The Wrong Strategy

The Democrats are now going full-on against Bush by attacking his credibility on funding issues. The Democrats are assuming that Bush’s weak poll numbers mean that he’s political vulnerable and that an attack will be effective.

The Democrats are doing exactly the opposite of what they should be doing. They’re copying the GOP playbook of 1998 by creating a demon figure on the opposition.

Except the problem isn’t with the hardcore DNC partisans that this strategy would motivate. The problem is that swing voters are moving towards the GOP. This strategy does nothing to correct that movement. In fact, it will only make it worse.

The Democrats are coming off as a shrill and partisan party with an obssession with the President. In other words, they’re coming off as the GOP of the Clinton years. We all know how effective that strategy was back then. If the Democrats want to have a chance in 2004, they need to start becoming an effective minority party. That doesn’t merely entail attacking the plans of the majority, it means coming up with better alternatives. However, even if the Dems do come up with viable public policies, their message is going to be lost to the attacks they make on Bush.

Political attacks are only viable when you are confident that you have the ability to gain an edge. This strategy is only going to compound the Democrats problems with swing voters and reduce their viability. Then again, looking at the current makeup of the Democratic Party, having them out of office is probably a good thing for the country.