The ads that will be run against Obama by the Republicans...

[kentuck]

First of all, we know that the Repubs are going to run on 9/11 and the war in Iraq once again. That is the only card left in their deck.

"CAN WE TRUST THE CHANGE?" There are people that want to kill us. The Democrats say we need to negotiate with our enemies. Are you willing to trust the future of our country in such hands? Americans cannot afford to make that change. Vote for someone that understands the danger we face and will fight them over there so we don't have to fight them over here. VOTE REPUBLICAN."

Of course, they will run that ad no matter who the Democratic candidate might be. How shouldthey respond?

[babylonsister]

1. I think they will lose if they use the 'terra' card. People

seem to have woken up to the fact that that's exactly what it is, a card played for political gain.
The majority of Americans are against this 'illegal occupation', so there's a distinct difference between Dems and rethugs right off the bat. And finally, * is so disliked that I think most Americans are thirsting for change.

[Tyrone Slothrop]

18. Unless there's an attack between the conventions and the election, of course... n/t

[electron_blue]

2. Indeed the best chance the GOP has of staying in power is playing the

terrorism card. Very sad. And scary, too, bcs I feel that if they play it well, they will win. It's so pathetic. I don't think people have learned. Not the masses - they never do. I need to go find a cup of optimism this morning, blech.

[kentuck]

3. It's worked everytime they have played it...

Why should we think it won't work this time?

[HeraldSquare212]

7. Because economic concerns will be dominant

and people will realize it's just a diversion from more personal and immediate problems.

[kentuck]

9. That is very possible..

I think 2008 is going to be a very tough year economically before it is over.

[electron_blue]

13. I bet that if there's another large terror attack, on par

with 9/11 (or worse) people will flock back to whoever plays the anti-terror card. If there is no other major attack before Nov 08, then people have a chance to wake up, or stay awake. Do you really think enough people have moved on from that to be immune to this should it happen again? I'd really really like to think so.

[Proud Liberal Dem]

34. It didn't work in 2006

There were a lot of factors in that election to be sure but Bush, Cheney, et. al, despite their constant slander of Democrats as "defeatocrats" and "the party of cut and run", failed to stop the the Republican losses. I'm really not sure who or how they would be able to make it work for them again in 2008 and another bonafide terrorist attack (not just some lame half-baked "plot") on our soil would, I believe, only highlight their arrogance and incompetence (as if that is not already abundantly clear).

[peacebird]

4. "We have nothing to fear but fear itself" "America, land of the free, home of the BRAVE"?

Throw the fear mongering right back at them, show them to be snivelling cowards who pander to fear. Remind people of the bravery of the English during the bombing raids in WWII and ask why America's response to 9/11 is to cower?

[maddiejoan]

5. with clips of the towers burning on 9/11

pictures of Bush reading "My Pet Goat" superimposed over
images of Osama Bin Laden still alive and free.



voiceover:

On the Republican's watch on September 11th 2001 we were hit by terrorists who 8 years later still roam free.
8 years -- worst terrorist attack on our nation and nothing done to make us safer.

Do you really believe Republicans know what they are doing?

Yeah. Me neither.

[NewJeffCT]

6. One thing they'll do is focus on one or two major items

and keep hammering away at them. In 2004, it was that Kerry was a flip-flopper who couldn't be trusted on national security. Every Republican from Bush & the White House on down to the local dog catcher would spout of some form of those same talking points.

We attacked Bush from 100 different angles, but never focused on one or two high level things.

[kentuck]

12. Very true...

This time, they would say that Obama is a nice person but that he does not have the strength to protect America from the dangerous enemies we face. In other words, "he is weak". We cannot afford that gamble.

[frazzled]

8. He should not make the same mistake John Kerry did

Kerry thought he could be the symbol for national security, iron-clad against the Republican fear mongering .... I guess because he had been a soldier in Vietnam. He needed someone with strong national security credentials as a running mate. He chose someone with none whatsoever. A sunny smile was not enough to fend off those attacks.

Obama should choose a running mate with strong bona fides in national security and foreign policy. Not sure who that is, but I'd recommend it. He needs it even more than Kerry.

On the other hand, all he has to say is that 9/11 happened under the Bush administration's watch: with all his experienced "grownups" surrounding him.

[iconoclastic cat]

10. We're just lucky that DUers can't afford to run ads against him! nt

[NashVegas]

11. Oh, It's Worse Than That

I was with a Republican friend (hush) the other night. He's bought into the RW propaganda that the threat of Muslim fundie terrorism is being globally downplayed, and their are billions of these zealots preparing to swarm the US and commit various acts.

So you take that, and combine it with "Barrack Hussein Obama," which you know damn well is going to be all over the RW echo chamber. The idea of whether or not we're ready for a black president is nothing compared to the connection that's going to be made to the fanatical Muslim world.

The only question is whether or not it will backfire. But make no mistake, they will put it in the face of every voter they can flash in direct mailings and the 'net.

[kentuck]

15. I saw a clip of Obama this morning..

He was walking thru a crowd and greeting his supporters. The one the media focused on was a young Muslim lady with a head scarf on. They said nothing but the picture was there...

[SammyWinstonJack]

16. So who will it be, Pres. Huckabee or Pres. McCain?

:scared:

[bbernardini]

14. "Barack Obama is black. You don't want to vote for a black man, DO YOU?"

I suspect we'll be seeing something along those lines, but more subtle. Or perhaps something like:

"Barack Obama sure has a funny-sounding name. Sounds foreign. You don't want somebody with a foreign sounding name to be your president, DO YOU?"

[IDemo]

19. "A nappy headed president? You wouldn't want that now, would you?"

[NewJeffCT]

21. They'll certainly play up his middle name

Every article on him in the Washington Times, NY Post, UPI, Boston Herald, etc will be "Barack Hussein Obama"

Every caption on Fox will be the same. Every host on Fox will refer to him as Barack Hussein Obama. And, they'll be those "mistakes" that Fox seems to have conveniently where they'll list Obama as "Osama"

[niceypoo]

17. BS, it will all be about racism and bigotry

That is the glue that has held them together since the civil rights bill was signed and all the racist Dixiecrats went over to the republican party en masse.

All we would hear is Obama Osamma and Obama is a terrorist and Obama is a radical muslim. They would also go berserk trying to stop blacks and minorities from voting. Their efforts would be nationwide instead of just in battleground states. You can't expect depth and substance from the right, don't fool yourself.

Everything would be about bigotry. Almost all of the core issues that appeal to their 'base' are bigotry based. They hate Liberals, they hate Gays, they hate the French, they disenfranchise African American voters, they hate immigrants, they hate Mexicans, they are paranoid and xenophobic, they think women should be doormats....everything is bigotry to them. They would explode in a racist frenzy. Don't fool yourself into believing otherwise.

I do believe they would self destruct. It remains to be seen how Obama handles real, sustained, feverish bigotry. His plan to sing Kumbaya with the republicans would collapse in about five minutes once the reality of who they really are hit him in the face.

[NewJeffCT]

20. LIke the ads that ran against Harold Ford in 2006

"Hi Barack, call me!"

[niceypoo]

24. It is very predictable

The republicans are quite consistant when it comes to visciousness and hate. It puzzles my why ferverant Obama supporters delude themselves with their "we will sing Kumbaya with the right" fantasy. Reality is a bitch.

[bryant69]

22. Respond by saying that We need a new and more intelligent strategy

All of the Republicanoids have pledged to follow the same failed strategies as the Bush administration. Strategies that have failed to make us safer while chipping away at essential liberties. Change is Scary, but changing course when you are driving off a cliff makes a lot of sense.

Bryant
check it out --> http://politicalcomment.blogspot.com

[niceypoo]

25. I just wish Obama would tell us HOW things would change

Substance will eventually have to be forthcoming.

[bryant69]

29. I don't know that Obama has been any less substantial than Hillary or Edwards

I mean he's not a wonk like Biden or Kucinich; but there's a pretty good overview at his website, if memory serves.

Bryant

[Annces]

23. How is it

that DU did not feel the pulse and know Obama would win Iowa. DU is not always in the know.

[Benhurst]

26. I suspect the Republicans will be using Barak's middle name a lot.

From a quick Google, it seems the campaign isn't using it; but I imagine the Republicans will. It will be Hussein this and Hussein than, along with the "accidental" Osama here and there.

If you think the attacks on John Kerry were disgraceful, wait until this fall when they start throwing their propaganda at Obama.

Still, I think the far greater threat is another stolen election. They are aggressively caging potential voters across the country. That's a relatively open form of cheating, we don't seem to be countering it effectively. More than a third of the votes will be cast on touch-screen computers and most tabulated by also-vulnerable scanners and computers. Are we going to sit back and allow the third presidential election in a row to be stolen? It may already be too late. And can't you just hear our corporate media stooges intoning after the stolen election, "America wasn't ready for an African American president."

[NewJeffCT]

28. I remember back in 1996

Bob Dole got all worked up that rival Republican Pete DuPont's real first name was "Pierre" and not "Pete" - he emphasized that during one of the early debates, if I recall.

[julialnyc]

27. McCain is the only one who can really try and make the Security argument

Guliani would try too..... but Huckabee and Romney don't have much of a case to make.

[milkyway]

30. Respond by laughing at their sorry asses.

[kentuck]

31. I'm sure that will make the scared citizenry feel secure...

and they will rush out to vote for you.

[Benhurst]

32. Recent history has proved our fellow citizens are better at "standing tall"

when bombing others, than they are when being bombed themselves.

[sniffa]

33. .