Here's The Game Plan: Dems Must Say NOTHING Of Miers

[Leopolds Ghost]

Don't let them turn this into a distraction. That's what Rove wants.

That's why he convinced Bush to withdraw her name. He told Bush the "base" would not let her thru. He got Bush to deflect his anger away from Rove and onto the "base". But the timing was to serve Rove -- and the Republican agenda.

Rove hopes to get Bush to nominate someone that the Dems will come out against. If this person goes down to defeat Bush will go running back to the "base" like a whipped dog. Congressional Dems don't have the fight in them for more than one or two go-rounds. Like Scalia, the choices will get harder and harder right and the base more and more unified, the further Dems get drawn into this battle.

Like Reagan, the result will be soaring "lame duck sympathy" approval ratings and Fitzgerald investigation dropped by Congressional Dems as they try and rally around social issues (SCOTUS) and avoid the war on
Iraq or the war on the poor. Iran Contra got dropped after it got
bigger than this investigation -- and Dems controlled congress, and it matters not that this treason is bigger than that treason. In the Bush white house, Bush is a cipher and everyone else is expendable and the puppet masters keep their hands clean -- just like under Reagan.

Dems must focus all attention on the Fitzmas investigation and say nothing of Miers. No comment. Don't want to be rude to the poor woman. Don't want to speculate on why she withdrew. Don't want to speculate on if the next one'll be better or worse.

Take it for granted that REPUBS won't like the next nominee any better, and SAY so. That's the ONLY thing they should say.

Focus all your ammo on Fitzmas and we have a chance of keeping the GOP divided and disarray. It'll be difficult in the absence of Miers. GOP was quickly papering over Katrina and regaining control of the noise machine before Miers came along. Look what happened w/ Roberts, not to mention the absence of consequences at the Congressional level for real and ongoing injustices related to Katrina (Gretna, martial law imposed under false pretenses of disorder, sections of the city sealed off, etc)

Bluff the Repubs into selecting a moderate by keeping QUIET about the SCOTUS, even if you have to Bork the next nominee, do it quietly and matter of factly. Don't say why. Focus ALL the pressure on Fitzmas.

Make it LAST PAST Fitzmas. Make the GOP fold.

If you say anything about the next nominee, whether or NOT he/she is
acceptible to Bush's base, and you are playing into Rove's hands. He will:

(a) Allow the MM noise machine to change the subject to SCOTUS. Dems must change the subject back to Fitzgerald no matter what is said to them on TV.

(b) Use the SCOTUS controversy to distract America from Fitzgerald, allowing him to quietly change jobs while retaining full influence on the West Wing; just like Roberts was used to change the subject from Katrina. Staunch the bleeding and limit the extent of damage for GOP. Not good.

(b) Use the SCOTUS brouhaha to paint Dems as obstructionists in the minds of Bush and the media, distracting them from blaming Bush for
Plamegate. Wear the dems down with successively worse nominations,
like they did with Scalia.

This could allow Bush to pull a Reagan and emerge from the whole mess squeaky-clean and renewed popularity. Americans love a guy who goes on the offensive. If we maintain a studied distance from Fitzmas and turn our defenses on SCOTUS we allow Bush to do that. The best defense is a good offense (Fitzmas).

[DakotaDemocrat]

1. "How can we comment..."

...on Harriet when we knew nothing about her. That's what the hearings would have been for."

If you really wanted to twist some folks, though, you can always say, "I thought the President should be able to nominate who he wanted. I thought all nominees deserved an up or down vote."

[Leopolds Ghost]

2. That's the spirit!

(insert Fitzmas spirit smilie here)

[Leopolds Ghost]

3. Some good comments on the Ed Schultz show

...on this issue. Looks like we're having some impact here on DU! :7

Merry Fitzmas and to Harriet, a Good Night!