The Iraq War is the most divisive new issue to hit America since the Vietnam War. Yet, as with Vietnam (during most phases, with the exception of the 1972 presidential election), there is no clear partisan policy divide. This war (unlike Vietnam) is entirely a Republican project on which the Dems have just gone along. It’s something by which the the Dems could clearly distinguish themselves when offering the voters a choice in November. But, as it’s shaking out, the Dems are not responding to widespread disillusionment by calling for peace.
Yes, but that would require a Democratic party leadership that’s (a) intelligent and (b) willing to take a stand, two caracteristics which are in short supply these days.
None. The Democrats are too spineless to make a stand ( any stand ), and the American public is apparently too moronic to care or notice what the Republicans are doing to this country.
This should be simple for Democrats. It doesn’t require taking a stand; it doesn’t require that they be able to explain why they voted to give Bush war powers in Iraq. All they have to do is state:
The Republicans lied to you (and us) and look at the mess we’re in.
Actually, no. Kerry ran a completely stupid defensive campaign, attempting to rationalize his vote, and using his Three Purple Hearts as toughness credentials.
It is a mistake to think of the Iraqi invasion as a failure. An inevitable mistake though, as many normal and rational people will believe the administration started the invasion for the reasons it gave.
No,
Article in full.
Having exercised revenge and plenty of spectacle the Administration will again be rewarded by its followers. The tame media will work on the rest, so expect a middling to slight change around November
I think it will have a major impact across the board…though the shit will probably hit the Republicans harder than the Democrats. Recent polls seem to indicate that more and more Americans think Iraq is a lost cause.
Uhuh. So, either the Dems were in on it or they were asleep at the switch…or they are so monumentally stupid that they LET the Republican’s lie to them and didn’t bother to try and dig to find the truth but swallowed everything whole.
Knowing the system marginally better than you seem too I know my own answer to this…which is that the Dems went along and the majority also thought the information they were getting from the various intelligence agencies was right. I think the majority of Americans are going to be looking with a fishy eye at BOTH parties…YMMV
This is certainly true.
It worked SO well for the Dems in 2004 that I agree its a winning strategy again. Don’t attempt to renew your tired and drab decades old party line, don’t show what you could do better, don’t lay out a path to the future…simply keep saying how bad the 'Pubs are and pointing out that you aint them. You should win in a land slide…
:dubious:
Kerry ran a completey defensive campaign (I don’t disagree it was stupid)?? Did you see the same election I did???
The point is, while Kerry called Bush on many things, he did not (could not, because of his voting history) make an issue of the actual decision to go to war, nor did he characterize Bush as the evil lying shitbag chickenhawk warmonger that he is.
This is where the minority has an advantage – the Republicans control the executive, the legislative and the flow of intelligence. All the Democrats have to do is say “they lied. We’re not running an alternative version of the CIA. They lied.” When the Republicans respond with “you shoulda, coulda…and Saddam’s a bad guy…and besides, do you have a better exit strategy?” the Democrats go back to point #1. They lied. Your sons died. It’s Rovian in its simplicity. Stay on message. They lied.
Like BrainGlutton said, Kerry didn’t have the cojones to call Bush a lying scumbag warmonger. His attempt to defend his voting record left him wide open to the “flip flopper” attack, and his “I’m really a tough guy cuz I won 3 Purple Hearts” left him open to the Swift Boat crap.
So basically you are playing up to the unsophistication and ignorance of the voters you are trying to attract. Hm…well, you may be onto something there I suppose. 'Course, it may backfire on you…but I admit that you can generally not go wrong playing to ignorance.
Well, I disagree that Kerry didn’t not speak to the decision to go to war at all, though admittedly he didn’t hammer away at it much…would have been hard since he went along. However, there was certainly no lack of OTHERS who were hammering away at Bush and company about it. While these may or may not have been cats paws for the Dems, they certainly were anti-Bush and were pretty vocal…and pretty widely in circulation among the general population.
Technically you are right of course…it wasn’t KERRY (directly) who was saying it. Then again Bush didn’t DIRECTLY have or say much about the whole Swift Boats thing…right? Maybe you’ll get more traction this time about painting the war in Iraq as a Republican plot that the Dems were tricked into. jsc1953 Seems to think its a winning strategy and that this is essentially all you’ll have to do to win…just keep hammering away on message and hope your electorate is ignorant enough to swallow it whole. Could work too…this is American after all.
Well, if the electorate was sophisticated we wouldn’t be having this discussion.
Fortunately for the Dems, there’s lots more to discuss than Iraq. There should be a whole “turn the rascals out” theme to this campaign.
Are you sick of legislation being written by Enron and Jack Abramoff?
Are you sick of undercover CIA agents being outed for political reasons?
Are you sick of tax cuts for the rich while deficits soar and your job goes to India?
Are you sick of FEMA being dismantled and run by political cronies, because the DHS is more concerned about kicking muslims off airplanes?
Are you sick of Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo? And America being a disgrace to the world community?
Are you sick of domestic spying and having your civil liberties trampled?
But your suggestions are pretty weak. Stick more to the mess in Iraq, the poor response to Katrina and the deficit.
Which legislation are we talking about?
There was more than one? And how do you know it was for political reasons? That plays well to the base, but you already have them.
What specifically are you going to do to keep my job from going to India?
Right message, wrong phraseology. Drop the part of muslims. Most Americans probbably WANT muslims kicked off airplanes.
Don’t bring up Gitmo (what are you, pro-terrorist?) and don’t go on about the “world community”. Didn’t you learn anything from Kerry’s blunders last time?
What have the Democrats done to end “domestic spying”? One Senator sent one handwritten letter to Bush over a span of 3 years. Besides, most Americans are OK with the NSA program. This is a losing proposition for the Dems. Talk about “selling our ports to foreigners” instead.
