Tricks, No Treats

Tricks, No Treats

Things are looking so bad for Republicans this year that you could almost feel sorry for them. That is until you see just how low they will go to cling to power. Here is just a partial roll call of their most recent dirty tricks.

A Republican attack ad accused New York Democratic House candidate Michael Arcuri of calling a sex phone line. When it was clearly shown the number was a misdial, seven television stations in upstate New York refused to run the ad.

California House Republican candidate Tad Nguyen’s campaign sent out 14,000 letters in Spanish to residents with Hispanic surnames falsely threatening, and I quote, “if you’re an immigrant, voting in a federal election is a crime that can result in incarceration or deportation.”

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Things are looking so bad for Republicans this year that you could almost feel sorry for them. That is until you see just how low they will go to cling to power. Here is just a partial roll call of their most recent dirty tricks.

A Republican attack ad accused New York Democratic House candidate Michael Arcuri of calling a sex phone line. When it was clearly shown the number was a misdial, seven television stations in upstate New York refused to run the ad.

California House Republican candidate Tad Nguyen’s campaign sent out 14,000 letters in Spanish to residents with Hispanic surnames falsely threatening, and I quote, “if you’re an immigrant, voting in a federal election is a crime that can result in incarceration or deportation.”

In Tennessee the Republican National Committee is running a racially-charged ad that “juxtaposes women and men talking about [Democratic candidate Harold] Ford’s good looks with suggestions that he took money from pornographers, was seen at a Playboy function and at the end, has a white blonde asking him to call her.”

But as former White House staffer David Kuo points out in his new book, Tempting Faith, the dirtiest Republican trick of all is their pretense to care about evangelical Christians and their issues when in fact they have contempt for them. On November 7th we will see if the Republican base returns the favor.

Become a Sustaining Donor This September

Between the reemergence of right-wing red-baiting and Donald Trump’s use of the chilling National Security Presidential Memorandum–7 to criminalize left political organizing, we’re seeing McCarthyism reborn before our eyes.

This assault on democracy cannot be ignored or wished away. Resisting it requires bravery in the face of threats and repression, a steadfast commitment to the truth, and the unwavering belief that we can—and will—overcome this darkness.

We must have an independent media that sets the record straight, unearths corruption and abuses of power, and advances a politics of justice and dignity for all if we’re to win this fight.

That’s why I’m writing to you today. This September, The Nation needs to add 100 monthly donors to sustain our progressive journalism. Your contribution makes the next investigative report, the next truth-speaking column, and the next pathbreaking essay all possible. 

I hope you’ll support our work with a recurring donation today. If you donate $10 or more a month, we’ll send you a brand new “Hands Off the Free Press!” sticker to recognise your commitment to our cause. Please, donate today. 

Onward,

Katrina vanden Heuvel
Editor and Publisher, The Nation

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