"Democrats are girly men."
This has been the theme of the Republican noise machine since 2000, and especially since 9/11.
From anti-gay marriage initiatives, to the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, to Dick Cheney's comments about John Edwards's good hair, to mean Jean Schmidt's comment about "cowards cut and run, Marines never do", these seemingly unrelated attacks all have a common theme - Democrats aren't manly enought to run the country.
Unfortunately, the Democrats seem oblivious to the overall theme of the attack, which is why it has been so effective.
John Kerry is a classic example of what not to do. Kerry ignored the attacks on his masculinity, thinking they were no more than immature taunting. This allowed the GOP to effectively paint the decorated veteran as an effeminate wealthy northeasterner. The NRA's billboard of the "hunting poodle for Kerry" is a great example of an ad designed to show rural gun owners that Kerry simply wasn't a "real man", no matter how many ducks he had blasted with his shotgun.
Conversely, the GOP has done a very good job of promoting masculinity on their own side. After his daddy got him into the guard, Bush had an unremarkable military career keeping the skies over Lubbock safe from the Vietcong. (Even worse is that Bush still had more military experience than most of his team.) However, his handlers are careful to always give him "manly" photo ops, stategically padded flight suit and all.
So, how do Democrats fight this?
The answer is simple - Democrats need to stand up, unashamed, for what they believe in. Democrats should worry more about being painted as "weak" than as being painted as "extremists". Democratic values are not "extreme" by any stretch of the imagination and should be defended vigorously by Democratic candidates. People respect that, even if they don't always agree with the specific positions.
This is not a "moderate" or "liberal" thing. One can be a centrist without being milquetoast. I, for one, believe in fiscal responsibility, international law, and the common good. When the hell did that become "extremist"?
Democrats need to fight back. Who is more "elitist" than the Republican Party - the party of the "haves and have-mores"? Democrats have been treating Republicans with kid gloves, spending time debating issues when Republicans are questioning their manhood. You don't debate a bully, you fight back.
Let's take back America.