Posted on 11/05/2004 6:17:28 AM PST by Tumbleweed_Connection
President Bush isn't a conservative. He's a radical - the leader of a coalition that deeply dislikes America as it is. Part of that coalition wants to tear down the legacy of Franklin Roosevelt, eviscerating Social Security and, eventually, Medicare. Another part wants to break down the barriers between church and state. And thanks to a heavy turnout by evangelical Christians, Mr. Bush has four more years to advance that radical agenda.
Democrats are now, understandably, engaged in self-examination. But while it's O.K. to think things over, those who abhor the direction Mr. Bush is taking the country must maintain their intensity; they must not succumb to defeatism.
This election did not prove the Republicans unbeatable. Mr. Bush did not win in a landslide. Without the fading but still potent aura of 9/11, when the nation was ready to rally around any leader, he wouldn't have won at all. And future events will almost surely offer opportunities for a Democratic comeback.
I don't hope for more and worse scandals and failures during Mr. Bush's second term, but I do expect them. The resurgence of Al Qaeda, the debacle in Iraq, the explosion of the budget deficit and the failure to create jobs weren't things that just happened to occur on Mr. Bush's watch. They were the consequences of bad policies made by people who let ideology trump reality.
Those people still have Mr. Bush's ear, and his election victory will only give them the confidence to make even bigger mistakes.
So what should the Democrats do?
One faction of the party is already calling for the Democrats to blur the differences between themselves and the Republicans. Or at least that's what I think Al From of the Democratic Leadership Council means when he says, "We've got to close the cultural gap." But that's a losing proposition.
Yes, Democrats need to make it clear that they support personal virtue, that they value fidelity, responsibility, honesty and faith. This shouldn't be a hard case to make: Democrats are as likely as Republicans to be faithful spouses and good parents, and Republicans are as likely as Democrats to be adulterers, gamblers or drug abusers. Massachusetts has the lowest divorce rate in the country; blue states, on average, have lower rates of out-of-wedlock births than red states.
But Democrats are not going to get the support of people whose votes are motivated, above all, by their opposition to abortion and gay rights (and, in the background, opposition to minority rights). All they will do if they try to cater to intolerance is alienate their own base.
Does this mean that the Democrats are condemned to permanent minority status? No. The religious right - not to be confused with religious Americans in general - isn't a majority, or even a dominant minority. It's just one bloc of voters, whom the Republican Party has learned to mobilize with wedge issues like this year's polarizing debate over gay marriage.
Rather than catering to voters who will never support them, the Democrats - who are doing pretty well at getting the votes of moderates and independents - need to become equally effective at mobilizing their own base.
In fact, they have made good strides, showing much more unity and intensity than anyone thought possible a year ago. But for the lingering aura of 9/11, they would have won.
What they need to do now is develop a political program aimed at maintaining and increasing the intensity. That means setting some realistic but critical goals for the next year.
Democrats shouldn't cave in to Mr. Bush when he tries to appoint highly partisan judges - even when the effort to block a bad appointment fails, it will show supporters that the party stands for something. They should gear up for a bid to retake the Senate or at least make a major dent in the Republican lead. They should keep the pressure on Mr. Bush when he makes terrible policy decisions, which he will.
It's all right to take a few weeks to think it over. (Heads up to readers: I'll be starting a long-planned break next week, to work on a economics textbook. I'll be back in January.) But Democrats mustn't give up the fight. What's at stake isn't just the fate of their party, but the fate of America as we know it.
Have some more Kool-aid, Paul.
Well that part's right on.
Another part wants to break down the barriers between church and state.
Dumb. Just plain dumb. When are they gonna learn. It's the philosophy stupid!
Krugman still thinks republicans are racist.
The phony exit polls, an attempt to diminish republican turnout. They didn't want a repeat of the Reagan years.
...It would never have occurred to me in a million years that what America needs is an economics textbook written by hysterical socialist whack-job Paul Krugman.
Just one more reason for vouchers and homeschool...
Any guesses as to what he will call this new book? "Socialist Economy"? "The Necessity of Massive Government Transfers"? "Why The Worlds Greatest Economic Power Has It Wrong"?
No one, and I mean NO ONE is more wrong then Krugman, and the proof just keeps piling up.
Caution: "Barf alert - following message from Twilight Zone"
When you're firmly planted somewhere to the left of Leon Trotsky, as Krugman is, everyone seems to be a radical right-wing extremist.
These guys run in their own little circle of friends, in tightly-wrapped cocoons, oblivious to the world around them. As long as the Dems listen to the likes of this little pissant, they're doomed to also-ran status in every national election they compete in.
Since this party shows absolutely signs of having "got it" from the past election(s), it looks good for us!
CA....
Who cares? Let them sue anyone they want. That dog ain't gonna hunt.
THIS IS GREAT...
LET'S MAKE SURE THAT THIS GUY IS IN CHARGE OF THE DEMS IN 2008
HOPEFULLY, HE WILL BACK HILLARY OR HOWARD DEAN ...THAT WAY WE SHOULD CAPTURE TWO THIRDS OF THE SENATE AND 3/4 THE HOUSE...
WHAT AN IDIOT... THIS GUY REMINDS ME OF TROSTSKY
NICK
Pray for W and Our Troops
Krugman needs help. He should place himself under the care of a psychiatrist. There are a number of anti-psychotic medicines that would be useful in treating his dementia.
Sure thing. I'll not bother you again.
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