Pandering, Yes, and Proud of It! 
The DRUDGE REPORT has learned from a top GOP operative that the Republican National Committee will provide state parties with a web video prior to release tomorrow afternoon that shows a white flag waving over images of Democrat leaders making anti-war remarks.
Nothing surprising here, I grant you. Just the "unpatriotic, cowardly" smear we've all come to know and love. But something struck me in a quote from this story:
A Democratic strategist who had the web ad described to her said, "This is way over the top but we have no one to blame but Dean, Kerry and others who continue to pander to the anti-war activists within our party."
And if you believe a "Democratic strategist" said that, I've got a bridge to sell you. This is pure GOP talking point material. And I have a proposal.
Here's my logic: The most recent TIME poll asked the question, "Do you think the United States right or wrong in going to war with Iraq?" (This was the most straightforward wording of a pro-war, anti-war question in recent polls, and I think it will do nicely for our purposes.) The answer: 50% of Americans believe we were wrong to go to war, 44% think we were right, 6% are unsure.
Note that 50% of Americans -- not just Democrats, but Americans -- believe we were wrong to go to war. Half this country declared it a mistake -- 6% more, mind you, than thought it was the right thing to do. In other words, more people in this country are "anti-war" than are "pro-war." This is where the "pandering" terminology comes in. It's time for Democrats to learn to scornfully guffaw and say such things as:
"If `pandering' means voicing the sentiment of a majority of Americans, then yes, Democrats `pander.'"
"What does it tell us about the GOP that it thinks representing the will of the majority of Americans is `pandering?'"
"Uh ... pandering? When most Americans think the war was a mistake? (Scornful guffaw.) If you want to see pandering, take a look at the tax cuts passed yesterday."
"The GOP needs to check the definition of `pander.' It means `to gratify, to yield to, to give satisfaction to.' In a democracy, leaders are supposed to satisfy the will of the people they represent. Of course, dictionaries are now in short supply since the Republicans are running education into the ground in this country. Your local Democratic Party should have one on hand for lending."
(Feel free to add scornfully guffawing responses of your own in comments.)
And so on. USE the words they use against us, turn their own idiocy on them with their own terminology. Also, use humorous contempt at every opportunity. I'm sick of our party answering moronic charges with sputters of but ... but ... but ... followed by a boring, generalized, meandering five-minute policy statement. Snap back, damn it - fast, pithy and with a bite (in other words, keep the mike away from Kerry, for starters).
Now I open the floor to the framing aficionados to tell me how we never, ever, ever should acknowledge the other side's terminology and should use "our" words instead. Me, I've always been a fan of aikido, where you use your opponent's momentum against him. But I'm open to hearing why I'm wrong, so let loose.
KEYWORDS: White Flag, Framing, Pandering
Sign up for a Complimentary Member Account... Join the community! It's fast. And it'll allow you to take advantage of all this site's great features!
| < The Bush Family and the Moon Family | Tactic: Describe your Opponent with 'Words of Weakness' > |
