politics ain't an easy gig.

[cleveramerican]

Politics at the national level is a tough business.
Its not for the faint hearted or those with fragile egos.
It turns nasty,often times its unfair.
But that is the way it works.

Maybe one person in 100,000 has the skills required.
All the democratic contenders should be proud of their respective accomplishments.
Alas only one can win, the rest will be weeded out.
Primaries are about comparing a field of similarly positioned candidates.
The smallest things become magnified, because they are all so much the same.
Every one of them is looking for an edge, a way to differentiate themselves.
They all have alot riding on the outcome
Its strictly business, its not personal.
How well each of them handles the curve balls that are surely coming their way is the key.
What gets said by whom during the campaign matters.
Matters a whole lot.
This is what will decide it.

It would be so much easier if everybody saw things my way.
Those calling for a less divisive campaign are pissing into the wind.
It'll never happen, so stop thinking it may.

[BootinUp]

1. True

but there is also plenty of merit in the theory that we help the other party when the attacks get personal or just go overboard.

[PurityOfEssence]

2. That theory really doesn't hold water, ESPECIALLY with a short primary season

The underlying theory is that we'd find vulnerabilities that Republicans won't. That theory itself is indefensible since the Republicans are masters at finding weaknesses and exploiting them with approaches of the least common denominator. Republicans are MUCH better at winning elections; they have to be, because their policies benefit so few people. This isn't just lefty whimperspeak, it's very true, and you can see how they masterfully play on fears and prejudices like they did in the 80s by getting poor whites to dread the personal economic danger posed by affirmative action.

These guys are great at what they do. They're very well-funded, and they're manically focused on winning above all else.

Now if this was a "normal" primary year like the ones of yore, the nominee might very well not be apparent until June or even at the convention. That forces them to divide their energies, not only in the development of attack strategies but in their running the ads. It works against them in numerous ways: it divides their energies and monies to research and develop attacks against two or three different people, and it further divides their ability to run the ads and do the market feedback research necessary to see what's working.

People can only stand so much political advertising, so even if you're effectively running against three different people until the nominee's determined (or obvious), you can't triple the amount of ad time, you have to dilute the number of hits per person. It keeps 'em guessing. They also can't really use the same line against each person because people get tired of it and see through it as a blanket dismissal.

With the idiotic system we have this year, we're almost definitely going to know who our nominee is on February 5th, which gives the reactionaries nine months to focus hard, try everything possible, see what sticks and work on the weak spots with a sickening repetition that'll be hard for anyone to survive.

That's why it behooves us to find 'em ourselves and find 'em now. It'd be monumentally stupid to put on a happy face and commit to someone who has a huge, inherent problem that can be exploited.

Think of it like the rigors we put astronauts through; they're grueling for a reason.

[BootinUp]

3. Still

If a Republican quotes a Democrat attacking another Democrat it may get more legs than it deserves.

[cleveramerican]

4. if it gets too over the top

It hurts the one going too far.
Its very democratic that way


It ALWAYS uncovers some painful truths.
that WILL be used against us by the republicans in the GE.

I think it helps to get it all out there, no matter how uncomfortable.

I'd rather know what each of their vulnerabilities are,
Weather of a personal or a policy nature
NOW!
before any primary voting takes place