Republicans look at political campaigns as "war" and Democrats don't get it.

[elocs]

I only heard the last few minutes of today's Talk of the Nation on National Public Radio. It was a comment made by the guest, Stefan Forbes, who has made a documentary about Lee Atwater and I thought it was so right on the point. (This was about 14:30 into the program, near the end).

His party (Republicans) is unapologetically following the Atwater playbook and Democrats are shocked by this. They don't realize that the other side sees politics as war, Atwater is a hero, and they're using his playbook to win election after election and these guys laughed to me about it. They said, look we hit the Democrats and they don't even defend themselves, they don't fight back and they don't understand the power of our deep emotional arguments where we take away their patriotism, and literally, when Sarah Palin said that Harry Reid cannot stand up to John McCain she wasn't taking away his talking points, she was taking away his manhood. That's the Atwater playbook the the Democrats still have not understood.

Republicans understand that people are moved by their feeling and their emotional reactions, even Democrats are. One of our greatest weaknesses as Democrats is that we believe that people are moved and swayed by rational and logical arguments backed up by facts--and some are, but when we use rational and logical arguments to counter something as emotionally charged as being accused of being unpatriotic, we lose. Republicans hit us with brass knuckles and our response is, "Marquis of Queensbury Rules". They fight to win a war and we play to win a debate because we cannot understand how people just don't get how right we are. So we win points while they win elections or make them closer than they should be.

I sure hope we can get this right at last because there are no nice, polite rules in operation here. The Republicans, as winners of the last 2 presidential elections got to do things like start wars and empty the treasury. The losers (that would be us--the Democrats) got to be indignant and all worked up about impeaching everyone for years. The Republicans just laughed. Let's have the last laugh.

[quiet.american]

1. Hmn. Valid points, but forgive me, it brings this to mind:

(Obama's ahead in the polls; the press are turning on McCain; the GOP is finally on the defense; I really think Obama "gets it.")

[elocs]

7. Obama "gets" it, but what about all the other races for Congress and other offices? n/t

[quiet.american]

10. From what I've seen, there is a new breed of Dem out there slogging it out.

The phrase, "take no prisoners" comes to mind. We're all tired of this shite. Not to say, as mentioned before, that your post doesn't have valid points. There's been a definite shift, though, in the kind of Dems who have been attracted to running for office. They seem to be taking a much more hard-hitting approach.

[Historic NY]

2. Not me I want Obama to press the button......survival of the fittest.

If we don't they will, so going nuclear is probably the only way the message seeps into American mindset. If 81% of the people say this country is on the wrong track why the hell would you vote for the McCsame team. http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/04/03/opinion/polls/main3992628.shtml

They're either dumb, brain washed, dead or just plain masochistic.

[SayitAintSo]

3. You know Atwater 'recanted' on his death bed and asked forgiveness...

For all his dirty deeds. I'm from SC and Atwater left his tawdry s#*t-stains all over the political landscape down here. The wingnuts that worship him today conveniently forget the "last chapter"....

[elocs]

6. According to the guest in this interview, Atwater did not recant and ask forgiveness

for all his dirty deeds. Some, but not all and the Republicans still employ his playbook.

[Sal Minella]

4. My light-bulb moment came a few years ago -- Democrats want everybody to vote, and expect all the

votes to be counted. The guy with the most votes wins. Democracy stuff.

Republicans want to keep the other side from voting whenever possible, by any means possible, no matter how foul, and then destroy the votes the other side does manage to get cast.

Republicans don't want an election. They want a pugnacious third-grade-level face-down in which they think it's cute to use every vile trick any of them can think up.

And then the worst of the tragedy is, once they get into office, they have NO idea what good government is about.

[ColbertWatcher]

5. Coming from the party of POWs, it's no wonder they see EVERYTHING as war.

For the GOP, war is an adventure you take with you buddies to make money at the expense of other people's well being and lives.

Is this what they're trying to say? That people should be injured or die before they can vote?

For the GOP, wars can be started without consultation from anyone else.

Is this what the GOP are saying? That leaders are chosen by people who apparently must die first before their opinions are ignored?

The GOP has a strange way of looking at the world.

Perhaps they believe these things because they know if they only offered their policies and record no one would vote for them.

Or is this just a coded way to threaten or frighten the American voter?

[elocs]

8. Republicans fight a no rules street fight while Democrats fight by Marquess of Queensbury rules.

Democrats expect to win points and elections with well reasoned arguments backed by facts while Republicans simply go for the throat with emotionally laden charges whether they are true or not. People who are not deeply informed will be moved and motivated first and foremost by their emotions and feelings. We don't have to be like Republicans, but we don't have to be stupid and show up at a gun fight with a knife.

[qwlauren35]

9. About knives at a gunfight...

If you have 10 people with knives and one person with a gun and 7 bullets, and the guys with the knives don't back down, then you have a dead gunman.

The Democratic strategy THIS TIME is a numbers game, played on the ground. If people are in bunkers, then they will survive an aerial attack. If enough people are alive after the enemy runs out of ammunition... or fuel, then the people win.

Yes, it's a war. And yes, we're trying to play within the Geneva convention rules.

I guess the question is: if one side plays dirty, but the other side has a larger, smarter, more determined Army, who wins???

I guess we'll find out. But trust me - our ground troops outnumber their ground troops by vast proportions. And I mean supporters, not just voters.

[Jade Fox]

11. And when the Dems give back in kind.....

the Republicans whip out their tut tuting about negative campaigning, unfair attacks, etc. etc. And until recently, the Dems would cave and apologize or otherwise look like idiots.

That being said, the Dems do need to figure out how to make political ads that are more visceral and less cerebral.