In his latest Time.com piece, Mark Halperin, Editor At Large and Senior MSNBC Political Analyst, has decided that the GOP must not jump into the furor surrounding the latest slip of the First Tongue as it relates to the controversy around the proposed Ground Zero Mosque.
Halperin is quick to point out that the situation has obvious “political potency” but he advises the GOP to avoid using it. This is like asking Alex Rodriguez to layoff a hanging curveball because it’s late in the game and the Yankees have a large lead. What’s next, a slaughter rule for the upcoming elections? Will your follow-up story on Time.com ask for candidates with a commanding poll lead to limit spending or fund raising in order to allow their opponent to catch up or save them from public embarrassment?
The savvy analyst also states what everyone else already knows, the GOP stands to win back a number of seats in the mid-term elections without pointing out the obvious problems with the President’s Ramadan Dinner statement being used as additional fuel on the campaign fires.
Halperin goes on to claim:
… a national political fight conducted on the terms we have seen in the past few days will lead to a chain reaction at home and abroad that will have one winner — the very extreme and violent jihadists.”
So let me understand this, according to Halperin’s logic, if the GOP utilizes a wildly unpopular statement made by the President, on a highly sensitive topic about which almost all Americans have feelings, the terrorists win?
Mr. Halperin is also concerned about “the misinformation about the center and its supporters; the open declarations of war on Islam on talk radio.” Misinformation about the center and its supporters? Can you please cite some examples? I know that many commentators are wondering about the origins of the estimated $100 million dollars needed to build the controversial mosque/tolerance center. Others have simply asked if Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf would mind denouncing Hamas and Hezbollah.
To date he has been either vague or silent, perhaps that is due to his being out of the country on a State Dept. sponsored trip to the Middle East where he is alleged to be doing a little fund raising. (Yes, your tax dollars are jetting him there and back.) And which talk radio shows have “declared war on Islam?” Either name names or zip it with the accusations, Halperin.
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.