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Why do the Democrats keep losing on the issue of National Security?
Some progressives believe that Obama will eventually erase the deficit on national security once he debates McCain. But many in the Democratic Party forget that Kerry dominated Bush in the debates on the issue but still managed to lose the trust of the American people. The Democrats lose on the issue because the Republicans always use the fear card. I therefore propose that the Democrats use the fear card against the Republicans like LBJ did against Goldwater in 1964.
Here a couple of ideas for political ads that can truly scare the American people. I think that the Obama campaign needs to use slides from the British docudrama, Threads, which is about the affects of nuclear war, whenever McCain talks about Russia. Or use horror stories about wounded soldiers in Iraq when McCain talks about the success of the surge. If Obama adopted these ideas he could probably win the national security debate.
Comments (4)
After the convention we need to see an attack ad from our side piecing together all the bellicose jingoistic statements of McCain's "WAR, WAR, WAR," that he spouts at every opportunity. And just play the hell out of it until every American knows that's all this guy lives and breathes for.
August 19, 2008 7:32 AM | Reply | Permalink
Also, I have long believed that an ad showing the horrific events of 9/11 without a voice over talking about how Bush was warned about this a month before it happened and did nothing, coupled with the costs of the war in dollars and lives lost and forever ruined, wrapping it up with: They say they will protect you against the bad guys. How come they didn't?
August 19, 2008 7:34 AM | Reply | Permalink
In that vein, Obama could mention Richard Clarke, who was a holdover from the Clinton Adminisrtation, and the only one to show an interest in al Qaeda pre-9/11 among that Iraq-obsessed crew.
Also, Obama could mention Clinton's interest in domestic security issues, commissioning the Hart-Rudman Commission, none of whose recommendations were followed, of course, by Clinton's successor.
I suspect Obama doesn't want to go down this route, because some very embarrassing questions are going to come up regarding Republican culpability (it cannot be considered mere negligence any longer).
August 19, 2008 7:49 AM | Reply | Permalink
Because the fall in love, usually with wrong candidates.
Because love clouds their judgement and prevents a realization that sometimes the person you don't love has the balls on national security.
August 19, 2008 9:06 AM | Reply | Permalink
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