Before going into this idea in much depth, I’d like to reassert my firm belief that attack ads, and the Bush-era divisiveness that underlies them, are bad for America. We need to move past them, and past the spirit that they embody. But the Republicans show no sign of playing clean, and it would be foolish to claim the moral high ground, while in the process squandering a golden opportunity to retake America. We need to play dirty, and here’s one idea how. The goal is to right-wing Republican voters to stay home.
We have a lot to learn about how to run a dirty but effective campaign. Here’s catch-up lesson #1.
North Carolina Republicans recently managed to push a shameful (albeit effective) attack ad, harping on Barack Obama’s relationship with Jeremiah Wright in an attempt to scare white voters away from the Democratic party. And yet, John McCain managed to come off smelling like a daisy. How did he do it? By putting mental distance between him and the ad. The lesson is clear: label your opponent, but make sure it doesn’t look like you did it. Continue reading
