To people obsessed with having Bush*-bashing at the convention.

[LoZoccolo]

Go here:

http://www.electoral-vote.com

Hover the cursor above every state and you'll see a margin of undecided voters between the percentages. These are people who aren't committed to Bush*, maybe don't like the way he's led, but need a reason to commit to Kerry.

Also look at the Nader percentage. These are people that are demanding a reason to vote for Kerry instead of Nader.

That's why we need to promote a positive agenda at the convention. There's a slew of Bush*-bashing going on now, plenty of books out and what-not. People are almost as disillusioned with Bush* as they're gonna get. Now we need to knock these strays into our column.

The Democratic Party is taking advantage of the coverage to gain voters, not stroke it's base, or - and this bugs me - be angry for people who for some reason need someone else to express it for them.

[Journeyman]

1. As I just noted in another thread. . .

let's give the American public something to vote for instead of just someone to vote against.

[Catfight]

6. That's the most logical thing I've heard in ages....thanks Journeyman!

[emulatorloo]

2. Leave the Bashing to Bush this week . . .people are going to get sick

of the Repub "Truth" Squad as the convention wears on.

People hate negative campaigning, and that is all Bush has.

This is the week for hilighting the positive things Kerry/Edwards will do.

on edit: spelling

[sundancekid]

3. INDEED! While ABB united our anger, the Convention must unite our dreams!

[grytpype]

4. Agreed 110%.

Enough people hate Bush already.* Kerry needs a positive message to reach voters who aren't ABB. If he can do that, he will win the election. And he will.

* I don't mean we should start going easy on him, I just agree that the convention does not have to be a platform for Bush-bashing.

[TexasSissy]

5. I totally agree. A hate fest is not something many undecideds will watch.

It's more interesting to watch positive, hopefully history making speeches, and be inspired.

Hatefesting is fun for those of us "in the know," and best done by those outside the party proper, like Moveon.org, Michael Moore, and the like. The Repubs let others do their hatefesting for them, and they keep a dignified distance.

[Still_Loves_John]

7. Exactly

We already know why we don't want to vote for Bush. This is time for Kerry to articulate his message.

8. I don't get why these things have to be mutually exclusive

Of course I see the need for positivity.
It seems to me to be a false dichotomy though to assert that if you bash Bush you can't be positive also.
Being positive is always in reference to a negative. Inevitably.
So why not speak about the negative also instead of pretending it doesn't exist?

[Tom Rinaldo]

9. If you bend over backward trying not to sound like a Bush Basher

You look like a contorted speaker. Yeah I get the point. I also get that Kerry gets attacked by the Republicans for acting too much like a polling group oriented politician. If the strings attached to the speakers podium are too obvious, it will just look like a puppet show.