Say Anything Blog

Newsweek -

Republicans went nuts last summer when the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee used images of flag-draped coffins in a political ad that questioned Republican leadership.

At the time, Republicans demanded the DCCC remove the ad and apologize. “It makes my stomach turn to see national Democrats so blatantly exploit the sacrifices made by the men and women of our armed forces,” Tom Reynolds, chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee, told reporters. “It takes a galling level of smug self-righteousness for [DCCC Chairman] Rahm Emanuel to invoke our honored dead one day and put their coffins in an ad the next.”

Six months later, the coffins are back--in a GOP ad. Heading into the final weekend of the campaign, the NRCC has gone on the air in Georgia with a spot attacking Democratic Rep. John Barrow on homeland security issues. At one point during the ad, an image flashes to rows of television screens displaying rows of flag-draped coffins. An announcer intones, “Barrow is funded by an organization that used coffins of dead American soldiers in a fundraising ad.”

Burns himself has demanded the NRCC remove the ad immediately. “It is unacceptable for them to use American soldiers’ coffins in my advertising,” Burns told the Associated Press. But a NRCC spokesman says the party has “no plans to take it down,” noting that the ad is “completely independent of Burns.”

Let’s see here, it is wrong for Democrats to use flag-draped coffins. I can see where that is a legitimate view. The NRCC says that the DCCC has stepped over the bounds of decency by showing the flag-draped coffins. OK, I’ll even buy that. Then for the NRCC to turn around and use flag-draped coffins in their ad, that is unforgivable.

I am tired of the Republican Party saying that the Democratic Party is unpatriotic. And that every time that we show our patriotism, that we are playing politics. This ad from the NRCC is playing politics with our dead. The Republican Party should be ashamed, but they will not be. The only thing that matters to the National Republican Party is holding power in congress to protect themselves and the President. This is an example of why we should vote for Democrats on Nov. 7th. When a party is this hypocritical, they need to be removed from power to examine what they believe in.