Why can't the Republicans run a clean campaign? Why can't they run on issues alone?

[Rosa Luxemburg]

Enough! Why would people value a party which is inept, can't run on issues alone let alone on the main problem that faces us - the economy. Why is it that this country has to endure this garbage?

[TwilightZone]

1. If they run on the issues, they lose.

Tax cuts for the rich, gutting Social Security and Medicare, and ignoring poverty and unemployment aren't terribly popular with the average voter.

[Liberal Gramma]

2. Their interests are not the people's interests

so they have to slice and dice the vote some other way. If they ran on issues, they'd lose every election.

[daninthemoon]

3. I'm amazed at the depth and volume of the lies of falin and mcsame.

It astounds me that there are many republicans that haven't caught on yet. in debates. Obama would state his position, and mcsame would answer back and say something completely different, but that he claimed was Obama's position. Obama: "Nice sunny day". Mcsame: " As you know my friends, my opponent says it is a dark and gloomy day". Why is this race even close? Those guys are bold face, shameless liars. Yet they get a crowd chanting USA, and people just ignore the bullshit. I don't think there has ever been a presidential race with so many lies.

[twill612]

4. They dont know that play

Because they aren't smart enough. Once Barack wins, maybe they'll learn from his playbook for next time.

[mmonk]

5. Because their base is the low information voter. Low information

voters aren't intelligent enough to really understand the issues. They pick on blind allegiance and negative politics.

[Bucky]

8. Hogwash.

Low info voters certainly are capable of understanding the issues. Think about the total volume of sports stats and working knowledge of sports careers your average "Joe Six-Pack" keeps in his head. Humans are very smart animals. The problem with Republican voters isn't intelligence; it's character. They're too emotionally attached to their ideologies and too lazy to learn and integrate new facts. But this isn't a knowledge problem; it's a problem of neglect.

[mmonk]

16. I find politically that they are uninformed and live outside of reality

(at least the ones that listen to Limbaugh or Hannity).

[Rosa Luxemburg]

18. I don't think they understand - they need it spelled out!

[bigdarryl]

6. Because NEGATIVE campaigning is all they know how to do remember they

had Lee Atwater and that crowd running against every democrat candidate that we put up and have beaten them with the exception of Big Dog with NEGATIVE campaigning but like the old saying you can only keep going to the whale so often before you luck runs out

[Bucky]

7. To directly answer your question, there are two reasons...

George and Bush. The Republicans are simply too enmeshed in the neocon philosophy and the dumbed-down version of Chicago School economics to admit they're out of ideas. What's left but personality attacks?

[Rosa Luxemburg]

9. the american people are insulted by this

[progressivebydesign]

10. They cannot win on issues or records. They have to steal, cheat, lie, and smear.

The ugly secret is that there is just not enough of them to win these things without cheating and scamming. There are more of us, but they own the corporations that own the media and run the voting machines.

[Johonny]

11. They run the way they believe Dems run

They view Democrats as the horrible vote stealing party that it was rumored to be in the 40-60s. There is the odd belief that the Dems do exactly the same thing. Listen to McCain he equates a Obama commercial about how bad his health care policy is to a McCain commercial about Obama being a terrorist. Watch the Stone Bush movie where in the 70s the Texas Dem basically out rethugs the rethug. The problem is that the democratic party filled with big northern party bosses and a corrupt solid south is long gone. You also have to consider Cheney/Rove desire to bring in party first loyalist that simply have no clue how to govern or understanding of issues. The party is basically the Republican party has become the party of followers. It's filled with Palin's. People that understand the talking points, but have no clue of the issues. There basically isn't anything for them to talk about but the talking points. They think the talking points are the issues. The country has to put up with this garbage because there is a vast majority of loyalists that simply vote one way or another without any consideration for the actual campaign.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

13. What do these want exactly?

[RagAss]

12. Fear is the blood in their veins.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

15. we should have come a long way from medieval times

but it looks like we haven't? Richard 1st of England and his crusades etc. Garbage!

[TwilightZone]

19. King George the W declared the war in Iraq a "crusade" at least once.

The terminology was quickly changed, of course, but it would seem that the more things change, the more they remain the same.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

20. George I and George II

we've had 2 sessions on Iraq under the King Georges!

[TwilightZone]

24. Very true.

It's funny how George II has managed to make George I look like a Rhodes Scholar in comparison. Wouldn't have thought that was possible.

But then, I didn't think the Republicans could come up with a candidate potentially worse than Bush II this quickly, either, and I think Palin could be.

[NoSheep]

14. because they are either evil or stupid.

[Motown_Johnny]

17. They need people to vote against their own self interest. Running on the issues isn't for them

[Jeff In Milwaukee]

21. Is this a rhetorical question?

I get your frustration, though. Just remember that half of the population is below median intelligence. The Republican Party is pretty much built on that.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

22. then we have to change it

I don't think they are below median intellignece, they aren't really interested.

[iceman66]

23. There aren't enough people

who benefit from the Republican positions on the issues to get them elected, so they NEED to convince stupid people to vote against their own interest in order to win.