Man, there is some good stuff in McPaper! A Princeton professor:
Democrats....need to be tougher if former Vice President Joe Biden wants to win the White House. The polls look good for Biden now, and President Donald Trump could be headed toward an epic disaster in November. But Democrats need to be careful. The president's campaign has not really yet begun — and when it does, it will be brutal.
Already, Trump is dipping into the toxic well of racial backlash. Members of Team Trump have smeared Biden with charges of being “weak on China,” dementia and even pedophilia. While Biden has confidence in our better angels, the president will break every rule in the playbook. He’ll unleash a torrent of innuendo, investigation and character assassination.
Yet it’s safe to bet that Biden won’t dive into the political muck.
Democrats have long been unwilling to accept the ugly character of modern partisanship. Since the 1980s and the rise of Georgian Newt Gingrich, Republicans have been playing by one set of rules while Democrats generally stick to another. As ex-Trump aide Stephen Bannon quipped, according to Michael Moore, Republicans go for the head wound and Democrats have pillow fights.
...
The refusal to be more aggressive has constantly hurt Democrats. The party didn’t respond strongly to spurious character attacks on candidates Al Gore in 2000 and John Kerry in 2004. They were resigned to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell refusing to consider President Barack Obama’s Supreme Court nominee. Even presidents who have gained power through war room operations, like Obama and Bill Clinton, have found themselves stifled by the tactics of Republicans in Washington.
...
If Democrats want to beat Trump, they need to be much tougher. But the verdict is out about how much they will be willing to do.
While Democrats don’t have to replicate the worst behavior of the GOP, they do have to go on the offensive to combat disinformation, engage in trench warfare against efforts to lower voter turnout, and speak with far greater clarity about the dangers of a two-term Trump presidency. It’s not surprising that the most biting adshave come from the Lincoln Project, a group of current and former Republicans determined to oust Trump.
...
If they are not willing to go there, Democrats will find themselves...hoping for a better future but waking up to see their worst nightmares come true.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2020/07/07/biden-democrats-play-republican-style-hardball-beat-trump-column/3285892001/
Democrats....need to be tougher if former Vice President Joe Biden wants to win the White House. The polls look good for Biden now, and President Donald Trump could be headed toward an epic disaster in November. But Democrats need to be careful. The president's campaign has not really yet begun — and when it does, it will be brutal.
Already, Trump is dipping into the toxic well of racial backlash. Members of Team Trump have smeared Biden with charges of being “weak on China,” dementia and even pedophilia. While Biden has confidence in our better angels, the president will break every rule in the playbook. He’ll unleash a torrent of innuendo, investigation and character assassination.
Yet it’s safe to bet that Biden won’t dive into the political muck.
Democrats have long been unwilling to accept the ugly character of modern partisanship. Since the 1980s and the rise of Georgian Newt Gingrich, Republicans have been playing by one set of rules while Democrats generally stick to another. As ex-Trump aide Stephen Bannon quipped, according to Michael Moore, Republicans go for the head wound and Democrats have pillow fights.
...
The refusal to be more aggressive has constantly hurt Democrats. The party didn’t respond strongly to spurious character attacks on candidates Al Gore in 2000 and John Kerry in 2004. They were resigned to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell refusing to consider President Barack Obama’s Supreme Court nominee. Even presidents who have gained power through war room operations, like Obama and Bill Clinton, have found themselves stifled by the tactics of Republicans in Washington.
...
If Democrats want to beat Trump, they need to be much tougher. But the verdict is out about how much they will be willing to do.
While Democrats don’t have to replicate the worst behavior of the GOP, they do have to go on the offensive to combat disinformation, engage in trench warfare against efforts to lower voter turnout, and speak with far greater clarity about the dangers of a two-term Trump presidency. It’s not surprising that the most biting adshave come from the Lincoln Project, a group of current and former Republicans determined to oust Trump.
...
If they are not willing to go there, Democrats will find themselves...hoping for a better future but waking up to see their worst nightmares come true.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2020/07/07/biden-democrats-play-republican-style-hardball-beat-trump-column/3285892001/
