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Xort,
I don’t run a broadcast network. As you correctly point out, Republicans can’t rely on an unbiased press to get the message out. But, when a member of the media holds a live microphone in the face of a Republican presidential candidate, he can’t and won’t stop the candidate from touting the accomplishments of the Bush administration. If all or most of the candidates praise the accomplishments of the Bush administration, it will open the eyes of a lot of voters. If the Republican National Committee pays for political commercial time, the networks have to play whatever tape recorded message they are given. That’s the only way we have ever been able to get our message out. It isn’t difficult to imagine a political message that shows the flag, and the troops, and the fallen World Trade Center, and the "Mission Accomplished" sign, Khalid Sheik Muhammad in handcuffs, Saddam Hussein getting his beard checked for lice, and all those symbols that liberals are afraid we will use. Liberals have created an image of American defeat. It shouldn’t be too difficult to change that to an image of profound success, because the liberal-created image is, quite simply, untrue. When coupled with the strength of our economy, people will have a difficult time imagining why we should let the liberals have a crack at messing it all up. It can be done, but it will require unity among Republican candidates and voters alike, a quality that used to characterize the GOP. It will also require that we return to Ronald Reagan’s Eleventh Commandment: "Thou shalt not speak evil of another Republican." Some of us like to criticize our fellow Republicans, because it feeds our ego to show that we, unlike the Democrats, are open-minded. But, when a respected conservative like Sean Hannity launches an unrelenting daily, three-hour tirade against the President or other Republican because of his position on the immigration issue, for example, that tirade has an inordinate effect on Republican opinion, and it undermines support for Republicans generally. It’s far more damaging to hear a respected Republican criticize a Republican than to hear a Democrat do it. It’s ok to disagree with the President or other Republicans, but, do it in the privacy of your own mind. Let the Democrats and the pundits vocalize those criticisms. There are plenty of them who will be delighted to do so. You don’t see the Hillary supporters criticizing Hillary, or the Obama supporters criticizing Obama. We Republicans should try to be at least as smart as the Democrats about such things.
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