disgusting repuke campaign strategy vs Dean--must read!

[ima_sinnic]

this flathead right wingnut--Bill Pascoe--claims to have worked on a lot of campaigns at different levels. He whines that his candidate, Bret Schundler, running for governor of NJ in 2001, lost the election because "the Democrats had succeeded in creating a caricature of the leader I knew. . . . we simply didn't effectively counter the Democrats' simple mantra, repeated ad nauseam, that he was "too conservative" for New Jersey. . . ."
<snip>
. . . The lessons are four-fold, and they are simple: First, understand why your opponent has problems with significant elements of his base, and drive wedges where you can, to the maximum extent possible; second, recognize that it is not your campaign's job to tell the objective truth, it's your campaign's job to tell the version of the truth that puts your opponent in the worst light possible (it's his campaign's job, after all, to do the same to you); third, don't get suckered into the trap of only talking about issues the media says are important -- instead, choose the issue matrix over which you want to wage war, and stick to it no matter what; and fourth, if need be, if you can't make a legitimate argument against your opponent on a key issue, use your opponent's party's position on the issue as the battleground, and wrap it around his neck. Make him pay for the sins of his party. Guilt by association still works, so don't be shy in exploiting it. . . .
</snip>

much more--he talks about how to distort the issues of "gay marriage," gun laws, parental notification re teen abortion, national security, and foreign policy.

http://www.politicsus.com/Pascoe%20columns/112403.htm

on edit: just discovered this piece by Democrat Paul Goldman on the same site, refuting Pascoe's piece:
http://www.politicsus.com/Goldman%20columns/112503.htm

[Scott Lee]

1. Why do these tactics look exactly like those of the AntiDeans?

Inquiring minds really want to know.

[sandnsea]

2. This IS Howard Dean

Drive wedges, the war vote, Bush-lite; Dean started this in February

Put your opponents view in the worst light; the war vote, they're supporting a unilateral war (so not true)

Choose the issue matrix, not what the media says are the issues; I GUARANTEE health coverage to every American - no real discussion on costs, cuts, or the actual implementation of any policy. Any time the primaries start to get into real policies or real solutions to terrorism and Iraq; Dean stirs up the war vote again.

Take the opposition party's view - Dean took the opposition party's views on guns and affirmative action and hung the Democratic Party view on gun control and racial divisiveness around Kerry's neck

Dean has been using Republican strategies all along. This post makes it crystal clear.