[Mb-civic] Enough AlreadyBy TIM ROEMER

[Michael Butler]

The New York Times
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April 29, 2006
Op-Ed Contributor
Enough Already
By TIM ROEMER

Washington

AMERICANS have clearly had enough of the Bush administration's record: 7 in
10 say the nation is headed in the wrong direction. But with the 2006
Congressional elections fast approaching, Democrats must not get so
irrationally exuberant that they lapse into old, bad habits.

In January, President Bush's adviser Karl Rove outlined the issues he
believes will lead Republican candidates to victory in November: national
security, the economy and taxes, and the courts. Democrats cannot allow
Republicans to define the terms of the debate. Instead, they should take a
page from history and from a different Karl.

In 1946, Karl Frost, an advertising executive, suggested a simple slogan to
the Massachusetts Republican Committee: "Had Enough? Vote Republican!" Frost
recognized that these simple words could unite his national party and blame
its opponents, who controlled Congress, for causing or failing to solve the
many problems facing the country, including meat shortages, economic
difficulties and labor unrest. The strategy worked: in 1946, both houses of
Congress flipped.

Sixty years later, Democrats would be smart to turn Karl Frost's slogan on
Karl Rove's strategy.

"Had Enough? Vote Democratic!" is a slogan that spotlights the many mistakes
in Iraq, the mismanagement of Hurricane Katrina and the mangling of fiscal
responsibility with "bridges to nowhere." Indeed, you can see and hear
Democratic candidates rallying their voters at Jefferson-Jackson Day Dinners
with a passionate and rhythmic chorus:

"The administration said Iraqis would greet us with roses as liberators, yet
our soldiers are attacked with homemade bombs and rocket-propelled grenades.
Had Enough? Vote Democratic.

"The administration said it was prepared for a hurricane in New Orleans, yet
our government's feeble response prompted Bangladesh to offer us $1 million
in aid. Had Enough? Vote Democratic!

"The administration said it would bring competency to our federal budget,
yet our nation faces catastrophic deficits. Had Enough? Vote Democratic!"

And if you want to fire up the base, you can string together references to
Jack Abramoff, Abu Ghraib and the Dubai ports deal. "Had Enough?" works well
on classic campaign materials like buttons and bumper stickers while its
simplicity makes it a cinch to "go viral" on the Internet.

"Had enough?" will speak to both Democrats and disillusioned Republicans.
Liberals can use "Had Enough?" to reach out to voters enraged over the
incompetent management of Iraq. Moderates might use "Had Enough?" to
persuade swing voters on fiscal issues. And the implicit rejection of
neoconservative politics will appeal to all voters who seek to spurn tainted
Republican candidates.

"Had Enough?" also pre-empts Democrats' worst habits. Too often we've made
campaigns complicated and policy-heavy. We love to unveil 40-page position
papers and wonky diagrams. "Had Enough?" clears a broad path through such
minutiae. "Public sentiment is everything," Abraham Lincoln said 150 years
ago. "With public sentiment, nothing can fail; without it nothing can
succeed."

Karl Frost's simple words can serve as the cavalry charge to help win the
coming electoral battles ‹ something Democrats are in an incredibly strong
position to do. But make no mistake: new ideas matter. Democrats will also
need the artillery of a disciplined, focused set of core proposals to
complement their criticism of Republican excesses.

As we head into the midterm elections, Democrats should finally understand,
as Lincoln and Frost did before, that you must win the majority before you
can make public policy.

Tim Roemer is a former Democratic congressman from Indiana.

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