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Opinion

Republican catchphrases sell well

David Salinas
Opinion Columnist

With the exit of former Indiana congressman Tim Roemer from the race for the Democratic National Committee chairman, former Vermont governor Howard Dean is not the clear favorite to win -- he already has. Not waiting for any final vote on the matter, when all other candidates realized that Dean had enough of the delegates' vote, they dropped like flies. But much like they did to Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) after the Democratic primary, when Dean officially becomes party chairman, there will be a complete Republican onslaught of the former Vermont governor.

The attacks from the right, which have become predictable, will more than likely be that Dean is "out of touch" with American "values" and the Democratic party is as well for choosing him. Now if I had my druthers, Dean would not be party chairman. A behind-the-scenes organizer like Simon Rosenberg or Donnie Fowler, would have been better. Having said that, there is nothing wrong with Dean's values, and if anything, his values are probably aligned more closely with a majority of Americans' than President Bush's are. The key is to form a cohesive and concise message that lets the public know this.

The reason Republicans win is not because they are more in touch with the pulse of America, or that they share the same values. It's because they have honed in on a message that is easy to understand. For too long, Democrats have bogged themselves down with facts and figures to argue their point. While that is admirable and actually the responsible way to act, politically it is tedious and convoluted. That's why Republicans can get away with attacking Kerry for "voting for, then against" the funding of the troops, even though what he did was correct. But it's hard to explain how it was actually Bush who chose to give tax cuts to those that earn more than $200,000, and wouldn't use that money instead to fund the troops. He had to have it both ways, making it the first time America has ever cut taxes during war. It was also hard for Kerry to explain that his vote was symbolic in that he already knew there were enough votes to fund the troops, and his would not hurt them. But "flip-flopper" is such a simple phrase that easily gets stuck in your head, like a cheesy pop song with a catchy beat.

Republicans understand that Americans either don't have the time or lack the desire to follow government and politics closely. The average American gets their news in thirty-second soundbytes or generalizations offered by a media who care more about ratings than reporting. A media that salivates over Michael Jackson court coverage and the murder of pregnant wives is not going to provide anyone with reliable information.

When the public doesn't have forehand knowledge of a particular issue they will go with what they feel rather than what they know. Knowing this, Republicans don't have to waver on issues because they don't take positions based on empirical evidence that might change. They go with their gut, rather than their mind. Their time isn't spent researching dates to prove a point, but coming up with phrases to beat you over the head with, like "the death tax" for example. 

Over the next four years, the mission of Dean and the Democrats is not to drop their fact-based arguments for righteous rhetoric, but to formulate a message that can embody both. As former President Clinton said, Americans have been choosing "strong and wrong" over "weak and right." Here's hoping Dean, the man known for his Hulk-like roar, can inject the Democrats with a little of his passion. 
 

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