A plague on both your houses

You read at Power Line that the Demos savage attacks on Pres. Bush are having an effect at the polls, insofar as the President's poll numbers are dropping. However, the Demos are not receiving the expected corollary. That is, their numbers aren't rising. John's comment is that "An ancient adage in politics holds that you can't beat somebody with nobody. That saying applies to candidates, but it is equally true, applying the adage to ideas, that you can't beat something with nothing." What's worrisome is that the Demos, with their constant dirt, smear and pessimism are creating a "plague on both your houses" mentality amongst voters, who may then wash their hands of the political process entirely. I'm a firm believer that, when it comes to voting rights, if you don't use them, you lose them. I don't mind the absence of genuinely disengaged voters from the process. I was glad that Rock the Vote didn't send bazillions of uninformed 20-somethings, with heads stuffed with MTV drek, to the polls. But I do find it appalling when the political process not only fails to engage people who could never be brought to care, but also scares away people who are informed and were once involved. It's the anti-thesis and, possibly the end, of democracy when this trend begins.