Either the DCCC is lying or it’s too oblivious to understand the Cato Institute. Which is fine if you’re an average American but hardly excusable for a wing of a national political party.

First, the memo:

“While making today’s announcement that he will once again run for Congress in New York’s 24th District, [Richard] Hanna also launched a new campaign website where he shamelessly touts his ties to the Cato Institute, a right-wing extremist group that has long been a vocal advocate for extremist, unfair trade policies that would allow companies to ship American jobs overseas,” said the press release.

Cato? A right-wing extremist group? Among other policies, Cato supports gay marriage, wide-scale immigration, and opposes the war in Iraq. The think tank was a leading critic of the Bush Administration. And that screams “right-wing extremist group” to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee?

Either the DCCC is ignorant or misrepresenting the views of the Cato Institute in an Alinsky-esque attempt to discredit the think tank’s message. Either way, this display highlights the panic and desperation within the national Democratic Party’s structure.