Don't dodge security, Democrats told

[sabra]

http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/mld/ledgerenquirer/news/nation/13754623.htm

Don't dodge security, Democrats told



COLUMBUS, Ohio - The audience was supposed to be a gracious one.

But Rep. Rahm Emanuel, the leader of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, found himself fielding spirited questions at a breakfast meeting late last week as he laid out his ideas on how Democrats could seize control of Congress. When the Illinois congressman didn't include national security in his top five talking points, a man raised his hand and his voice.

"Can I give you a piece of advice?" said Ford Huffman, a Columbus attorney. "(Republicans) obviously believe it's their winning issue. Why can't we get out in front with it and say there's not an issue about security? Every American believes in securing America."

Emanuel tried to answer the question, asserting his eagerness to challenge the White House, but said he does not believe national security should be a political issue. As Emanuel spoke, Huffman turned his head and told those sitting around him: "It sounds like we are trying to dodge the issue. People are going to say the Democrats are being wussies."

[Democrats_win]

1. World's #1 lie: I'm from the government and I'm here to protect you.

Yeah, protect us from freedom of speech, from health care, from low gas prices, from safety when hurricanes come, from honest politicians, from the SEC which once stopped Enron-type-thieves, from controlling our own bodies, from falling in love, from eating healthy food, from drinking pure water, from pollution-free air, from honest businessmen, from honest journalists, from privacy on the net, from not being attacked on 9-11, from safety against anthrax tainted mail, from mine safety, from the right to have our votes count, from Americans owning our own country, from laws against usury credit cards, from saving our hard-earned money, from not being forced to have abortions by corporations, from the promise of all men being created equal, from freedom from religion, from information about condoms, and from just about everything that America once stood for.

Dear Lord, protect us from these men from the government!

[kenny blankenship]

2. Let me give YOU a piece of advice Mr. Huffman

when you're fighting fascists, trying to out-goosestep them is NO winning strategy. You just get people thrown into camps faster.

Sounds like a Rovian plant, all the way.

[xxqqqzme]

9. emanuel is the plant

dlc shill.

[GemMom]

26. Emanuel favorite of the Clintons

Emanuel was President Clinton's senior advisor.

[mike_c]

3. I think dems should CHALLENGE the notion that America needs...

...to become a security state, and substitute dealing with terrorism by addressing the problems at its root-- poverty, political and economic oppression, disenfranchisement, religious hatred, and militarism.

[Gloria]

4. Security IS an issue....and the Dems should be SLAMMING

Bushco on their lies and incompetence and how they've made us weaker.

I listened to Wendy Sherman and Wes Clark yesterday and they seemed to deliver that message loud and clear.

[Ron Mexico]

5. Would someone please explain to me why

Republicans get such a reputation for security measures when their main claim to fame is massive pork spending in the defense budget? Or was my instruction in school wrong? Were FDR and HST Republicans?

[reprobate]

15. Remember what Joseph Goebbels said: Tell a lie often enough and people..

...will start to believe it. The same in this case. The people have been told over and over and over again that the neocons are protecting them. The fact that there hasn't been a massive attack has played into their hands. We must point out the errors of that way of thinking, and all the unprotected infrastructure in the nation, including chemical plants, open ports with thousands of containers entering daily, and the unsecured spent fuel storage pools at our nuclear plants that could spread radioactivity over thousands of square miles.

There is plenty to hit them with, but I think the current invertebrate dem leadership is not about to raise a stink. They might take offense.

[laheina]

16. I personally think

that the only reason that they have that reputation is because they are *constantly* scaring everyone. They scream security and small business, even though they rarely come through on either.

Oh yeah, and now they've starting wrapping themselves in the flag and waving the bible around.

:puke:

[rudy23]

6. We should be HAPPY to make security a #1 issue

WE should be hammering these points home like a broken record.

1. OBL is still alive
2. Hamas is in power
3. 9/11 comission gave the Bush admin failing grades all around
4. Bush admin's response to Katrina is a sneak preview of how they'll respond to the next attack
5. Iraq and Afghanistan are terrorist breeding grounds
6. Our ports and borders are not secure, no effort has been made under the Bush admin
7. No arrests made in the antrax attacks.
8. Nuclear materials have not been secured.

You can't change the fact that national security is the #1 issue for most Americans. People are ruled by fear, and the media just fuels the fire. We should mention these points from now till November, so much that people are sick of hearing about it. We need to learn from the marketing & PR people who drive home the Republican talking points. Don't be afraid to come up with short, catchy phrases. Now LET'S GO GET 'EM!

[donkeyotay]

8. Absolutely, beat them about the heads and shoulders with security

Damned straight and :hi: rudy 23.

And, if they have made us safer, why are they still mongering fear?

This administration has made us weaker. They are claiming credit for no further domestic attacks since 9-11. (That doesn't wash with me, since they should also be held accountable for 9-11, but that's another story.) Yet, the disaster in Iraq, the increased belligerence of Iran, the radicalization of Palestine, the rise of a leftest South America combined with an Asia that is unapologetically kicking our economic butts and a world that has recoiled in horror at our ethics and policies... plus the wreckage of deficits that have brought no offsetting investment, the illustration made by Katrina (and Medicare) that the privateers have made off with our wealth with no discernible benefit to citizens....

On and on. This administration is a catastrophic failure, including its failure to unite the people of this country behind its policies. We are not safer, although the Republican-party-first crowd would like people to think so. They simply don't want the sheeple to see that these crooks have bankrupted us, morally and financially.

[Heewack]

13. We need more than catchy phrases.

We need plans of action. While those 8 points are certainly good fodder, without meaningful plans to correct those problems all it shows is that we are good at stating the obvious.

[laheina]

17. Hi rudy23!

Welcome to DU! :D

[rudy23]

20. Hi back.

Thanks to everyone for the warm welcomes!

[Burma Jones]

7. Security IS an issue that Democrats can score with

The various terror plots associated with the Millennium were stopped, during a Democratic Administration

Democrats are more interested in spending money on Security Measures as opposed to lining Contractors' pockets with little to show - I mean, even a cursory look at the Dept of Homeland Security will show incompetence and corruption.

We need to show that Democrats are far better managers of the public's money than Republicans are - and that ain't hard to do.

On Edit:

Also, everything said in post #6

[AX10]

11. Exactly.

[MissMillie]

14. well said!

bravo!

[NashVegas]

22. I Agree

Not only that, but this is one where we can use Rove's own gdamn strategy against them!

All we'd have to do is bring up national security matters and, as the Republican Golden Man once asked, "Are we better off?"

ie, do we feel safer? Do we feel this government is equipped to deal with disaster? Roll the Zarkawi tape ...

[GemMom]

27. Preamble to the US Constitution

National security to me means border defense and the "common defense" referenced in the Preamble to the US Constitution. I'm worried about border security, especially in light of a report done by two reporters in Chicago about their visit to TX, where the Mexican border police are regularly crossing over to our side (illegal) as well as the illegals.

[Vinca]

10. The Republican talking points, parroted again and again and again

have given the impression that Democrats are weak on security. It makes me sick since nothing could be further from the truth. Sometimes I think we should issue AK47s and ammo belts to all Democrats to wear all the time. Is that what it's going to take???

[rudy23]

19. We need to steal a page from the Repub's book

Repetition, repetition, repetition!

Try to express yourself clearly, and it wouldn't hurt to have your words be "catchy"

phrases like
Tax Relief
Activist Judges
Flip-flop
Terrorist surveillance
are very effective because they're catchy, and they communicate a strong message with few words.

We're the more linguistically gifted party, why not use those noggins to brand ourselves the better party? Because let's not fool ourselves, elections are about branding, whether we like it or not!

[yurbud]

32. How about "killing people so your friends can make money doesn't make us

safer."

[DinahMoeHum]

12. Rahm Emanuel is a dildo, and he should have left well enough alone

re the 6th CD of Illinois.

He's trying to usurp Christine Cegelis's 2nd try for Congress by foisting a "Fighting Dem", Tammy Duckworth against her in the primary.

http://www.cegelisforcongress.com/

http://www.duckworthforcongress.com/my_story.html


From what I've read, Duckworth is a totally honorable person, and under any other circumstances, I would gladly give money to her campaign.

:evilfrown:

[GemMom]

28. Agreed

I'm supporting Cegelis in the primary.

[IndianaGreen]

18. You want security? Arrest Bush and Cheney

and prosecute them for war crimes and abuse of power. Then you will have security!

[DeepModem Mom]

21. kick

[NativeTexan]

23. Not just security....Dems should fight tooth and nail....

....on EVERY issue! We cannot secede ANY issue to the GOONS!

[Orlandodem]

24. If we're credible on security, then we control this government

for a generation. Repugs could fold their tent and go home.

We are the party of Wilson, FDR, Truman, and JFK. We are the party of the UN. We must promote muscular mulitilateralism. We must be a force on security to get elected and destroy the cons.

[leesa]

25. It's no wonder we can't win with dunderheads like this running the show?

Do they even talk to real people with real problems??

[sampsonblk]

29. Amen - Time to Punch Back!

The Bush admin (along with Reagan and Bush I) have a made a mess of the national security of this country. Why on earth would we avoid that discussion?? Why not present the counter-arguments, also known as the truth, and remove this as a winning issue for these devils in November?

Hiding from this issue only solidifies the public's perception that Repubs are better on national security. Not a very bright strategy in my view.

[javadu]

30. Further Proof The Dems are Pussies n/t

[yurbud]

31. security comes from depriving our enemies of legit grievances

We can't let oil companies, sweatshops, and plantation owners dictate our foreign policy and overthrow democratic governments every time some corporation gets their knickers in a knot.

Defense would be a lot cheaper if we had fewer people to defend ourselves from.

The difficulty is, most Americans have no idea what we do in the rest of the world, and it's a big hurdle to let them know.

[yurbud]

33. When DLC & GOP say 'security' or 'defense' they mean aggression

China and Russia have very weak offensive capabilities, but they are under no threat of being attacked or invaded.

To the degree that Russia has ANY military problems, they are with former colonies they don't quite want to let go of.

Think of the problems we are having occupying Iraq, now imagine anyone trying to occupy us.

We have military conflict to the degree that we try to project our power to control other countries resources.

[The Stranger]

34. "Terror! Terror!" = Fear = Sheeple Install GOP Permanently.