We can learn tactical lessons from Rove/Bush...but will we?

[HardWorkingDem]

Being a former military member myself, I have sat back and watched this Kerry statement garbage and have wanted to puke. On the intellectual side it is clear Kerry was going after Bush. It is clear. But what really gets me sick is how a true combat veteran can get knocked back on his heels by people like Rove, Bush, Snow and Cheney.

We have a bona fide war veteran who is misaligned by those who have never served. It makes me sick.

So one tactical lesson we should learn from Rove in all of this is that if you can turn a person's strength into a liability, then that person's effectiveness is gone for good. Kerry is done and it is sad, but with this, hopefully this lesson is now burned into our memory and the Democrats will create a true "war room" and deal with things like this in the future more effectively.

[blm]

1. Kerry's not done - that's more Corpmedia spin - they've been trying to kill

Kerry off for MANY YEARS.

The DC powerstructure, including establishment Dems do not want Kerry to get the oval office - Kerry is an anti-corruption, open government lawmaker, and NO WAY does the powerstructure want the books opened on BushInc.

They will trust someone like Hillary to cover up for Bush2 just as they trusted Bill to cover up for Bush1.

Well - fix the election fraud, and we won't have to worry who is left standing after the series of debates.

[emulatorloo]

2. I don't want Democrats to lie and distort like Rove does

all Democrats have to do it tell the truth about the Republicans.

Bush/Repub supposed strength is terrorism/security. And dem candidates are telling the truth about that - Repubs have not made us safer, they have not secured the boarders, they are creating more terrorists in Iraq etc etc. All of that is the truth.

Secondly, they need to fight like hell when the Republicans do thier Rove-Lying-Machine stuff. Kerry made a good start of that at his press conference. Seems like other dems didn't follow thru, but oh well maybe next time.

[HardWorkingDem]

3. Not my point.....

My point is not to suggest we lie and cheat, but to realize the effectiveness of turning a person's perceived strengths into their weakness.

For example, for the first few years of the Bush Administration, one of Bush's most commonly perceived strengths was that of "resolve". That should have been turned into a weakness by painting that as ignorant stubbornness. Also, for the longest time another strength of his was his perceived "honesty". My, have we seen that one fall way down, but look where it has got us and how long it has taken.

Another one is his perceived "loyalty". Now that should be linked with Rumsfeld. (Last night one of the talking heads was going on how Bush saying Rumsfeld could stay until 2008 was actually a dumb thing to do and I agree.)

[Just-plain-Kathy]

4. Great point.

They only strength I think Bush has is that many feel he's a "regular guy". I remember a Nascar driver saying just that (after he admitted he knew nothing about politics).

We should have made an effort to expose that myth. We should have spoken more about the wealth of the Bush family (especially since they made most of their money from oil, defense, and pharmaceutically companies), people would have put two and two together and know why the Bushs make the decisions they do.

It drove me crazy during the ‘04 elections when Kerry explained that he doesn’t make five cents off of every bottle of ketchup sold.

I think Kerry could come out of his troubles by exposing everything now. I'm sure Oprah would have him on. I guess it's to late for that.

[applegrove]

5. We have nothing to learn from them. We fight with the truth. With might.

With empathy. With good and effective policies. And we are winning that way.

[HardWorkingDem]

6. Disagree....there are lessons to be learned in EVERYTHING....

This is what is so disappointing in many things. There are great lessons to be learned in everything and every opportunity to learn something should be taken.

Take Kerry for example. For some time now this poor guy will be hobbled be two things: his famous 87 billion vote and his misconstrued statement. Not only that, Kerry has taught us another lesson: always, always immediately fight back and fight back hard. Can you imagine how things might have been different back in 2004 if he had of shown the fight he showed the other day?

But it all gets back to the phrase of how often times a lie will make itself half way around the world before the truth can get its shoes on.

[applegrove]

7. I mentioned fighting back. Challenging their lies is most important.

Emulating their truth distortion practices is not the way to go. Dems have the policies. Why Bush has to rule using fear of one kind or another: to hide that he doesn't have any policies on governance. Just policies of power and more power and more wealth.