Rocky Mountain News: Election - Democrat playbook opened to criticism Leaked page reveals push to use tactic of 'pre-emptive strike':
Democrats got caught with their election playbook open Thursday when a leaked page was published urging operatives to lodge a 'pre-emptive strike' of claiming voter intimidation, whether it's true or not.
Gleeful Republicans quickly called a press conference after the page from The Drudge Report went online, in which they denounced 'a new low in gutter politics' that 'played the race card.'
'They want to rile up the minorities to denounce tactics that do not exist,' said Ted Halaby, chairman of the Colorado GOP.
Halaby said it was 'a criminal act to falsely allege something that does not exist.' He called on the state Democrats to 'denounce and renounce' the manual's teachings.
But Democrats, who verified as authentic the page from a playbook called 'Colorado Election Day Manual: A detailed guide to voting in Colorado,' said they must be pro-active to assure that minorities and all others are not scared away from the polls.
Sue Casey, head of the Kerry-Edwards Colorado campaign, said the Republicans are also happy to plant a negative story to detract from what reporters should be writing about.
'Look what we're talking about today instead of the fact that George Bush lost three debates and is fading, instead of not having health care, instead of having a disaster in Iraq,' she said.
The manual, at www.drudgereport.com, instructs operatives to hunt for Republican scare tactics that could keep voters from the polls. Democrats have claimed for decades that the GOP does that because low voter turnouts generally help Republican candidates.
'If no signs of intimidation techniques have emerged yet, launch a pre-emptive strike,' rule No. 2 says.
Then, the manual says the operatives should issue a press release 'reviewing Republican tactics used in your area or state.' They should also quote 'party/minority/civil rights leadership as denouncing tactics that discourage people from voting.'
Indeed, a press release from the Colorado Democrats on Wednesday looked straight out of the playbook.
After Secretary of State Donetta Davidson and Gov. Bill Owens, both Republicans, said anyone caught defrauding the voter registration process would be prosecuted, the Democrats shot out a statement decrying Davidson's and Owens' remarks as 'voter intimidation.'"
Democrats got caught with their election playbook open Thursday when a leaked page was published urging operatives to lodge a 'pre-emptive strike' of claiming voter intimidation, whether it's true or not.
Gleeful Republicans quickly called a press conference after the page from The Drudge Report went online, in which they denounced 'a new low in gutter politics' that 'played the race card.'
'They want to rile up the minorities to denounce tactics that do not exist,' said Ted Halaby, chairman of the Colorado GOP.
Halaby said it was 'a criminal act to falsely allege something that does not exist.' He called on the state Democrats to 'denounce and renounce' the manual's teachings.
But Democrats, who verified as authentic the page from a playbook called 'Colorado Election Day Manual: A detailed guide to voting in Colorado,' said they must be pro-active to assure that minorities and all others are not scared away from the polls.
Sue Casey, head of the Kerry-Edwards Colorado campaign, said the Republicans are also happy to plant a negative story to detract from what reporters should be writing about.
'Look what we're talking about today instead of the fact that George Bush lost three debates and is fading, instead of not having health care, instead of having a disaster in Iraq,' she said.
The manual, at www.drudgereport.com, instructs operatives to hunt for Republican scare tactics that could keep voters from the polls. Democrats have claimed for decades that the GOP does that because low voter turnouts generally help Republican candidates.
'If no signs of intimidation techniques have emerged yet, launch a pre-emptive strike,' rule No. 2 says.
Then, the manual says the operatives should issue a press release 'reviewing Republican tactics used in your area or state.' They should also quote 'party/minority/civil rights leadership as denouncing tactics that discourage people from voting.'
Indeed, a press release from the Colorado Democrats on Wednesday looked straight out of the playbook.
After Secretary of State Donetta Davidson and Gov. Bill Owens, both Republicans, said anyone caught defrauding the voter registration process would be prosecuted, the Democrats shot out a statement decrying Davidson's and Owens' remarks as 'voter intimidation.'"
Comments