I think if you take the time to go back and check out some of the other things Donna has said in the last year or so, you will find that she has been leaning this direction.
I'm only surprised she has gone public with it. Check out Rush's website - he has an article by Fineman exposing the KOOK LEFT's power over the dems and how it's transforming the dem party - negatively - which Rush has been exposing for quite some time.
Knowing that .. I believe Donna can see the writing on the wall .. the democrats are going to take a GREAT BIG HIT in Louisana .. and from the comments which ABC so thoughtfully supplied for the public .. Bob Beckel is wrong AGAIN that the "repubs have destroyed all their hard work within the black community".
While I'm probably cynical enough to believe Donna is just doing this to save herself .. and keep herself free from an association with the KOOK LEFT .. she is a very influencial black person and could actually help the repubs.
Bob Beckel is certifiable. I set land speed records reaching for the remote, if I see his face on Fox. Merely muting is not enough. The TV goes OFF.
What is absolutely clear to me is that some people on this board believe every Democrat is a scorched Earth Ted Kennedy type. You couldn't be more wrong if that is the belief you hold.
Donna Brazille is among the Liberal Democrats that has not relinquished control to Jesse Jackson or Moveon.org. She is a smart strategist, well connected to the ground of the black community. A political activist, as I assume everyone is if they frequent this board, is a fool if they ignore what she says.
Since the 2004 election she has been raising a storm, or attempting to, about the inroads Republicans are making into the black community. She saw how the vote for G.W. doubled in key swing states among the black population. She is concerned this serious undertaking to break the monopoly of the vote will be effective this time, and she has cited strong efforts by Mehlman and the President to reach out. She has been raising the red flag to her own Party to start taking them seriously.
We now have this column where she expresses allegiance with the President to rebuild New Orleans and the Gulf Coast. There may be sincerity in the proposal, but I guarentee this column is driven by a rough assessment of the politics.
1) The Republicans are the Majority. The President is a Republican. The Gulf Coast WILL be rebuilt. Credit will go to Republicans, and therefore, some good will from the black community in all probability. Democrats will be fools to distance themselves in this rebuilding as the opposition. She understands this. They need to be able to claim some credit.
2) The president's proposals, despite some harping about money, are actually largely conservative in nature. The Democrats obstruct, then they have no ability to attempt to derail conservative policies that WILL in the long term lead to higher prosperity and initiative in the black community. Those that are less reliant on government, tend to vote Republican. Democrats know this as well.
For the same reason they fear private accounts destroying FDR's Great Society, they fear Bush's proposals doing the same and NEED to be on the inside to attempt to derail them.