Should the Democrats come out swinging, or take the higher road?

[The Craw]

The Democratic Convention was amazing, in that it was so positive, filled with messages of unity and hope,and there was an attempt to unify all Americans- there seemed to be an attempt to appeal to citizens of all parties, and the respect and civility aimed at Mccain was shining...

The Republicans went to opposite route- they have played the fear card, they have pandered to the bigots and Christian radicals.
Palin gave a scornful speech laden with lies, and made numerous infantile attempts to mock Obama and ridicule and downplay his accomplishments.

In your opinion- should the Democrats fight back and put these right wingers in their place- or should they stay on the high road, not sinking to the level of the Republicans?
I'm thinking John Kerry did that by not fighting back when the swiftboaters came after him, and it cost him the election....


Should the Dems go negative?

[geek tragedy]

1. Screw the high road--it always leads to defeat.

Tear that awful woman to pieces.

[VAliberal]

11. go after her

while everything is fresh, in motion, she's not yet completely defined - force her to embrace the lies and misrepresentations she and the McCain campaign have thrown out. She and the pukes all simply repeat the same lies over and over with shit eating grins - repeating the big lie often enough, third reich style.

[1Hippiechick]

41. My sentiments exactly. n/t

[1Hippiechick]

42. Is this a serious question? (posted in the wrong spot but not moving.)

Sign at the fork in the road:

High Road - Left
Road to the White House - right

[cliffordu]

Crush them now.

[TheDonkey]

5. agreed. Show no mercy on these thugs

[The_Casual_Observer]

2. Bastards like rudy & co need to be subdued. It isn't very hard to do.

[BrklynLiberal]

3. a picture is worth a thousand words...

[Kutjara]

4. If you take a road that's too high,...

...you run out of air and die.

[DarthDem]

6. False Dichotomy

The answer, IMHO, is BOTH.

Surrogates should bash these clowns mercilessly while Obama does his best to stay above the fray and look presidential. When appropriate, he can join in the attacks (see his acceptance speech), making them selectively noteworthy and all the more devastating.

The Obama campaign, again IMHO, understands this EXACTLY. And has been doing a masterful job.

[Danger Mouse]

7. Yes. Hit them where it hurts with the truth.

[onefreespiritedchick]

8. Take them out now! n/t

[backscatter712]

9. Take the gloves off and knock them into the mat!

It's a sad fact, but negative works. Tearing the opponent down is damned effective - that's why politicians do it.

What is nice is that we don't have to "go there" - we don't have to come up with lies, smears, innuendo, false rumors or make low-blow attacks against families or personal matters. The Rethugs have provided us with all the material we need - all we have to do is show the world the truth.

[BeyondGeography]

10. Both

:P

[stolivodka]

12. BOTH

Step 1: Liberal internet bloggers slime the hell out of McShame and Failin.

Step 2: MSM picks up stories circulated by said liberal bloggers. Sliming accomplished.

Step 3: Obama and Biden denounce said bloggers as being nobodies and/or Repuke plants. Both remain squeaky clean.

Step 4: ???

Step 5: PROFIT!!

[sickinohio]

13. Take the high road?

F that!! Tear the Witch apart!!

[johnaries]

14. Obama should take the high road. The rest of us

should NAIL THEIR ASS TO THE WALL!

[Democrats_win]

15. High road, but still set the record straight with dignity.

Remember, the rich Republicans who are engorged on government money and money gouged from consumers, are the victims here. The bad guys are the people who have suffered for 8 years under the lies and thefts of the Republican party.

No matter what Dems do, the Republican party will complain, but I'm glad that we have a candidate who didn't sell out like McCain did.

McCain can't win. That's a fact no matter what happens on Nov. 4.

[cwydro]

16. Fight back...and hard!

But we have plenty of issues to do that with. Leave the kids out of it.

[npk]

17. Obama's been taking the high road

He has managed to point out the republicans lies and misinformation without having to resort to their despicable tactics. And thus far it is working, and the polls show it. Ever since McCain started this garbage of misinformation he has been falling farther and farther behind Obama. I see know reason for Obama to change now. I think if Obama continues to stay on topic and talk about the issues, rather than counter these idiot attacks, he will continue to distance himself from McCain in the polls.

[The Craw]

18. I think John Kerry regrets not fighting back when the swift boaters came for him

I suspect he would want Obama to hit back, and hit hard....


What I want to see is Obama challenging McCain when McCain and Palin claim to be 'pro life', and have them explain why they favor the continuation of a war in Iraq, where thousands of people have died...

i'm sure any question McCain can't answer he'll deflect by reminding people he was a POW...

[Prophet 451]

19. Swing for the fuggin' bleachers

The McCain campaign is going to describe absolutely anything the Obama team does as dirty politics. Might as well be accused of something they actually did.

[TheKentuckian]

20. Has to be both

Hit them hard and surgically with grace and professionalism. Witty, stinging humor may write the ticket. It has to be just right but it sure can be done.

[The Craw]

21. There is no question though- the Republicans have gone negative

Did anyone see any light, any hope, or *anything* positive in Palin's, Guliani's or Romney's speeches?

[curious one]

22. IMHO it should be a combination of both. Keep the positive tone and point to lies, misinformation,

and truth. One thing that no one wants now is a negative attack or feedback. We had it all night tonight.

Let's keep our class and composure. Tonight was cry of desperation.

[libodem]

23. I finally read 'The Wrecking Crew'

How a Gang of Right-Wing Con Men Destroyed Washington and Made a Killing by Thomas Frank in my August HARPER'S magazine. These neocons just don't play fair and the agenda is not just for them to win at any cost but annihilate the left while they are at it. They want to destroy 'liberals' and flat get rid of us. They want to make a big profit while they are at it but the unabashed plan is to have a one party system How this all jibes with the freedom and democracy they rally around, I don't get, but they consider themselves at war with us. They have been at this since the 80's labeling us as the enemy and seeking to eliminate our party. You tell me why we should play nice. These goons mean business.

[regnaD kciN]

30. "Freedom" and "democracy" are nothing but buzzwords for them...

Their goal, to put it plainly, is a New Feudalism -- where they and their corporate backers are the new hereditary aristocracy, and the rest of us are condemned to a life of serfdom in their thrall...and, to complete the picture, with a bought-and-paid-for Church (Roman in those days, extreme Protestant this time around) there to assure us that this structure is God's Will for all of us.

And, you know what? We're a lot closer than we might realize. :-(

[Hardrada]

24. Both regular and partisan warfare are called for since the

future of the planet is at stake. Or a combination epitomized by brass knuckles inside a velvet glove.

[Neshanic]

25. Again, and I am risking a lock/deleted here, I suggested...

That when the debates start then Biden in a very calculated way first questions but not directly her beliefs and her adhereance to them, that is her weakness. Before the debate, we should be unanimous in getting the talking point out what an excellent and very formidable debater she is. Also that she is a woman of strong convictions and can get her points across and does not back away from any fight as a strong feminist/hunter/mother/do all woman, and we respect her in all those areas, and will address them as she herself has mentioned and used in her "personality" gig.

This can be accomplished, in a very complete and calculated way; don't tell me we don't have the people that can't pull it off.

[Golden Raisin]

26. The high road has gotten us a knife in our gut

and 7 years of Bush. Republicans play vicious hardball and do whatever is necessary to win. We take the high road and remain out of power.

[regnaD kciN]

33. Not just "seven years of Bush"...

...but eight years of Reagan followed by four years of G.H.W. Bush, culminated with seven and a half years of G.W. Bush.

They've had plenty of time to remake America in their image, and have almost accomplished the task. One more time around will probably be all they need to make their vision permanent. :-(

[regnaD kciN]

27. Answer: BOTH!

Keep Obama himself on the high road, and dispatch the surrogates to break some kneecaps.

To begin with, I'd really love to have Hillary get sent to take care of the Mooseville Mussolini.

[Marsala]

28. Yes, both.

Obama really seems like the grown-up in the campaign, unlike snarky Palin or petulant cry-baby McCain. The high road will win us the respect of the independents, while the low road will expose the Republicans' hypocrisy in trying to steal the "change" theme.

[Guava Jelly]

29. Another vote for both

.

[goletian]

31. defend with facts, attack mccain with facts and bush comparisons. it works.

other than that, i wouldnt suggest going on the offensive against palin, specifically. shes a nobody, theyre just using her as a lightening rod. keep attacking the head, hes the main target, and the easiest to take down with the least amount of resistance. let the media tear her apart. shes not gonna carry him to the presidency.

[regnaD kciN]

36. I agree...

Palin isn't the main target, despite all the revulsion we may feel for her tonight. What was significant was not her, but the speech that "the powers that be" decided was appropriate for the vice-presidential nominee to give. Whether the running-mate chosen to deliver it had been Pawlenty, Romney, Ridge, Lieberman, Dole, Whitman, or Palin, the significance would have been the same: the Republican strategy will be attack, attack, attack -- truth and common decency be damned.

This election is going to be a street-fight in which our opponents acknowledge no rules. We need some street-fighters of our own out there; smart, brutal, and deadly warriors who know that you can't survive a street-fight sticking to the Marquis of Queensbury Rules. The target, in many cases, should be the Republican tactics themselves, only incidentally striking the person uttering them. The message has to be "you can't trust a word the Republicans say...they're thoroughly dishonest" (a message that is easy to present because its so provably true) -- and that message has to be hammered home as often as possible. It's not about Sarah Palin...it's about the inept, dishonest, and deceitful Republican Party.

[crimsonblue]

32. BOTh

let Obama maintain the high ground, and the further down the chain of command, the more vicious we should become. That means that sites like DU should play bad cop.

[AmericanUnity]

34. Biotchazilla MUST be crushed !! But, the press will skewer McCain and Palin from now on. He's

burned his bridges with the press.

Look out!! They'll crush McCain/Palin

[99th_Monkey]

35. Go after them, at a measured pace, drop by drop, death by a thousand cuts right up to Nov. ~nt~

[BPAW]

37. Come out swinging...

using McCain as the foil. If Palin wants to ban books, that must mean McCain does. If Palin wants Alaska to be independent, ask why McCain supports this notion. If Palin used her power improperly, tie it to McCain. Palin went after earmarks? I guess McCain must not be honest about cleaning up Washingon.

Attribute Palin's missteps and problems to McCaiin and hammer him on it (preferably using humor), but ignore Palin as a lightweight who has no bearing on the race.

[SeattleGirl]

38. I say, kick the rat bastards to the curb.

[Skwmom]

39. They should expose her for the lying Lunatic that she is.

[BumRushDaShow]

40. They may not have to do anything because

Others will! :rofl:

[1Hippiechick]

43. Somebody needs to check out her CURRENT approval rating: Alaskan says 53% & falling.... n/t

[Enrique]

44. unleash holy hell on them

from the high road.

Leave them down there in their gutter while we reign righteous fury on them. :bounce:

[TexasObserver]

45. come out swinging