Questions To Ask Of Bush, Republicans - No More Accusations!!!

[mattclearing]

I've been doing a lot of thinking about ways that Democrats can win decisive victories in next year's elections, and have come to one overriding conclusion: Rather than tell people that Bush lied, or that the war in Iraq is a mistake, or that Bush's priorities are out of whack, Dems need to ask questions that lead people to these conclusions.

No one likes to be told what to do, and if Dems just make accusations at Bush, Bush will be able to play this "Democrats on the Attack" card, and garner more sympathy than he deserves from his very much up for grabs moderate voting bloc.

So, instead of 'Bush Lied,' how about: "President Bush said that senators had access to the same intelligence that he did, but if that's true, then why did President Bush revoke 92 senators' security clearances?"

Instead of 'Bush Has No Exit Strategy,' how about, "What does President Bush's idea of success in Iraq look like? Has he defined specific criteria for which he would withdraw certain numbers of troops, as Democratic leaders have?"

Instead of 'Bush's budget has misplaced priorities,' how about, "Where is the funding for (insert popular public program here)?"

I think it's important to remember that people have minds of their own, and don't like being talked down to.

I'm tired of watching Dems focus on Bush, and I know I've been guilty of it too. Ultimately, we should be concerned with making sure that the people are our priority.

It isn't about Bush, and stopping Bush's destructive agenda, as Howard Dean said yesterday (Disclosure: I am a fan of Dean, but disagree with him here). It's about asking the right questions to show Americans that we have their best interests at heart.

I also think that people will be more open to the Democratic Party's point of view if we preach less and ask questions more.

The more questions we ask that Bush and the Republican Party evade, the more reasonable we will appear.

Eventually, people will come to notice that the administration is stonewalling perfectly legitimate questions. Indeed, they have already done so, if recent polls are to be believed.

I have said that I also think that Dems should bypass the media and start airing positive issue ads staking out clear positions on important issues. Some ads with the above questions, and others like them, would be a good idea too.

We have a great opportunity to produce a major shift in the political leanings of a majority of Americans, but we have to make sure that we welcome new voters in a way that is not preachy or condescending.

After all, if we really want the opportunity to govern, we have to earn it. We cannot win by demonizing the other side.

That only works if you have established a reputation for negative campaigning...that works for Republicans, who are expected to be cynical and fight dirty, but it's a bad fit on Democrats, who have generally been on the correct side of social progress for the past hundred years.

Name-calling, taunting, and screaming for the referee for perceived bad calls will not win votes. Asking questions invites people to evaluate their thinking on issues.

A thoughtful discussion of issues will benefit Democrats every single time.

[Lasher]

1. Good thinking

I will take your views into account, for possible improvement of my own discourse.

[mattclearing]

2. I will be the first to admit that I have been as bad about this as anyone.

This year will be a big test for Dems. We need to be confident without being strident, correct without being condescending, and inquisitive without brow-beating.

I think we can win back Congress, but it will take a real positive agenda and a refusal to get into the mud with the Republicans...the media is still too biased for us to follow the R's on the low road.

[ewagner]

3. I like the approach, but

(yeah, there's that terrible BUT )

The problem with asking Republicans a question is that they ignore the substance of the question and answer it only their talking point du jour.

Name-calling, taunting and screaming will win votes...at least some votes, hopefully ENOUGH VOTES to win. Normally I wouldn't advocate this but I think the name-calling, taunting and screaming are the only things that will make some people wake up.

[mattclearing]

4. See, I think that makes people who should be open to our point of

view shut us out. Suddenly instead of one crazy party and one reasonable party, they see two crazy parties, and either stay home or vote for the more convincingly crazy of the two parties.

[Child_Of_Isis]

5. We cannot win by demonizing the other side.

It has worked for them thus far. Not that I agree with it, mind you. If you watch these right wing freaks on the tele, "thoughtful discussions" are not their forte'. Spewing a lie 3 times in a row, automatically makes it truth with this bunch. Personally, I agree with you, but there is the possibility that our ability to take the "high road" has gotten us into this position.

[mattclearing]

7. Like I said, people expect better of us.

Dirty politics is a bad fit on the Democratic Party...it makes us look like hypocrites when we talk about negative campaigning and the politics of personal destruction.

[sandnsea]

6. Good ideas

I was reading a few of FDR's speeches and noticed that he talked very differently. He presumed the intelligence and agreement of the people. He wasn't afraid to delve into the most complex issues, even monetary issues. He always told a simple illustrative story. And when he criticized Republicans, he really did just tell the truth. When he talked about wage laws, he presumed everybody thought they were a good idea, then said 90% of industry will want to pay good wages. But it's the "chiselers" who don't and they will make fair competition impossible. Simple and truthful, with just a tiny slam compared to the whole of his comments. We could do better in how we talk about the issues facing us, that's for sure.

[mattclearing]

8. Agreed.

Truman was similar, if a little more blunt.

That was a time where people were less trained to ignore class issues, though. Even poor people seem to want to buy into the upper class consumerism these days.

[ctaylor1973]

9. Other Ways

If we are to get some control back in Texas (or else where) we have to show people we are ready to take the issues to the mat.
Here in Texas we have people in and out of state who are just pissed off that people in New Orleans. We have to remind these people, get them involved, get them established, get them REGISTERED TO VOTE. I am not an organizer or planner. Just a guy who thinks that with the right campaign we can give the REP. a run for their money down here in Texas or in the whole of the south.

Here are the issues as I see them:

- if the storms had been a terrorist attack we would have been screwed. this was not 9-11 we had 4 weeks to prepare.

- the Reps. where prepared for the storm (they where setting up construction contracts for there buddies)

- it wasn't a matter or black or white in New Orleans it was a matter that the poor (uneducated, non-voting poor)where left to suffer.

I am willing to work very hard for this effort. Can anyone help me? We need to:

-get these people established as citizens of the state they are in so the REP. Party cannot block them at the voting booth in the 2008 elections.

-remind them of what the REP. party did for them in the first 24 - 72 hours after the storm.

- get other states in the south doing the same thing.

[mattclearing]

10. This is excellent work, and should probably be its own thread.

Totally agreed. Like I said, their moderate voting bloc is up for grabs. We can get them to jump the fence, but only if we ask nicely.

[ctaylor1973]

11. new

I am new to underground. I was fulled the first time by Bush's lies and I am mad as hell about it. I am going to make a thread as soon as they will let me, as it is right now I cannot create my own threads

[mattclearing]

12. Oh wow, I didn't notice your post count. Welcome to DU!

:hi:

I hope you stick around and enjoy yourself, as you clearly have some interesting and useful ideas.

:)