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Democrats' return to partisanship will come back to haunt in '02
Daily Mississippian (UMiss) ^ | 12/3/01 | N.R. Windle

Posted on 12/04/2001 7:24:08 AM PST by NorCoGOP

OXFORD, Miss. -- The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is planning to run radio ads next month against the GOP. The ads will attack Republicans for economic proposals such as tax cuts that the Democrats are calling giveaways to corporations and the wealthy.

Kim Ruby, a spokeswoman for the Democratic Congressional Campaign, said, "We will be talking about the recession and the fact that the Republicans have an obligation to exercise leadership."

She said that although the ads have yet to be written they will run in places "where the economy will be a relevant issue."

Democratic leaders have decided to step up their rhetoric against the president's handling of the economy this week.

This coincides with the White House's announcement that there would be a budget deficit for the rest of Bush's term in office. The Democrats claim that his $1.35 trillion tax cut is to blame for the deficit.

However, the Democrats are being careful to praise Bush for his leadership in the nation's fight against terrorism. Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, D-S.D., said of Bush, "We strongly support his efforts in Afghanistan and we think that he deserves high marks."

"We have significant difference of opinion with him on the economy, economic policy, and I wouldn't give him high marks on the economy."

Daschle also said, "There is sensitivity right now in the administration about the Bush economy. We are in a recession. This is something we predicted a long time ago."

As expected, the GOP is lashing out against this political campaign by saying that it is inappropriate to be playing politics during this time of war. Senate Minority Leader Trent Lott said of the ad campaign, "It is shameful, absurd, and very poorly timed."

He went on to predict that the ads would backfire against the Democrats. Lott was joined in his outrage by House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., who said in a statement, "How sad it is that in a time of war, the Democrats have chosen to return to politics as usual."

In an attempt to expose the Democrats' strategy, the Republicans are circulating a memo written by Democratic consultants James Carville, Stan Greenburg and Robert Shrum that urges Democrats to start positioning themselves for the 2002 congressional elections now by attacking Bush on the economy.

In the memo, the Democratic strategists said, "The country is very uncomfortable with the aggressive tax cut program of the Republicans, which voters think will put the country in the hole again and undermine the ability to meet critical spending needs."

The memo also told Democrats that although Bush's approval ratings are high, it is time to get back into politics as long as an overly partisan tone is not adopted.

I tend to agree with the Republicans on this issue. In the wake of a national tragedy, it is not the time to start a partisan campaign attacking our commander-in-chief.

If the Democrats intend to win votes in the 2002 elections, they need to do so by focusing on issues that are of great importance in this country now such as security, and by building themselves up rather than trying to tear down a president who is enjoying overwhelmingly high approval ratings.

However, the Democrats do have every right to run these ads. They should just be prepared to face the possible backlash.


TOPICS: Editorial; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS:
"We are in a recession. This is something we predicted a long time ago."

You sure did! During the final years of the Clinton administration was when it started - YOU ARE TO BLAME, Daschle....

1 posted on 12/04/2001 7:24:09 AM PST by NorCoGOP
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To: NorCoGOP
I think the key for the dims is to increase federal spending. That should increase the length and severity of the recession caused by the clinton market crash. Then they can go back to yelling "it's the economy, stupid".
2 posted on 12/04/2001 7:32:11 AM PST by steve50
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To: steve50
What has the Senate done to help this PASS A RAILROAD RETIREMENT BILL
3 posted on 12/04/2001 7:35:59 AM PST by scooby321
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To: NorCoGOP
Egads...Daschle makes me SICK!!! "We predicted this a long time ago." Hmmm...does that mean you acknowledged it way back when it started, BEFORE Bush took office? If you predicted this so long ago, why were you all whining about how Bush was talking down the economy in January? What a lying piece of s**t Dasshole is. How can tax cuts, which haven't even taken effect, bring about a recession? And what about the rebates? Whose idea was that? The Democrats. Dasshole is a dip.
4 posted on 12/04/2001 7:38:56 AM PST by Wphile
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To: scooby321
Yeah, now there's a sorely needed piece of legislation!!! God,I hate the Senate.
5 posted on 12/04/2001 7:39:43 AM PST by Wphile
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To: Wphile
Dems return to partisanship will haunt them in '02.

Nonsense. The memory of the average voter in this country is about 3-4 weeks at best. RATs have proven this over and over, and we better learn it.

6 posted on 12/04/2001 7:45:08 AM PST by mwl1
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To: Wphile
Dasshole cares not about the truth. I hope the punk gets his comeuppance at some point in time...
7 posted on 12/04/2001 7:45:54 AM PST by eureka!
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To: NorCoGOP
The Democrats are TOAST, in so far as 02/04 are concerned. Let them run their atrocious unseemly ads -- they'll simply get even fewer votes than they've already ensured. They sure don't know how to behave during wartime, LOLOLOLOL. How absolutely ATROCIOUS.
8 posted on 12/04/2001 7:53:58 AM PST by meridia
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To: mwl1
Nonsense. The memory of the average voter in this country is about 3-4 weeks at best. RATs have proven this over and over, and we better learn it.

The Democrats are masters of propaganda and trench warfare. While we insist on fighting by the Marquis de Queensbury Rules they constantly attack us from behind. We shrug it off and think the referee and the judges will grade them down on points, yet the judges, the media, seem to never see the foul. Reminds me of the WWF. At least we are responding this time, though not as vigerously as I would like. I want to see Democrat hypocrisy exposed, point by point, not some general plaint about how awful they are.

9 posted on 12/04/2001 7:56:36 AM PST by Mind-numbed Robot
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To: mwl1
Dems return to partisanship....

When have they ever been non-partisan?

10 posted on 12/04/2001 8:05:01 AM PST by Don Corleone
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To: meridia
The Democrats are TOAST, in so far as 02/04 are concerned.

You think? I said in 2000 that if we couldn't defeat Al Gore, with all his lies, scandals, Clinton association, etc., going away then we shouldn't even be a party. You see how that turned out. Why? Because we studiously ignored all the above and conducted a "clean" campaign focussing on the issues. That is the way it should be in ordinary times but we never seem to learn that the Democrats are not ordinary opponents. They have no rules, no standards, in fact they thing lies and deceit are cute little political gammits, and they have the media to cover for them. Add to that the values being learned in our schools and we have a stupid and misinformed electorate who are easily lead astray. Throw in massive voter fraud and it is not a cakewalk as it should be.

11 posted on 12/04/2001 8:06:23 AM PST by Mind-numbed Robot
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To: NorCoGOP
Attention DemoRats:

MAJOR BLOWBACK INCOMING!

12 posted on 12/04/2001 8:07:41 AM PST by Walkin Man
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To: Mind-numbed Robot
They're TOAST. Not only are they offending *most* Americans of good heart and intellect, they also have already horrified an enormous mass of Americans by thier LACK OF WARTIME ETIQUETTE.

Lieberman may get re-elected; but I haven't seen him utter the stupidity of most televised Democrats, who CONTEMPTUOUSLY believe that THIS is an appropriate time to politicize anything.

They're nuts. Most Americans, even if they won't admit it, are most concerned about the physical safety of their country and themselves. And the Demo-F00LS putting down ANYTHING having to do with W is gonna boomerang BIGTIME.

Which is just fine with most of the country.

13 posted on 12/04/2001 8:14:43 AM PST by meridia
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To: meridia
They're TOAST. Not only are they offending *most* Americans of good heart and intellect, they also have already horrified an enormous mass of Americans by thier LACK OF WARTIME ETIQUETTE.

Could you imagine the reaction if they get their campaign up and running, and in mid-smear, another Osama puppet-boy sacrifices himself and a bunch of Americans to Allah somewhere in America? Geez!

The Dimocrats are rocket scientists, NOT.

14 posted on 12/04/2001 6:46:37 PM PST by an amused spectator
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