The Bozeman Chronicle this morning offered a sneak peak into the next set of anti-Tester mailers going out to Montana voters. They are, in a word, loathesome.
A new flier soon to hit mailboxes accuses U.S Senate candidate Jon Tester of failing to protect children from sexual predators because he voted against a bill requiring Internet filters at public libraries.
The flier, paid for by the Montana Republican Party, shows a picture of a cowering little girl hugging a teddy bear. The caption under it states, “Violent sexual predators are out there.”
Do I even need to outline the subtext here? I can just see the thinking at the headquarters:
Hmmmm...terrorists aren't scaring people like they used to. People are starting to wise up to the Dear Leader's role in encouraging terrorism around the world. For some reason, gays aren't inciting the same knee-jerk reaction either. What in the hell are we going to use to scare people into supporting the corrupt status quo? Oh, wait! Do you know what *still* terrifies people? CHILD MOLESTORS! BOOGETY BOOGETY BOOGETY!!!
I am a parent. Obviously, sexual predators are a fear of mine. But to equate a thumbs-down on library filters to giving child molestors a pass? That's just f*cked up. Interestingly, according to the article, only 12 senators voted to support the bill in 2001. Thirty-seven legislators, many of them Republicans, voted against it right alongside Jon Tester.
To my mind, when you have to trot out child molestors to try to elect your candidate, you must be pretty desperate--pretty sleazy, and pretty desperate.
Edited to add: Matt has a great examination of why this mailer is not just loathesome but double-plus ultra disgusting. Blame the rape victim much?