Reply #7: Joe Trippi's

[DannyRed]

message to (supposed?) Dean supporters who were trolling on Kerry's website is an excellent example of what should be done to guide one's supporters and instill discipline.

the BEST party discipline, of course, comes from below, and is self-instilled and self-guided....but it also needs to be reaffirmed and reiterated from the top.

I do not mean that candidates or their supporters should not criticize or question the other candidates, but, as long as certain basic values and goals are shared, those criticisms should be properly and carefully crafted to BOTH challenge AND support a potential ally and pool of allies.

For example:

"I am a Dean supporter, and one reason I am is because of his criticism of and opposition to the misguided and stupid war in Iraq. I respect John Kerry's positions and history on a lot of issues, but I feel very strongly (and negatively) about his vote in favor of giving Bush what I see as a carte blanche on the Iraq resolution in Congress. Can a Kerry supporter explain to me, or direct me to a resource that will educate me as to why he cast that vote, how he feels about that vote now, and what he would do the same or differently if faced with a similar vote or similar circumstances in the future?"

As opposed to:

"Kerry is a waffling wimp who voted for Bush's stupid little war, even though he criticized Bush and the push to war before the vote. How can anyone respect or support such a hypocrite. The best that can be said about Kerry on this subject is that he got tricked by the Bushies, and do we want such a gullible wimp as president?"

The root, the basic issue is the same, but the couching is very different. That difference is very important.