Democratic anger management

Great article at Salon.com today on why the Democratic nominee may have to reign in the anger in order to defeat Bush. Karl Rove is spinning his evil web to make the Dems look like a bunch of foaming crazies – and it's all too easy to get suckered into it. But history shows that using anger against a sitting, well-liked president, only leads to defeat:

…presidents "gather strength from the other side's hatred" because it intensifies their own support and antagonizes Americans who respect the presidency even if they question an incumbent's policies. In modern times, the presidents whose opponents despised them most vocally and viciously -- Franklin D. Roosevelt, Richard Nixon and Bill Clinton -- were reelected by landslides.

The article has some smart ideas for the Democratic nominee:

Stress policies, not personalities. Don't be a passive fall guy, but don't be a pugnacious bad guy, either. Offer a positive vision for America's future. And leave the really rough stuff -- charges that Bush isn't up to the job, or that the administration lied the nation into war in Iraq -- to others.

 

…Donna Brazile, who managed Gore's presidential campaign, explains: "We should not back down and not blink. But we should also learn how to disagree with people and still respect them. That is the only way to defeat your enemy."

The article, which features a graphic of Howard Dean with fire coming out of the top of his head, says that Dean lately seems to be crafting his message to strike the right balance, "emphasizing positive themes of empowering Americans to defend their democracy against wealthy special interests and secretive preemptive warriors":

Dean has both the message and the policy agenda to make the case to the undecided electorate that he can solve problems Bush can't. The challenge for the feisty front-runner is to present those policies with optimism more than anger, and to strike the right note when it comes to the president. As long as he's fighting for the Democratic nomination, that could be difficult, since the Bush-hating base may prefer Angry Howard to Dignified, Optimistic Howard. But if he wraps up the nomination early, he'll have time to modulate his appeal.

Democratic voters don’t need any more rallying to defeat Bush – they can read the news every day to re-generate their hatred. And there are groups like MoveOn.org to do it. What we need is a candidate who proves he has more – the ability to win.

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