GOP Leaders Back Away from Party's Nasty Campaign Tactics

AltTulsa has been a consistent critic of fear-based campaigning. Now, at last, even Republican leaders are pulling back from the GOP's latest round of demonizing by the Republican Right.

Senate Minority leader Mitch McConnell has gone on record against GOP tactics. So has Orrin Hatch, the Utah Republican. We applaud these men and their rejection of destructive, hyper-partisan rhetoric.

Here's the story from the Salt Lake Tribune:

Sen. Orrin Hatch said he is "ashamed" of a Republican National Committee presentation that called for demonizing Democrats and President Barack Obama to help raise money.

"There is no excuse for that kind of stuff," said Hatch, R-Utah, during an appearance on Meet the Press on Sunday. "It shouldn't have happened. I'm ashamed of that."

Hatch's comment was in response to a question about a 72-page Power Point presentation created by the RNC's finance director that included a slide labeled "The Evil Empire," which showed Obama dressed as "The Joker" with the word socialism written underneath.

It also depicted House Speaker Nancy Pelosi as Cruella De Vil and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid as Scooby Doo.

The RNC delivered the presentation to potential fundraisers in Florida last month. Someone leaked it to the press last week.

One name we haven't seen opposing these shameful attacks: Oklahoma's own Jim Inhofe. Wonder why that is?

Oh, that's right. Inhofe is one of the Republicans who practices these shameful political attacks.