MB Civic

By Paul Waldman | Wednesday, September 6, 2006 | The Boston Globe

http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2006/09/06/elections_arent_about_issues/

Paul Waldman is the author of “Being Right Is Not Enough: What Progressives Must Learn From Conservative Success.” Here, Wildman points out why it is that Democrats lose, despite the fact that most voters agree with their agenda items. In campaign after campaign, Americans want a higher minimum wage, legal abortion, strong environmental protections, universal healthcare, and a tax policy that isn’t tilted toward the wealthy, to name a few. But voters don’t read policy papers, and they don’t make decisions with a checklist of issues in their hands. That’s why Republican campaigns operate on a different level: Whom do you identify with? Whom can you trust? Who is strong, and who is weak? These questions transcend issues, which is why Republicans — who know they are at a disadvantage on the issues — spend so much time talking about them. Insightful and fresh…BS