Democrats: When Will They Ever Learn?

[Syrinx]

*snip*

Do not allow the opposition to define your candidate. It is much easier to defeat a distorted caricature than the authentic honorable and capable candidate. And so, the GOP successfully portrayed Al Gore as humorless, stiff, “unlikeable,” self-promoting, and above all, dishonest. They said that he claimed to have invented the internet (he never made the claim) and that he claimed to have “discovered” Love Canal (false again). These and numerous additional false accusations were made time and again, with feeble denials at best, until they came to be accepted as “conventional wisdom.” In fact, the caricatured Gore (humorless, stiff, aloof, etc.) was a far cry from the witty, charming and personable individual known to his friends and associates.

And now it begins again. How often have we heard that the apparent Democratic front-runner, Howard Dean, is “another George McGovern” – i.e., an unelectable “wacko” fringe liberal. Worse still, Dean’s fellow Democrats – his pre-nomination rivals – are piling on with these labels and thus doing the GOP’s dirty work.

In point of fact, Howard Dean is arguably the most mainstream, even “conservative,” of the Democratic candidates, as his record of Vermont governor testifies. (See Rosenfeld and Holhut).

Wesley Clark has also been the subject of “redefinition,” as dishonest, wily and unscrupulously ambitious. Interestingly, among the Democratic contenders, Dean and Clark seem to be the targets of the most determined efforts of redefinition by the GOP. Presumably because these two are the most formidable potential opponents of Bush.

If ever there were a politician vulnerable to negative characterization, it is George Bush. So why aren’t the Democrats hard at work defining him? Hell, there isn’t even a need to concoct a list of disagreeable and disqualifying personal qualities (as the GOP did with Gore) – the authentic qualities of the man are more than enough.

*snip*

http://www.crisispapers.org/Editorials/democrats.htm

[impeach the gop]

1. Some dems are coming round now

That's why we're hearing so much demonization from the wingnuts, calling them unpatrotic. Dennis, and
Dean, Kerry when he said Fuck, (bush too used the (blush) "fuck saddam" (gasp), But you won't
hear them demanding apology from smirk for using the fuck saddam in front of the "gentle sex" condi!
Al Franken got the ball rolling when he smushed o'riley. We got issues, they got "I know you are, but
what am I" mentality. People are sick to death of it. Except for slow joe that is :-)

[xultar]

2. We'll never learn, from what I see here, we are a lost cause

People are at the "Denounce or Die" stage. No matter what you say about any candidate it is an attack. People have become way too sensitive and they can't see past their idealistic dreams. It appears that we've bought into the persona of our chosen candidates and refuse to actually look at the person behind the persona.

All I have to say is...I hope Dean gets the nomination.

[Walt Starr]

3. I might as well just give up and vote for Bush

The Democratic Party sure wants to see him get elected in 2004.

[kentuck]

4. Ain't it the truth !

Wake up Democrats. Do not let them do it this time. It is too important.

[Silverhair]

5. It isn't new. Politics has always been this way.

If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen.

[Syrinx]

6. check out crisispapers.org