librul bashing

Stop name-calling. We've mentioned in a post below that, as of May 31,

Three-quarters of the ads aired by Bush's campaign have been attacks on Kerry. Bush so far has aired 49,050 negative ads in the top 100 markets, or 75 percent of his advertising. Kerry has run 13,336 negative ads -- or 27 percent of his total. The figures were compiled by The Washington Post using data from the Campaign Media Analysis Group of the top 100 U.S. markets. Both campaigns said the figures are accurate.

Orcinus is rightly annoyed at the endless "liberal" name-calling:

Liberal, liberal, liberal. John Kerry and John Edwards are just liberal, you know. Liberal. Liberal. Liberal. Did I happen to mention they are liberal?

That, in a nutshell, is the essence of the Republican campaign for the presidency this year. There is very little touting of Bush's record -- but then, that may be due to his having accomplished so little, other than the astonishing heaps of wreckage with which he has littered the political and civic landscape.

When that's what you're left with, all you can really resort to is a strategy that is, as the New York Times described it recently, "relentlessly negative."

So, let us begin a project. First, we know that the movement to turn the "liberal" label into a liability has more or less succeeded. This can be tested (I haven't so tested) by checking the bio pages of DC Senators and Congresspeople. How many Republicans refer to their conservative views versus the number of Democratics referring to liberal views. My guess is the word "progressive" is more widely used. Again, I haven't yet peeked.

I have, though, peeked at the Kerry and Bush campaign webpages- and the evidence is clear. Wonder which politician is defining his campaign by bashing the other guy?

Bush has Kerry's name and/or face on his homepage five times. Prominently displayed at the center right is the "Raw Deal" segment, arguing, of course, that Kerry is constantly changing his stance. Under the "latest headlines," we get two special segments, one on Kerry's long ago support of higher gas tax and another offering a state-by-state review of why Kerry is wrong for us. Finally, under these, we have two negative campaign ads: "Family Priorities," and "Priorities." I'll spare the substance- we deal here merely with what is offered for the page browser.

And how many times does Bush's name or image appear on the front of Kerry's website?

None.


I watched, once again, a Bush-team spokesman on the news speak about the relentless negativity from Kerry's campaign- that they could only define themselves by trashing Bush. Say it enough, the moral relativist might say, and it's true.