Why Democrats just can't win the terrorism argument

The public almost always sees Republicans as better able to protect the country from terrorism, no matter what's happening in the real world

George Bush at Ground Zero
(Image credit: REUTERS/Win McNamee)

In polls taken after the Dec. 2 shooting in San Bernardino, terrorism trumped the economy as the most pressing problem facing the country. President Obama's approval on the issue, meanwhile, plunged downward, reaching into the 30s. People have short attention spans, and if there isn't a terrorist attack for a while, they move on to caring about other things. But it must cause Democratic politicians — Obama himself, Hillary Clinton, and others — no end of frustration to know that no matter what they do or what they propose, on this issue, Republicans will almost always have the advantage.

Indeed, after the San Bernardino attack, Obama was criticized widely because his rhetoric wasn't enough of a mirror of the public's fear and anger. He was too calm and too rational. If only he had shouted a little more, the chattering class would have nodded their approval at his "leadership." And Republicans fell all over themselves to sound tough and strong. The only differences between the GOP presidential contenders were whether they wanted to "carpet-bomb" ISIS (Ted Cruz), kill the wives and children of terrorists (Donald Trump), or start torturing...well, somebody (most of the candidates).

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Paul Waldman

Paul Waldman is a senior writer with The American Prospect magazine and a blogger for The Washington Post. His writing has appeared in dozens of newspapers, magazines, and web sites, and he is the author or co-author of four books on media and politics.