There is that often referenced quote from the movie The Untouchables:

"You wanna know how you do it? Here's how, they pull a knife, you pull a gun. He sends one of yours to the hospital, you send one of his to the morgue."

The Republicans do it well.  Karl Rove, Fox News, Limbaugh and Conservative Talk Radio have learned how to coalesce behind their candidate and go after the Democrats, time and time again.  This loyalty and unity in fear-mongering is effective if not distasteful. 

This has happened time and time again.  Carter.  Dukakis.  Gore.  Kerry.  On and on.  Yet somehow, Democrats can't get their act together.  Instead of stubbornly refusing to let their mind games infiltrate Democratic planning - we openly welcome the doubts and innuendos they plant.  Instead of digging in and focusing our fire at them, we look at each other and say, "Maybe they got something figured out?"  Instead of fighting for one another, we act selfishly all the while dividing our party in two.

I've thought about it a lot and distilled it down to this.  There's three keys to Republican success.  (1)  Unity in offense.  (2)  Unity in defense.  (3) Divide and Conquer.  They implement it well - and we just sit bewildered by it.

Unity in Offense
This is fairly obvious.  From the Dukakis tank picture to the Kerry Swift Boat campaign to the now raging Obama Wright YouTube videos.  Almost all Republicans are forcing this down our throat.  Telling us that this is the only criteria for being a President.  From Fox News to Limbaugh Radio to Pat Buchanan to Joe Scarborough.  They toe the line with the same mantra - and its as forceful as "Yes We Can" if they all do it together.  The more they do it, the more their fellow Repulicans do it - and it seems to be working.

Unity in Defense
The McCain vs NY Times is the most obvious example of this.  How did McCain managed to wiggle out of this?  Everyone came to his side - all Republicans.  Just before this was out, they were splintered - with the Right questioning his conservatism.  After that, no one questioned him in his own party.  We can thank NY Times poor reporting for that one as well.

Divide and Conquer
This is them at their best.  Limbaugh urging voters to vote Hillary.  Baiting the white democratic members with race division.  This is much more subtle, but as we've seen - incredibly effective.  Its working.  And we just sit here.

What is incredible to me, is that the Democratic Party has not learned this.  They haven't figured it out.  They haven't even begun to attack this.  The best chance after the primaries started (I would argue that there was also a chance before this all began - when Clinton was the overall favorite - if she managed her campaign well and if the DNC leadership was bold enough to sit Obama down tell him that his time would come this would not have happened) was back in February (only 2 weeks ago) when Obama was way up and leading.  If he had won Texas and Ohio - this would have been a moot point.  But he didn't and here's how we've played into their hands.

Divided on Offense
There is none.  Period.  When Obama goes after McCain - Clinton discredits him by saying he's not capable of being CiC.  When Clinton goes after McCain, Obama says she's not experienced either.   And then we all just waste our energy on each other - forgetting the ultimate prize.  Its like your little brother coming up on you when you're arguing with you're dad and saying, "He wasn't at the library - he was at Nicole's house!"  Nice one - doesn't exactly help the cause.

Divided on Defense
The Obama/Wright fiasco is the most clear example of this.  When the Right Wing started its attack on Obama - who went out and supported him in the Democratic Elite?  In fact, I think McCain supported him more than any other Democratic politician publicly and on Fox.  No matter who you stand for, this attack by the Right should be an affront to any Democrat.  Clinton and her fans should have said, "We want to be the nominee, but what you're doing to a fellow Democrat is disgusting and we won't have it."  But of course, this didn't happen.  It goes both ways - Obama needs to better defend Clinton against McCain.  Defend.  Each.  Other.  Period.

Divide and Conquer
Instead of luring the moderate left leaning Republicans/Independents the Democratic way - they've been trying harder and harder to make McCain seem like not so bad of a guy.  Paint his ass red.  Make him Jerry Fallwell.  Make him Pat Robertson.  Find KKK quotes supporting him.  Everything you can do to make him seem like the most racist, evangelical, warmongering crazy this side of David Duke/Bush - will Divide their party.  Make them think again about voting for a crazy.

Ultimately, its sad what's happening.  As an Obama supporter, I am worried, depressed, and desolate about the whole Wright issue.  While I recognize his greatness, his intelligence, and the unique opportunity his candidacy affords our country to shine again, I fear most won't - they'll just see Rev Wright when they see him.  If this consumes the election like Swift Boats and Dukakis pictures of old - I fear that we may have another 4 years of BushCain.  Obama fans may not vote, being disillusioned if he is not the nominee.  Clinton fans might stay out of it as well, somehow agreeing with the Republican assessment of Obama.  This can't happen.  Repeat:  THIS CAN'T HAPPEN.  Our country's well being and soul may hurt for years to come after that.

In the end, who do I blame?  Republicans - thats too easy.  The MSM - well that's justified.  Democrats - yes I blame us the most.  We had an opportunity:  Hillary 08 (before Obama benefitted from inept Clinton campaign managing and inept DNC leadership) and Obama 08 (in February before the Wright fiasco and the 3AM ad) to unite and fight the Republicans in November. 

And who do we have to blame if we lose?  Ourselves.  Its that simple.  We have failed to help each other when attacked.  We have failed to attack the other together.  Instead of keeping internal dissonance internal - we've broadcast it, revealing our weaknesses to the opposition while they find creatively horrendous ways to manipulate it.

We've become the political version of the Lakers when they last had Kobe and Shaq together.  Each one of them superstars in their own right - each one of them would not back down.  They let their internal division spill out and over and it made them look silly when they needed to be perfect.  And now, whomever wins the nomination, they will lead a party weakened by strife, where the other nominee's supporters will leave with them.

Clintonistas, Obamabots (yes, I'm trying to unify by pointing out the retardness of our own labels) - our own dissonance may well be our downfall.  Watch that Untouchables scene again - repeat it.  Embrace it.  Lets stop focusing on each other - and fight the right fight, no matter who the DNC nominee is. 

"You wanna know how you do it? Here's how, they pull a knife, you pull a gun. He sends one of yours to the hospital, you send one of his to the morgue"