Just 'Chappaquiddick' it!
The Republican PR flacks assigned to get Alito's nomination approved are waving their cell phones and brandishing their crayons. Question Alito's ethics and they'll whip out the nuclear (ethics) option: Chappaquiddick.
That's right, question Alito and have a 36-year-old scandal involving the personal life of one senator invoked. My lord, this is embarrassing. The Democrats ought to take the lead and hit the talk shows to show how embarrassing it is. It's like getting in a fight with a middle-aged sibling and threatening them with that night they lied to mommy when they were 12.
jedmunds likes the idea -- even if it happened so long ago he can't quite recall what it was. No matter. He documents Republican usage and even has some useful hints for the personal use of Chappaquiddick:
They seem capable of bringing it up in the widest and most diverse array of contexts. Abortion, the Iraq war, immigration, the minimum wage. And now judicial nominees and their predilection for lying to the Senate. Clearly there is no issue to which Chappaquiddick is not only not relevant, but more, there is no set of arguments that it does not trump. It is truly a magical word. I'm going to start using it in my normal everyday life.
Boss: You're late for work.
Answer: Chappaquiddick.
My Girlfriend: Hey, where'd these feminine undergarments come from?
Answer: Chappaquiddick...(Pandagon)
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