Which is the better campaign strategy

[mfritz]

Poll question: Which is the better campaign strategy

After watching both conventions the two campaigns seem to have very different strategies. Which do you think is better?

[jeff30997]

1. Sorry but Kerry is not aggressive enough.

In a perfect world the Kerry way would be the perfect one but this is repuke world until proven differently.

[leftofthedial]

2. the bush cheney approach clearly is superior

I am more convinced than ever that a huge percentage--perhaps majority--of Americans are just plain stupid. Appealing to the lowest common denominator and people's basest instincts absolutely works.

Taking the "high road" is just jerking off--you are only preaching to the choir.

[Feanorcurufinwe]

4. Tell that to these folks:

Our choir is bigger than their choir... now, let's get everyone to SING!!

[leftofthedial]

5. Our choir is already singing

the public at large--disaffected or undecided--hate sing-alongs. They love reality shows--the grosser, coarser and more outrageous the better.

The above picture was heartening for a day. Four days later, the bushgang took the lead in the polls. They had a mass-media hatefest with about 5% as many people as are shown in the picture above. And they kicked our choirboy asses.

[Feanorcurufinwe]

8. I'm afraid I don't agree with any part of your analysis.

You may think the largest ever - by far - protest against a sitting President means nothing more than the heartwarming feelings it induced in you personally, but I think when history looks back at last week, that indication of the country's disatisfaction with Bush will be remembered as far more significant than the polls generated by a few corporations.

[leftofthedial]

10. not if the bushgang is elected

[Feanorcurufinwe]

11. That's exactly what I mean. I don't agree that Bush will be elected.

[leftofthedial]

12. Rule One: know your audience.

Where is this latent, thoughtful, intelligent, passionate audience for a heartwarming message from the left? Who are they?

[Feanorcurufinwe]

13. Who they are

[leftofthedial]

14. these people (those eligible) are already voting for Kerry

we need an approach that will get the *other* 10 million votes Kerry needs to win.

[Feanorcurufinwe]

15. I'm sorry you believe there are more Bush supporters than Kerry supporters

but you are wrong. I promise not to gloat about your error on November 3

You made what I think was frankly a stupid comment:
Where is this latent, thoughtful, intelligent, passionate audience for a heartwarming message from the left? Who are they?

Implying that there is no audience for an positive, liberal message. My answer is to show you uncontrovertible evidence that there is such an audience. You certainly have the right to believe that the audience for Bush's dishonest, hateful, fear-mongering message is bigger -- just as I have the right to disagree with you.


And we'll find out who's right on November 2.

[leftofthedial]

16. you've put words in my mouth twice.

I think the race is virtually dead even right now.

I also think there are 10 million potential Kerry voters out there who need to be brought into the Kerry side to counteract vote fraud by the Repukes in order for Kerry to win.

I think the majority of the country, IF they behaved rationally, would support Kerry's record and positions on almost every issue over the bushgang's. We need to get them to vote and to vote rationally.

These are NOT the people in your pictures.

[Feanorcurufinwe]

17. Look there is no need for a pretense here --

I am arguing in favor of a optimistic viewpoint that holds that our REAL message of hope and positive plans for the future does have an audience and a bigger and more committed and energized audience than the audience for the Republican message of fear, division and lies.


I was under the impression that you disagreed with me... perhaps I misunderstood.

[leftofthedial]

18. I do disagree

I personally would prefer the message of hope, enlightenment, optimism, and a rational plan for making this country and this world better. I think the Democrats fall short of this aim, but come consistently FAR closer than the repukes, especially the neocon repukes.

I believe the majority of the American public responds not to reason, but to 30-second soundbites--the more vicious the better. Sadly, I think the Repukes and their lying, snarling, obfuscating negativity have the true pulse of the majority of the American people. The majority of the public hears their smears and their lies and believes them. Then the majority of the American public either doesn't vote or votes for the repukes. Either way, the repukes win.

If Kerry is to win the election, he must beat the repukes at their own game and win these voters to HIS side. They won't or can't listen to a complex message from the left when it is so much easier to memorize the right's chant, "flip flop, flip flop."

I think the minority of the American public who take the time to become informed, judge the candidates' positions on the issues rationally, and vote according to their own and the country's best interests are already in Kerry's camp. Gearing the campaign to them is no more than jerking off and preaching to the choir and surrendering to the repuke media machine the votes that will decide this election.

Willie Horton worked for the repukes. Gore is a liar worked for the repukes. Kerry is a flop flopper is working for the repukes.Negative campaigning WORKS. That's why they do it.

[Feanorcurufinwe]

19. Well on November 2 we'll see who's right, you and Bush or me and Kerry

Kerry knows we can never out-Republican the Republicans, we can only win by being true to ourselves.

[leftofthedial]

23. we are talking about style, not substance

To "out-Republican the Republicans" would require radically different policies.

[Feanorcurufinwe]

24. I'm talking about style AND substance and you and Bush are wrong

about whether there is an audience for our real, positive forward-looking message.


We will win, by promoting our true message of optimism and hope.


Bush will lose by using the tactics of fear, lies and deception you are promoting.


Despite your attempts to obscure the fact, I am in favor of the Democratic message, of telling the truth. a mostly positive message designed to inpire. If you are disagreeing with me, that is what you are disagreeing with.

[leftofthedial]

26. chill. I am not talking about the substance of the message

I am talking about the style and tactics of the campaign.

The important point is that we both want Kerry to win.

Despite your attempts to obscure the fact, I am in favor of the Democratic message and of telling the truth.

[Feanorcurufinwe]

28. I disagree

with the notion that you can deliver our hope-filled positive message using the negative, hate-filled, dishonest, fear-mongering style of the Republicans.

You just can't tell lies to convince people of the truth -- it doesn't work that way...

[leftofthedial]

29. Did you like F9/11?

[Feanorcurufinwe]

31. WTF?

:wtf:

Let's put it this way, I don't think Micheal Moore will be getting elected to anything anytime soon. But no one is saying anything against MM making a hardhitting movie attacking Bush. The thread is about campaigning, not moviemaking.

[leftofthedial]

32. modern campaigning is a media activity

film is a medium.

It is easy to attack Bush and tell the truth.

They attack with lies. We should attack with truth.

Attack ads get people's attention. Negative campaigning sucks, but it works.

[Feanorcurufinwe]

33. And I like the Democratic way of doing it better than the Republican

Also, it is simply untrue to imply that negative campaigning always beats positive campaigning.

[Touchdown]

22. If I can cut in LOTD, I have some pictures too.

These nice, wholesome shows are no longer on TV...what the majority of Americans are passing their time with these days are...

These are....






Which of these 8 did the GOP Convention most resemble? Now you know why they got a bounce.

[Feanorcurufinwe]

25. The election will be won at the ballot box not Neilsen's corporate office

The people will determine the outcome of this election and nothing AOL Time Warner, GE, Neilsen, et al, can do will be able to stop them.

[Feanorcurufinwe]

3. You can fool some of the people all of the time...

"You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the
people some of the time, but you can not fool all of the people all of the time. "


OK, maybe my favorite Republican didn't really say it, but I believe it.

[BillZBubb]

6. Unfortunately, you only have to fool 50% + 1, not all

The Repugs do that too well. If the "some of the people all of the time" is over 50%, they win.

[FloridaPat]

7. The repubs have been using this for 25 years and now control

almost everything. Every so often I wonder if the Democrats are just there to let We the People think we have a two party system, because it sure doesn't look like it most of the time.

[Democat]

9. Republicans control every branch of government, there is no question

Just look at the results.

[bigtree]

20. Bush is best, of course

for morons.

[renegade000]

21. positive message guys...

but that doesn't mean not to defend yourself, and criticize when criticism is due.

[IndianaGreen]

27. Bush/Cheney catered to their base

We ignored ours.

We should stop mentioning Vietnam, stop justifying the Iraq war and the IWR. Start talking about jobs, jobs, jobs! Kerry should also say that we will bring all the troops home by summer 2005.

[Zhade]

30. OTHER The best would be a positive campaign by Kerry to energize the base.

IMHO. Give the unlikely voters a reason to vote - like chartering corporations, promising a living wage, and coming out in opposition to remaining in Iraq.