Poor reception

By ADAM REILLY  |  February 8, 2010

But this approach — which resembles that used by Media Matters for America — brings its own dangers, especially if it's used as a default rather than in extreme cases. After all, while complaints about indelicate language might shame a pundit or outlet, they could also end up reinforcing stock conservative caricatures of liberals (PC, effete, loony-left) and their elite-media allies — and increasing conservative wrath.

That's why, in the end, the Democrats' best hope may be a strategy of cautious engagement. Brown's cultivation of Eagan and Braude didn't win their support, exactly, but it earned their respect, and gave Brown a (free) chance to convince liberal voters that he wasn't a nut or a buffoon. Comparable Democratic efforts to cultivate the right will probably result in some awkward monkey-dance moments. But if worried liberal pols can balance the discomfort with self-deprecating grace — and offer forceful rebuttals to GOP talking points while they're at it — that's a sacrifice worth making.

To read the "Don't Quote Me" blog, go to thePhoenix.com/dontquoteme. Adam Reilly can be reached at areilly@phx.com.

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ARTICLES BY ADAM REILLY
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  •   BULLY FOR BU!  |  March 12, 2010
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    While reporting from Afghanistan two years ago, David Rohde became, for the second time in his career, an unwilling participant rather than an observer. On October 29, 1995, Rohde had been arrested by Bosnian Serbs. And then in November 2008, Rohde and two Afghan colleagues were en route to an interview with a Taliban commander when they were kidnapped.
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