Are Dems providing too much info?
The Party of Details
Posted September 24th, 2007 at 9:30 am
If the presidential race came down to which side of the aisle backs up its ideas with details, it would be a landslide.
The Democrats who are running for president are flush with policy proposals, position papers and fact sheets. The leading Republican contenders, not so much.
Rudy Giuliani has his “12 Commitments.” Mitt Romney has his “Strategy for a Stronger America.” John McCain still serves up his “straight talk.” But, whether by design or default, they leave far more to the imagination than do the Democrats in discussing the big issues.
For the Democrats, it is as if one candidate lays out a plan and others feel compelled to answer with their own. In contrast, the Republicans are more inclined to hold their fire.
“Democrats are trying to prove who’s the most committed,” said Steven Smith, a political scientist at Washington University in St. Louis. “Vagueness is seen as a sign of weakness.”
It’s almost embarrassing. Dems don’t just talk about issues important to them; they offer detailed policy proposals that flesh out how they’d tackle the issues if elected. The most high-profile policy is healthcare, but it also includes education, Gulf Coast recovery, and the environment. No can accuse these candidates of making pie-in-the-sky promises.
Republican candidates, in contrast, stick to vague generalities. They mention some of the issues important to them, repeat some poll-tested soundbites, and tell voters they can see the details after the election.
I think Dems clearly have the more admirable, respectable approach. I’m just not sure if it matters.
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