dcnovice
Posts: 37282
Joined: 8/2/2006 Status: offline
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quote:
What makes a reason "positive" or "negative"? For me, a positive reason is something that makes one say "I want that person in the White House" because of who s/he is, rather than who his or her opponent is. Your example of McCain's leadership, for instance, would be impressive regardless of whom he was running against. I realize, really I do, that every election comes down to a choice among alternatives, but I don't think I'm alone in my hunger to be for someone instead of just against someone. Actually, I know I'm not. I saw this in 2004, when members of my family had reasons to dislike George Bush but still wanted reasons to support Kerry (beyond his not being Bush). I suspect Kerry lost a lot of potential votes because he never gave people a reason to be for him as opposed to simply against Bush. quote:
The necessary consequence is that if one candidate is championing lower taxes, he must persuade the public that his opponent will raise taxes. If one candidate is championing a quick exit from Iraq, he must persuade the public his opponent will drag Iraq out for one hundred years. There's definite truth to that, but I wonder if the focus has to be as negative as we've gotten used to.
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No matter how cynical you become, it's never enough to keep up. JANE WAGNER, THE SEARCH FOR SIGNS OF INTELLIGENT LIFE IN THE UNIVERSE
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