GOP, please don’t let Denny Hastert resign!

I got a local conservative talk show fired up and changed the whole tone of the call by making the following statement. "As a progressive I don’t want Denny Hastert to resign. (the host responded "really") No I don’t! A man who exploded the deficit, passed record spending, expanded government, passed CAFTA and No Child Left Behind, and now covered up a pedophile. Why would I want this guy to resign? I would rather run against him and ask America is this the guy you want running your government? Please conservatives keep your incompetent boggy man! I demand he announce he will not resign after the 2006 elections. LOL"

I got hung up on at that point. But the flustered host said "this is what we can expect from our leaders who have failed us". Before this the host was attacking Democrats bring up 26 year old scandals like Rep. Gary Studds. The most interesting things though was the change in the tones of the calls. Before I called they all were attacking Democrats as hypocrites. After the call they all started to sound worried. They started to wonder aloud if keeping a tarnished leader was good for the party. One guy picked up on my "demand he announce he won’t resign after the election" and asked what would happen if he is running congress after 2006?

I want Progressives, Liberals, and Democrats to take note, by attacking the nagging worry of Conservatives rather then engaging them head on you demoralize them. Attacking the GOP head on "cross fire style" doesn’t show your tough (note to Sunday morning talk show host), it in fact raises the partisan blood of Conservatives. Conservatives are "us verses them" people, tribal attacks aren’t effective. Making fun of them is. Conservatives especially the working class White men have a "Bill O’Reilly faux (fox) tough guy" image of themselves. Ridiculing them sends them in a tizzy. Notice that Keith Oberman ridicule of Bill drives him into crazy rages? I would submit that Democrats should joke around about how they hope the GOP keeps Denny Hastert. Play a little rope-a-dope. Don’t take it to far outrage still needs to be expressed. Make sure it’s done jokingly too or it will seem like "playing politics" but ridicule them. GOP needs to think of themselves as the strong party. Encouraging them to keep a week leader attacks their inner worries.