RK ARCHIVE - New Nickname for Bob McDonnell

Let me also just state for the record that I had absolutely no idea Bob McDonnell's daughter had been in Iraq. Nor did anyone else on RK, as far as I know. Nobody mentioned it, that's for sure. Finally, I want to say that I greatly respect Bob McDonnell's daughter's service to her country. Having said that, I do NOT respect what her father stands for here in Virginia< - intolerance and homophobia, among other things. I also strongly concur with this comment and this one.

Comments

I, for one, think this sucks (Josh - 6/26/2006 10:50:02 PM)

Bob McDonnell has been called "Taliban" Bob for 3 years. Why? Because he's an violent extremist fundimentalist devoted to taking America back to an imaginary time when Women were robots, Men ruled the universe, and Dinosours roamed the earth.

That his reactionary supporters were able to cull an apology out of RK for using an age-old moniker like this makes me wanna chew glass.

Lowell, you got NAILED McDonnell with that post. His intern, is an underage drinker. They threw everything they had at RK all day long, but the fact is, you got the FACT. They had to come down on you about this, or else they would look as weak as they really are.

Look, folks, we're in the big time now. This is just a tiny example of what we're going to be faced with inthe future against Allen. They went after Jerome, they're after kos, and they've got to gut Lowell.

No more apologies.

btw, ngb, kma

I think I am agreeing with you.... (Doug in Mount Vernon - 6/27/2006 12:58:13 PM)

I have always hated nastiness and negative campaigning. I would lump name-calling into the unfair negative campaign category.

However, I think I'm beginning to believe, as dirty and nasty as our opponents are on the nasty tactics front, that we must not ever appear spineless or to be backing down to such intimidation tactics. And I feel like the issues raised over the Jacqui Newman post and now this are just not right. I for one, do NOT like to use these tactics or ways. But as long as they are not UNFAIR, in some ways I see a need to counter and even counter-attack. Otherwise, Democrats continue appear uninterested in waging a fight for what they believe (not that this is the case with Lowell who clearly fights for what he believes...).

But in the blogosphere, where "over-the-top" is a regular occurrence, it's tougher to draw the line closer to the "nice" side.

The pictures of the girl who was the subject of the RPV press release, certainly were nothing outrageous. Or indecent, or any of the other accusations that were levied. Thus, I do not consider that post indecent, over-the-top, or inappropriate, even if it wasn't the "nicest" tactic.

Same with the phrase "Taliban Bob." In fact, our Attorney General's fundamentalist religious philosophy that attempts to seep its way into the affairs of the state, has much in common with the fundamentalist religious philosophy that the religious leaders (NOT terrorists) used in Afghanistan (subordination of women, persecution of gays, etc.) hence I feel that while again not necessarily "nice" or even "tasteful" tactic, it was definitely NOT unfair.

Fight Democrats, for the country's future is at stake. Let's be fair, and yes decent, but if we have to get mean or ugly sometimes, so be it.

Lowell, you are a nice guy. (Bubby - 6/26/2006 11:51:19 PM)

Me, I take a dim view of anyone that consorts with Taliban Pat Robertson. Mr. McDonnell you should be ashamed that your largest personal contributor in the last election advocated the assassination of the President of Venezuela? Just one of his most recent criminal incitements.

I judge a man's character by the company he keeps, and Mr. McDonnell keeps poor company. And takes their money.

I Think I Remember... (David M - 6/27/2006 1:37:01 AM)

It's irrelevant if "Taliban Sodomy" Bob was a member of the military or if his daughter is currently a member of the military. Obviously their service is commendable and no one at RK has ever suggested otherwise. Our nation owes its freedom to those who have served in uniform whether today in a war that many do not agree with or in wars past where there was a more unified national front. The great thing about Democracy is that dissent is allowed and those who serve the nation not only defend it proudly, but also benefit from the right of free speech, which most Americans hold sacred, when the people and our politicians gather to debate the merits of going to war.

There has never been an attack on Bob McDonnell's military service nor that of his daughter. We leave attacks on the military service of decorated veterans to Republicans who have shown no shortage of contempt for those who have served but do not hold their political beliefs. A brief list of those who have fallen astray of the arbitrary military service ideological test includes John Kerry, Jack Murtha, Max Cleland and (please remember) John McCain.

I would hope that those who loudly protest the nickname that Bob McDonnell has earned for himself in his years as a member of the Virginia House of Delegates and somehow link it to his daughter's return from Iraq will come out and loudly denounce the despicable smear tactics that Republicans, led by Karl Rove, have used in those previous campaigns and any in the future, including this Senate race between Jim Webb and George Allen.

Failure to condemn these actions only proves that your arguments are hollow.

I would like to remind you of the Valerie Plame affair, where Scooter Libby has been indicted and Vice President Dick Cheney have been heavily implicated, in which Karl Rove is known to have said that Joe Wilson's wife is "fair game."

Certainly not the idea of a Family Values party I think of when I image of a group who wants to protect American families or values.

By the way... (Lowell - 6/27/2006 6:56:56 AM)

...if you do a Google search for "American Taliban" you get 387,000 results, including this

The phrase "Christian Taliban" gets you 82,500 results, including this.

Then there's this editorial by the Waynesboro News-Virginian, talking about our sex act enforcer...er, Attorney General.

The point is, this newfound Republican "outrage" over Raising Kaine's 1 1/2-year-old use of the word "Taliban" in a nickname (now replaced by "Sodomy Bob") for Virginia Attorney General McDonnell is extremely curious, given how many times that word has been used in the past to describe right-wing extremists in this country. Now, when are those same right-wing extremists going to stop referring to all Democrats as "Communists," the left as "nihilists," and liberalism as a mental disorder? Right, don't hold your breath!

People are free to use whatever nicknames they want (Lowell - 6/27/2006 6:42:24 AM)

I personally like "Sodomy Bob" because sodomy - and sex in general - is what McDonnell's apparently obsessed with. Sodomy is also the sex act that McDonnell famously said he couldn't recall if he had ever engaged in. The bottom line is this: Bob McDonnell's a bizarre right-wing extremist who wants the government snooping around your bedroom and telling you what sex acts you can and can't do. But, so far at least, he hasn't pushed to have women excluded from college or forced to cover themselves from head to toe, so he doesn't rank with the former rulers of Afghanistan. Give him time...

Taliban (Equality Loudoun - 6/27/2006 11:07:46 AM)

Stuck pigs will squeal. Those who are trying to advance a Dominionist agenda, and consider our Constitution to be an impediment, dislike being exposed and named.

This is not difficult to understand. I don't think that most Americans would enjoy living under the biblical law envisioned by Dominionist leaders like Gary North. People like Bob McDonnell who manage to get elected to public office are in fact working to advance this agenda, and it is appropriate to describe them as such. The Taliban is an apt comparison to what this movement has in mind for our country: You do not own your own body. You belong to the "Christian" State.

Politeness is not an appropriate response to this dangerous idea.