Why are all of Bush's ads negative ?

[kentuck]

None of them are about Bush or the good job he has done or what he plans to do, all his ads are bad-mouthing Kerry. I'm sure everyone has seen them about a hundred times each. They're all sleeping on the edge of our subconsciousnesses.

Yet, John Kerry and all of America should question mr Bush on these tactics. If you watch John Kerry newest ad, you will notice it is about John Kerry. If you watch all of Bush's ads, they are also about John Kerry. Negative ads work! They tell us.

Is there a point where the voters of this country say enough! Our country is not in the greatest of shape and our leaders are tearing down their opponents because they have nothing positive to say about themselves. What could George W Bush say positively that people would not ridicule? Does he have anything except negativity?

[BlackVelvetElvis]

1. Because he has NOTHING

Pols make negative ads because they work. That is unfortunate.
One NC republican is running for John Edwards seat and even his ads are all about bashing Kerry-not about what he has planned to help the state.
I haven't seen a John Kerry (or dem ad) in a long time. I hope he gets on the ball.

[ComerPerro]

8. Exactly. They have no plans to run on

Quite frankly, republicans are completely uninterested in making things better.

[jo35042]

13. They have a plan all right, just not one they can talk about

out loud.

Outlaw abortion
Dominate the world(especially the oily bits)
Kill Muslims(and anybody else they dont like)
Destroy the Public education system
destroy the unions
create a 2 class system in this country, super rich and the servants of the super rich
fill in the rest..........

[ComerPerro]

14. I don't know if there is anything left to fill in

You pretty much covered it

EDIT:

Oh, BTW:

:hi:
Welcome to DU

[daa]

2. What else can he say?

How is your job?
How are your benefits?
How is your pension?
Is your 401K worth what is was when I took office?
How do you like that price of gas?
We are winning the hearts of Iraqis.

He has nothing to say.

[Poiuyt]

3. Can YOU think of anything positive to say about the last 4 years?

[jo35042]

4. What the devil could he say

that would be good and wouldn't start the whole world laughing or puking or just crying about the amazing number of witless lies his handlers seem unable to keep him from spewing?

[DAGDA56]

5. If YOU were to try to write a positive ad about Dubya...

...what would you say? You can't use 20 or so years of his life... can't talk about Iraq or the economy (except in highly generalized lies...it is stronger, we are staying the course, etc)...you almost have to go negative against JK.

[ShaneGR]

6. Exactly, and it will come back to bite him

He's been consistently negative from day 1. Meanwhile the Kerry ads are surprisingly positive, focusing on joining him. It creates the longterm affect of nice guy vs. bully and helps us win more converts from the middle.

[walldude]

7. What Good?

I'm trying but I can't think of one "good" thing Bush has done. He runs attack ads because he's a failure. As a President and as a human being. You were'nt expecting the campaign to go this way? Remember what he did to McCaine? This war hero was called Gay, a Traitor, a womanizer and many other things in the 2K primary. And this was a fellow Republican...

[unblock]

9. because shrub has nothing to run on other than FEAR

and the best way to press that point is to run negative ads, to make kerry, or just the idea of switching leaders, seem like something to FEAR.

still, you are correct that he can't run exclusively negative ads all the up to the election. he will stop at some point this summer, though there will still be negative dirty tricks, kerry bashing surrogates, and more subtle jabs at kerry. finally, about a week or two before the election, the campaign will unleash some really nasty stuff, most likely 85% lies but with so little time to refute....

reagan excepted, republicans don't do nice, positive campaigns. (actually reagan was no saint either, but comparatively speaking...).

[Waverley_Hills_Hiker]

10. because hes a uniter not a divider?

ROFTL....the dick!

[AlinPA]

11. In PA, it was shown that negative ads don't work. In the governor's

race, voters rejected the Democrat Casey (son of respected governor) in favor of Rendell in the primary; then Fisher (R) came out negative and switched to being positive too late. In this last republican senate primary, Toomey was more negative than Specter and lost.

[nadinbrzezinski]

15. Maybe we are seeing a change in US Politics

becasue they usually do work... but this has been the MO for 20 at least 10 years

Now ironically, and hold the tomatoes, Kerry's add reminded me of Reagan's "it's mornign in America" campaign, and Bush is reminding me of Carter

[Blasphemer]

12. No, he doesn't

All he had were those offensive 9/11 ads and after Clarke's book came out BushCo started whining about their strategy being hurt. They will hear good things from Kerry, they will hear lies about Kerry from the * campaign, but there is absolutely nothing good to be said about * and his crooked Admin. All they can do is act like boogey men trying to scare people about taxes and terra.

[kentuck]

16. I believe a positive message will defeat negative attacks....

Especially if the people come to understand that negativity is all they have to offer. But if they are "attacked" for their negativity, is that a negative ad???

[ComerPerro]

21. It depends, really

If you were to say "All Bush has is negativity and attacks, he has offered us no plan and no solution. Here is what I am proposing..."

Then I think it would go over very well, and wouldn't be seen as an attack.

Why is it that republicans always complain about "mudslinging" and "dirty politics" whenever someone has the audacity to speak bluntly about their intentions?

[SharonAnn]

22. John Edwards is awesome - being negative in a positive way.

When he talks he paints pictures of hope and those, naturally, make us realize that things are currently bad.

He does in an uplifting way and makes us want to fix the bad by voting for him.

[NMDemDist2]

17. I live in a swing state and saw two great Kerry ads tonite

both very positive.

[kentuck]

18. Maybe negativity won't sell this time around?

Too much other stuff going on....people may not want to hear negative ads? But they need to be reminded that they are "negative"...

[Ironpost]

19. negative

If the little man had anything to add that was positive. Trust me it would be Front Page material. Fact of the matter he is a simpleton

[SharonAnn]

20. Because he's running on his record! Bwaahaaahaaa!

His record is unrelentingly negative!