Dean Defends Criticism of Republican Party

From the Associated Press:

Democratic Party Chairman Howard Dean on Wednseday defended his recent harsh criticism of Republicans, including his observation that they are "pretty much a white, Christian party."

Dean noted that he, too, is a white Christian. But he said the GOP is too narrow in its scope and the Democratic Party is far more diverse.

Dean, while you are right about your criticisms of the Republican party, you're conveying the message the wrong way. You don't toss slurs and epithets at the Republicans. Now matter how much you may dislike them, the last thing you want to do is to get down in the slime and muck where the hard-line conservative TV talk and radio hosts have been tossing insults at the Democrats. Do that, and your reputation is lowered to the level of Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, or Anne Coulter. You have got to refine your message where you link the Republican Party to the white Christian evangelists. You need to link the Republican Party to big corporate interests and rich elites. You have to link the Republican Party to the big corporate media. You have to show--with concrete facts--how the money contributions that the Christian evangelists, big corporations, and rich elites, have contributed to Republican Congressman and the Bush Administration, and what they have received in return for legislation being passed, or what issues President Bush and the Republicans in Congress believe. You have got to show the money link between the Republicans who passed the bankruptcy bill, the president who signed the bill, and the credit card companies and big banks who stand to gain from this bill. You have to show the link between the campaign contributions that the Christian evangelists have given to the Republicans, and the presidents selection of hard-line conservative judicial nominees to the federal bench--and more importantly, reveal the judicial nominees views of issues through their writings on past decisions. And you have to hammer these links--hard--to the public again and again and again.

That is how you win the debate. You bring the facts out in simple, easy to understand terms. And you keep reiterating those facts--keep attacking the Republicans with those facts.