It's the Incompetence Stupid

[orwell]

The Dems are missing a key attack point against the Bush Regime.

Instead of trying to portray Boy George as a liar, which he is, or as a RW ideologue, which he is, they should simply portray him as incompetent.

The public, by and large, has already had enough exposure to Bushie and his cronies to know exactly what they are getting when they pull his lever. That is why the Cons must raise Kerry's negatives rather than tout the great achievements of "fearless leader". Why? Because they know and the American public knows that the Bush record is one of almost total failure. Their job is to impugn Kerry and suggest that he will be even worse.

Therefore, Kerry and surrogates should simply point to the endless series of failed policies of the Regime. To wit:

2 to 3 million jobs lost
Failure to reduce the amount of terror attacks worldwide
The destruction of the dollar
Alienation of the ROW toward the US
Destruction of the budget surplus
Failure to heed the warnings 9/11
Failure to give soldiers sent into harm's way the proper equipment
Failing American vets proper medical attention
Failure to fund no child left behind
Failure to address the trade deficit
Failure to build an international coalition for Iraq
Polarization of the American electorate
Failure to control the size and scope of the federal government
Failure to apprehend the anthrax terrorists
Failure to regulate Wall Street/corporate corruption
Failure to address illegal immigration
Failure to control spiraling health care costs
Failure to address rising energy prices
Failure to tell the truth to the American people
Failure to take responsibility for any failures

The list goes on and on.

Instead of attacking specific policies, point out that he hasn't effectively implemented his own policies. In other words, any employer would fire him for being ineffective.

The Cabal is the master of the bait and switch. They have to make politics personal to succeed. Bush is viewed as personally engaging by many Americans, even some of his foes. As long as they are allowed to shift the debate to personal charisma, they have shifted the battle to the only field where they can compete.

It's the incompetence stupid.

O

[spooky3]

1. Gephardt had a memorable "miserable failure" line, but he did not

win the most primary votes. I agree with you in your assessment of this administration, but I am not sure that this message resonates best with the average voter.

[orwell]

5. Spin Free

I don't know if we can blame Gep's loss on the "miserable failure" strategy. My point is that incompetence is neither left nor right. It diffuses the ideology canard that is slowly becoming irrelevant. It is totally irrelevant to the important voters in the middle.

If you can show that this is a failed presidency, even by its own ideology, you leave little room for Bushie to maneuver.

For example, even conservatives decry the destruction of the dollar, the widening budget and trade deficits, the military adventurism, spiraling health care costs, and especially the massive growth of the government's size and reach. My point is that he has failed even as a conservative.

This is all quite clear by simply pointing out statistical evidence. This is not a matter of conjecture or spin. It is fact.

O

[caledesi]

2. Amen! Your list is good orwell. nt

[billybob537]

3. The king of empty promisses!!!!

[Cocoa]

4. absolutely right

Kerry and the other dems have been making exactly your point, that Bush can't run on his record, so he's trying to change the subject.

[orwell]

6. Four More Years

But this tack is a little off the mark. What I would propose would be a commercial with nothing but white text on a black background, maybe with a slow zoom.

The first slide would be a stat of the surplus figure when Bushie took office. That would fade into the deficit figure now.

The next would be the size of government expenditures when the cabal took office to expenditures now showing the percentage increase.

The next would be the rise in health care costs in the last 3 years.

At first I would highlight the conservative agenda to show that George is not even a good conservative.

End it with something like George Bush, what would he do with four more years? or The Bush Administration...is it with us or against us.

O