SHOULD KERRY BE ATTACKING HARDER?

I know there's an enormous group now who view John Kerry's strategy as wimpish and that of a loser. They want him to come out swinging at Bush and, as I said in the previous post, "finish the job."

But I wonder if that might not backfire in a terrible way. Many of the well-meaning independents/moderates I speak with who usually vote with the Republicans but NOT ALWAYS (quite a few of them voted for Clinton in '92, but at least half didn't repeat in '96) are now beginning to think seriously about dumping Bush this November -- but they still have strong personal feelings in his favor, can't help seeing him as the "hero of 9/11." And of course, the fact that we live in Texas where nearly everybody, including liberals, loves to play cowboy sometimes, means that they also have a sneaking identification with him. If Kerry were "mean-spirited" (I don't think the man has it in him, so I'm referring to their perception), I worry that it might push them into "rescuing" George.

Sunday night our family watched the entire three-hour Survivor finale (another one of my guilty pleasures). Out of six of us watching, I was the only one who had ever seen an episode, but everyone got so into it they were all talking at once and we could hardly hear the show. It was amazing to me to see Boston Rob, the betrayer, ALMOST win the million dollars -- but it was more interesting to observe the way my family did a complete 360 about him, going from despising him during the actual playing of the game to siding with him when his apparently sincere apology was contrasted with the unforgiving attacks upon him (I thought they were right to attack and vote against him, but I'm always in favor of forgiveness -- it soothes the soul). That got me to thinking that if Kerry and the Democrats might be better served if we take the approach of "It's time for a change...Bush just hasn't delivered and is out of touch with how to serve the needs of Americans (security as well as economic)" rather than the "Bush is evil" meme. I'm not saying that we shouldn't point out Bush's crony connections, whether to the Saudis and the bin Laden family or to American corporate interests; but I'm doubting that we should betray our contempt for him and thus push those who identify with him (but worry about him) firmly into the Bush camp.

I don't know, maybe there aren't enough of these type voters to make this a sound strategy. I'd like to see someone else address it who knows more than I...