Republicans "Have Vilified...Nancy Pelosi"
Kate Phillips, a long-time Times editor who heads up the paper's campaign season blog "The Caucus," writes today: "The race for control of the House of Representatives has turned downright domestic in recent weeks, as Republicans have vilified the minority leader Nancy Pelosi, and Democrats have called into question the leadership of Speaker J. Dennis Hastert."
Yet Phillips herself quotes one of Pelosi's standard campaign lines: "The Republicans are unconcerned about money, truth or decency." Who's "vilifying" who here? Though I don't get Pelosi's crack about "money" - isn't the Democrat argument that Republicans are money-obsessed greedheads?
Phillips writes: "And even though the Republicans have painted Ms. Pelosi as anathema to American values and Republicans, The Los Angeles Times reminds its readers today that in her home district, she's considered moderate, if not far to the right of many of her constituents."
Pelosi of course represents far-left San Francisco, but her American Conservative Union rating is 3 out of a possible 100, which is about as low as you can realistically get (even Rep. Maxine Waters manaages a 4).
Phillips concludes her blog entry by soothing fears of possible nasty consequences of a Democratic takeover: "Now, the Republicans, including the president, have repeatedly campaigned in recent weeks - on the airwaves and in speeches - on the theme that the Democrats would raise taxes on middle-income families. The Wall Street Journal looks at that prospect and finds it unlikely."
