John Burton — the chairman of the California Democratic Party who came under fire for comparing Paul Ryan to Nazi propagandist Joseph Goebbels — reportedly cut a quick exit from the Democratic National Convention last night for a “pre-scheduled root canal” back in California. Right. He might as well have said he had to go return some videotapes or stay home and wash his hair. What kind of Democratic Party chair schedules a root canal in the middle of the national convention? Power Line writes:
John Burton is the chairman of the California Democratic Party. Over the weekend, he compared Paul Ryan to Nazi propaganda director Joseph Goebbels.
Today, Burton reportedly left the Democratic National Convention for a “pre-scheduled root canal”.
We’ll see whether any additional unpleasantness awaits Burton. If he were a Republican, there’s little doubt that the party would have purged him by now.
At HotAir, Ed Morrissey quips, “I wonder if a root canal is an effective way to get one’s foot out of one’s mouth.” There’s still radio silence from the National Jewish Democratic Council on this, but the Obama campaign weighed in yesterday, saying that the Nazi comparison “doesn’t have any place in the political discourse here in Charlotte.” That’s a fairly mild rebuke, and the Los Angeles Times points out that the campaign stopped short of calling for Burton’s resignation. Whether that happens probably depends on how much oxygen this story sucks out of the convention.
Burton tried to stop the bleeding by issuing a forced-sounding apology yesterday, saying he was sorry to “anyone who might have been offended by that comment.” That obviously misses the entire point. The problem isn’t that people were offended, the problem is that a Democratic Party official would make such a wildly inappropriate comparison in the first place.
When I saw the root canal, I couldn't help but think of all the communist appartchiks who were suddenly ordered by the Party to go and have heart surgery or something. Those guys didn't always go home, of course. Now, I'm not comparing Obama to Stalin, actually, but I do find the excuse to be, let's say, historically tone deaf. I mean, if I were advising a President who is seen by many as a little too socialistic in his tendencies, I might suggest that the root canal story be changed,
Comrade Andropov has a terminal head cold.
Let's see. Maureen Dowd wrote that the reason Republican leaders disavowed Akins' remarks is because they secretly agree with him and want to conceal that fact from the voters. I know, I don't get it either.) So on MoDo planet, does this mean that Obama secretly agrees with Burton, and that the Democrats who have not spoken up do not agree?
Kind of funny, that he'd prefer to undergo a root canal than observe the convention. Says something about the relative pain?