July 26, 2007

IMPEACH BUSH

IMPEACH CHENEY

POLITICS ON A GUT LEVEL

Republicans have achieved electoral success down through the years by appealing to emotional issues. In the 1950's they raised the specter of Communist domination. Richard Nixon crafted the "Southern strategy" that was designed to siphon off voters from Democrats because of the integration issue. In recent years there has been the abortion debate, school prayer, guns, gay rights, and terrorism. Republicans have had no ethnical standards in their attacks as we saw in the "Swift boating" of John Kerry in 2004. But it is possible to appeal on a gut level and be truthful and ethical. That's the subject of this column by Dick Polman is at www.projo.com:

One of the NIE summaries was entitled “Al-Qaida better positioned to strike the West.” And 11 days ago, a counterterrorism official familiar with the NIE document told the Associated Press that al-Qaida is “considerably operationally stronger than a year ago” and has “regrouped to an extent not seen since 2001.”

Yet, in response, Democrats have barely registered a pulse. None of the ’08 candidates, or national party leaders, or the congressional leaders, have gone for the gut GOP-style, with something like this:

Grainy slow-motion footage of Osama bin Laden and activity at his training camps. Cue ominous music.

“Six years after Sept. 11, this man still roams free — thanks to George W. Bush and his Republican allies. They promised they would be tough. They promised to protect us here at home. But instead they took their eye off the ball, spending $2 billion a week in a futile war half a world away from our real enemy, imperiling our brave servicemen and women, and emboldening those who would come here to kill us. America can no longer afford the party of weakness. Vote Democratic, as if your life depended on it.”