Delegates mock Kerry with ‘purple heart’ bandages
Government Politics Election 2004 08/31/04 - - Chet - 40 Comments
Delegates to the Republican National Convention found a new way to take a jab at Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry’s Vietnam service record: by sporting adhesive bandages with small purple hearts on them.
Morton Blackwell, a prominent Virginia delegate, has been handing out the heart-covered bandages to delegates, who’ve worn them on their chins, cheeks, the backs of their hands and other places.
Blackwell is president of the Leadership Institute, a nonpartisan educational foundation he founded in 1979. According to its Web site, the institute prepares conservatives for success in politics, government and the news media.
Kerry was a decorated Navy officer in Vietnam who became a prominent antiwar activist upon his return home. A group calling itself “Swift Boat Veterans for Truth” has accused Kerry of lying to win combat decorations in Vietnam, including the Bronze Star and the Purple Heart.
Thanks to Chet for finding this!
It is truly appaling that members of the RNC would outright disrespect the Purple Heart medal by using it as a jab at a political candidate. I am disgusted by the Republicans at this point and will never, ever support one of their candidates again. It is time to send that monkey boy Bush and his “christian” buddies back to the roadside inn where they belong, disrespecting an honorable medal is disrespecting members of the armed forces that give their lives and receive injuries in the “line of duty” to protect the rights and liberties of all peoples.
How many Republicans actually served in the line of fire in the armed forces anyway? Or were they all in the texass not-so-national guard (chicken squad made up of texass hypocrites, cocaine freaks and drunks who think they have the fortitude to stand up and be men).
I think the purple-heart band-aids were more intended to highlight the allegations that Kerry received his purple heart for a self inflicted minor wound.
Allegations which were never true, and came from people that were in no position to know, and contradicted by people that were in a position to know… as well as the records themselves.
Republicans, all of them, are disgusting to me at this point. It is unreasonable to support them, and those that do are unreasonable people. No exceptions.
“…GOP officials have asked him to stop.” Even the earliest news reports mentioned that this was one guy (admittedly a pretty high-level activist) and that officials asked him stop.
Wow. That puts them one step ahead of Bush with the Swift Boat Vets.
ARe high-level members of the GOP suddenly not acting as members of the GOP if they do something contoversial? What’s the dividing line for responsibility?
Also, aren’t the delegates who were wearing these things at the conventino acting as representatives of their party?
The book is set up as a conversation between two old high school buddies. One of them, in despair about the direction the country is going, is convinced he must kill the president; the other tries to talk him out of it.
Baker wrote Checkpoint in response to the powerless seething fury many Americans felt when President Bush decided to take the nation to war. “How do you react to something that you think is so hideously wrong?” asks Baker. “How do you keep it from driving you nuts? What do you do with your life while this wrong is being carried out? What are the thoughts—the secret thoughts, the unpublishable thoughts, so to speak—that go through your head?”
It is truly appaling that members of the Democrat Party would outright support assassination. I am disgusted by the Democrats at his point and will never, ever support one of their candidates again. It is time to send those mindless Bush-bashers and their “sensitive” buddies back to the roadside inn where they belong, advocating assassination is disrespecting elected officials that dedicate their lives to protecting the rights and liberties of all peoples.
So you have this straight, Chet, Charles Stevenson posts a report of a individual Republican doing something disrespectful and stupid, and paints the entire party with that brush. So I post a couple of reports of individual Democrats and groups of Democrats doing something disrespectful and stupid, and I’m painting the entire party with that brush. Oh, was I supposed to limit stupid Democrat tricks to their convention? How about… Janeane Garofalo calling Larry Elder a “house Negro?” Or maybe, Teresa Heinz Kerry calling for civility while telling someone to “shove it?” I suppose I could google for more instances of Democrats being disrespectful of GWB at their convention, but is that really necessary?
First of all, I wasn’t responding to you, I was responding to Charles. Secondly, if Charles can paint with a wide brush, why can’t I?
My point is, is that there are embarrassing morons in both parties, from the reports I’ve read about this incident, GOP officials asked Blackwell to stop as soon as they found out about it, what the hell more do you want? I’ll bet someone at the DNC mocks GWB National Guard service, but you don’t see anyone holding the entire Democratic Party to task for that do you?
Because you think it’s wrong, and two wrongs don’t make a right?
My point is, is that there are embarrassing morons in both parties, from the reports I’ve read about this incident, GOP officials asked Blackwell to stop as soon as they found out about it, what the hell more do you want?
For the Bush campaing to stop giving a wink and a nod to this kind of stuff.
Bush has constantly sent out his troops, then carefully parsed language to avoid blame. If some of it is sticking that seems fitting.
Yes, there is a difference between direct and indirect relationships. But I tend to look at the preponderance of evidence over time. That’s what speaks volumes.
Since the election of Clinton the Republicans have attempted to do this by setting up a controlled web of opinions and lies then try to claim that it’s the truth.
If that’s working against them this time I ain’t gonna cry about it.
Hieronymous Bang is well known democratic spokesperson? He performed his play at the DNC? Being anti-bush makes you a democrat? A democratic spokesperson?
Why did you mention those two again?
Why not bring up the amazingly right wings Nazis at orvis that made this shirt!
Are we far enough in lala land for you?
There is a time and place for everything in this world, but the time and place to NOT be closely connected with the Republican Party is not on the floor of the republican national convention.
Every example you have given (besides the Heinz issue which is just ludicrous), you have mentioned names of people the democratic party has no official relationship with, they cannot stifle these people, they cannot remove them for where they are doing what they are doing. And hell, most of them have no clear connection with the party and may not even be democrats. Whereas the republican party could very easily ban Morton Blackwell, they have chosen not to.
Please find an example using a delegate at the democratic national convention.
It’s so telling that you equate telling an annoying, badgering reporter to “shove it” with mocking medals given out to people who are injured during war.
Can you not see it? Can you not see how you’re behaving?
Morton Blackwell is a member of the republican party and he is a delegate.
How you become a delegate. http://www.gop.com/Counsel/delegate.html
Those not wanting to read the pdf, virginia’s rules for delegate selection:
Congressional district delegates are elected by congressional district caucuses, and at-large delegates are elected by state convention.
I cannot find which type of delegate he is, either way, other republicans did elect him to go.
oops, reread that - were you saying morton blackwell is not a democrat, because that is correct, he is not.
