There is an example of the correct approach which Democrats should take note of.
Make it short, sweet, to the point and something everyone can relate to. Rev Al should be our Frank Luntz.
This speaks to the recent flap about the Romney campaign being so upbeat and proud that they not only took Obama’s words out of context (he was quoting John McCain) but also making that lie the direct opposite of it’s original intent. For the Romney Campaign it was a WIN, WIN, WIN. They got the lie out and accepted as true, the squawking from Democrats got the media to cause the ad to go viral, and the Democratic response was so long, drawn out, complicated and confusing no one is listened.
Of course the Romney campaign has discovered nothing new. For this process is exactly how Talk Radio and Fox News have become so successful. The lie, the slander, the dishonesty and the negative will always beat the latter rebuttal, the whine, the positive and the truth.
Watching Reverend Al here got me comparing some past Democratic candidates to the current crop of Republican candidates.
I can only think of three top tier Democrats on the fringe: Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson and Dennis Kucinich. Compare them to Herman Cain, Michele Bachmann, Donald Trump, Rick Santorum, Rick Perry, Ron Paul and the on and off again Sarah Palin.
Take any of those Republicans and put them in a one on one debate against any of the Democrats and the Republicans would end up as wet spots on the floor. Though I disagree most with Ron Paul on everything, he is an exception in that he knows his Mad Max swill well.
I suppose one could argue that the ideologies of the two groups are similarly extreme, but those Democrats know their history, their issues, and can articulate them truthfully and well. On the other hand the Republican candidates mentioned are know-nothing clowns trying to prove themselves more intolerant than the one standing next to them.
The game for Republicans is not getting the ball in a net or across the line, but who can smear the most sh*t on it.