BACK TO THE PLAYBOOK

Democrats are apparently going to be foregoing standing on a platform this election cycle, preferring instead to just proceed directly to the mud slinging, an event which is traditionally deployed in the final weeks of the election.  Guess they don't have much else in their quiver these days.

According to the Washington Post:

Jon Vogel, executive director of the DCCC, said Democrats are merely pointing out that some Republican recruits in competitive House races are "flawed candidates."

He added, "We have made this election a choice. . . . They're trying to run this national message in part about fiscal discipline, but they've recruited a number of candidates not credible to carry that message."

The problem with this strategy is twofold. 

First and foremost, voters are highly motivated this year, are issue driven and are paying very close attention.  They want to know what the voting record is for the candidates and they want to know their stand on the issues.  They won't have much patience for backbiting and mud slinging.

The second problem also lies in the unusual level of voter awareness this cycle.  This time, though, what they are aware of is the playbook that is being used.  This line of attack is directly, practically verbatim out of Saul Alinsky's Rules for Radicals, in the "Tactics" section - number four, to be exact:

4. "Make the enemy live up to its own book of rules. You can kill them with this, for they can no more obey their own rules than the Christian church can live up to Christianity."

Perhaps it's time to remind them of tactic number seven - "A tactic that drags on too long becomes a drag".
 
Stop changing the subject and clouding the debate with mud.  It's time to deal with the real issues.