Recently New Mexico governor and 2008 Presidential candidate, Bill Richardson has called on fellow Democrats to sign a pledge to keep their campaigns "positive."
Dufus!!!
The ONLY people who sincerely revile "negative campaigning" are those candidates and their die-hard supporters, who, for lack of a better phrase, "Just don't do it right."
Americans like their politics the way they like their Cajun food, "dirty," or is that "doity?"
Doity politics has been an American staple since the days of George Washington.
Sure, some of us will say we disapprove of doity politics (NOT me, of course), but even most of the self-proclaimed disapprovers secretly LOVE it! And best of all, IT WORKS! It really, really works!!!
The sad-sack Dukakis camp called Geoerge Bush Sr's "Willie Horton ad" an example of "doity politics," but it was nothing of the kind. As Massachussetts Governor, Mike Dukakis DID indeed preside over an ill-conceived and ill-fated furlough program that furloughed some violent felons, of which Willie Horton was one.
Mike Dukakis approved of that program, right up to the time when a furloughed violent felon, by the name of Willie Horton, left the state and was busted in Maryland for a home invasion rape, robbery, where he raped a woman in front of her tied up husband.
It wasn't George Bush Sr's fault that Dukakis approved of such a misguided program! And it wasn't his fault that then candidate Al Gore didn't have the savvy to pull that issue off - Gore was the first to raise the Horton issue in the 1988 campaign.
The fact is that the Willie Horton ads were true and they reflected very poorly on Michael Dukakis' judgment.
So come on Bill!
Get on board and hire yourself a skilled campaign adviser, one skilled in the ways of doity American politics and just go for it.
Personally, I think this two-year campaign is a real bad idea. Most voters are completely sick of all the candidates after just nine or ten months. That's why I think Newt Gingrich's strategy of only considering a run some time this summer is a good one.
By then, most Americans may well be Clinton'd, McCain'd, Obama'd and Giuiliani'd out, leaving a wide opening for a "fresh face" like Gingrich's. I just hope that if Newt does enter the race, he does so with a hard-assed campaign manager, one skilled in the ways of doity politics.
Dufus!!!
The ONLY people who sincerely revile "negative campaigning" are those candidates and their die-hard supporters, who, for lack of a better phrase, "Just don't do it right."
Americans like their politics the way they like their Cajun food, "dirty," or is that "doity?"
Doity politics has been an American staple since the days of George Washington.
Sure, some of us will say we disapprove of doity politics (NOT me, of course), but even most of the self-proclaimed disapprovers secretly LOVE it! And best of all, IT WORKS! It really, really works!!!
The sad-sack Dukakis camp called Geoerge Bush Sr's "Willie Horton ad" an example of "doity politics," but it was nothing of the kind. As Massachussetts Governor, Mike Dukakis DID indeed preside over an ill-conceived and ill-fated furlough program that furloughed some violent felons, of which Willie Horton was one.
Mike Dukakis approved of that program, right up to the time when a furloughed violent felon, by the name of Willie Horton, left the state and was busted in Maryland for a home invasion rape, robbery, where he raped a woman in front of her tied up husband.
It wasn't George Bush Sr's fault that Dukakis approved of such a misguided program! And it wasn't his fault that then candidate Al Gore didn't have the savvy to pull that issue off - Gore was the first to raise the Horton issue in the 1988 campaign.
The fact is that the Willie Horton ads were true and they reflected very poorly on Michael Dukakis' judgment.
So come on Bill!
Get on board and hire yourself a skilled campaign adviser, one skilled in the ways of doity American politics and just go for it.
Personally, I think this two-year campaign is a real bad idea. Most voters are completely sick of all the candidates after just nine or ten months. That's why I think Newt Gingrich's strategy of only considering a run some time this summer is a good one.
By then, most Americans may well be Clinton'd, McCain'd, Obama'd and Giuiliani'd out, leaving a wide opening for a "fresh face" like Gingrich's. I just hope that if Newt does enter the race, he does so with a hard-assed campaign manager, one skilled in the ways of doity politics.
He's already an "also ran."
ReplyDeleteThat's true, though with this early Primary push, it seems that the only non-also rans are Giuliani, McCain, Clinton and Obama, with Romney and Edwards in the second tier right now.
ReplyDeleteI've heard that Newt Gingrich is claiming he won't make a decision until the summer and insists that a new face in the race could garner a lot of attention at that point and make some waves...maybe, but it seems that the big four will have most of the big money sewn up by then, making any such run, a huge uphill struggle.
If I had to bet right now, I'd say it'll come down to Rudy vs Hillary, but there's a long, loooong ways to go...a lot could happen.
Gingrich would make a great veep candidate, imho.
ReplyDeleteHe would, at that.
ReplyDeleteHe's a great thinker. A dedicated educator and a class guy, despite some personal pecadillos.