Please, Democrats, Attack

Michelle Obama was spectacular Monday night. Poised, charming, beautiful, and most of all, authentic.

Ted Kennedy was heroic. Rising out of a wheelchair to stride out on stage, he showed us all the meaning of courage.

But unless you're married to the nominee or fighting off brain cancer, each speaker has one job at the Democratic convention: make the case for change. That case begins with a resounding, ringing indictment of the failed Bush-McCain policies.

In other words: attack.

82 percent of Americans think our country is moving in the wrong direction. The Bush-McCain Republicans messed up the country in their first term, and they messed up the world in their second. If they get a third term, even the solar system won't be safe.

Nancy Pelosi was great. The House Speaker was radiant and optimistic, even as she tore into the Bush-McCain Republicans. And yet there are troubling signs that the rest of the Democrats still don't get it. There is a report that former Virginia governor Mark Warner, the Democrats' keynote speaker, will not attack the Republicans.

To be fair, Warner is running for the Senate in a state that has not voted for a Democratic presidential candidate since Lyndon Johnson. Tearing into war hero McCain while running in a state full of military families could prove problematic for a guy whose reputation as governor was made on bipartisanship.

Democrats should not have put Warner in this bind. They should have chosen as their keynoter someone who, like Pelosi, can give voice to the anger and anxiety of hundreds of millions of Americans. Someone who will show McCain to be the Bush clone that he is.

This is a no-brainer. The political press is abuzz with overblown stories of a Clinton-Obama rift. There are some hard feelings, but less than you'd think, given the closeness of the primaries. But I have a seven-point plan for uniting the Obama and Clinton wings of the party:

Attack, attack, attack, attack, attack, attack.

Attack.

The way to unite and internally divided organization is to identify an external threat. The Obama delegates will be buying beers for the Clinton delegates once they're focused on how disastrous a third term for Bush-McCain would be. But no one is telling them.

If the Democrats do not spend the remaining days of their convention -- hell, the remaining days of the campaign -- in an all-out assault on the ruinous Bush-McCain policies, they will lose.

I was for Hillary in the primaries, but when she endorsed Sen. Obama, I proudly sent him a check for the legal maximum. On the memo line of the check I wrote, "FOR NEGATIVE CAMPAIGNING ONLY." No matter what minor difference Hillary and Barack had, they pale in comparison to the corruption, incompetence, dishonesty and criminality of the Bush-McCain Republicans.

Democrats need to attack as if the future, the country and the planet depend on it. Because they do.

For more Huffington Post coverage from the Democratic National Convention, visit our Politics @ the DNC page, our Democratic Convention Big News Page, and our HuffPost bloggers' Twitter feed, live from Denver.

Comments

[SENATORCALLENBOWE]

THE CLASS OF THE NEW GENERATION IS :)

[kimleehan]

Why can't we use unsubstansiated evidence.? When songbird used his p.o.w. experance that was all unsubstansiated since no one else was there to sibstansiate it. Theres a lot of unsubstansiated evidence out there Trow it out there let him prove it right or wrong. He made it a issue so don't take his word for it make him prove it. What would Karl Rove do with so much unsubstasiated evidence.?

[Seiko]

I like it kimleehan, also there is nothing wrong with picking up their trash and putting it in a garbage can. In public like as in a quick 10 sec. spot. If you want to be more aggressive, I don't see a problem with taking their own ad and beating them over the head with it, over and over. You know like keep reading their bogus non-sense back to them over and over until they say uncle! That could actually be very funny.

[FCorey]

I AGREE WITH PAUL AND HIS ASSESSMENT THIS MORNING on CNN!!!

"We in the media are allowing this woman to lie and get away with it".

Sarah Palin has taken home over 25 million in PORK and is on the campaign trail doing what republicans do...LIE!!! CNN has continually raised its support of the rock star status if SARAH PALIN...Jesus freak, pork barrel spender, anti-envir­onmentalis­t, anti-choice supporter (even if raped) and an overall L-I-A-R.

Barack and Biden had better wake up and smell the urine or else they will wake up NOVEMBER 9th to a Amerikan nightmare!

[DRaymond]

I think that some folks don't realize that this was posted before Obama big closing speech. I don't think that anybody at Invesco Field left feeling that John McCain hadn't been hit.

[Konnie]

HEY!!!! LOOK OVER HERE!!!!! SEE ME? I'M OVER HERE - JUMPING UP AND DOWN -WAVING MY ARMS!!!!! SEE ME NOW?

someone better add another drum to the drum set. i know we've got the big base drum thing for
the war, and snare for the economy, the hi-hat for spying....­.......but someone better hit Drum City
for another one: this one for the Supreme Court.

This should be a major talking point. Obama gets to pick a minimum of THREE (3) judges.
Could be more - THIS IS HUGE!!!!!!­!!!!!!!!!!­!!!! this is every IMPORTANT - WORLD ALTERING decision for the next 20 years!

this means we will never have another election like 2000. this means we will never have
to discuss Roe v Wade again - ever! This means Big Business - Big OIl - Big Technology -
Big Financial will never get a "pass go and collect $200" card again!!!!!!!!!!!

this means that America will never have to ceed the moral high ground again.

THIS IS BEYOND IMPORTANT!­!!!!!!!!!!
SO TALK ABOUT IT!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Obama4change]

I believe Senator Obama's campaign and the Democratic party did a wonderful job at the DNC. They do not need to change anything. I don't trust Paul Begala. Maybe he wants the campaign to change in order to create controversy. You see how being negative helped Hillary Clinton.

[JMEB]

I agree. As long as you don't get trivial with the attacks (which, I'm afraid to say, many of the blog & "news" posts are here).

There is PLENTY to attack McCain/Bush on without having to dig into the muck. At all. PLENTY.

Just keep on hammering away at them, repeating the same problems another McSame administration would have on our economy.

Have TONS of ads by military/e­x-military folks praising Obama again and again and again. And more. Seriously, the first thing the Obama campaign should do is identify like 50 of these guys, preferably old white men, saying that the McSame mlitary policy is a disaster and they're throwing all their weight behind Obama.

Again and again.

[texanna]

Unfortunately, most of the speakers didn't read your post in time to do at the convention what they needed to do! Now on to the general election where even if they do attack, attack, attack the corporatist media probably won't cover it. In my estimation, the DNC was an opportunity wasted by the No Drama Obamas. They may have no drama, but at this rate, they're also not going to have a win in November, either.

[Kim445588]

I think you have put together an excellent plan. Thank you.

[ifreez]

What the is wrong with democrats? No wonder the repugs laugh at them! With Iraq the focus was going into iraq in the first, but somehow the rupugs get the focus on, "The surge is working". Like, *?

The point is that the repugs claim to fame is that "both nominee and VP nominee are against the party, so vote for us again".

Why don't Dems make this an obvious talking point???

The Republicans are saying, "vote for OUR candidate, even though we implicitly admit we've been a disaster for the last 8 years; these people we are presenting to you are against us, so vote for us!"

TALK ABOUT THE JEDI MIND TRICK!

"Vote for our candidate, because they are against us, they voted against us, so vote for us again: they are good people, because the don't agree with us".

Is this not obvious?
They are clearly saying that the repug party is a bad choice, and has had bad policies.

It is a clear admission of guilt, and huge contradiction, but dems don't take advantage of it, or don't notice it. The oscure the better point to attack G.W.

The repugs say, "We admit we have bad policies, we admit we are a bad party when it come to the interest of the American people, so our clear selling point is that our candidate is against us, so vote for *us* again!"

I see this over and over again, and think, WT?!

[BilePile]

Democrats need to stop gushing about what a war hero and patriot McCain is. It seems like most speakers made the obligatory war hero and patriot reference. The last time we ran a war hero, not only did the republicans not fall all over themselves talking about it (as we are), they actually made the war hero thing into a liability. I'm not suggesting we repeat the swift boat style attacks - but rather just stop talking about it.

[CactusTom]

I don’t see the point of your article. Sure a few weeks ago I was concerned that there weren’t enough bad cops on the beat to attack the Bush, McCain Neocons, but there should be no doubt now that Joe B. is itching to rip into the Republicans at every level, and Barack himself is not afraid to smack aside anything the Republican gang puts forth. Indeed, I’m quite relaxed, confident that the swiftboaters will be taking a bath in their own crap.

[Kim445588]

We should have a hundred pronged attack approach, just like the repugs. Have we not learned that the high road is the path to losing? Attack on the issues over and over, and never underestimate the repugs.

[texdemguy]

Why do short guys always try to prove they are real men by acting tough?

So pathetic.

[cali girl]

Mr. Begala,
Thank you for being the first to expose the fact that John McCain's healthcare plan with hurt millions( I Believe you said 56 million) of Americans with pre existing conditions. As a person with hemophilia this is my biggest fear of him being elected, along with a variety of others. This NEEDS to be exposed!!! Its vital for the Americans who need healthcare most! The MSM is ignoring this core element of the McCain platform. We must get the word out and I'm glad you said it on CNN, I hope you continue to fight and I hope it becomes a major issue in thus election.

[FACINGREALIT]

Paul to a certain point you are correct - Democrats must attack but it has to be diplomatically. I'm sure I don't have to remind you that Hillary was the 'attack dogette' and yet she lost. What you and a lot of the 'old guard' fail to realize is that America is in 2 wars and Americans are tired of attacks. We seek diplomacy and a new method of dealing with both our friends and foes. Further, Obama is dealing with a 'color' perception that neccesitates a 'new politics' so as not to be perceived as the 'angry black man.'

In other words, this election, like no other, demands a clear path, a clear direction of where America is verses where America should be. Throughout this process, men like you and the political pundits have continually stated how Barack would lose because he was being perceived as weak, without a backbone, and how American would not accept the black man, and how he lacked experience - so and so forth. What you and others like you Paul are not acknowledging through your continued lack of understanding and continued need to try and define the man as 'he' should be is that Barack is now the Democratic Nominee (not presumptive). As such, I TRUST his judgment and as well as the judgment of the American people (Democrats, Republicans and Independent alike) who elected Barack to be their representative.

Instead of fight - Let's Unite! - Power to the People!