Ed Rogers describes Republican strategy: bumper sticker slogans

By Lee Russ

Wednesday, January 25, 2006 at 10:05 AM

Every now and then, a political animal gets caught up in the moment and responds honestly to a question.  Maybe they simply didn't realize how normal folks would view their comments, maybe they got excited and forgot to think about that.  Who knows; it happens.

Witness Republican strategist Ed Rogers on Hardball with Chris Matthews last night, talking about the NSA spying issue:

"I hope [President Bush is] going to talk about the wiretap issue.  Maybe I`m missing something, but I love this issue for us, in a partisan context.  

"In Washington, we always say, a bumper sticker beats an essay.  Right now the Republicans have a bumper sticker.  The Democrats have a convoluted essay, and the degree to which the election is going to be about who is tougher on terror and who is not, that`s a clear Republican advantage.
....Now we have a 21st century national security issue where again the Democrats are reverting to form as being more passive, more docile, more weak on national security issue.  I like this NSA issue."

In Mr. Rodgers' neighborhood, "This notion that we`re going to say peace and prosperity, we`re tough on terror and they`re going to say wait a minute, there was a scandal 10 or 11 months ago that we`re partially implicated as well, is ridiculous."

So there you have it.  They definitely think that people are too dumb to follow anything more than 3 to 5 words long.  Doesn't that say a lot about how much they respect the very people who vote for them, allow them to rack up their power and provide them with their millions?  Think old Joe Sixpack understand the low esteem in which his friends hold him?

Election by bumper sticker.  That's something to be proud of, uh?  Even worse, it doesn't stop after they get elected; we're getting government by bumper sticker/slogan, too.

That's why we can't really do anything right, any more.  We can't competently decide whether to go to war, how to prepare for the aftermath of war, how to rebuild the war zone, how to prevent the theft of millions from the war zone, how to select government officials, how to prepare for a national disaster like a hurricane, how to rebuild after a national disaster, how to design a Medicare drug program, how to conduct surveillance without tromping on everyone's rights, how to get information from prisoners without torturing them, how to provide a reasonable job for our ciizens, how to take care of the poor, the frail, and the elderly.....

Okay, Mr. Rodgers, you want bumper stickers for 2006?  Here's a few:

1. Where'd the money go?

2. Where'd the jobs go?

3. Where'd my health insurance go?

4. I'm so prosperous I'm starving

5. The Constitution isn't "just a piece of paper"

6. Stop them before they lie again

7. Decriminalize politics; vote Democratic

8. Starve a criminal; vote Democratic

9. Throw the crooks out!

10. Don't DeLay, vote Democratic

11. Enough of the United States of Bankruptcy!

12. It's time for the truth.

13. Less war, more wages

14. Think of your kid's future

15. Learn your ABCs: Abramoff, Bush, Cunningham, DeLay

16. My drug benefit almost killed me