Democrats Conflicted on Playing Rough:Roberts Ad Raises Tactical Questions

[DeepModem Mom]

WP:
Democrats Conflicted on Playing Rough
Lack of Support for Roberts Ad Raises Question of Tactics

By Dana Milbank
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, August 13, 2005; Page A04


The decision by the abortion rights group NARAL Pro-Choice America to pull an incendiary ad attacking President Bush's nominee to the Supreme Court has produced a fresh round of recriminations within the Democratic Party and a return to a nagging question: Has the opposition lost its nerve?

When conservatives complained about the ad -- which suggested that nominee John G. Roberts Jr. condoned violence against abortion clinics -- a number of prominent liberals joined in the criticism and elected Democrats ran for cover rather than defend the ad, which was dropped.

Amid similar criticism against another controversial ad, most Republicans brushed aside demands to repudiate Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, a group that had taken aim at John F. Kerry's war record. Some Democrats said the difference revealed on their side an ambivalence about modern political combat that helps explain why their party is out of power....

***

The NARAL case was the latest incident to provoke Democratic recriminations. In June, Democrats demanded that Bush aide Karl Rove apologize for saying that liberals wanted "therapy and understanding for our attackers." Rove refused to apologize, and Republicans leapt to his defense. Just before the Rove episode, Republicans demanded an apology from Richard J. Durbin (Ill.), the number two Democrat in the Senate, who likened U.S. treatment of prisoners in Guantanamo Bay to techniques used by Nazis. Democrats joined in criticizing Durbin, who eventually delivered a tearful apology on the Senate floor....

***

While both parties have participated in their share of nasty and dishonest politics over the years, a number of Democrats have come to the conclusion that they need to be tougher. "You can't blame your opponents for applying a strategy that beats your brains out....You've got to be tough enough to beat it."....(T)he Democrats have had trouble shedding a tendency to complain. When GOP ads in 2002 showed images of Osama bin Laden and Saddam Hussein and portrayed Sen. Max Cleland (D-Ga.) as soft on terrorism, Democrats howled. But a version of the ad continued, and Cleland, who lost limbs in Vietnam, was defeated....


http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/08/12/AR2005081201596.html

[hollowdweller]

1. I thought the same thing when they pulled the ad

You should see the ones they are running against Byrd. With Willie Horton and the Texas dirty smear politics the Bush family has introduced into the national arena I figure they started it and they are fair game.

[acmejack]

3. And that ad was the truth!

I was extremely disappointed that NARAL saw fit to pull it. The opposition has no qualms about blasting the most negative and blatantly untrue ads about us, but we are to cowardly to stand by the truth about them. No wonder we can't convince people to vote our way.

[MrBenchley]

7. You got that right....

That guy Bray, whom Judge Frenchfry spoke up for, went on to be part of the Army of God, the group that pulled the 1998 bombing.....

[howmad1]

26. And how!

About the only thing the democratic party is good for is apologizing. Remember Dick Durbin and now NARL. Next thing the dems will be apologizing for being too LIBERAL. I am embarrased to be a democrat. If a democratic politician does not go down to Crawford to support Cindy by the end of August, I am out of this phoney party after 50 years. ;(

[The Backlash Cometh]

2. Lost their nerve? When did they find it?

They don't have to get nasty in their ads. All they have to do is give the public the real info on the Repubs and then show natural outrage.

[Jon8503]

4. This is why I am soooo getting fed up with the Democratic Party,

have always contributed and they keep calling for money. I just tell them whenever I see that they have some backbone and some fight in them, I will start again.

I have nowhere else to go other than the Greens, sure as hell not the repukes. But I am not going to give them money if they are not willing to fight or get some balls.

[existentialist]

17. I agree

While I will continue to donate to individual Democratic candidates who stand for something--as I did to Paul Hackett--I am done donating to the DCCC or to other nationwide Democratic organizations.

At least until they start standing for something.

[Jon8503]

20. Exactly, I have been hoping they will learn something from Paul

Hackett. He showed you can go into a very conservative republican district, tell the truth, not back down from anything. As you state "stand for something". Everyone knew who Paul Hackett was and what he stood for. No questions.

You can see how far he went.

[Lorien]

29. Indeed. Why run when the truth is on our side?

We've had MORE than enough material to hang the GOP with over the past 4 1/2-why the fear of using it?

[OzarkDem]

5. They should learn from Cindy

She's showing them how its done by being tough but compassionate, and by staying on message and not backing down.

When will Dem leaders realize that when you're position on an issue is the right and virtuous one, you shouldn't be afraid to stand up for it?

Maybe Cindy should run for office and show them how its done.

[existentialist]

15. I agree

Cindy for Congress!

[Sapphire Blue]

6. Why didn't they just insist that NARAL's allegations be investigated by

... Congress? They didn't need to defend or attack the ad... just leave it alone and let the facts speak for themselves.

Are these ad critics perceived as supporting Roberts' SC nomination? Do they support his nomination? Are they worth our support if their support for the other side results in Roberts' record not being fully investigated? WTF is with all the bending over to please the other side???

BTW, I haven't seen the ad. I do believe Roberts' full record needs to be fully investigated... and Roberts must be held accountable for his record... not blindingly promoted to the SC by this rubber-stamping excuse of a Congress... a Congress that is so eager either to please this rogue Administration or so afraid to stand up to it... a Congress that clearly does not represent the people.

[54anickel]

10. Good point. They could have used the ad to call for disclosure of

the record. Instead they called to pull it which implies it was not true. Repukes will use the pulling to their advantage.

[Onlooker]

8. This is why I no longer give to the Democrats

I haven't given a cent to the Democratic Party since the last election, but instead directly support candidates and causes I believe in. While individual candidates deserve our support, the Democratic Party does not deserve our support until it actively supports our causes.

[mom cat]

12. I am feling the same was and am furious at NARAL for pulling the ads.

[bemildred]

19. Yeah, I don't get it actually.

Last time they get a nickel from me.

[mom cat]

16. I have come to the same position and will only support candidates,

parties and organizations that will stand and fight! I feel betrayed by the democrats for their premature concession last election and am only going to send my money to tohse who will stay in the fight. I do not have enough to support quitters anymore!

[existentialist]

18. Looks like

a lot of us feel this way. I've already posted to the same effect. Let's try to have discussions here as to who may be worthy of our support.

Actually, it's pretty clear we're already doing this. DU came out in force for Paul Hackett.

So I think we are doing something correctly even if the mainstream national Democrats aren't.

[mom cat]

28. The people have to take the lead.

[existentialist]

33. ("We the people . . .")

[Name removed]

9. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[IndianaGreen]

11. Roberts has no conflicts about what he wrote!

Roberts wrote that women at abortion clinics were not protected by the nation's civil rights laws! Those are code words that enable violence against abortion clinics and to their care providers and patients. This is also the same sort of language that the rightwing uses to say that the murder and beatings of GLBTs does not constitute hate crimes.

Yep, Roberts, we know who you really are and what you really represent: the darkest impulses of the American psyche.

[bemildred]

13. Dana Milbank:

The nadir prize within mainstream American journalism probably goes to Dana Milbank of the Washington Post for his curled-lip rendering of Rep. John Conyers' (D-Mich.) ad hoc hearing on the memos. It was ad hoc because the House Republican majority has every interest in burying this scandal, so much so that they wouldn't even give Conyers a conference room in the Capitol to use, despite the fact that several were available. (Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) ultimately found him a stuffy basement room of about 20' by 30'.) To further stymie Conyers, the Republicans simultaneously scheduled important committee meetings and an astounding 11 floor votes--a House record.

Milbank had a slightly different perspective on the event in a story labeled "Washington Sketch." Titled "Democrats Play House To Rally Against the War," Milbank began with this lead-in: "In the Capitol basement yesterday, long-suffering House Democrats took a trip to the land of make-believe." Milbank went well out of his way to mock Conyers, omit salient facts, erroneously report others, and even somehow manage to play the anti-Semitism card.

Fortunately, it produced what Post Ombudsman Michael Getler described as "a torrent of critical e-mails," which in turn led to him calling the paper's sole coverage of the news event by a columnist "a serious mistake." (In his column a week earlier, Getler had also written "The bulk of the mail last week, by far, was focused once again on the 'Downing Street Memo.'") Without the leadership of Conyers and the electronic foments of an angry blogopublic, Downing Street would have been DOA in the USA.

http://www.infoshop.org/inews/article.php?story=20050714075707224

[bemildred]

14. Is a lickspittle worshiper at the throne of empire ... nt

[depakid]

32. Really- Hopefully, people will see this article for what it is

Nothing but more thinly veiled put downs of the Dems- and everything rational.

Never mind that some of the facts are true- reading anything along these line that's published by Pravda on the Potomac is bound to misinform and frame the issues for the far right.

My motto these days: "if it comes from the Post, then it's usually not worth bothering with."

[shanti]

21. conflicted??

pa-leeze! don't be pantywaists, dems! funny, but the only dems with cojones seem to be women, with a few exceptions.

[LSU_Subversive]

25. oh come, now, no need to be sexist.

[shanti]

30. sexist???

ok, pink tutu dems...get real. :eyes:

[LSU_Subversive]

31. roll your eyes if that makes you feel better, but saying the following:

"...the only dems with cojones seem to be women, with a few exceptions."

is sexist.

[shanti]

34. whatever, dude

you seem to be the only one complaining. again, is what i posted not true?

[CityDem]

22. Dem Party Strategy

Insert tail firmly between your legs and run for cover. No wonder we cannot win a national election. Our leaders are cowards.

[BlueManDude]

23. It's not like they're going to get credit for being "civil"

So why not fight like hell? Either way the meadia will portray them badly. The GOP doesn't care - neither should the Dems.

[LSU_Subversive]

24. we aren't as comfortable with subterfuge as the GOP.

they're used to lying and distorting the facts and have done it so much, now, that they don't seem to experience any recognizable shame or embarassment for what ultimately happens. not that what NARAL did was subterfuge (we really won't know until we have access to the documents that the admin won't let the public see), but once the right-wing accused them of using such tactics they immediately went on the defensive and pulled the ad. big mistake.

because the right-wing engages in these tactics so often and they have so many resources, they've strategically prepared for most possible public reactions. they've really thought the issues through. it should be no surprise then that when we begin to use these tactics, and we get called on it, we react in a rather amateur manner and basically shoot ourselves in the foot.

there are two basic strategies that the GOP uses and seem to work with the general public:
1. don't ever admit that you were wrong.
2. don't go on the defensive. no matter what happens, stay on the offensive.

i'm not saying that what they do is right and we should engage in those tactics for the sake of achieving our long-term objectives. i really don't know. i've tried to use those tactics before and have a hard time sticking with it. i'm not good at it and i think it's because i have too much of a sense of nuance and morality. but sometimes i wish that i (we) could. i really have mixed feelings about this.

[TheDonkey]

27. I don't think they've lost nerve, but there are more important battles

A moderate republican judge being replaced by a republican judge isn't the biggest problem we face right now imo. NARAL's ad was also trying too hard to cast Roberts in a bad light.

[western mass]

35. "important battles" - this kind of thinking is the problem

Dems need to hammer home one message, consistently, at every turn, in every way possible: These people are fanatics and criminals.

Talking about anything unless the American people understand this is pointless and a losing strategy.

[kodi]

36. typical. Democrats imitate Hamlet, while the GOP act like Richard III

.

[Democat]

37. There is no such thing as Democratic Leadership right now

Only a bunch of selfish cowards hiding from their own shadows.

[DeepModem Mom]

38. Please see KoKo01's "Greatest" GDP post, w/ Daily Howler's response...

to this article, "Dean Gets It":

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x2010998

[Gloria]

39. Meanwhile, have you seen the pro-Roberts,anti-liberal ad???

I saw it on FAUX this am while wainting in vain to see Clark...

Refers to "frustrated liberals"---"how low can frustrated liberals go?"
Invokes his previous confirmation vote, how after a "full" review of his record he was easily confirmed.....

It's a really shitty ad, by some group called PDA or something (the term "progressive is in there).

When do Dems get off their butts?

[jsamuel]

40. you have to TACTFULLY PLAY ROUGH!

geez, you can't just go out shouting everything and expect to get good reactions...

[VegasWolf]

41. Typical. Boo Hoo, the republicans hurt my feelings!! They don't play

fair. If we can't find some Democrats with balls, I'll be
looking 3rd Party next time. Screw this!!!