Foolhardy

In a time where Democrats in office manage to exaggerate and lie with high frequency, Republicans should be able to breath a sigh of relief, knowing that they just have to avoid saying something stupid to avoid such scruity.

Time for a frustrated groan.

New York Assemblyman Willis Stephens, a Republican, called his constituents "idiots" in an e-mail message. I certainly don't believe that all, most, or even significantly many politicians (Republicans or Democrats) speak of the voters in such terms, but with an attack hound in the MSM (which was strangely absent in the recent past and before that even), a no-name Republican from New York has now become an "example" of the rest of the GOP. Once again, what he says does not incriminate all other Republicans, but perception is the most powerful tool of the MSM, and making Stephens into a bad guy, by default, makes the rest of the Republicans into bad guys.

I will not excuse Assemblyman Stephen's comments. They were foolhardy and daft, and the voters in his district should let him know when the next primary rolls around. But for the media to make this a national headline, without doing so for offenses coming from partisans on the other bench (especially those in the national spotlight), is irresponsible.

I just hope, in the future, Republicans will watch their mouths and not make any statements that they cannot back up, even (and especially) if they think that their statement could never be seen or heard by anyone but the eyes and ears it was intended for.

Hat tip to Matt Drudge.