Reply #6: attack the policy positions, not the candidates

[ShimokitaJer]

It's the general comments on a candidates character that really hurt not just the candidate, but the cause. As we've seen all too often, the media loves to take the easy way out and find a one-sentence description for a candidate, and we make it that much easier for them if we can provide them one. And Rove's boys are only too skilled at playing that game. You can get as negative as you want when you attack a policy decision, because the Bushies don't have a leg to stand on. But don't try to build your candidate up by general negativity about the others. Simply calling a candidate too liberal, too centrist, too flaky, too radical, too obscure, or not electable enough helps no one better understand what we're fighting for.

Frankly, I don't care who makes it into the oval office, as long as the issues that I care about are addressed. Every single candidate (yes, even Lieberman) has Bush beat hands down when it comes to the issues, so when we turn this into a conflict of character, we're playing right into their hands.