That strategy has worked fairly well for them in the past, but it breaks down when they run into an opponent against whom the smears don't stick. The target has to be believable as a badguy. It worked against Gingrich and Bork, but the public just doesn't buy the idea that a guy like Bush is Darth Vader.
Thus, left without the tried-and-true PC smear tactic, they were left without anything to say. They couldn't put forth any rational arguments for themselves.
Aside from this, the Democrats made three huge mistakes that lost them this election in a tactical sense:
1) The crap they puled in NJ: Switching candidates in NJ showed not only a contempt for the law (and that the sleaze of the Clintonized Rat party extended even to the Supreme Court of NJ), but also violated the electorate's sense of "fair play". Its just not right to bring in a fresh fighter in the middle of the 15th round. While they still won in NJ, it brought back images of the "everything is relative" Clintonized image of their party.
2) Bonior & CO's trip to Baghdad: While the boomer lefties may not give any weight to such quaint notions as national solidarity and patriotism, middle america fumed when a group of Dem party leaders turned up in Baghdad, met with Saddam's cabinet, and badmouthed our President on TV. It smacked of Hanoi Jane posing on the antiaircraft gun.
3) The memorial service turned Nuremburg Rally: It was supposed to be a heartfelt memorial for a tragic death, and the Clintonized Dem party turned it into a partisan mudslinging festival. They bused in a union mob, booed Republican mourners, and behaved in a generally disgraceful manner. Once again, while such quaint notions as respect for the dead and propriety at funerals may not mean much to the boomer lefties, it means a lot to middle america.
I once heard a quip that "consevatives go to bed at night fearing that the people won't understand them, and liberals go to bed at night fearing that the people will understand them"
All three of these episodes represent the libs letting their mask slip. The people saw them for what they are....and they lost bigtime.
This single sentence is probably the most direct and 'pithy' statement I've read in any editorial or FR comments. If libs were smart, they could figure out just why we of the VRWC with our decoder rings are cheering for "Scocialist Barbie" to be the "Whine-ority Leader". With her at the helm, their mask will be off. They're making our job to expose the left a no-brainer. We just have to sit back and let her talk. There are many potential leaders I personally would fear of being a FAR better face of the 'loyal opposition'.
Nam Vet