Alright, IMO, the worst thing about going negative...

[Guaranteed]

I mean REALLY going negative, which in my world means basically trying to rip to shreds every ounce of credibility the Bush administration might retain by any means necessary, is this:

It would tear our country apart.

The great thing about change through example, instead of the whip, is that there aren't any hard feelings afterward. But a negative campaign war is much closer to actual "war" than I'm truly comfortable with. All out negative campaigns make enemies of opposing parties, and the way our country is right now we're already so distanced from each other. I'm not sure our country could even take much more polarization without very serious consequences.

Now, mind you, the other guys DID start it- but if we could ASSUREDLY find a way to win this election without splitting our country in two, I'd be much more comfortable with that. We're all going to have to live with each other once the election is over. We're still going to have a lot of problems that we're going to have to work together on. And we're going to have to see each other in the streets, in the supermarkets, at the workplace.

We just need to be careful not to create a divide that can't be healed over with time.

[NMDemDist2]

1. Clinton says that the other side going negative is an excellent

opportunity to attack them without having started it

he's right IMHO

[Guaranteed]

2. Hey, I love going negative.

I love the thought of running Bush out of the White House on a rail. I wish we would humiliate him so badly that he'd never show his face in public again.

I'm just putting this out there.

[Fovea]

3. As you say

the other guys started it, all the way back in the 80's, and have been fighting without cease. Your tense is wrong. The war started in the past. We have been loathe to fight back, and now, now only are we the minority party, but we are at the mercy of the most corrupt administration in the history of corrupt administrations.

Never before has America been in this sort of peril. How can I tell?
The rest of the world is more than worried. The country is split in two. We didn't get the moderate Repubs on board when it might have saved their party. But now we (and the moderate repubs) must destroy the NeoCons entirely. The guilty must all go to jail. We must re-regulate industry and investment, re-empower our E.P.A., re-generate American economy.

To do that, we are at the point where serious damage must be done to the other party, possibly fatal damage. We must do this, and start the difficult process of re-engaging the voter in the effort that is citizenship in a free democracy.

It is far too late to restore collegiality. Look at what the NeoCons are doing to members of their own party. They are a criminal conspiracy masquerading as a government, led by a half figurehead, half paranoid zealot. The transition team needs to have a special branch as a flying squad of subpeona writers.

[Guaranteed]

5. You're right.

Entirely.

It's also odd how it hit me when you said they need to go to jail. I mean, I've been thinking of them as criminals and that "they ought to be thrown in jail" and all that, but it never really occurred to me as matter of factly as you just put it. They really need to be put in jail. They are really, truly criminals, the type that should be in jail.

But, yeah, you're right in everything you said.

[Guaranteed]

7. As a side note, unfortunately, I think what that means

is that we're going to have a civil war. The real kind.

[Fovea]

12. It has already started.

The prison camps are run by Wackenhut.
And the sons and daughters of the poor
working class are already there.

California was brought down by a criminal conspiracy to
destroy the information economy. General Cheney has won every battle so far. General Ashcroft has been almost as successful.

The only thing that hasn't happened is that
we are not yet shooting. Wait for the draft protests, and you will see it then, just like the 1st civil war.

But everything else is already on a war footing.
I am sad about it as well. But it has been coming for a long, long time.

[mfritz]

4. Yes and No

I agree that we shouldn't go nuclear negative. It's the wrong thing to do on the virtues, and bad strategy right now.

However I don't think we should fool ourselves into thinking that if Kerry wins with a positive campaign the Republicans will be ready to play nice. That's not what they do.

I remember when Clinton was elected and the next morning right wingers were calling C-Span in tears because we had elected a communist draft dodger. Then they hunted him for eight years. Limbaugh started every show by saying something like "American held hostage, day three."

Remember during the 2000 recount battle how they Republicans played hard ball all the while crying about Gore being an insane power hungry man who didn't care that he was damaging and dividing the country? The exact opposite was true, and Gore put the country first after the Supreme Court screwed him.

So let's remember that WE didn't divide the country like this, THEY did. That doesn't mean we have to get into the gutter with them, but we have to be willing to fight back.

Remember after 9-11 how the Democrats rallied around the president, and he happily took their support and shoved it down their throats? If Gore had been president the RW wouldn't have offered him their support, they would have impeached him.

[Guaranteed]

6. Yes. You, too, are entirely correct.

They won't change even if we're nice when we take back the White House. This will continue until these assholes are put away.

[Droopy]

8. Good post, mfritz. Welcome to DU.

It's good to have the reminder that BushCo is willing to go to whatever lengths to get back in office. That way we can be prepared for whatever they dish out. But I agree with you that we should not sink to their level: mainly, lies. I think Kerry will attack Bush on matters of policy and then show how he's better and that's the way it should be.

[Feanorcurufinwe]

11. 1992 was twelve years ago.

And there are a significant number of more moderate Republicans who are just as sick of a divided America as we are. No, we are never going to get the Rush Limbaughs to work with us, but that doesn't mean there are no Republicans who will.

[BillZBubb]

9. I'm sorry, but that divide already exists.

We just need to be careful not to create a divide that can't be healed over with time.

Do you really think that no matter how Kerry wins, that the Repug's right wing smear machine will stop? They'll keep going after him just like they did Clinton. It doesn't matter if he wins running like Mr. Rogers.

The divide is now part of America.

[Fovea]

13. The best strategy is to break their economic power

the rest will be easy.

It may sound radical, but I think we need to get a majority of both houses and the executive, and really go to town. We can generate a robust economy just repairing the infrastructure. And real enforced regulation can break the oligarchs... oh yeah, and mandate energy conservation by nationalizing oil and making the one passenger suburban car a highly taxed luxury.

[TheDonkey]

10. Kerry would have to much splashback if he went all negative

He is too unknown to the public. If they started seeing his face on TV just bashing bush then undecideds and nuetral voters might think he's mean as well as the lies the Thug campaign churns out.