Joho the Blog
An Entry from the Archives

As a member in good standing of GOP Team Leader, the site that helps you spam newspapers in return for valuable free merchandise (registration required), I get a weekly mailing from the Republican leadership. The latest touts this video. (The transcript is here.)

It picks out clips of Democratic candidates criticizing W and the Republicans and urges us to adopt the "Republican's positive agenda." It includes a clip of Dean hoarsely thanking a crowd, which strikes me as not so very negative; clearly it's there to make him look wild-eyed.

The ad is obviously of no appeal to people who agree with the Dems that Bush is a "Pinocchio president," as Bob Graham is quoted as saying. Will it motivate people to join GOP Team Leader? I wonder. I think the take-away is that the Dems are a bunch of pessimistic clowns who don't stand a chance. But I am definitely not in the target audience for this ad.

Now can I get my 12-pack insulated bag (350 points)?

The launch of the GOP ad supports an article in Salon by David Talbot that asks why Gov. Dean and Al Franken are hot now:

On Monday, the New York Times' Adam Nagourney reported that the White House and the Democratic Party have both concluded that because of the increasingly polarized and evenly divided political landscape, the 2004 race will focus mainly on turning out the parties' core voters, rather than appealing to swing voters and independents. This means a campaign unlike 2000, with its muted, centrist tones, but one that delivers red meat to the parties' respective bases. And what is the temper of the Democratic Party base? They loathe Bush and everything he stands for...