The Republican proposal to reduce increases in Medicare spending, for example, was spun as an assault on the elderly, rather than a responsible measure aimed at curbing runaway entitlement spending. The implication is that those who oppose his latest scheme to expand government will be choosing to let people die because of their own greed. Republicans are never going to defeat Clinton in a propaganda war. He, and the Richard Gephardts and Tom Daschles, will continue to demagogue the issues and vilify Republicans because their ideas alone will not convince the people. Only by injecting emotionalism into the debate, through class warfare, racial overtones or the like, can the Democrats prevail on the issues.
Liberal commentators are guilty of the same thing.
Liberals will continue to depict champions of freedom as avaricious scoundrels as long as it works politically. Republicans have become so gun-shy that they don't even advance large ideas anymore. Their proposed bills are already so diluted that they more closely resemble compromise legislation than daring new initiatives. Even so, it lends itself to the charge that it caters to the wealthy. Since Democrats are going to launch class warfare against any such proposals, the Republicans might as well go all the way with a substantive income tax cut, such as the 30 percent across the board reduction endorsed by Dan Quayle, plus major reductions in capital gains and estate tax rates.