How the Rs Conned America on the
"Homeland Security" Issue

Economic absurdities that
Democrats must expose:

...because it's wrong to penalize success and hard work.

...therefore, we should eliminate the capital gains tax.

...After all, they came from, and understand, business.

...even though it is based on pitting the worlds' workers against each other.

...union bosses are only out for themselves.

...and the more the rich have, the more will trickle down to everyone else.

...Democrats are communists, or at least, socialists at heart.

...so when we tax wealthy investors, we lose jobs.

...so investors, not workers, create wealth.

...so we should give them all the tax breaks possible.

...Democrats just want to tax and spend today.

General Issues:

...check out this 2-minute video.

...It's a mountain, and a terrible defense of globalization.

...for those of Indonesia, Mexico, China and India.

...and how not to do it again.

...and the "crisis" is just a ploy by those who want to destroy it.

...Republicans' most important propaganda technique.

...and get the media on your side

This Site

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How you define a debate topic affects its outcome

     In just one year, the Republicans have made the U.S. a much more desirable target for terrorists and reduced our ability to prevent attacks—or to recover after an attack has occurred. They did it by abandoning Afganistan, to the point where the Taliban is close to regaining total control. They underfunded American firefighters, police, airport screeners, and health care workers.

     Most significantly, they squandered our resources by conducting an unnecessary war, and distracting us from dealing with the real causes and threats of terrorism. It's as though the Philippines, Iran, Syria, Saudi Arabia, North Korea, China, and the rest of the world didn't exist.

     In the process, they claimed the label "strong on defense" for themselves, and labeled the Democrats as weak. And they were able to do it for the usual reason: They framed the debate on their own terms, and the Democrats wimped out. Instead of properly educating the public about the real issues, they decided to be Republican-lites. In other words, they were just "sort-of" in favor of the war, or "sort-of" against it.

     The Republicans framed the issue this simplistic way:

  • You are strong on defense if you are in favor of the war with Iraq.

  • You are weak on defense if you are against the war with Iraq.

  • Therefore, Republicans are strong; Democrats are weak.

     Democrats should have confronted the Republicans on this immediately and strongly. The real issue was:

  • You are strong on defense if you accurately define the terrorists' threats and likely outcomes of our country's actions.

  • You are weak on defense if you impulsively spend your resources on the first and easiest—and wrong—terrorist target you can identify.

  • Therefore, Democrats are strong; Republicans are weak.

     Those were the issues, as the Republicans defined them and as the Democrats should have defined them. On the other distracting issues, the Democrats clearly lost, and those are the ones the public noticed:

  • The morality of the war (it was a moral war)

  • Whether or not the Iraquis were better off without Saddam (they were better off)

  • Was the total source of terror reduced (it was reduced in Iraq and for awhile—which Americans can see—but it increased everywhere else in the world—which we can't see as easily, at least for now).

     The point: somehow Democrats have to find the courage to openly disagree with those they perceive to have the greatest voter support. Right now, Democrats are suffering from the delusion that the best way to win elections is to play down what they stand for, and confront Republicans just a little bit.

     And the Republicans have conned them into wimping-out in a way that is so obvious it is painful to watch. Why do Republicans constantly say that they would be delighted if the Democrats would bring up the Class Warfare issue? It's simple: they are really scared to death that the Democrats will actually do it. Why Democrats are taking Republican advice about how to win voters is one of the great mysteries of the universe.


      

      
      


     


     


     


     
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