"Democrats don't want to be portrayed as weak on defense..."

[kentuck]

I just heard this on one of the cable networks just a few minutes ago....from a Washington Post reporter. This is such a loaded statement. It leaves the impression that Democrats are "weak" on national defense but they don't want to be "portrayed" as such. Democrats wish to put up a false front, they are suggesting. But, is that true or factual? No, but that is people's perception, they argue. But why is it people's perception??

What if they phrased it differently? What if they said, "Republicans wish to be portrayed as strong on defense...." That would give the impression that Repubs wish to be portrayed as something they are not. These are such sublte tricks within the news media that sometimes I think many reporters do not realize how they are being used. It does a disservice to reporting.

[LiberalPartisan]

1. Dems have always been strong on defense

We just don't cotton to imperialism.

Harry Truman
FDR
JFK

...all 'strong on defense'.

During WW2 the republicans were against US involvement. The Dems. invented the concept of strong on defense. While Dem admins worked to defeat Communism repubs were looking for ways to do business with them.

[JeffR]

2. Good observation, kentuck

Mind you, I think many reporters do realize it, and are happily complicit in the process.

"Republicans wish to be portrayed as strong on defense...." would be a great talking point for Democrats, leading into fact-based discussion of how Republicans are anything but.

[Missy M]

3. I guess Democrats should be all for invading poor countries...

with no defense, just as Bush did with Iraq. The sad part is it didn't work out and so many keep being killed for Bush's Folly. In my opinion he is a yellow-bellied, lying, snake in the grass bully. I would hardly call Bush and his administration strong on defense, they are just mired in the muck and don't know how to pull themselves out.

[dogday]

4. Defense is Strong-Offense should be Cautious

We should always be strong in terms of defense, but use our Offensive moves wisely to avoid war. Diplomatic solutions used to exist to handle our world's problems, what has happened to that?

[Crazy Canuck]

5. Dems need to be portrayed as tough, unfortunately

Just because Dems don't preach taking over the world like Bush, it doesn't mean that they don't take defense seriously. Let's face it, most Americans would be proud to stand up and fight for (and protect) their country when it comes down to it. Everyone takes the defense of their own country seriously. Democrats maybe prefer to be, oh, I don't know, diplomatic instead of bullies.

People see Republicans as stronger on defense because all we see every day, 365 days a year is Bush and his goons telling Americans that they are in imminent danger and how bad terrorists are. This is kind of a bias statement on my part, but I wonder if America would be any safer if a Democrat were President. Maybe not. I can't really say. But what is the one thing that most people say they hate about America? Bush is usually #1 on that list. Well, OK beer would be #1 but Bush would be a close second. :) Heh, kind of off topic rambling there. Sorry.

Unfortunately, now that people in North America have been told that we are always in danger at every waking second, we feel the NEED to have people in power that will "take care of us innocent civilians". It's too bad that the American President seems to be chosen on the basis of how well he can have people (Iraqis) slaughtered. Some day, maybe very far in the future (if we are still around) a President will once again be chosen because of his EDUCATION, BACKGROUND, INTELLIGENCE and his (and his party's) stands on political issues... Instead of who can put more fear in the minds of the voters.

Times have definately changed. But I still love America. Some day I would be honoured to be an American citizen. It is one of my dreams in life. I just wish American politics were less frustrating for me. I get all worked up over issues and I'm not even American. Of course, Canada has more than it's fair share of dumbass politicians as well. :D Just to give you an idea, we recently chose to set Canada back 50 years by voting the Conservative party into power. We chose them because the alternative was a Liberal party that has been literally stealing money from us for years. :( sad, sad, sad...

[Acebass]

6. It's all in the spin...

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

7. As long as so many Dems feel they MUST support the failed war and foreign

policy of shrubco because they are afraid of the political consequences of doing otherwise, the party WILL in fact be "weak on defense" in a very real sense.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

8. We already waste 2x as much on "defense" as the rest of the world.

Combined. "Defense" against what?

[shance]

9. They just don' t want to stand up to Republicans. This is an excuse

TO be weak.

Being concerned how other people perceive us is the height of weakness, especially when those they are allowing to dictate are destroying everything that is good in the process. It is enabling the abuser to continue to inflict hurt and destruction, and it is a lie many Democrats use to delude themselves from standing up and doing what is right.

[terryg11]

10. most good news people stay out of it now

knowing tht their services aren't required at many outlets. IF it's a tv station they want good faces that dont ask questions. It's a sad truth anymore.

whre would Murrow or Cronkite be today?

[AndyTiedye]

11. It Is the Republicans Who Are Weak On Defense!

It was under the REPUBLICANS that 9/11 was allowed to happen. (Even if you don't accept LIHOP/MIHOP, 9/11 happened on the REPUBLICANS' watch. Under Clinton, the terrorists never got past the parking garage!)
It was some very highly-placed REPUBLICANS who outed Valerie Plame and our entire organization of WMD-hunters.
Those same REPUBLICANS used falsified intelligence to get us into a war that has sapped the strength of our armed forces -- a war against a country that had no WMDs, did not attack us, and posed no threat to us -- a war with no exit strategy -- a war that is bankrupting us economically -- a war that has left us largely unable to respond even to natural disasters, let alone any major act of terrorism or a military threat.

I don't see how anyone could weaken America's defenses any more than the REPUBLICANS have!