.

Honorable mention: Howard Dean, Charles Schumer, Rahm Emanuel
It's no secret that Dean and Emanuel spent a good part of the year at odds, to put it mildly. But the trio tasked with winning back Congress pulled it off despite the disagreements, making the 2006 Democrats the first party since the 1938 Republicans not to lose a single seat in an election.

Dishonorable mention: Bob Menendez
This New Jersey senator almost made Democrats miss the abovementioned record. Dogged by ethics allegations in a year when they were anathema, Menendez saw his lead dwindle, but New Jersey voters apparently decided a Republican Senate was scarier than a shady senator.

Comeback of the Year
Joe Lieberman
Lieberman's big smooch with President Bush after the 2005 State of the Union became a symbol for angry lefties who wanted the pro-war Connecticut senator kicked out. They nearly got their wish in August, when Ned Lamont's primary challenge succeeded. Forsaking the Democrats in name if not in ideology, Lieberman ran as an independent and ignored the big-name Dems who frowned at his party of one. Voters brought him back by double digits in the fall; he'll make a triumphant return to the Senate with an "I/D" after his name.

Honorable mention: Al Gore
About eight years too late, "An Inconvenient Truth" made Gore look presidential -- a passionate, serious advocate rather than the wooden wonk parodied on "Saturday Night Live." Suddenly, '08 talk resurfaced.

Dishonorable mention: John Kerry
Suddenly, '08 talk evaporated. Kerry's foot-in-the-mouth "botched joke" at the midterms' clutch moment most likely killed his chance for another White House run in everyone's mind but his own.

more...

Note how they throw in Schumer and Emanuel (couldn't simply be Dean), then dis Menendez! Lieberman tops Gore and of course the ludicrous jab at Kerry!

[karynnj]

1. No political agenda there

The Menendez crack was despicable. His oppnent ran on his dad's name and got very good press - considering the only think he had a real position on was that Menendez was corrupt.

The "corrupt" "Hudson Democratic boss" theme was repeated ad nauseum in a real swiftboat pattern. There were accusations on the radio, smear ads, then comments in the MSM that reflected this issue - giving credence to it.

Additionally, Kean was probably helped by smudging his Iraq position. He called for Rumsfeld to be fired and on This Week, he positioned himself with Clinton - implying Menendez wasn't! My local paper found that a portion of the people against the war thought that Kean was too - though he wasn't. (this is one example where Kerry, not Clinton, was right.)

[Firespirit]

4. That race ended up being not even close, too

What a rewrite of history. There were some seats in Georgia, I believe, that WERE almost lost. Menendez's race was called early in the evening on Election Night! How disingenuous.

And why isn't William Jefferson listed here, anywhere? Speaking of disingenuous.

[karynnj]

5. The campaign always showed Menendez ahead

at least from what I heard in my county. The other thing not mentioned is that there were more volunteers than in previous years - both Dean and Kerry had some part in that - starting way before last year.

It was a truely nasty campaign from the Republican side. The only things I could see that seemed bad on the Menendez side were -
1) He failed to get out that the omnious sounding "NON_PROFIT" that he got funding for while they rented his property was Head Start. I don't know if this was because they didn't wane to give it attention themselves or what - but at minimum this information should have been given to the canvassers and phonebankers - which at least in my county it wasn't.

2) His web site was very lame - no information on events or much of anything.

3) Some of his local events were badly planned with information not getting out well.

But he clearly didn't deserve this smear which re-inforces the swiftboating. This is as unprincipled as what they did to Kerry.

As to Kerry, Howard Dean is one of the few people I heard really give him the credit he was due in terms of helping create the victory. The people Kerry helped early though - know who helped them. I also assume that for many Senators they have internal polls that showed that Iraq was the key issue and they know that it was Kerry who led.

[Firespirit]

2. Is this a right-wing rag?

I know the National Review is. What is the National Journal's parent organization?

These people want DESPERATELY to tear down Kerry, and this is all they have to do it with. The "traitor for going to Syria and Iran" meme just isn't cutting it. The poll that had him regaining his support probably shook the anti-JK forces considerably.

[ProSense]

3. It is to an extent

the right wing of the Democratic Party!

[wisteria]

6. They keep on repeating the "joke" as if they are trying to convince

themselves that this has stopped kerry from running. i live how they try to make this out to be the most awful thing ever to have happened to a politician. Never mind that B. Clinton over came charges of rape, infidelity and corruption. Yet, a comment missing one word is played to death and promoted as a terrible thing. They are wrong about that and they are wrong about Memendez also. Those corruption charges were trumped up by repubs.
Comeback kid, oh boy, Lieberman has become a piranha to those of us who know how he came about his win and who he is beholden too.

[dwahzon]

7. OT - fly needs swatting

I read the MSNBC moments thing ...

what was funny was when they called GW "a fanny pack" -- the accessory that no one wants to be seen with.

And now for the real reason for my post, here's a fly that needs swatting.

http://www.thewideawakecafe.com/?p=1640

[karynnj]

8. What a jerk -

I put in a comment

[dwahzon]

9. Thanks

you got in a couple nice swats

[karynnj]

10. Thanks - the lack of respect really is getting annoying

[Democrafty]

11. Good comment!

I posted a little love, too.