David Brock’s liberal groups smear conservatives every day.
So critics found it particularly rich on Tuesday when the liberal activist hopped on a high horse and called on both parties to “call off the political smutmongers,” considering that’s the work he specializes in every day.
Speaking at the Clinton School of Public of Service, Brock, a former right-winger who renounced his beliefs in the nineties and later founded the liberal advocacy groups Media Matters and American Bridge, called on candidates to “agree to have a thoughtful debate about our conflicting philosophies of government and society.”
“Give the American people the presidential campaign they deserve, one based on real issues and on the public record,” Brock told the audience in Arkansas. “Ask – is it relevant to someone’s performance in public office? – before attacking.”
The irony of such comments coming from Brock sparked a response of disbelief from conservatives. The Republican National Committee sent an email to reporters reminding them that Brock’s American Bridge, a liberal opposition research outfit, was designed to record every movement of conservatives in hope of creating viral gotcha moments that could derail candidacies. These are hardly the sorts of things someone who wants “thoughtful debate” would do, they pointed out.
“After reading countless stories about the ‘recovered’ Clinton smutmongerer David Brock today,” the RNC’s Kirsten Kukowski said, “I found it ironic that the one blasting smutmongers runs a super PAC with the sole mission of tracking candidates to smutmonger them.”
A taste of some of the recent posts on Brock’s Media Matters, which accuse conservatives of racism: “Conservatives Use Spanish-Speaking Ban To Promote Discriminatory Policies,” and “Right-Wing Media Gloat About ‘Proof Of Citizenship’ Laws That Will Disenfranchise Voters.”
American Bridge, the opposition research outfit, has ramped up coverage of Chris Christie, often lodging allegations at the New Jersey governor. “Christie Plays Politics with 9/11 Wreckage,” a recent post was titled.
It’s not the first time Brock and American Bridge have been accused of hypocrisy before: the groups often attack the billionaire Koch brothers for their contributions to conservative candidates, despite the fact that they are funded by the liberal billionaire George Soros.