Dems Elevate Cheney, But Don’t Engage Substance Of His Attacks
The new Democratic National Committee Web video about Dick Cheney captures something interesting about the current political war over Cheney and his national security attacks on Obama.
The vid, which is called “GOP Hearts Cheney,” features GOP leaders John Boehner, Michael Steele, and Mitch McConnell declaring that Cheney’s high profile is good for the party, while a love tune drones in the background:
The vid captures an interesting disconnect: Even as the DNC is diligently elevating Cheney as the face of the GOP, it’s refraining from pushing back on the actual substance of his attacks, for fear of drawing attention to what he’s actually saying. That’s neatly embodied by the vid’s chosen shots of Cheney sitting there with a big grin on his face, saying nothing.
The DNC has their reasons for this — it isn’t their place to engage on national security, they don’t want to dignify his attacks, etc. To a great extent the DNC and other Dems are following the White House’s game plan, which is to basically act as if Cheney is as consequential as a circus sideshow.
That may be the way to go, but the bottom line is that with few White House allies willing to engage Cheney’s arguments, he’s daily injecting his claims into the conversation largely unchallenged.
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Not totally unchallenged, Greg. There’s Jesse Ventura….
heh, true. And it’s true that he’s awfully effective, too.
I actually think this is good political strategy. I think that engaging Cheney’s arguments lend them legitimacy and its for the most part and argument that neither side can definitively win. The DNC could point out that torture is illegal but of course Cheney will come back and lie and say it was necessary and it saved lives. So basically it would all get even more muddled that it already is. But above and beyond his national security attacks on President Obama, the overwhelming number of Americans just don’t like Dick Cheney period. So all you really need to do is tie him to current leaders of the GOP. The point isn’t to push back on Cheney, the point is to bring down the public opinion of those officials who the DNC can saddle with the Cheney anchor so to speak. Besides that, the best pushback on his actual attacks would come from President Obama himself because then you have a very well liked personality going against a very villified personality. So you save that fight for the big dog and just use Cheney as a tool to shape the public opinion of others. From the Democracy Corps polling it turns out nobody believes Cheney anyway.
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http://www.democracycorps.com/strategy/2009/05/obama-closes-the-democrats-historical-national-security-gap/
True sg, *but* …. the Dems are still allowing the rump bushies to drive the conversation, with little pushback. They don’t HAVE to engage the substance of Cheney’s blatherings to push back on this. The Dems have been so typically inept on this issue that I lose hope entirely. Why, O why, are they so phucking INCOMPETENT at message management? And then, the dull-witted and profoundly incompetent Harry Reid stepped all over his own dick again yesterday. His own flak, who is lacking in skills himself, had to go behind him and shovel up the mess. Fire these politicians. Fire them now.
Harry Reid – the Michael Steele of the Democratic Party.
“Harry Reid – the Michael Steele of the Democratic Party.”
Word up. I’ve defended Reid against other progressives for 2 years, going on 3, and no more. I’m furious.
James
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I agree with you whole heartedly when it comes to Harry Reid and the Senate Dems but I am talking about the role of the DNC. They don’t handle policy so its not worth it for them to attack the substance and its probably not helpful. Unfortunately they can’t make Harry Reid grow a back bone and stand up to right wing talking points. I can honestly say that I will actively be working against Reid getting reelected because he is killing the Democratic Party right now. But when it comes to messaging from the DNC I think they are handling Cheney just right.
Maybe some talented young artist could do a redition of “Mt. Flushmore” – Cheney, Rove, Limbaugh and Gingrich. Then the Dems could use it as a permanent backdrop/visual for rebuttals to the everflowing “Stream of Nonsense”.
What is up with Reid. The Hill reported yesterday that Reid said Kennedy’s brain cancer was in remission and that he would be back to work in June. But Cynthia McCormick writing for The Cape Cod Times checked with Kennedy’s office and a staffer denied that report.
http://www.capecodonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090519/NEWS11/90519026
Has Harry been rattled by something?
sg, I take your point about the role of the DNC. I still think they could do a lot more in stripping the bark off these ********.Tim Kaine is a pale imitation of the Reid branch of the Democratic Party. I don’t think the Democrat’s sweeping 2008 electoral victory was all about rolling over and going belly up to the Republicans.
Hmm. I guess you can’t say bastid. Alrightey then.
A word about Jesse Ventura as long as James mentioned him. Yes, he really has been effective. But don’t be too surprised. When he took out Norm Coleman and Skip Humphrey in the Minnesota governor’s race, it was because he amazed people in the debates. He was informed, logical, and totally unafraid to say what he thought. Of course, it didn’t hurt that Minnesota has same day voter registration and, at the time, a whole lot of 19 year old males. While Jesse had a very mixed record as governor, he’s still a significant part of the Minnesota tradition of fine, wrestler politicians–Paul Wellstone, Jesse himself, and now Al Franken.
I think the reason why people are loving Jesse Ventura right now is because he is talking like many of us would talk if given the opportunity. He doesn’t have to worry about holding his tongue because of what it might do to either party so he can just speak his mind and bring up stuff that people want to shove down the memory hole. He tore Kilmeade up on Fox N Friends and made that coward walk off the set like he always does when someone hits him with facts he can’t handle. He tore Hannity up too even though Hannity totally tried to avoid talking to him about torture. And the thing about it is, when he says he would get any Democrats involved he means that sh*t because he has no love for Dems either which gives him an enormous amount of credibility. And of course being a former navy seal and having been waterboarded there is no way one of these pro torturists can try to argue with him over whether or not its torture. I just wish he could get booked on Morning Joe to shut Scarborough’s pie hole.
The problem Jesse had – is when he was elected Gov. – He was the odd man out – no support from Democrats or Republicans. I do like that he speaks what he believes – not what he thinks people want to hear.
On Cheney – Someone should engage him & debate the issues he keeps throwing out there. This is America – and we don’t do those things, they are wrong and beneath us. To do that – brings us down to the level of our enemies.
“He doesn’t have to worry about holding his tongue”
Exactly, SG. I was watching vid of him on Hannity yesterday and I was thinking the same thing.
It’s so easy to be straight up with things when you aren’t in office or running for office. The minute you get there, it’s all different because they all do this – they go from being Jessie Ventura to being Triangulation Big Dawg Clinton in about 2 weeks of being in office.
The very first thought I had when Jesse offered to waterboard Cheney is that Cheney wouldn’t survive even 5 seconds of that because the worst thing about it, from what I’ve read and seen, is that your heart goes crazy and starts beating about a thousand times a minute and tries to jump out of your chest. Cheney’s artificial heart would go nuts in seconds. And somewhere in there Cheney has to know that.
So tell me again, Mr. Vice President, about not using techniques that cause major organ failure or death.
And by the way, I think the ad is great. Sure, there’s a need to find serious venues to go after the evil argument Cheney makes, but nothing undercuts like subtle ridicule that plays to the public sense of Cheney as so yesterday as a leader. There’s no need to limit attacks to one kind of approach, particularly since there are different ways to reach an audience and many different audiences to reach.
(Aside: has anyone else read Garrison Keillor’s parody on Ventura – “Me: by Jimmy [Big Boy] Valenta”? Hilarious)
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This ad doesn’t work for me at all. I hope they’ve done their research and focus-grouped it with the right demographics but frankly, I doubt it. I expect that it creates in the mind of the average viewer quite the opposite response as the creators wish because so much of how we respond to such things is at an emotional level (not a rational level).
Yes, I don’t understand that advert either. The Repubs are simply saying that Cheney, as a private citizen, has a right to speak his mind. That’s very American. Also, the background song sounds like some **** that Chris might have sung on American Idol.
I want to see Cheney/Hannity vs. Ventura/Shultz debate death match about torture on a Sunday Talk Show.
Maybe I’m the target audience. The pale pink hearts or something . . .
“I want to see Cheney/Hannity vs. Ventura/Shultz debate death match about torture on a Sunday Talk Show.”
I’ll settle happily for Cheney v. Ventura. I don’t need to see Sean Hannity bloviate any more than is absolutely necessary.