Reply #61: If what was the benchmark? [View All]

If you think I'm implying that whoever can best scare America will win, then you didn't read my post very closely. That is not what I'm suggesting. I'm saying that fear will be the primary weapon that the Republicans use against the Democrats and that the Democrats had better consider that when making their choice because it's a very powerful and effective weapon. For the Democrats to try to out-republican the republican would certainly be a losing strategy, but to convince the public that you can do a better job than the republican of keeping America safe, that is a winner. If the Democratic candidate can just match the republican (I think Giuliani because he's a better campaigner than the actor) then the Democrat wins because the Democrats are stronger on domestic issues, provided the Democratic candidate is not too soft on their immigration policy, which eliminates Richardson.

The Democrats won in the last election because of this unpopular war and the correct perception that the Republicans are corrupt, not to mention that the Democrats had a lot of good candidates. The presidential election is always different, though once again the unpopularity of the war will be a big advantage. The Democratic candidate must not only say they will get us out of Iraq, they have to have a plan that will convince the public that it's a responsible way of leaving and to give a comprehensive vision of how a carefully planned withdrawal from Iraq is just a piece of his or her overall strategy for keeping America safe. It can be done, but it has to be the right candidate. Hillary's not that candidate. She's too divisive. Too many independents and potential crossover republicans will vote against her. She'll inspire the Right just like abortion and gay marriage. She'll give Republicans a much needed reason to get excited. That is why Karl Rove always talks about Hillary. Don't be naive. Rove isn't doing it because he's really scared of a Hillary Clinton candidacy. It's the reason Giuliani ran an ad attacking her. It's not because he thinks he'd better start chipping away at her now. It's because he want's her to be his opponent. He took his cue from Rove.