Friends of Fred
So my Dad got a call today from one of them--the "Friends of Fred" that is. He said the woman sounded like a very pleasant, bright forty-something who--rather than just hit him up for money right out of the gate--asked him if he wouldn't mind spending a moment or two discussing what he felt were "the important issues" of the '08 campaign (in his opinion).
Never being one to shy from giving his opinion anyway (hey, I had to get it from somebody right?) he told her:
- It's the economy stupid!
Fred should make sure to stress that every proposal put forth by the leading Democrat candidates will RUIN the economy. Fred should make it crystal clear to voters that these people mean to raise our taxes, and when he says "our" he should stress that means all of us not just the fabled "rich" America of John Edwards. Fred should also point out that most other nations in Europe--from France to the Scandinavian countries to some of the former East Block nations--are in the process of implementing tax-LOWERING reforms because they have (finally) learned from us that raising taxes, no matter how many "services" that might provide, kills the economy and results in unhappy people. If the Democrat candidates have their way (and with a Democrat Congress, why wouldn't they?), our economy will tank within two years (best case scenario). Fred needs to harp on this like a Botticelli Cherub!
- Foreign Policy
Fred needs to explain Iraq in its proper context. Since we will most likely be on the way out of Iraq by the time the election rolls around, Fred should make the case that we need to be talking now about what to do NEXT. What do the Democrats mean when they say "redeploy?" To where? He needs to drive home the point that this is a global war, that pulling out of Iraq doesn't mean we're done or that the enemy is done. We need to talk about how to best use our military in this global fight. If we're not going to do nation-building, what are we going to do? Wait to get attacked and then put out fires? Use only diplomacy (that's going so well in Iran isn't it? /sarcasm)? Or are we going to get a little less squeamish about covert operations? The point is, we have the military means to thwart the military wing of this enemy, how are we going to use it moving forward? Fred needs to ask this question if only to put the Democrat candidates on the hot seat to ANSWER IT for once and for all. Sure, they have legions of nutroots demanding that they say we'll bring the troops home from everywhere and all-but disband the military, but the average American--indy voters in particular--know that we can't sit this one out with an enemy so willing to engage. And we can't go back to the Clinton era of weakening the military either, so what can we do? What should we do? What should our military look like for this new war? If nothing else, Fred can finally get the Democrats to articulate that they don't actually think we're in a war at all, and something tells my Dad (and me) that most Americans don't buy the MoveOn.org meme that this enemy is a creation of the Bushitlerburton crowd's sinister propaganda machine.
- Immigration
As my Dad put it to the caller, "there are just too damn many people getting raped and murdered by illegal aliens!" Local law enforcement isn't doing a damn thing about it because the local jurisdictions have decided to pick and choose which federal laws they want to uphold, and in their esteemed opinions (the public safety be damned), these people are just here to work hard and make a better life for themselves...That is until they rape or kill someone a few times and the media finally picks it up, or until they sneak back in after being deported for similar crimes and the media picks it up. Either way, we're depending too much on the media to expose corruption and lethargy at the highest levels of our local government. Local politicians pandering for illegal votes are purposely giving these people a pass, and Fred needs to call them out. He needs to talk about border security, deporting criminal aliens the instant they get out of jail (but they will go to jail, no more bail pending court hearings), and holding municipalities accountable--literally! If you don't uphold federal law Mr. Mayor, I guess you won't be needing these federal funds to bail your ass out when you can't pay for all the crap these illegals are using! You want federal money for schools? Tough shit. You want help for road projects? Tsk tsk, you'll have to be a teensy bit more compliant. Whatever he does, Fred needs to take a hard line on this because the people who think otherwise wouldn't vote for him anyway, and the votes he needs are those who will agree with this point of view (and they do make up the majority).
- Leave the wedge issues out of it!
For the love of all that is holy Fred, do yourself (and the rest of us) a favor and do NOT elevate the abortion issue to the level of the Presidency. Roe v. Wade is here to stay, there is no will to overturn it, most Americans accept it, even the non-fringe pro-life types (like me). Don't pander to the far right elements who have nowhere else to go anyway. Who are they going to vote for? Ron Paul? Good luck to 'em. The vast middle don't want to talk about abortion, don't want to hear about this or that disgusting method of ripping a baby from its mother's womb. There are too many much more important issues to discuss. Fred should make this point. He should also make the point that the President has very little impact on this issue anyway! Especially with a Democrat Congress! Any President who tried to appoint a very conservative judge to this court, with this Congress, will fail. And even if he were to succeed, that justice can't wake up one morning and say to the other justices "Hey, let's overturn Roe v. Wade today!" He has to wait for a case to come his way, period. There is simply NO POINT in wasting valuable time (and campaign finances) addressing the so-called "family values" issues. Fred should simply ignore these topics, and if pressed should turn it around, control the discussion and say "How does this compare to national security, the economy and immigration? Why are we spending time on this? How is this the President's job anyway?" I dare the Democrat candidates to answer that. Sure, the fringe will be pissed, but too bad. Like we said, who are they going to run to instead?
So that's about what Dad said, and I agree with him, 100%. Not sure if Fred will listen, but if you hear any of these messages coming from him in the days and weeks to come, you'll know where he got them at least!
Oh would that it were that simple....
Posted by insomnomaniac at September 11, 2007 8:03 PM
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