Reply #96: So.... Did you write this? What's all this MEME SHIT? :)

[Tinoire]

:)

The Daily Meme, August 19, 2003

(Cross-posted at The Clark Sphere)

Dean Lies and Rocks, Kerry Suffers and Slows, Clark Rises

<snipping TONS of good stuff DUers should read, especially Kerry and Dean supporters>

The Clark is actually possible meme – pushed by Calpundit, Yglesias, and Josh Marshall – overtook the Clark is running for VP meme. Clark is actually preferable is over on at Tapped and Political Aims, and among insiders who are parked in front of Kerry or uncommitted and scared of Dean. The resulting Deaniac hostility to Clark is manifested in their insistence that Clark doesn’t stand for anything, Clark’s wife doesn’t want him to run, and Democrats don’t like Generals. All of these memes are poor strategy memes to push if you wanted to defeat Clark. One, he obviously stands for a lot, and so saying that he doesn’t stand for anything just lowers the bar for him to hurdle. Two, the easy way to overcome the wife doesn’t want him to run meme is to, well, run. Three, Democrats do like military people, support our troops and all that. But beyond that, Michael Moore’s endorsement of Clark destroyed the military men are bad meme and made Clark the respectable non-joke non-weird non-creepy Kucinich. There are FOUR threads of Clark at Democraticunderground on Clark. Indeed, Clark is taking support from Dean’s left. Clark will make it safe to vote Democratic on national security is also growing. His slashing criticism of Tom Delay on Wolf Blitzer’s program resonated throughout the web; Clark is a fighter is overtaking Clark has no experience as a candidate. Beyond that, the Kentucky governor’s race, which is being nationalized and run as an explicit test of Bush’s leadership, as well as slipping support for Bush in South Carolina, has changed the Bush is vulnerable meme to an even stronger Congress might be in play for the Democrats meme. This is a staggering meme that will require a huge factoid, because redistricting is so obviously and severely against the Democrats for this election. The follow-up question of who has coattails hasn’t been answered, but Clark is a good bet to take this one because of really low unfavorables nationally.

I’m going to spend a bit of time on Clark’s appearance on Late Edition; he slammed Tom Delay, but he slammed him good and hard, hinting at the strategy he’ll pursue. One, it’s not just him against Bush. It’s him against an entire way of doing politics, which includes the entire GOP leadership and even some Democrats. Tom Delay accused Clark of having an ulterior motive of a Presidential run for promoting ideals that sounded good. Clark is pushing the meme that Clark believes in ideals and so he’s running for President, thus explicitly tying service to ideals and to his run for President. Republicans have had a field day trashing Democrats for being ‘just politicians’ and obvious careerists, but Clark is making it clear that this is not about a career move, but about the fact that a candidate should be spurred by his ideals, and that a political agenda is the right thing to have. He’s also made it very clear that while he is explicit about what he believes, Delay is actually the partisan and secretive politician. This is a new attack; it’s an embrace of idealism and a pushback of the burden of proof onto those who mock it as ‘just politics’. Clark will use this same strategy to ward off attacks on his patriotism. You are not unpatriotic because you criticize, you criticize because you are patriotic.


RISING MEMES

It’s a two man race between Dean and Clark.
The economy is reviving, so Bush will be reelected (this one isn’t necessarily true, but it’ll rise anyway).
Economy is reviving, but Bush doesn't deserve credit
Dean would make a great VP
Clark is the Democratic white knight (Clark’s entrance will be timed with press from very influential pubs that think this.)
The Democrats don't need a white knight because the economy is now the issue, not national security (This would be a good counter-meme)


Memes from Two Weeks Ago

Clark is running for VP - dying
Bush is unbeatable - dying
Condi will take the fall, not Tenet - what?
Dean cannot win the nomination - dead
Bush is vulnerable - gaining


Memes from Last Week

The Democratic insiders are against Dean
Anybody but Dean (ABD)
Bush is vulnerable
Dean is getting better at campaigning
Mean Dean
Dean Double Standard
Dean is not McGovern
Dean is not electable
Dean Mob/Dean Freep
The Dean and Lieberman Are Cooperating meme

Failed Meme of the Week: The Democrats are anti-Catholic:

Republicans are just being themselves
Republicans are the party of faith and values meme.
Republicans Turn into 'Rightists'
Condi will take the fall
Bush is vulnerable
Those cute Bush-haters are symmetrical to the cute Clinton-haters:

http://stoller.blogspot.com/2003_08_17_stoller_archive.html