Democrats still don't get it. When Republicans attack
or make outrageous claims, Democrats complain rather
than engage. Instead of shoving it back down the
Republicans' throats, the Democrats attack the ad to
"set the record straight". Any wonder why the
Republicans, whose policies actually weaken the
country,are perceived to be strong, and Dems seem
weak?
Today, for example, Republicans launched an ad
featuring Osama bin Laden. Democrats cried "foul",
misusing Osama bin Laden and 9/11. That comes across
as whining.
Instead, why not shove it back down their own cowardly
throats? How? Dems should launch their own ad with
Osama bin Laden, but sprinkled with phrases and
pictures conveying these concepts: a) Bush DOING
NOTHING after the July 10th and August 8th briefings
in 2001; b) Bush allowing bin Laden to escape by not
providing an Army Ranger battalion when Special Forces
had him corned at Tora Bora; c)Diverting to Iraq
before the job was done in Afghanistan; d)On the loose
5 years later. End it with the same tagline as the
Republican ad, but with the twist: "These are the
stakes. Either stay-the-course lockstep Republicans,
or a new energy and iniatives with Democrats. Vote on
November 7th. Your whole world depends on it."...
Similarly, when Rumsfeld compared Iraq war critics to
Nazi appeasers, Democrats again whined foul.
Instead, they should have said, "when special forces
had Osama bin Laden cornered at Tora Bora and
requested one Army Ranger battalion to finish him off,
George Bush and Don Rumsfeld said 'no' If Donald
Rumsfeld wants to find today's appeasers, he should
begin by looking in the mirror".
When George Bush says his opponents want to "cut and
run", Democrats should say, "when George Bush had a
chance to serve his country in combat, he checked the
'no' box on overseas duty. The American people are
not going to listen to attacks of cutting and running
from someone who never showed up in the first place."
When George Bush says, "I understand the challenge of
terrorism we face", Democrats should respond, "George
Bush did not understand the terrorist challenge when
the CIA blinking red lights in the summer of 2001,
showed it again when everyone in the world, except the
Bush Adminstration, saw Katrina coming and, for good
measure, appointed an incompetent to head your most
important emergency rescue service, FEMA, and then
told him, "Brownie, you're doing a heckava job". Only
George Bush and the lockstep Republican Congress would
consider that performance "understanding the challenge
of terrorism".
Moreover, the Democrats hardly need Republican cues to
go after them on terrorism. The US and the world have
become less safe, and terrorists more emboldened,
since George Bush took office. The American people
know that, and it is shown in most polls. The
Democrats' whining responses to Repubican attacks,
instead of engaging and shoving it right back down
their throats is the reason that, despite all that has
happened, Democrats still have a "strength gap" among
voters.