"Democrats Still Need to Learn How to Fight"

Paul Abrams:

Democrats still don't get it. When Republicans attack or make outrageous claims, Democrats complain rather than engage. Instead of shoving it back down the Republicans' throats, the Democrats attack the ad to "set the record straight". Any wonder why the Republicans, whose policies actually weaken the country,are perceived to be strong, and Dems seem weak?

Today, for example, Republicans launched an ad featuring Osama bin Laden. Democrats cried "foul", misusing Osama bin Laden and 9/11. That comes across as whining. Instead, why not shove it back down their own cowardly throats? How? Dems should launch their own ad with Osama bin Laden, but sprinkled with phrases and pictures conveying these concepts: a) Bush DOING NOTHING after the July 10th and August 8th briefings in 2001; b) Bush allowing bin Laden to escape by not providing an Army Ranger battalion when Special Forces had him corned at Tora Bora; c)Diverting to Iraq before the job was done in Afghanistan; d)On the loose 5 years later. End it with the same tagline as the Republican ad, but with the twist: "These are the stakes. Either stay-the-course lockstep Republicans, or a new energy and iniatives with Democrats. Vote on November 7th. Your whole world depends on it."...

Similarly, when Rumsfeld compared Iraq war critics to Nazi appeasers, Democrats again whined foul. Instead, they should have said, "when special forces had Osama bin Laden cornered at Tora Bora and requested one Army Ranger battalion to finish him off, George Bush and Don Rumsfeld said 'no' If Donald Rumsfeld wants to find today's appeasers, he should begin by looking in the mirror".

When George Bush says his opponents want to "cut and run", Democrats should say, "when George Bush had a chance to serve his country in combat, he checked the 'no' box on overseas duty. The American people are not going to listen to attacks of cutting and running from someone who never showed up in the first place."

When George Bush says, "I understand the challenge of terrorism we face", Democrats should respond, "George Bush did not understand the terrorist challenge when the CIA blinking red lights in the summer of 2001, showed it again when everyone in the world, except the Bush Adminstration, saw Katrina coming and, for good measure, appointed an incompetent to head your most important emergency rescue service, FEMA, and then told him, "Brownie, you're doing a heckava job". Only George Bush and the lockstep Republican Congress would consider that performance "understanding the challenge of terrorism".

Moreover, the Democrats hardly need Republican cues to go after them on terrorism. The US and the world have become less safe, and terrorists more emboldened, since George Bush took office. The American people know that, and it is shown in most polls. The Democrats' whining responses to Repubican attacks, instead of engaging and shoving it right back down their throats is the reason that, despite all that has happened, Democrats still have a "strength gap" among voters.