Desperation at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.

The desperation
at the White House these final weeks before Election Day is almost palpable.
 
For some strange
reason, Democrats, led by Obama’s political team, believe they have an election
winner in charging Republicans with laundering foreign donations into domestic
campaigns.

 
The proof? They
have none, but that hasn’t gotten in the way of some bizarre storyline they’re
peddling that millions of Chinese and God-knows-from-who-else dollars are
undermining elections this year.
 
The Hill had two
strong stories on the matter yesterday, following yet another salvo by White
House senior adviser David Axelrod during his Sunday talk show circuit. If you
recall, Axelrod fired these same charges last Sunday on CBS’s “Face the Nation.”
When asked by host Bob Schieffer to offer any evidence that proved groups such
as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce were filtering the foreign money, Axelrod
replied, “How do you know they’re not?” To wit, Schieffer replied, “Is that the
best you got?”
 
Again this
Sunday, Axelrod said the burden of proof was on groups such as the Chamber to
disprove his allegation. Huh?
 
Let’s assume for
a moment the American people even know what folks like Axelrod, White House
spokesman Robert Gibbs and others are alleging. They’re basing this argument in
part on a Supreme Court ruling earlier this year. Clearly, Obama himself was
upset by that ruling, and he’s hell-bent on using some real-life example of the
consequences. The only problem is, no one knows anything about this, let alone
understands it.
 
Yet instead of
letting the issue go because it clearly has no political traction, Axelrod and
other White House cronies continue to parrot the nonsense.
 
To me, it
threatens to undermine the good credibility of folks such as Gibbs, who is
largely respected in his role. Instead of pushing an agenda every Democrat can
get behind, such as how the health law seems to be working (their view, not
mine), Gibbs chose to call out a Chamber lobbyist by name and tussle with NBC
host David Gregory on the veracity of such allegations. C’mon, such
back-and-forth is beneath the Office of White House Press Secretary. Would Mike
McCurry be seen doing such a thing? Marlin Fitzwater?
 
The irony of this
entire ploy of desperation is Democrats are not entirely sinless on these same
allegations. The White House to this day will not disclose certain names of its
donors during Obama’s presidential run, nor pressure its allies such as Big
Labor to do the same with their donations in this cycle.
 
Either way,
Democrats running for reelection this year need far more help than half-cocked
misfires when there are so many other issues and policy challenges worth
debating and contrasting for the American voter.

Armstrong Williams is on Sirius/XM Power 169, 7-8 p.m. and 4-5 a.m., Monday through Friday. Become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/arightside, and follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/arightside.