tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13319034.post111896829155555887..comments2005-06-26T18:44:43.643-07:00Comments on The Bunkerbuster: Manifesto 1.0Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13319034.post-1119836683643034862005-06-26T18:44:00.000-07:002005-06-26T18:44:00.000-07:00Excellent analysis Kingo P. You're analysis of the...Excellent analysis Kingo P. You're analysis of the GOP formula for winning elections is a bullseye, but your mistake is to believe that the Democrats can mimic that success, even if they wanted to.<BR/><BR/>The Dems have no Rush Limbaugh and no Fox News or Sinclair Broadcasting etc. and probably never will. In fact, by 2008 right-wing ownership of the media could well be DOUBLE what it is today. The right-wing mudball machine works only because of the massive media echo chamber that bounces their bumper sticker ideas from the RNC "Talking Points Memo" to Rush, to Fox to CNN and, eventually to the network news anchors.<BR/><BR/>Once the RNC talking points have bounced around the Rush-Fox-CNN echo chamber a while, the major metropolitan dailies essentially have no choice but to report that John Kerry is suffering under the Swift Boat allegations, for example. Why do you think the flimsy as cardboard Swift Boat story stuck on Kerry, whereas the plain history that Bush ducked out of the Vietnam war slid right off the president's draft-dodging back?<BR/><BR/>The Dems tried everything imaginable to make the National Guard ne'er do well label stick to Bush, but the right has too firm a grip on the media echo chamber.<BR/><BR/>Nor will the Democrats ever have a candidate more susceptible to character assassination than Bush, a demonstrably lazy, slow-thinking, hypocritical puppet of plutocrats and religious extremists.<BR/><BR/>The man was a president's son who never filled out a job application, dodged the draft, snorted cocaine, got popped for drunk driving, failed at his father's business then got out of his own before it failed and had a sensationally mediocre academic career. If the Democrats couldn't make a kick me sign stick on this guy's back, how in the world can they expect to punk a Bill Frist, let alone a John McCain or a Rudy Giuliani?<BR/><BR/>No, I fear the Democrats are another election loss away from a rebirth. The war in Iraq and increasing right-wing control of the media are a very powerful combination.<BR/><BR/>The war in Iraq will have to get a lot worse SIMULTANEOUSLY with a<BR/>economic decline for the Democrats to have any hope. If the war gets better but the economy goes south, the GOP propaganda machine will keep the focus on the war, keep people scared or maybe even start another war in Syria, Iran or Sudan.<BR/><BR/>If the war gets worse, but economic growth picks up, the GOP will have no problem getting the mainstream media to keep a Bushonomics Miracle Revival story on the front page, pushing the war and its casualties back to page 17b under the fold. (Remember Reagan's "miracle economic boom.'' By almost every economic indicator, the economy performed worse under Reagan than under any other post World War II administration.<BR/><BR/>It's not that I find the high road so much more appealing, it's just that I think sticking to the issues and being tougher within the party about making people take courageous stands is the only realistic option.<BR/><BR/>That's definitely a long term strategy, versus the hope that we can do to their next guy what they did to Kerry, but it's success would be longer lasting as well.McDaddyohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09521555091644167658noreply@blogger.com