Why are Republicans better at playing "The Game" then Democrats??

[samrock]

Now in this game there are only 2 rules..

1) When something bad happens your opponent must get the blame.. or at worst your side can not be allowed to be perceived as the ones to blame.


2) When something good happens your side must get the credit.. or at worst your opponents can not be allowed to take credit..

[Captain Hilts]

1. They're an organized political party with little diversity.

No place for people like:

1) Sen. Frank Church going after Prez Carter
2) Sen. Sam Nunn going after Prez Clinton
3) Sen. Reid saying "I don't work for him" of Prez Obama.

That wouldn't happen under the Rs.

[YOY]

When they hold the trump card of controlling the media while claiming that the other side does.

It's pretty much a guaranteed win for them until reality and the TV/radio start to collide.

[tridim]

2. Except that the people aren't buying it any more

So they really aren't better at playing the game, they're just better cheaters.

[Cleita]

3. Dishonesty and corruption come more easily to them. n/t

[LuvNewcastle]

4. They have no shame.

[polichick]

5. No conscience. No moral compass.

[Pirate Smile]

6. Since they have lost control of the House, Senate and Presidency, it doesn't look

like they have been all that successful.

They are good at winning the cable chatter/daily spin wars but they have lost power everywhere.

[FrenchieCat]

7. Their Folks back them all the way to the end.....

while Democrats bicker and rant because we are all so smart?

[wtmusic]

8. They lie. nt

[omega minimo]

16. seconded

[Ardent15]

9. They all unite under the banners of Reagan and Gingrich

[FSogol]

10. Because they play games while the Democrats try to accomplish things. n/t

[Ardent15]

11. Yep

Exactly.

[historian]

12. machiavelli

You should read the Prince by Machiavelli. He described how to grab power and how to keep it. It worked in 1600 Italy and still does. That will explain a lot

[Glorfindel]

13. Because we Democrats think we're six different political parties

And sometimes it's more important to battle amongst ourselves than to oppose the 'Pukes.

[WilliamPitt]

14. "Speak no ill of any fellow Republican in public." - Reagan

Good place to start.

[Ardent15]

15. The influence of Reagan cannot be overstated: he really united...

...the Republican Party into a formidable weapon of mass deception.

[omega minimo]

17. Reagan didn't invent walking in lockstep

[Ardent15]

21. Of course not. What I mean was he solidified the GOP, expanded them, and united them

...taking a lot of conservative Democrats into the party, for example.

[omega minimo]

22. my comment was not a disagreement. you & Pitt are describing a lockstep mentality

perfected by Hitler

[barbtries]

18. because they don't care

they are without ethics and morals and believe that the ends justify the means so there is nothing to stop them from being total and complete shits and hypocrites, which is what they are.

[cottonseed]

19. They own the game board.

It's that simple. We get 1 game piece for every 2 the Repubs and big business get.

You can see that during the stimulus debate:

http://thinkprogress.org/2009/01/28/cable-news-stimulus/

[cynatnite]

20. They lost the last two elections and their leader sucked up to a blowhard on radio...

I don't agree with you.

[samrock]

23. Examples:

1980's ... Reagan gets all the credit for a good economy.. the Democrats control the house for all 8 years and the senate for 6/8 but ya never hear congress getting any credit..

1990's ... Under Bill Clinton yearly budget starts making a surplus.. The republicans get a lion share of credit .. they say it did not happen till after 1994 election put them in charge of congress.. BUT in 1993 and 1994 when democrats controlled congress the deficit got cut in half.. The problem was well on its way to being solved!!

1990's ... Welfare reform.. again republicans take credit saying it never would have happen with out them and they forced Bill Clinton to sign.. Bill Clinton campaigned on changing welfare as we know it.. Twice he vetoed the bill coming from the republican congress till they made the changes he demanded to make it more fair..

2001 .. 9/11 No one seems to blame Bush for 9/11 in spite of the fact that it took place over 8 months after he took office and after the Clinton Administration specifically warned them about Osama..

[Spike89]

24. short game, brute force wins, long term not so

The republicans excel at distilling things to black and white, democrats see a bit more widely (but not enough IMO). The simple answer will always appeal to some, and often will appeal to many if not all in the short term. More complex answers (acknowledging that problems are also more complex than repugs admit) take more time to prove themselves.

Relax, we're winning and have been winning the war of ideas for years now. Many people have become deeply suspicious of the "easy" answers the repigs insist on throwing out.

[Still Sensible]

25. Because we are at least trying to be credible, while

they don't give a fuck. We have plenty of people in our big tent that will call us on the kind of lockstep lies that are the GOP stock in trade. For example, they brazenly take credit locally for their earmarks, while at the same time holding press conferences in Washington to denounce the President's pork-filled omnibus spending bill (even though that bill was crafted before Obama took office).

Generally, the folks on their side are focused on winning the battles and go along.. The Bush-Rove manual of political tactics basically says it doesn't matter if it is true or not, if you say it enough, people will start believing it. How many bullshit memes did we see them pull this crap about. They were so successful with the tactic that even after the fact, when the administration admitted that Saddam Hussein had nothing to do with 9/11, the polls said nearly 40% believed he did! All because for a while they said it over and over.

[sampsonblk]

26. Because they follow the rules

They are constantly on the attack. They never give up without a fight. They are ruthless against their enemies. They do not hesitate. They do not wait around for polls.

That's why their party has been able to enjoy much more success than its numbers and resources would suggest.

On the other hand, we have been the opposite. Which is why our party has been able to find a way - time after time - to achieve far less success than our numbers and resources would suggest.