I have no problem with Democrats going after their primary opponents hard, but there should be a special circle of hell reserved for Democrats who try to tar their primary foes as "out of touch," "San Francisco liberal" types. It's unimaginative, almost always dishonest -- and just so horribly O'Reilly! Not that I've done a scientific study, but it feels like there's been more of this line of fire between Democrats recently -- Hillary made hay in Pennsylvania out of Obama's "out of touch" Bittergate comments in San Fran, and now the finely named Fairbanks News-Miner picks up on this weird development in the Democratic race to pick a November opponent for Alaska fat cat Representative Don Young:
Type Ethanberkowitz.blogspot.com, Berkowitz08.com, Berkowitzforcongress.com or Berkowitz2008.com into a Web browser and you quickly get the idea that someone doesn’t like [Democratic hopeful Ethan Berkowitz] very much. The addresses direct viewers to either a fake Berkowitz blog, a San Francisco-based gay lifestyle site or a merchant selling items imprinted with the phrase “Trust Fund Baby.” The implication is that Berkowitz is a rich California liberal — otherwise known as an Outsider.
The News-Miner goes on to offer some pretty strong circumstantial evidence that the websites originate from within fellow Democratic candidate Jack Metcalfe's circle. Navigating to "Berkowitz2008.com" sends you directly to a website for a San Francisco "Queer Culture Tour":
Mayor Gavin Newsom said we would, San Francisco's County Clerk's office said they could and days later thousands lined up to say I do in the gayest place on earth. Roll out of bed to get your coffee and croissant - or whatever fits your food fancy - in the Castro, which is where our day of gay begins.
The tour sounds pretty fun, but linking it from an official-sounding Berkowitz campaign website? So classy! With friends like these, what Democrat needs Republicans?
--Eve Fairbanks