I agree with zk what we could use more civility. It’s true that hard hitting one-liners that demonize and riducule are part of our culture. That’s the environment so we need to live with it, even as we work to improve the discourse.

jg has a point that politics is tough and that you need to play tough to win. If Democrats want to win, they’d better learn the tactics real quick.

There’s a reason why people think that Democrats are somewhat elitist. Republicans portrayed Jimmy Carter as a wimp and that stuck even if it’s not true. Democrats need to learn to portray Bush as a trigger happy idiot and make it stick. There’s no time to explain the nuances because the voters don’t have the time or inclination to listen. Carl Rove is a genius because he understands that and knows how to make it work for his side.

I favor the Michael Moore tactics because they work. If Democrats could get more young people riled up enough to vote, they’d have a permanent majority. In some ways, Democrats deserved to loose in the past because they failed to manage and expand their base. I hope they learned their lesson.