I arose and checked the Real Clear Politics for political news on this politically charges Saturday. When I came across and article entitled “The DCCC’s Independence Day Attack”.
It was not surprising that the Democrats are launching misleading smear attacks against Republican members of the House. Nor is it surprising that the attacks will be launched over Independence Day a year and a half before the next election.
What is surprising is the failure of Republican Congressional leadership to effectively counter-attack. The Republican response is nothing more than the traditional press release, using mild and tepid language. While the Ds attack on emotional issues, and attack constantly, we think a few press releases citing spending levels is sufficient. A few people will read the description of spending numbers but everyone in the contested districts will see and hear the TV and radio ads.
The 21st Century is upon us. New technologies, like talk radio and the internet have married television to create the 24-hour news cycle. In turn, the 24-hour news cycle creates a volume of sound that, however shallow, permeates the public awareness. The liberal lies travel around the world before we even begin to respond. When the response is some boring recitation of mere numbers or similar language, we catch far less of the public’s attention. Worse yet, when our response is limited to press releases we forfeit large parts of the total possible audience who do not read or watch the “news”. Worst of all, when we just play defense we attach no cost to lying about us and thereby provide the Dems with a no risk battlefield. The least favorable result for Dems is a marginal victory of eroding some confidence in Republican leadership. We need to punish this tactic of lies.
So, W, why on God’s earth do you not launch a massive counter attack at the 14% Democrat Congress?
It was not surprising that the Democrats are launching misleading smear attacks against Republican members of the House. Nor is it surprising that the attacks will be launched over Independence Day a year and a half before the next election.
What is surprising is the failure of Republican Congressional leadership to effectively counter-attack. The Republican response is nothing more than the traditional press release, using mild and tepid language. While the Ds attack on emotional issues, and attack constantly, we think a few press releases citing spending levels is sufficient. A few people will read the description of spending numbers but everyone in the contested districts will see and hear the TV and radio ads.
The 21st Century is upon us. New technologies, like talk radio and the internet have married television to create the 24-hour news cycle. In turn, the 24-hour news cycle creates a volume of sound that, however shallow, permeates the public awareness. The liberal lies travel around the world before we even begin to respond. When the response is some boring recitation of mere numbers or similar language, we catch far less of the public’s attention. Worse yet, when our response is limited to press releases we forfeit large parts of the total possible audience who do not read or watch the “news”. Worst of all, when we just play defense we attach no cost to lying about us and thereby provide the Dems with a no risk battlefield. The least favorable result for Dems is a marginal victory of eroding some confidence in Republican leadership. We need to punish this tactic of lies.
So, W, why on God’s earth do you not launch a massive counter attack at the 14% Democrat Congress?
16 comments:
Can you be more specific? Which DCCC liberal lie emotional smear tactic would you like to discuss first?
On the surface the Democratic race has remained rather static over the last three months - at least as far as the horserace numbers between Clinton and Obama.
But not enough attention has been paid to Edwards' crumbling campaign and its consequences on the Democratic contest.
Back in mid-April Edwards peaked in the RCP Average at 17.8%, while Clinton held a 12.8% advantage over Obama, 35.8% to 23.0%. Today, the Clinton - Obama race is virtually unchanged, with the New York Senator holding a 12.4% edge, 36.0% to 23.6%.
Edwards, on the other hand, has lost over 30% of his support and has seen his national numbers fall to 12.4% in the latest RCP Average.
The most recent Washington Post and Los Angeles Times polls have his national numbers in single digits at 8%.
In the InTrade prediction markets Edwards' odds to be the Democratic nominee have plunged from 25% at the beginning of the year to only 5% today.
this from the NYT:
Mrs. Edwards has also become a free operator on behalf of her husband of 29 years, a development that her friends suggest reflects the clarity and perspective that come from her cancer diagnosis, and her increasingly confident political instincts as she advises Mr. Edwards, a North Carolina Democrat, in his second White House bid.
When Mrs. Edwards called in to a television talk show this week to confront the conservative commentator Ann Coulter who had attacked Mr. Edwards this year, it was a decision that Mrs. Edwards said she made impulsively and on her own.
The resulting dramatic four minutes of television created a surge of attention that at least momentarily electrified her husband’s campaign, winning applause from the left and apparently spiking contributions in the critical final days of this second-quarter fund-raising period.
It also made Mrs. Edwards the sympathetic face of the Edwards campaign, for a few days overshadowing the candidate himself.
Similarly, Mrs. Edwards told gay leaders at a kick-off event for the San Francisco gay pride parade last week that she supported same-sex marriage, a position at variance with Mr. Edwards’s. He learned of her remarks from reading a newspaper, an aide said.
Mrs. Edwards said that any impression that she was the 800-pound gorilla of a spouse — second this year perhaps only to another candidate’s spouse who once lived in the White House — resulted from the fact that she was a person given to strong opinions, expressed strongly.
Democratic Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. has put in an earmark request for the Abraham Lincoln National Airport Commission.
The trouble is, the airport doesn’t exist – and the commission is run by one of Jackson’s congressional staffers.
According to its Web site, the Airport Commission "has a mandate from its members to plan, develop, finance, construct and operate a commercial airport with passenger and cargo facilities near University Park, Illinois.” The airport would be the third in the Chicago area.
Jackson’s earmark would take $231,000 from U.S. taxpayers for "Minority and Small Business Development and Procurement Opportunities.”
The House’s Republican Study Committee (RSC) said in a statement: "It seems rather curious than an airport that doesn’t yet exist would need to develop opportunities for minorities and small businesses.”
During a campaign swing in California, Rudy Giuliani said that as president he would govern much the same way as another politician the locals are familiar with – Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.
If Bill Clinton was the "first black president," his wife and Barack Obama are vying to be the second.
Obama, the only black running for the White House, came into a debate Thursday night at predominantly black Howard University with the crowd on his side, chanting his name as all eight Democratic candidates posed for pictures on stage.
But Hillary Rodham Clinton appeared to win many of them over in an impassioned performance that addressed their anger over inequality.
"If HIV/AIDS were the leading cause of death of white women between the ages of 25 and 34, there would be an outraged outcry in this country," Clinton said in the biggest applause line of the night, bringing audience members to their feet.
Black voters are a loyal base for Democratic candidates, which was why all the presidential candidates were sure to take part in a debate focused entirely on issues facing the black community. Polls show that blacks are closely divided between Obama and Clinton, with other candidates gathering less support.
Clinton earlier this month disclosed the holdings of the blind trust that she holds with her husband, former President Clinton.
The Clintons then liquidated the fund's holdings, estimated at between $5 million and $25 million.
The issue got personal and close to home Thursday when it was learned that Jesse Jackson Jr was asking for $231,000 for ALNAC, as an earmark added to the Financial Services Appropriation Bill.
It was during his defense of the spending request that Jackson said, "Ford Heights, one of the poorest suburbs in the country abuts the airport."
Perhaps Jackson needs a geography lesson, since this marks the second instance that he has tried to mislead people about the airport’s location which is not in his congressional district.
The other instance was on his website where Peotone was listed under the heading "My Home District."
All of the communities in Jackson’s district were listed there, including Peotone, which was between Park Forest and Phoenix. Peotone remains in the list, but a new header has been added that reads, "Municipalities on the South Side and South Suburbs including the future Home of Chicago's Third Airport in Will County Illinois Peotone."
Jackson is asking for the funds for what the Republicans are calling "the invisible airport."
"This earmark would direct $231,000 - taken from taxpayers’ pockets across America - for "Minority and Small Business Development and Procurement Opportunities," according to the Republican Study Committee.
Not only does the Republican organization recognize that an airport does not exist, but they protest that Rick Bryant, its Executive Director, who runs ALNAC, spearheaded by Jackson, is also Jackson’s paid staff member.
Bryant is Jackson’s Deputy District Administrator, earning $23,999.99 in 2006, according to Jackson’s website.
Jackson claims the only thing standing in the way of the airport is Blagojevich’s agreement to lease state-owned land to ALNAC.
Yet, he fails to mention that only a percentage of the land is owned by the state and the remainder is in the hands of unwilling sellers.
Campbell questioned the use of small business and procurement opportunities for an airport that doesn’t exist.
"How can that be?" he asked, since even if it were approved today, it wouldn’t exist for many years.
WASHINGTON -- New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson raised $7 million for his Democratic presidential campaign during the last three months, surpassing his first quarter fundraising, his campaign announced Friday.
The total places Richardson firmly in fourth place in the race for money among Democrats, behind John Edwards and pack-leading Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama. The second-quarter reporting period ends Saturday.
The Clinton campaign announced Thursday that she would raise "in the range of" $27 million this quarter - a record for a Democrat.
The Obama campaign is expected to match or exceed that figure.
Edwards was expected to fall short of the $14 million mark he set in the first quarter.
The campaign's Web site on Friday recorded his current total at $8.6 million with a goal of $9 million for the quarter.
Among Republicans, Mitt Romney's presidential campaign predicted Friday that his April-June fundraising would fall short of the $20 million he raised in the first quarter of the year.
Rival John McCain's campaign urged supporters to contribute, conceding it is "close to but short of our overall fundraising goals."
Ted, to answer your question:
Because Bush is incompetent. He will also need the RATS when he decides he wants to screw over the conservatives again.
I'm through with him and would not care if the RATS were to begin impeachment proceedings.
“So, W, why on God’s earth do you not launch a massive counter attack at the 14% Democrat Congress?”
Could it be because the unpopularity of the D Congress mainly stems from the fact that W and the relatively strong R minority have been able to keep D’s from implementing their agenda? It’s not that people (D’s and I’s unhappy with Congress) dislike the D agenda. They dislike D’s inability to implement it. If you look at those polls a bit further, you will find that a sizeable majority, despite its unhappiness, still wants to keep D’s in charge of Congress.
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