Judo, the 'gentle way', is the ancient martial art of
jujutsu updated for modern times and practised by millions worldwide. Its core physical premise is to use one's opponent's attacks against them, its core philosophical premise can be expressed in the phrase:
When the enemy comes welcome him,
when he goes send him on his way.
-ancient Japanese saying
This is now, after John Kerry's strong perfomance in the first debate, and John Edwards' forceful attacking in the second debate, the time for the Kerry/Edwards campaign to practice the political judo that, I would argue, is John Kerry's strong suit. When George Bush comes for John Kerry in Friday night's debate, John Kerry must say to the audience:
Friends, the President wants to make this election about me, about negative attacks....that is his right....but I know something different, and you do too: This election isn't about me, it's about you, about us. It's about America coming together and being united and strong....this election is about you and me and our future..
We Democrats have, I think, one last chance to reframe ourselves as we head into the home stretch. We've shown our toughness, our character, our willingness to hold the Bush Adminsration accountable. We
know now that Bushco must attack us, and denigrate us if they have any hope of carrying this election.
It is a mighty temptation to return fire in kind, but that would be a mistake. It is a mighty temptation to think back to all those years of assuming that 'taking the high ground' would reflect well upon us and carry the day, only to come up short election day. It will require discipline and wisdom to stay calm in the face of Bush's attacks. (We all get high blood pressure from this stuff, let's face it.) But I am convinced that John Kerry will not continue the offensive against George Bush tommorrow night.
John Kerry will go out and practice judo on George Bush Friday night and he will mop the floor with him.
And in doing this Kerry won't simply be taking the high ground, he will be staking out the most strategic path to victory. It is absolutely essential that we let the Bush campaign go FULLY negative on us and not return the negativity back. We can't let this election be a pissing match. We can't seem ruffled. We must lead with our words and our actions and our demeanour. Our secret has to be this:
For every attack they make on us, we embody the leadership response in reply. We show the public the face of leadership by staying calm and refusing to cede ground. And, yes, if there is a 'Dukakis moment' we are prepared to attack back. But we keep the focus on the public and their choice this November, not on Bushco. That's what this election and true leadership is really about.
- when they try to 'feminize' Kerry, we show that Kerry is a strong leader and unafraid of this attack
- when they try to 'link Kerry to terror', we show a man who is resolute and proud and humble yet forthright about his record as a Veteran
- when they imply that Kerry will 'tax and spend', we show that Kerry will do the opposite, that he is positive, that he has a plan, and is accountable.
- whenever Bush goes after Kerry, Kerry will instead take his argument to the people and 'let them decide'
- if Bush spends his energy on John Kerry, and Kerry spends his energy reaching out to us, Kerry wins.
The first debate successfully ensured that this election will be a referendum on George W. Bush. John Kerry's job now is to embody leadership, not to respond to Bush attacks. The public must look at John Kerry Friday night....this
is the second look....and see a man that we all can believe will be a strong leader and future President.
Strong leaders don't worry about lies, don't appear nervous about misstatements and inaccuracies. Strong leaders lead. And that is what John Kerry is going to do Friday night. He is going to, in a single night, "change the tone" of this campaign. He is going to convey his trust in us and in our cause. He is going to reach beyond partisanship and reach out to everyone in this country. He is, quite simply, going to be:
a uniter not a divider.
We Democrats have one more chance to change the tone of our strategy. The GOP, we know, is going to relentlessly attack. I am convinced that John Kerry will be optimistic, positive, forward looking and unifying for the last month of this campaign.
When the enemy comes, John Kerry will welcome him..... and I am absolutely confident that when Bush goes negative....John Kerry will send him on his way.