DeLay Tactics

Do you get tired of seeing those political T.V. ads in which a Democratic candidate is linked to some “crazy, out of touch Washington Liberal”? It’s usually either Ted Kennedy or Hillary Clinton. You know the ads I’m talking about. Brad Carson’s face morphs into John Kerry’s (or some variation on the theme). It’s a classic tactic of local Republicans to link Democratic candidates with a national party that many Oklahomans see as out of touch with the mainstream. It works, too. Every time these ads are used, Democratic candidates act like they’re totally unexpected. They never seem to have an answer prepared—at least not a good one. Here’s a hint: don’t say “I’ve been called ‘evil’ and ‘liberal’, and I don’t know which is worse…”

I happen to believe that we lose more voters by appearing timid and wishy-washy than we lose by being linked to the national Party. If I were faced with that situation, my response would be something like this: “I’m proud to be a Democrat because Democrats care about regular people. I’m not well acquainted with Ted Kennedy or Hillary Clinton, but from what I know they’re good people who believe in service to their country. Obviously I don’t agree with them on everything, but in the Democratic Party we believe people should think for themselves.”

Maybe I’d be shot down, but I wouldn’t be shot down for being weak. I’m certainly not going to agree with the attack that the national Democratic Party is out of touch. That raises a more ominous question: If you want to distance yourself from the national Democratic Party, then why are you a Democrat? Don’t bother answering, because if you get to that point no answer will be adequate.

If you’re going to run as a Democratic candidate, the second question you should be able to answer (after “why are you running?”) is “why are you a Democrat.” You’ve got to know the answer without having to dig for it. It’s got to be solid, strong, and unambiguous. But answering the question isn’t enough. You can’t play defense all the time. To win, you’ve got to turn the tables. Republicans have given us the weapon to do it.

Tom DeLay is perhaps the most corrupt politician in the Republican legislature. Not only is he bad, his name is becoming widely known. His scandals are reported on the nightly news. Even some Republicans are starting to distance themselves from the DeLay train wreck. Even his nickname, “the Hammer”, has an ominous sound to it. He is the poster boy for everything that is wrong with the Republicans in power.

So, the Republican candidates want to link us with Hillary Clinton and Ted Kennedy? Fine. Make them explain Tom DeLay. Force them to either back away from him or justify his corruption. It’s a Catch-22. Either they have to repudiate a Republican leader or defend his illegal activities. Let’s see some ads with John Sullivan’s face morphing into Tom DeLay.

John Sullivan was asked to serve as Assistant Majority Whip in December of last year. In today’s Republican Party, “Assistant Majority Whip” should not be considered a leadership position. To become “Assistant Majority Whip” (it has a great sound to it, doesn’t it?), you have to be the best follower. No leadership qualities required. Looking at John Sullivan’s voting record, its obvious why he was selected for the new position. The man can’t think for himself. He’s a robot, just following the programming. The question we need to pose to the people of Oklahoma is: “If these Republicans are doing nothing but taking orders, who are they taking orders from?” Tom DeLay. “The Hammer”. Suddenly, being the “Assistant Majority Whip” isn’t such an asset.

Ernie Istook is vulnerable, too, but the case against him is even better. You don’t have to link him to Mr. Corruption Tom DeLay because Istook has created problems for himself. The Istook Tax Anti-Privacy Amendment (That’s right, attach his name to it) really gets under the skin of Conservatives who are suspicious of government power.

Oklahoma has one Democratic U.S. Congressman. If we’re tough and smart, we should be able to double that number in 2006. All Republican Congressional candidates should be considered vulnerable. They have become guilty of the very sins of which they accused Democrats in the 1990s: abuse of power and outright corruption. I’ll bet every one of them has a photo of himself shaking hands with Tom DeLay. I’ll bet they’re really proud of that photo. Let’s make sure the rest of the state has a chance to see it.

© 2005 Bryan Lower

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