Phil Brennan, NewsMax.com
Wednesday, July 17, 2002

When he was minority leader of the House of Representatives, Arizona Republican John Rhodes used to remark, "I’m not saying Republicans have to be smart all the time, but do we always have to be so stupid?"

Columnist Sam Francis must have felt the same way when he coined the phrase "stupid party" to describe the GOP. The remarks of both observers were no doubt born of a realization that the Democrats regularly run circles around the Republican Party, a fact reflected in their ability to control both houses of the Congress for the better part of the 20th century.

With important congressional elections just a few months away, control of Congress is once again a crucial issue. Should the Democrats win control of the House and hang onto, or increase, their control of the Senate, the Bush agenda will be dead, and the nation will once again be plunged into gridlock with the White House stymied at every turn by an obstructionist Congress.

At this point, polls are inconclusive. Some suggest that the GOP will hold the House by a slim margin, with the Democrats probably hanging onto their shaky control of the Senate.

Other polls show the GOP retaining control of the House by a small margin and taking back the Senate by an even tinier margin.

Whatever the truth, President Bush’s prospects as chief executive with a program to push, and his chances for re-election in 2004 hang in the balance. If he and his party are to prevail it is imperative that the GOP avoid relapsing into its traditional role as the "stupid party."

In his new book, How to Beat the Democrats: And Other Subversive Ideas, author David Horowitz, one of the shrewdest political strategists around, has suggestions that the GOP would be well advised to adopt as it heads into the November elections.

Victims and Aggression

In his preface he makes the point that "politics is about stories – and aggression. The purpose of stories is to arouse human emotions that work for you and against your opposition," he writes.

"The stories work for you if you are the victim or if you are helping someone who is perceived to be a victim. Americans like heroes who care, and they identify with underdogs."

Aggression, he explains, is "an emotion associated with justice, with getting satisfaction for those who deserve it. In politics, stories work for you if you are a compassionate helper. They work against you if you are the cause of someone’s distress."

This is pretty much like saying that in an election campaign you need an overall theme that dramatizes your message and can be expressed in a few words. Horowitz illustrates this point by recalling the story – the theme – that put George W. Bush in the White House.

How Bush Won

It wasn’t "compassionate conservatism" or his stand on education or any of the issues that dominated the campaign. His story was expressed in one sentence: "If you make me your president, I will restore dignity and honor to the White House."

That one sentence brought home the fact that dignity and honor were virtues absent during the Clinton administration. It reminded the voters that the Democrat in the White House had besmirched the honor and dignity of the office of president, and that it was vital to America’s future to clean house.

What Bush was communicating was a pledge to honor the trust of the American people, to be a genuine commander in chief, responsible for the lives of every American.

"What George Bush was saying was ‘I care about you and your children, and the dangers that may lie ahead.’ Everyone who heard George Bush speak during that election campaign heard that message. And everyone who lived through September 11, 2001 understands what he meant."

In this book, which should be required reading at the Republican National Committee and the GOP campaign committees in the House and Senate, and given to every Republican candidate for Congress, David Horowitz explains the true story they have to tell to win in November – that the record shows that their Democrat opponents cannot be trusted to safeguard Americans at home or abroad.

Next: How Democrats Undermined America's Security.

Editor's Note: Find out how you can get 'How to Beat the Democrats: And Other Subversive Ideas' for FREE – just Click Here.

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