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05/31/04 :: By William Hare Is Kerry's Virginia Strategy part of a Regional Test?Categories :: Tactics
Speculation abounds this weekend about John Kerry’s decision to enter the Virginia political advertising market. While Republican strategists were expressing outward glee over the decision, contending that Kerry is wasting his money in a state he stands no chance of winning, the effort could signal a broader strategy that merits sober reflection.
05/30/04 :: By William Hare Message to George W. Bush: They Fought Against EmpireCategories :: Bush Administration
Yes, Mr. Bush, those men and women being honored this weekend are heroes, as you will proclaim in personal appearances. They risked their lives for their country.
05/29/04 :: By Tom Ball Pat Tillman Killed by Friendly FireCategories :: Iraq
Pat Tillman, who died in April while a U.S. soldier fighting in Afghanistan, likely was killed by friendly fire, an Army investigation has concluded.
05/29/04 :: By William Hare Gore New and OldCategories :: Tactics
Al Gore's rousing speech at New York University highlighting the appalling performance of the Bush administration in Iraq prompts an analysis of him comparing present and past demeanors. The new Gore has conceded that, if he had it to do it all over again in his run for the presidency, he would be less cautious and "let it rip."
05/28/04 :: By William Hare Senator Kerry: Adopt an Aggressive StrategyCategories :: Tactics
Senator Kerry, shedding Bush Lite is a must in running a winning campaign. What is needed is to go into more of an attack mode. The Karl Rove mean machine has no issues, no real Bush second term programs will be presented for debate in an issues-oriented context, and the whole scope of the campaign will be relentless pit bull 30-second attack ads. The only proposals considered will be on the order of a constitutional amendment on marriage, faith-based initiatives and the like, programs based more on propaganda and dividing Americans than on the real needs of the citizenry. How wonderful it would be to have open debates on health care, the environment, and real homeland security. None of this will come to pass. Karl Rove's role model remains Richard Nixon and the ideal campaign model will continue to be the Lee Atwater-Roger Ailes 1988 mud storm against Michael Dukakis.
05/27/04 :: By William Hare Limbaugh Revisited: Taking Him to Task!Categories :: Hypocrisy
There is a quick update on my recent entry concerning the rush on the right toward compassion for Rush and his drug problems and Limbaugh's outrageous comments about the Abu Ghraib Prison disaster and repeated insistence that the conduct amounts to no more than harmless pranks on the part of interrogators. Shortly after the article appeared I received an e-mail from MediaMatters.com. The content was most interesting.
05/27/04 :: By Delton Murphy Reversing The Course: An Iraq Exit PlanCategories :: Anti-War :: Bush Administration :: Iraq :: Progressive Strategy :: Tactics
The United States must make a dramatic reversal of course and recognize that the continued U.S. military presence in Iraq is destabilizing and counterproductive.
05/26/04 :: By William Hare Senator Kerry: Banish Bush LiteCategories :: Tactics
Senator Kerry, without sounding like a prude I would urge you to be a certain kind of political teetotaler and banish Bush Lite. This tactic of attempting to play it safe is ultimately unsafe with the result of defeat.
05/26/04 :: By William Hare Senator Zell Miller: Fair and Balanced Con ArtistCategories :: Hypocrisy :: Miller, Zell
Senator Zell Miller, you told us that it was not your intention to leave the Democratic Party. According to you, it up and left you and people like you. It spun out of control by veering so far to the left. This fear recently prompted you to label Senator John Kerry a “taxachusetts liberal.”
05/25/04 :: By Tom Ball Escape from Iraq: Bush and Blair Plan their Election Year BreakoutCategories :: Bush Administration :: Iraq
It has become clear even within staunch Republican ranks that the malaise in Iraq has become a gradually sinking anchor, pulling with it the president’s approval ratings as well as his hopes for reelection. Iraq, after all, was fashioned as the driving engine upon which Bush would base his November renewal at the White House.
05/25/04 :: By William Hare Arianna’s Pursuit of a Progressive AgendaCategories :: Books :: Huffington, Arianna
Arianna Huffington’s latest book, Fanatics and Fools: The Game Plan for Winning Back America, carries a timely ring that its author is backing up with meaningful follow through. While the Fanatics described by Huffington are the self-described “compassionate conservatives” of George W. Bush, whose activities demonstrate that the two C words do not fit while the F word definitely does, the second F word, that of Fools, is descriptive of recent enfeebled Democratic Party attempts at leadership.
05/24/04 :: By Delton Murphy Unfortunate Soldiers: Depleted UraniumCategories :: Bush Administration :: Criminal Acts :: Healthcare :: Iraq :: Military
Lying about the reasons to go to war is bad enough but to deliberately expose our troops to the toxic effects of Depleted Uranium is reprehensible.
05/24/04 :: By William Hare Rush and Right Wing HypocrisyCategories :: Hypocrisy :: Limbaugh, Rush
A look at the cover of the latest edition of The American Spectator provides a recent example of right wing hypocrisy in full swing. The major story is about the subject of current right wing compassion, the substance-challenged Rush Limbaugh.
05/23/04 :: By Delton Murphy Blood Makes Noise: Misrepresenting Soldier and Civilian CasualtiesCategories :: Bush Administration :: Hypocrisy :: Iraq :: Military
It's a bit hard to sell an Iraqi democracy package when so little regard is shown toward those civilians killed in an unjustified, unsubstantiated and unnecessary war.
05/23/04 :: By William Hare Senator Kerry: Study the British ModelCategories :: Government :: Kerry, John
While America functions under a constitutional system of checks and balances, Great Britain is a parliamentary system operating without a written constitution. There is one outgrowth of a political system predicated on party government worth studying by Senator John Kerry and his top advisers, that of Shadow Cabinet spokespersons and the ramifications accompanying the theory.
05/22/04 :: By Delton Murphy The Great Divider: Bandwagon Patriots Embracing WarCategories :: Anti-War :: Hypocrisy :: Iraq
American leadership is dependent upon maintaining the confidence and trust of its citizens and other nations around the world. Today that confidence and trust is at its lowest point. Why is the United States at the pinnacle of its power and the nadir of its political standing in the world?
05/22/04 :: By Delton Murphy For Want of a War, The Truth Was LostCategories :: Anti-War :: Bush Administration :: Documentary :: Iraq :: Media
Highlighting the myriad of inconsistencies evident in the statements made by politicians and spokespeople in support of the war, such as the exaggeration of Iraq's weapons of mass destruction, director Robert Greenwald strives to exemplify the clandestine motives that may have provided momentum to the war effort in his latest movie, Uncovered: The Whole Truth about the Iraq War.
05/22/04 :: By William Hare Senator Kerry: Bring Back the Rapid Response TeamCategories :: Elections :: Kerry, John :: Tactics
The current marathon presidential campaign, which Senator John McCain has already labeled as the nastiest he has ever seen, is reminiscent of several other noted campaigns. Two of them date back to the second decade of the nineteenth century.
05/21/04 :: By Delton Murphy The Art of AppointingCategories :: Bush Administration :: Hypocrisy :: Iraq
The concept of speeding up Iraqi democracy through appointments is as flawed as the ideas of bombing countries in order to quickly establish peace.
05/21/04 :: By Delton Murphy Signs: The War on SpeechCategories :: Anti-War :: Bush Administration
With President Bush’s credibility and approval rating slipping as steadily as sand falling through an hourglass, it is not surprising that there has been an alarming increase in the number of protest arrests and convictions across the country.
05/21/04 :: By Delton Murphy The Empire BuildersCategories :: Government :: History :: Military
Empires never last and generally have violent, unpleasant endings and with the reality of an 'American Empire' upon us, citizens hoping for change to occur through the creation, selection or election of a political savoir is a fairy-tale response akin to a damsel in distress waiting to be rescued.
05/21/04 :: By William Hare Senator Kerry: Remember 1964?Categories :: Elections :: Kerry, John :: Tactics
American politics is replete with historical precedents. Victory is often achieved by how astutely a candidate can read today’s tealeaves through the prism of yesteryear’s politics. Senator John Kerry should take a reflective look back forty years at the presidential campaign of 1964 and adopt it as a blueprint for victory against George W. Bush in 2004.
05/20/04 :: By Tom Ball Bush Alienating Crucial Cuban ElectorateCategories :: Bush Administration :: Cuba :: Elections
Bush owes much to the Cuban-American voters, particularly in Florida. Cubans are the only Latin American demographic which clearly favor Republicans and they are a voting force in Florida -- a necessary constituency if Bush hopes to pull Florida out of the bag once again.
05/19/04 :: By Tom Ball Political Branding: What do Democrats Stand For?Categories :: Tactics
Let’s face it. Most people are not visionaries. Even those with vision are often beaten down by the belief that they lack the resources, power or influence to act on their vision.
05/18/04 :: By Tom Ball Tactic: Support the Opposition UnderdogCategories :: Elections :: Tactics
Say you are running for office and your opponent is formidable (maybe even superior). How do you most easily undermine his or her candidacy?
05/17/04 :: By Tom Ball Top 27 Pieces of Evidence that Show Rice Perjured Herself in Front of the 9/11 Commission: A Reference for Seekers of TruthCategories :: Bush Administration :: Reference :: Rice, Condoleezza
The August 06, 2001 Presidential Daily Briefing, or PDB, has been declassified and released. This memo, which was central to National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice's testimony, is the latest injection into the evidential warchest that targets the administration's 9/11 claims intended to shield itself from accusations of incompetence, apathy, misdirection and distraction.
05/16/04 :: By Tom Ball Every Word Matters: Using 'Keywords' as a Political TacticCategories :: Tactics
In 1990, Newt Gingrich published a booklet he called "Language: A Key Mechanism of Control". He mailed his little manifesto to Republican leaders throughout the land and encouraged them to "paint a vivid, brilliant word picture." Gingrich, showing a distrust for his fellow Republicans' judgement, saw fit to supply the leaders with two lists of keywords, a positive word list to use in describing themselves and a negative keyword list to describe those evil Democrats.
05/15/04 :: By Tom Ball The Importance of Voting Along Party LinesCategories :: Elections
Many people become aghast at the mere mention of voting along party lines. "How could you?" "Why don't you think for yourself!" blah, blah, blah. I encourage these people to first take a deep breath and second to think deeply about how American government works.
05/14/04 :: By Tom Ball Abolish the Electoral College in 2004 (PART II)Categories :: Electoral College
Riddle: How many votes does it take to elect a Republican? Answer: Fewer votes than it takes to elect a Democrat to the same office. To illustrate, let's explore a new way to see the gross inequity of the Electoral College system.
05/14/04 :: By Tom Ball Electoral College Creates 1,975,706 Popular Vote Disadvantage for Democrats in 2004 (PART I)Categories :: Electoral College
America! Greatest democracy on the planet! One person, One vote. Right? Not on your life. It has been no secret since the 2000 election that the Electoral College system is once again fertile ground for debate.
05/13/04 :: By Tom Ball About Politicalstrategy.orgCategories ::
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05/12/04 :: By Tom Ball Join the PoliticalStrategy.org / PoliticalCortex.com Mailing ListCategories ::
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