I watched the ad and I thought it was a good one, simple and to the point, it is a good idea to find out if the repubs do not agree with any of the points it makes.
For a little light entertainment I just watched a cute website - The daily opposition to Morning Joe.

"figure out how to characterize Republicans as the "party of crazy"

How about running sound bites of any Republican, anywhere, any time?

-that's been working pretty well for The Daily Show. . .

This looks like the Reid strategery(TM) in Nevada. Angle's 11 point lead has dwindled since Harry started ads showing Angle's extreme past positions and comments.

Sounds like a very effective strategy, but they should make sure that the message never takes on an elitist tone.

Teabagger backed candidates are not popular even in states with 14% unemployment like Nevada. Jon Ralston wrote a couple of articles on Sharron Angle yesterday. Here are the links:
http://www.lasvegassun.com/blogs/ralstons-flash/2010/jul/28/angle-press-rushed-stage-and-it-wasnt-my-press-con/

http://www.lasvegassun.com/blogs/ralstons-flash/2010/jul/28/angle-disclose-act-already-exists/

It is interesting read the comments under the articles. A sample:
"I was of the "ANY ONE BUT REID" school. Somehow Angle got the nod. So sad but I am not voting for an old woman to take the place of an old man, particularly replacing a freshman Senator with the Majority Leader. The Repubs missed their chance to run a young, smart guy like Danny Tarkanian as the Mass folks did with Scott Brown.
I will bite the bullet and vote Reid unless this gal has enough sense to quit the race, which she doesn't."
"I'm getting really depressed that the Nevada Republican Party couldn't offer up a qualified candidate, when they had so many alternatives to choose from. Obviously, that doesn't include the former talk radio UFO expert, or the guy who had to quit the Board of Education because he and his Significant Other couldn't keep their hands off each other at Board meetings. But they DID have Mark Amodei, and Tarkanian the Younger, and the Chicken Lady, and the carpet bagger. And several others of similar stature.

Yup, I'm depressed, all right."

Tea party philosophy is not popular with average americans. DNC is on to something.

Looking at the big picture, Dems have struggled to settle on a specific campaign theme. "Party of No" was dubious, in part because Republicans seem to like it.

So what? Who cares? The object isn't to win votes among the Republican base.

Typical Democratic fear of one's own shadow.

The more important message Dems need to send is that whether the Tea partiers; the sophist debaters like Davids Brooks, Frum and Broder; the pop culturists like Michael Steele and Megan McCain; or the establishment types like McConnell and Boehner; there is absolutely no disagreement in terms of policy. They are just different messengers carrying the same message, and you don't have to look further than their votes and their lack of solutions to reach that conclusion.

But yeah, showing video of them talking about their positions is sufficient to make them look crazy.

Excellent idea. For decades the GOP formula has been simple: tie Democrats to extreme (often made-up) leftwing personalities, positions and cultural attitudes, then watch the votes role in. The fact that Clinton's "Sister Souljah moment" was considered significant is itself telling - Democrat denounces black racist! What a seismic shift! And since then it's been obligatory for successful Dems to denounce some leftwinger or another, from Louis Farrakhan to Jane Fonda to Jeremiah Wright, in order to be taken seriously. Interesting btw that these leftwing must-be-denounced demons tend to be African-Americans.

If Dems can plant similar ideas in the heads of voters - which shouldn't be too hard this cycle, because at the moment Republicans really do think the crazy stuff works - they may be able to dine out on this for a long, long time to come.

Sound bites showing the Republicans,in their own words is best, it works. Worked here in PA against Arlene Specter."Switching parties will help me get elected." NOT!

Gee, sure would be nice if the Democrats were proud enough of their philosophy to run on THAT.

Oh, right, only dirty effin' hippies believe in all that liberal junk anymore.

EOC, if the Republican's like it, it generally means they can embrace it and sell it. With a short slogan, that's all there is to it. "Hell yes we're the party of NO! No to Obama ... (insert blatant republican lies about dem policies here)".

This is not hard - if the other side doesn't have any credible positions, make the election about their lack of credible positions.

Actually, they're calling it the "Republican-Tea Party Contract ON America," which is even more biting (and fitting).

"Or are we still at a point where Americans hear "Tea Party," and think of Boston colonists in 1773?"

This would be the same Americans who can not name the nation we rebelled against?
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/answer-sheet/civics-education/what-americans-dont-know-about.html

Message to the GOP:

If you can't refudiate, you must supportitate!

If you're going to hit the GOP you have to hit them on their outright hypocrisy. Show them saying one thing and then doing another. To me that's the easiest target.

That and they're assholes.

Gabe, EXCELLENT point about avoiding the impression of being elitist. It is absolutely their only defense. The threat of some pompous asses being unable to avoid sounding elitist is so great that every outlet should have someone who scrutinizes everything for the taint of elitism at the last step.

I almost don't think it's possible to keep this strong approach from being ruined by elitism. DAMN!

Dems intend to remind voters that when it comes to issues, priorities, and agendas, the Republican Party and the Tea Party zealots are effectively "one and the same."

Well, duh.

When so-called "moderates" like Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins -- and, sadly, the once-respectable Dick Lugar -- routinely vote in lockstep with Jeff Sessions and Saxby Chambliss, there's no value on being a "moderate" any more. They're all radial right neo-Confederates.

One hopes the Democratic Party will point this fact out next time Presidents Snowe and Collins are up for re-election.

They should call it Contract on America!!

it puts Republicans on the defensive.

About damn time. The GOP has been doing this for about 40+ years. Can't believe the Dems are just now figuring this out.

And while it is both true and possibly effective, the bigger issue is how Dems will get their base to come out and vote.

The Obama camp and many Congressional Dems have punched so many hippies since taking office a lot of people who used to support them aren't exactly chomping at the bit to help any more.

Sure, the fear of GOP control may help, but independents don't usually come out in droves to vote in a mid-term, so Dems will need their base.

Again, I like this idea a lot, and it may even work. But they're also going to need to repair some bridges they decided to torch on their way to D.C.

"Republican-Tea Party Contract With America."

A minor correction: The DNC is calling it the "Republican-Tea Party Contract on America."

@STEVE: Its 'Contract ON America' - as in a hit job.

I don't understand how this ad campaign could become elitist.

I don't understand how this ad campaign could become elitist.
Posted by: Alli on July 29, 2010 at 12:45 PM

Easy-peasy.
1)It's got facts, like some university course.
2) It's got some 3-syllable words which aren't scrambled up like Mother's Day brunch plate.
3)It's got 10 points, necessitating the use of both hands to discuss/refudiate them.
It is quite obvious that it was meant as a put down of all those who are (mentally) Taxed Enough Already!

I would have used the empty beer bottle (macro brew, of course) metaphor, but okay.

"Gee, sure would be nice if the Democrats were proud enough of their philosophy to run on THAT. Oh, right, only dirty effing hippies believe in all that liberal junk anymore." Gummo @ 9:23 AM.

Why should they? Most people who vote Democrat don't consider themselves "liberal"; if anything they consider themselves to be, and most likely are, roughly in the center of the political spectrum. Sometimes they sway a bit to the left, other times a bit to the right. The active BASE of the Democratic party IS liberal/progressive, but that, I imagine, is probably less than half of the registered Democratic voters (I'm being generous here).
There are times and places when the tag "liberal" is an advantage in an election; after three decades of Republican smears, however, it's gotten a bit of undeserved negative freight added to it.
Much like "conservative" is starting to get now...

I think these tea party ads are more targeted to the RW base. BY making Republicans put up or shut up on sacred cow tea party issues; the DNC is hoping to reduce the enthusiasm gap. if they can take a 10 - 15% bite out of the gap the Dems could have a better shot in November

I resent Mr. Ambinder's remark. Intellectually, I could run circles around those folks.

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