Every politico knows an attack unanswered is an attack justified. We've heard it all summer: The White House has not performed well with messaging. People do not understand the new health law. Voters don't know why the economy is stagnating. Constituents want to know what we have to show after all of this spending. The confusion is all valid. And if the Democrats want to avoid a massive debacle in November - which is certainly on the way if they fail to heed this advice - they must get ready to get in the trenches and expose the propaganda they face this year and answer the questions voters are asking this election cycle.
A recent CNN article posted a negative to positive healthcare ads comparison, showing that, since the passage of the legislation, for every positive ad aired, four negative ads have run. That ratio includes outside groups and is not an RNC-to-DNC expenditure tally. But the Democrats and their allies must find a way to combat that onslaught. The healthcare law is already decreasing in popularity. This is no secret. But the health law does make significant progress by increasing access to quality care and expanding benefits which are facts from which no politician should run.
Our own congressman, Tom Perriello - who visited a University Democrats meeting just two weeks ago - has exemplified what it takes to remain competitive in a year that is unlikely to bode well for incumbents. Perriello has held more town meetings than any other congressman, working diligently to maintain contact with constituents in the 5th district and to show he is working hard to increase the quality of life. He is also running one of the most concrete, organized field campaigns in the country. His team has an excellent fundraising record to match a staunch opposition of organized special interests actively fighting change. The congressman has embraced and defended his record, campaigning on what he has done while exposing his opponent's record. Merely answering attacks will be insufficient. Perriello is one of a pool of Democrats to demonstrate this understanding.
The time has come and gone to start fighting. We don't have fifty-nine Jim Webbs who were born fightin', but Democrats should have been on offense in January of 2009. The naivety to believe Republicans would come to the table to pass health reform was an utter embarrassment and waste of time. Spending a year trying to appease a party whose agenda is to block the progress of President Obama and anything that might help Democrats succeed was foolish.
If Americans want to know why President Obama has a Democratic majority and cannot get things done, the answer is simple: a sixtieth Senator. Only after the Scott Brown sell-out could financial reform pass. And now, the Republican Party, as we all know to be the defender of small business and 'Main Street,' refuses to pass a small-lending bill backed by the president. Not one Republican senator agrees that it is a good idea to create a lending fund for small community 'Main Street' banks to open up credit to small businesses. This is a peculiar situation - I've heard Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky), maybe a dozen times, note small businesses create two out of three jobs in the United States. But there must be a reason. Maybe it adds to the deficit. GOP deficit hawks won't support that. But the bill is fully paid for, a Huffington Post article indicates. Tax increases? That would hurt the economy. But a CNN post states the legislation includes 12 billion dollars in tax cuts for small businesses while injecting low-cost credit to the market. Similar inexplicable positions can be found when all seven Republican cosponsors of legislation to create a debt-reduction commission withdrew support after President Obama supported it.\nRepublican leaders simply do not want to move forward and see nothing in their interest from a successful Obama presidency. After all, why should anyone vote for a Republican if the Democrats govern well? The simple 'if it works, don't fix it' philosophy is one that anyone can understand, but the Democrats have to show that the Republican strategy is based on exploiting that ideology.\nDemocrats will get pulverized this fall if they do not come forward with an organized national offensive and a defensible agenda to sell the American people. As much as Obama loves basketball, he knows that coaches of the sport often remark the game is won on defense. But unfortunately in American political campaigns, that philosophy is less applicable. It is too late in the game to be so far behind. There are only two months to go. Get the base ready. Muster the allies. Combat the attacks. Promote the agenda. Be proud of healthcare reform. Tout the stimulus. Expose the Republicans. Do all of these things, and you will have nothing to worry about Nov. 2. But fail on any of these points, and the Republicans will seize the keys.\nRex Young is an opinion columnist for The Cavalier Daily. He\ncan be reached at\nr.young@cavalierdaily.com.
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