[This article now cross-published by Salon…]
Washington Posts’ “The Fix” blog describes Rep. Justin Amash’s (R-MI) victory speech after his primary election on Tuesday as “absolutely amazing”, noting that “Politicians who win campaigns, no matter how dirty, will almost always kiss and make up with their political opponents in their election-night speeches.”
Amash did no such thing, as his remarks highlighted, once again, the growing, deep and bitter divide running straight through the Republican Party.
The libertarian-leaning ally of former Congressman Ron Paul (R-TX) and co-sponsor, with Rep. John Conyers (D-MI) of last year’s narrowly defeated bi-partisan attempt in the U.S. House to end blanket, warrantless NSA spying on Americans following the initial Edward Snowden disclosures, unloaded last night on the failed U.S. Chamber of Commerce-backed campaign to unseat him with an “establishment-approved” candidate.
In particular, Amash targeted Michigan’s former Republican Congressman Pete Hoekstra, a long-time Chamber-backed candidate himself, now a Chamber-funded political lobbyist and supporter of Amash’s Republican opponent Brian Ellis. “I want to say to lobbyist Pete Hoekstra,” Amash told the crowd, underscoring the L-word to much applause, “you are a disgrace. And I’m glad we could hand you one more loss before you fade into total obscurity and irrelevance.”
Ouch. As “The Fix” notes, “Hoekstra lost the state’s 2012 Senate race — and in the 2010 gubernatorial primary.”
And then Amash zeroed in on his direct opponent, businessman Ellis: “You owe my family and this community an apology for your disgusting, despicable smear campaign. You had the audacity to try and call me today after running a campaign that was called the nastiest in the country. I ran for office to stop people like you. To stop people who were more interested in themselves than in doing what’s best for their district.”
The Ellis campaign ran an ad earlier this summer, citing Amash’s support for shutting down the U.S. prison at Guantanamo Bay (just as both George W. Bush and John McCain once supported) and his attempt to stop warrantless spying on Americans (a bill that narrowly failed with a bi-partisan 205 to 217 vote, which included 94 votes from fellow Republicans).
The Ellis ad referred to Amash, who is an Arab-American, as “Al Qaeda’s best friend in Congress.”
His blistering remarks about Hoekstra and Ellisn come just after the 3 minute mark in the video below…
Nice. When he talks about standing up for economic freedom, though, I surmise by his political affiliation that economic freedom trumps my freedom to drink clean water and breathe clean air.
Yes, corporations get “liberty” from regulation and we get the “liberty” to ingest their poisons.
Good for him for calling out the race-baiting in a political campaign, but don’t doubt that he will support a CORPORATION’S “right” to discriminate (ala Rand Paul) without government interference.
I have decidedly mixed feelings about this. I find the goals of the made-up “Tea Party” front groups for corporate interests of people like the Koch Bros. abhorrent. However, Amash is totally right about how the establishments of BOTH PARTIES interfere in a truly democratic process, and, in the larger sense, how they interfere with efforts to have a truly democratic, multiparty system.
Last night, Lawrence O’Donnell played this speech on his MSNBC show, clucking about Amash’s unsportsman-like conduct, and lack of graciousness in victory. I really have no problem with calling out dirty tactics, wherever they are. I don’t think there has to be politeness in politics for the sake of politeness. If the other guy has played dirty pool, say so. Maybe it will help to eventually clean things up. That said, I hope that Amash’s Democratic opponent mops up the floor with him in November, but I doubt it.
Soul Rebel said @ 1:
Picky, picky.
@Brad Friedman
Lol. What are ya gonna do?