BUSH RUNS UNPRECEDENTED NEGATIVE CAMPAIGN

The Washington Post has an article subtitled Scholars Say Campaign Is Making History With Often-Misleading Attacks:

"The charges were all tough, serious -- and wrong, or at least highly misleading. Kerry did not question the war on terrorism, has proposed repealing tax cuts only for those earning more than $200,000, supports wiretaps, has not endorsed a 50-cent gasoline tax increase in 10 years, and continues to support the education changes, albeit with modifications.

Scholars and political strategists say the ferocious Bush assault on Kerry this spring has been extraordinary, both for the volume of attacks and for the liberties the president and his campaign have taken with the facts. Though stretching the truth is hardly new in a political campaign, they say the volume of negative charges is unprecedented -- both in speeches and in advertising."
...
"The Bush campaign is faced with the hard, true fact that they have to keep their boot on his neck and define him on their terms," Reed said. That might risk alienating some moderate voters or depressing turnout, "but they don't have a choice," he said.

Well, of course he has no choice. Bush/Cheney '04 has no positive record of accomplishments in the public interest to trumpet, so they are reduced to fear-mongering, lies and deception. Their whole strategy appears to be "better the devil you know..."

A lot has been written in the past about the president's superb public relations management. I would counter with the fact that that was in the context of an extraordinarily supportive public after 9/11 (Bush didn't seem to be doing very well prior to that). The "grownups" at BushCo have indeed mastered some of the principles of good PR, such as "Never let someone else get your message out," "never mix messages," and "check the calendar before you schedule your big product launch," but seem never to have learned one of the first rules of public relations -- When in trouble, don't deny your mistake. Grovel a lot, and then grovel some more. The American people are extremely forgiving -- IF you admit your mistake and present a plan to reverse course, i.e. "pull your rabbit out of the hat." (Of course, there's a sort of statute of limitations attached -- you can't deny forever and then, after being 'convicted by public opinion,' admit you were lying all along and expect no consequences.) That last rule flies in the face of both Bush and Cheney's characters and must be driving their handlers crazy.

UPDATE: Link here for Kos's take on the article/subject.

UPDATE: Josh Marshall's comments here.