The real problem with the anti Dean ads

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In case you haven't seen them here is a link.

http://www.progressivevalues.com/default.asp?ID=2

Much has been made of the odious Osama ad. And yea, it is odious but for a second I wish to disucss the other one.

In an ad labeled just the facts Dean is criticised for Medicare, guns, and NAFTA. The problem here is that this feeds directly into the biggest problem Democrats have. We are percieved, and to some extent fairly, as captives of a bunch of interest groups instead of a national party. Carville summed this up beautifully at an appearence in Washington DC. We can not win if we make this election about niggling little issues. We can't win if we are discussing 3 day waits instead of 2 day waits for handguns. We can't win if we are discussing parental conscent for abortion, or gay marriage, or any of that.

This ad feeds into the image of Democrats pandering to intetest groups. This election needs to be about making the Presidency respected again around the world. This election needs to be about the fact the Republicans have sold the government to the highest bidder. This election needs to be about jobs and deficits. This election needs to be about keep our word to the old without bankrupting our children. We can't make progressive about mickey mouse issues or we lose.

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1. I hate the anti dean ads

because I know dean is a good guy..

I would just rather see him as the VP and then president in the future

anything but crashing down and losing against the worst president the world has seen in many decades

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2. Those are good points and I agree....

But I don't see any candidate (other than maybe Clark, who I'm personally a bit iffy on) doing that. Every single candidate (Dean included) is fighting over and over about specific issues. Even if they are huuuuuge issues like the IWR vote, harping on them again and again and again with relentless negativity is not going to appeal to anyone other than a small percentage of Dem partisans.

People want big picture hope and overarching positivity. Until one of our candidates offers that, no matter how much I may like him or other democrats may like him, that's just not going to be enough.

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3. actually Dean is doing that

That is what the "God, gays, and guns" line is all about. In the early going Dean did hit the IWR vote but that was to differentiate himself. But once he took off his main focus has been to discuss broader themes. I think too many of us look at the debates and judge only on those but if you look at his campaign message and his interviews those are much more broad, as is Clark's to be fair.

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4. that doesn't appeal to people who

dont like guns..
I believe that the NRA is evil for lobbying to make guns more easily accesible to people

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5. I have asked this over and over and over again

and I never get a straight answer. Given that Dean supports all of Clinton's gun control and closing the Gun Show loophole just what do you think any Democrat would pass in his or her term that Dean won't? Be specific as to both what item and how. Remember we couldn't close the gun show loophole after Columbine.