Russert's Republican Talking Points (Er, Questions), Part II

[JABBS]

TIM RUSSERT: I showed you the 16 issues (from a recent NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll) where people agreed with the Democrats. There are still a couple where people overwhelmingly think the Republicans are the better party. Here's two: Strong national defense -- look at those numbers: 43 Republican, 22 Democrats. War on terror, 35-26. The Democrats are perceived as the weaker party on those kinds of issues. And that's why they voted for the war when it was popular, it's being suggested. And now, when the war is not popular, they're trying to back off their position.

HOWARD DEAN: We need to make sure that we can -- look, I know what those numbers are, and I think that's a big problem for the Democrats. We need to -- we need to make the American people understand that we are strong on defense, and that the strength of our position on defense is not just that we'll support a robust and muscular foreign policy. It's that we'll tell the truth. Telling the truth has a lot to do with defending America.

***

Do Americans "overwhelmingly" side with Republicans on "strong national defense" and "war on terror?" Of course not. In fact, in both cases, the majority of Americans don't think the Republicans are the best choice.

Republicans received 43% for strong national defense and 35% for fighting the war on terror. Those aren't majorities.

Furthermore, the percentages for Republicans and Democrats aren't close to 100%. Let's add in the remainder in both cases:

-- Strong National Defense. Republicans 43%. Both/Neither 35%, Democrats 22%.

-- War on Terror. Republicans 35%. Both/Neither 39%. Democrats 26%.

Hardly "overwhelming."

Yes, Democrats have to win the spin war in these two categories. But at the same time, Russert -- perhaps looking for something to challenge Dean with, given that Democrats were favored in 16 of 19 categories in the poll -- is clearly portraying the numbers with a Republican slant from the Luntzian school of objectivity.

***

Dean, unfortunately, did not make this case, and as a result he appears to agree that Democrats are weak on defense and terrorism.

How might he have answered?

HOWARD DEAN: Tim, I think its equally important to note that a majority of American's don't think the Republicans are strong on either issue. And let's remember that for the past five years, the Republicans have been framing this debate. They've controlled the presidency and both houses of Congress, and as a result they've controlled the agenda on these two very important issues. And their "my way or the highway" approach means that when a Democrat has said, "this is wrong," or "we should try a different approach" -- on issues such as going to Iraq, providing our troops with appropriate protective gear, having enough troops on the ground, working with our allies to build a true coalition, or providing full benefits to veterans --Republicans are misleading the American people when they say Democrats are soft, or worse, they are lying about our patriotism or our support of the troops.

We need to -- we need to make the American people understand that we are strong on defense, and that the strength of our position on defense is not just that we'll support a robust and muscular foreign policy. It's that we'll tell the truth. Telling the truth has a lot to do with defending America.

***

This item first appeared at Journalists Against Bush's b.S.

To view part one of this series, go to this JABBS post.{/a]

[Time for change]

1. Russert is a Republican shill

who pretends to be a legitimate journalist. He is the worst kind of hypocrate.