RNC: Focusing On The Issues That Matter To You
Over at my blog, I mentioned Kerry's shameful and very tragic and shocking and, above all else, somehow relevant "Lambert/Lambeau Field" gaffe the other day. And it looks like those silly Republicans are loathe to just let it go. WorldNetDaily is reporting today -- and this is not satire, folks (would that it were) -- a new 527 has been born: Football Fans for Truth
Two Washington-based lawyers supporting President Bush’s re-election have registered an advocacy group, Football Fans for Truth, as a Section 527 organization allowed to accept unlimited political donations. They plan to publicize Kerry’s recent sports misstatements such as his reference to the home of the Green Bay Packers as “Lambert Field” instead of Lambeau Field.
Other gaffes they hope to bring wider attention to include Kerry’s talk of the Buckeyes — the nickname of Ohio State University’s team — while campaigning in University of Michigan Wolverine territory.
Lawyers Jeff Larroca and Dino Panagopoulos, both members of the law firm Ballard Spahr Andrews & Ingersoll, said in a conference call Wednesday they have no plans to raise large amounts of cash.
Instead, they hope to get free publicity from sports talk radio and other media.
“Our goal is to basically find ways to get out the political humor about John Kerry’s unsuitability to be sportsman-in-chief,” Larroca said.
The sad, and infinitely frustrating thing is, this (in small part, of course) is why the Right wins elections. In a country where the electorate is basically split down the middle, it's ridiculous garbage like this that the average (read: clinically braindead) "undecided" voter hears on some sports talk radio show, and it sticks with them. It's stories like these that guys talk about in the office, or in the garage. And if it's repeated enough (which, in this RNC controlled day and age it no doubt will be), it absolutely eats away at poll numbers.
Most lefties fail to give stories like these the proper weight they deserve because most of us read them and say to ourselves, "WTF, self? That's goddamn stupid and not worth my time, self." And it is, of course. Your self is right. But your self also fails to appreciate the genius behind it all; and the carefully constructed story-line it follows. It's evil genius, yes; but evil genius wins elections. Regular genius wins elections, too, but the GOP has found--much to their credit, I might add--evil genius to be much more cost effective and efficient (see: Max Cleland, Swift Boats, Purple Hearts, random terror warnings, etc.).
How do we fight back? Good question, glad you asked. Maybe you all can tell me. Seems to me we certainly don't have the same well-funded resources at our disposal as do our loving friends on the Right; so, I guess, as usual, we've just got to be a little more creative.
Maybe we could put up some posters in Dinkytown.
posted by Anonymous @ 5:17 AM |
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19 Comments:
Well, I wouldn't go calling the average undecided voter "clinically braindead" - but you're definitely on to something here. When you think of sports talk radio, and guys in garages - don't you think of Republicans? Let's be grossly stereotypical for a moment. It's perhaps the opposite of that Howard Dean negative ad, the "latte-drinking, sushi-eating, Volvo-driving" liberal elite stereotype.
We have this almost generic suburban culture of sports-bars, SUV's, Home Improvement and church. It's a safety-in-numbers America, safety-in-white-suburbs America. It's huge, and it's Bush/Cheney America. These people aren't evil. The lawyers that started Football Fans for Truth are probably funny goodtime guys. People don't believe me when I say the Northern Alliance cadre are funny sociable guys in person, even to a leftie. As long as leftie likes beer and has a sense of humor, that is.
It's this giant swath of Middle America that the Dems need to win over. Or at least, be palatable to. Obviously that culture isn't as monolithic as I described. Some of them will laugh at Kerry for skiing with a daisy on his jacket - those are the safety-in-numbers folks who scoff at anyone different from them. But there are plenty of people who'd look at that, or Kerry snowboarding, and think that's cool, that's me.
Bush is better at seeming like 'regular folks,' and that quality is important to his constituency. Kerry needs to be better at 'regular folks.'
I agree about much of this, but I would remind you that people always remember the "spoiled rich daddy's boy" side of our President. That is why I think one of the best weapons against him is the video Michael Moore used showing him speaking at a reception saying, "Some call you the elite, I call you my base."
I wrote a letter to the editor of the WaPo over this article. The whole thing is so dumb, I don't even know I even bothered. So of course they'll be running it in Saturday's edition. It reads something like this:
While Jim Vande Hei (Kerry Drops Ball With Packers Fans) correctly emphasizes the importance of the "Green and Gold" to Wisconsinites, he neglects to mention that Condoleeza Rice spent the first three quarters sitting in Panthers owner Jerry Richardson's box during the season opener on Monday Night Football. Having been raised in northern Wisconsin I can assure you that we can look past mispronunciations, but rooting for anybody but the Packers is simply unacceptable.
At the end of that article is this little tid bit: "In the past 18 presidential elections, if the Redskins lost or tied the
last game before the election, the party in the White House lost, too. The
Redskins' opponent Oct. 31: the Packers, but not at Lambert, er, Lambeau
Field."
I wonder if those two lawyers from Washington know that? Are they packer fans, hoping they beat washington, defeating their prefered candidate, or are they just sleaze bags?
I think it is also important to remind all those Packer fans that the President has said in the past that the only sport he follows is baseball. Or remind them how Illinois Republicans wanted Mike Ditka (former Bears coach and staunch Republican) to run for their U.S. Senate seat. The Bears are the Packers biggest rival afterall.
Kerry might not be able to say "Lambeau Field" correctly, but at least he can pronounce the word "nuclear." As in "Iraq had no nuclear weapons." Or as in, "While we have been at war in Iraq, Iran and North Korea have been developing nuclear weapons."
I think the battle is a little more uphill that you anticipate. Clinton won in '92 with just 43% and didn't get a majority in '96 either.
Then factor in the demographics of an aging population, which will become more conservative. There are fewer people who "get it" than you think. If you want to win, you're going to have to move significantly closer to moderate, and that will isolate the elitist/intellectual/academic crowd. Some of them will bail for "purer" socialist or green causes and that will further fragment you among declining (proportionally) youth and the far left.
I'm not sure that there is a left/center majority to be had that won't lose too much far left to hit 50%
Bush has made a number of similar mistakes. I think all national politicians must (I mean, hell, they travel so much...mixing up regional sports teams is a given), but before the internet people outside of the area didn't really hear about it.
If I had the gumption, I'd start up Sports Fans Against Bush or something to publicize his own foibles.
Like trading Sammy Sosa.
Feh. Don't these football fans know that Bush is a lifetime baseball fan?Now that I think about it, I really wish Bush would have become commissioner of baseball back in '92. Baseball might have sucked, but our country would be in better shape. As much as I'm a fan of baseball, and not a fan of Dubya, I think this would have been the perfect job for him. Of course then would Bud Selig go on to become governor of Wisconsin and later President? Ugh.
David gave big money to Howard Dean, and I think other lefty candidates during the primaries. A fact I take great joy in pointing out to the Power Line guys, who are huge Curb Your Enthusiasm fans.
I was in Wisconsin when Kerry went through on his Magical Mistakes Tour. He tried to show local knowledge everywhere he went in the state and screwed up everywhere. He has never been to the state. No one here would expect him to know Leon's in Milwaukee or anything. He came across as a big phony. "Lambert" field was just a defining moment to represent the whole miserable mess. How the hell could he scerw up Lambeau? IT'S A FUCKING FRENCH NAME.
Puhleeze, people. After four years of harping over Bush's occasional manglings of the language - trivial as those are in the grand scheme of things, whether you support Bush or not - you expect us NOT to capitalize on Kerry boning something *that* simple?
Politics 101 - remember names!
"Seems to me we certainly don't have the same well-funded resources at our disposal as do our loving friends on the Right;"
Yeah, you do. You have more! You (collectively) just spend it rather stupidly. How much grassroots action could be funded for the kind of money that George Soros et al are pumping into moronic vanity projects like "MoveOn" and Air America?
And please, please please - as a Republican, I beg of you, keep referring to Republican strategery as "evil genius".
It's not too late to pick an honest Democrat. After the indicments, at the Torreceli convention, pick someone who honestly knows sports or someone who honestly admits not knowing football.
Kerry is giving you a second chance, take it. Pick an American Man at the second convention.
American Man? Haven't seen that reality show yet. We're going to try to get the Littlest Groom to move into my district so that he can run in two years if Ron Latz doesn't win.
Here's a hint; American Men don't have astrological signs.
Oh I get it, American Men are born in another galaxy!
Having an astrological sign is kinda like having a blood type, you can not believe in it, but as long as you're born on earth you have one.
Ryan posted his sign in his profile. So which is it, boy, are you not a man or are you not an American?
List your birthday with blogger, get an astrological sign... it's simple, really. And for the record, I'm an American, a male and I have a birthday. Woo!
" I'm an American, a male and I have a birthday. Woo!"
But you're not a Man, which brings us back to the point.
Kerry can't be president becaause
1- He's not American enough.
2- He's not a Man.
3- He's been caught up in a huge criminal conspiracy to forge documents. Now that three of his high level advisors have been caught talking to the forger we may be hours away from planning for the "Torreceli" convention. Have fun, and pick a Man this time.
p.s. If blogger automatically emascualtes you when you create a profile; don't do that.
1) Real men don't have to capitalize "man."
2) Real men don't post idiotic comments anonymously.
3) Real men don't even have to say "real men this" or "real men that."
4) Goto 1.
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