Lately, several presidential candidates have had more trouble with what surrogates say than the candidates themselves. Consider this jaw-dropper from John Deady, the New Hampshire State Co-Chair of Veterans for Rudy.
For those who can’t watch clips online, here’s what the guy says about Giuliani:
“He’s got I believe the knowledge and the judgment to attack one of the most difficult problems in current history and that is the rise of the Muslims, and make no mistake about it, this hasn’t happened for a thousand years. These people are very, very dedicated and they’re also very smart, in their own way. We need to keep the feet to the fire and keep pressing these people until we defeat or chase them back to their caves — or in other words get rid of them.”
Maybe John Deady didn’t get the memo, but Giuliani’s message is supposed to feature implicit anti-Muslim bigotry, not explicitly anti-Muslim bigotry.
For that matter, Giuliani usually says, at least publicly, that he perceives the problem as one of “Islamic fascism” and/or “Islamic terrorism.” When critics note that these phrases unnecessarily connect violent extremists with a specific faith, the campaign’s response is generally, “No, no, we’re not denigrating Islam, just terrorists.”
Except Deady’s insane rant seems to underscore the obvious: Giuliani’s rhetoric is geared towards convincing conservatives that he’ll be “tough” (read: violent) when it comes to Muslims in general.
Now, it’s very clear here that this Rudy campaign official, who hasn’t yet returned our call, is talking about the rise of Muslims in general, not about terrorists or Islamofascists or what have you. After all, he says that this problem hasn’t happened “for a thousand years.”
Also note the reference to chasing them “back to their caves,” not to mention the outright call for getting “rid” of them — them being, again, the Muslims.
Any chance the national press will see this as newsworthy?
It’s unlikely — Giuliani is a Republican — but if the campaign is smart, it will ask Deady to step down from his role in the campaign.