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Democrat majority died from old, Vietnam-era wounds
St Paul Pioneer (de)Press ^ | 11/20/02 | D.J. TICE

Posted on 11/20/2002 7:13:27 AM PST by Valin

Democrats are having an awful time making peace with Republican victories in the recent election. A few rich and famous revolutionaries, like Bill Moyers and Garrison Keillor, are throwing embarrassing tantrums, proclaiming the fanatic's eternal faith that everyone who disagrees with him is evil.

Meanwhile, liberals with better manners and more stable brain chemistry are nonetheless genuinely dismayed. They're perplexed about what has gone wrong with the Democratic Party and the progressive movement. The answer — however unwelcome — seems rather simple.

The radical counterculture liberalism of the 1960s has finally completed its demolition of the New Deal Democrat majority — a task begun more than three decades ago. We have here one of those historical trends that is impossible to miss once you step back far enough to see the long-term pattern. Go back 70 years, to the last definitive realignment of American politics, in the depths of the Depression in 1932. In the nine presidential elections beginning with that watershed, Democrats won the White House seven times — losing it only to the Dwight Eisenhower, the likable war hero of the century. During the same 36 years, Democrats controlled both houses of Congress in all but two sessions.

It was an awesome domination of national political life, built on a philosophy that won the hearts of ordinary working Americans. That philosophy centered on protecting the rights of the laboring class and restraining big business excesses; establishing a social safety net to prevent destitution among those who could not support themselves; and pursuing a strong, assertive foreign policy to protect American interests and the security of the free world.

This Democratic dynasty's problems began in 1968, with the election of Republican Richard Nixon (neither a war hero nor especially likable) at the height of the Vietnam War and the '60s social turmoil. In the nine presidential cycles since 1968, Republicans have won the White House six times, nearly matching the Democrats' earlier dominance. Only gradually has the GOP been able to seize control of Congress as well. But its advantage there now begins to look solid. It's a striking reversal of historic fortunes that Democrats need to study.

A closer look points to the one issue that is proving deadly for Democrats. In the period since 1968 (discounting the 1976 post-Watergate election), Democrats' presidential successes came recently — with Bill Clinton in '92 and '96. Al Gore also ran very well in 2000, winning the popular vote. Then things fell apart again this year. What might this reveal? While not ignoring the powerful personal appeal of Clinton, there is a more important common characteristic about the elections from 1992 to 2000, when Democrat presidential candidates did well. Those elections came between the end of the Cold War and Sept. 11, 2001 — a period when issues of national security, for the first time in memory, were not preoccupying Americans' minds. In this month's election — the first since national security came back as a critical concern — Americans turned decisively back toward the GOP and George W. Bush.

Democrats must fearlessly consider the implication of this pattern. Whatever other problems they face, it simply seems that too many ordinary Americans lack confidence that modern liberals will boldly defend the nation and its interests. It's a long-term problem, born with the anti-Vietnam War movement's declaration that America was the villain in Southeast Asia and continuing today in suggestions among progressives that America's enemies have legitimate reasons to hate us. It's not a problem old-style liberals like Truman or Kennedy had.

Those who honestly believe America should restrain its use of military might will, of course, have go on expressing those convictions and fighting for those policies. But as a political matter, Democrats may continue to have trouble winning national elections so long as voters have doubts about their willingness to confront the nation's foes.

There are, of course, a dozen other issues on which Democrats are hobbled by the '60s mindset, which hasn't digested a really new idea since the Beatles broke up. The basic malady may be the pseudo-religious, political fundamentalism of many Woodstock-era faithful, which produces (now as decades ago) a breathtaking self-righteousness and a stunning lack of self-awareness.

But conservatives are not as overjoyed these days as liberals are overwrought. Anyhow, they shouldn't be. One of Democrats' problems winning elections just now is that liberalism has already delivered on many of its historic promises, while '60s values are triumphant in the culture, if not in national politics. The era of big government is not "over" — it is apparently here to stay, with Republicans in charge. So, it seems, is a looseness about sexual mores and pornography and family ties that would have amazed (and displeased) liberals of the Democrats' glory days.

Strangely, perhaps, the pacifist, anti-war sentiment that was the heart and soul of the '60s is the one legacy of that era Democrats need most to discard to win more elections.

Write Tice at dtice@pioneerpress.com. or at the Pioneer Press, 345 Cedar St., St. Paul, MN 55101.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Editorial; Politics/Elections
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1 posted on 11/20/2002 7:13:27 AM PST by Valin
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To: Valin
Where have all the liberals gone, long time passing?
Where have all the liberals gone, long time ago?
Where have all the liberals gone?
Gone to graveyards, everyone.
Oh, when will they ever learn?
Oh, when will they ever learn?
2 posted on 11/20/2002 7:19:54 AM PST by SwinneySwitch
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To: SwinneySwitch
I really get the feeling that you are trying to say something. :-)
3 posted on 11/20/2002 7:25:45 AM PST by Valin
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To: Valin
"Those elections came between the end of the Cold War and Sept. 11, 2001 — a period when issues of national security, for the first time in memory, were not preoccupying Americans' minds."

A great point. I firmly believe that future historians will treat the fall of the Berlin Wall and 9/11 as "bookends" of a distinct era in American life and politics. During that time we got complacent and ignored the rest of the world. Not to let Clinton off the hook for his complete indifference to foreign policy, but I think his attitude really reflected the mindset of the majority of the time. He was at least as much of a symptom and a reflection as he was a cause of how soft, lazy and shortsighted most Americans were in this time period. The degree to which he is the poster boy for that 90's sense of false security is probably going to be his real legacy to future generations.
4 posted on 11/20/2002 7:30:48 AM PST by Media Insurgent
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To: Valin
Strangely, perhaps, the pacifist, anti-war sentiment that was the heart and soul of the '60s is the one legacy of that era Democrats need most to discard to win more elections.

But they won't 'cause they're all a bunch of Wussies. Enough Americans know this to make a difference for a long time to come. VIVA REPUBLICANS!

BTW, about 4 months prior to the past elections I posted somewhere on this vast board that "Republicans would win big time-count on it". Do I get a prize for that? ; )

5 posted on 11/20/2002 7:30:59 AM PST by Musket
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To: Media Insurgent
I firmly believe that future historians will treat the fall of the Berlin Wall and 9/11 as "bookends" of a distinct era in American life and politics.

Hey we won the cold war! Lets PARTY!
Reality DOES have a way of biting you in the butt if you don't keep your wits about you.
6 posted on 11/20/2002 7:39:37 AM PST by Valin
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To: Musket
Do I get a prize for that? ; )

Indeed you do. You win my warmest personal regards.
That and a dollar will get you a cup of coffee. :-)
7 posted on 11/20/2002 7:42:20 AM PST by Valin
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To: Musket
Do I get a prize for that?

Depends.....what do you want?

8 posted on 11/20/2002 7:44:29 AM PST by shiva
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To: Valin
Remember everyone talking about the "Peace Dividend" that we would get from not having to spend money on defense? I think it was Tom Clancy who pointed out that when you maintain a strong defense, peace IS the dividend.
9 posted on 11/20/2002 7:49:33 AM PST by Media Insurgent
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To: Valin
...Democrats must fearlessly consider the implication of this pattern. Whatever other problems they face, it simply seems that too many ordinary Americans lack confidence that modern liberals will boldly defend the nation and its interests....

Oh yeah. There is a complete and very deserved lack of confidence out here in America regarding the old crusty liberal hippies in congress who have refused to grow and up and understand that FREEDOM in NEVER FREE!

10 posted on 11/20/2002 7:50:31 AM PST by Republic
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To: Valin
And now the Democratic party has turned into the "Donner Party" with the election of Nancy Pelosi. If you recall, the Donner party was the wagon train of settlers heading west that went down the wrong trail and got stranded for the winter and had to resort to cannibalism to survive. How did this happen? The Donner's et. al. bought a trail book from a shyster purporting to show the way for a faster route to the west coast.

The 60's radical liberalism philosphy is that same trail book. Yet the liberal Democrats insist on following that route.

Communism is now shown not to work. Socialism is being shown as working very poorly. Soon it won't work at all. Liberalism is next up for all the masses to finally realize that it doesn't work either.
These things take time. I figure about 75 years. That's how long it took communism to fail.
11 posted on 11/20/2002 7:55:31 AM PST by Ronaldus Magnus Reagan
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To: Media Insurgent
Some of us still remember hearing about the "Peace Dividend" at the end of the Viet-Nam war. It's as stupid then as it is now. It's all part of the "Can't we all just get along" syndrome, here in the real world the answer is NO! For every Mother Teresa I can show you 6(at least) Pol Pots.
12 posted on 11/20/2002 7:57:37 AM PST by Valin
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To: Republic
Agreed. Whether or not Vietnam was mishandled or was a "mistake," liberals adopted irrational and anti-American arguments to oppose the war. (First example right there, there was a war whether we were in it or not but they always wanted to "stop the war" like we caused it).

If you look at the ridiculous approaches by liberals to Vietnam and apply them to the real world, you get in trouble pretty fast. Some favorites:

1. The U.S. invaded Cambodia, expanding the war. In reality the N. Vietnamese had occupied Eastern Cambodia for years and the Cambodian government approved of our incursion and bombing. But the leftists still rail about Nixon's "bombing of Cambodia" as a criminal act. Pure nonsense.

2. The S. Vietnamese were cowards. Leftists are the original racists, and the S. Vietnamese were our allies, so naturally they were scum. I will never forget the NYT story after the SV's held on at An Loc after being cut off for weeks. The dead NV's were found chained inside their tanks. The NYT wrote that the battle of An Loc proved "even a rat will fight when it is cornered."

There are too many and this post is overlong, but the liberal legacy of Vietnam includes: Giving credit to every oppressive invading left wing dictatorship, assuming America is wrong and has no rights in every dispute, unilateral disarmament, hatred of our own military as murdrers, etc.

13 posted on 11/20/2002 8:04:08 AM PST by Williams
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To: Valin
For every Mother Teresa I can show you 6(at least) Pol Pots.

You're being generous -- I'd have guessed about 600 Pol Pots for every Mother Teresa (or maybe 666 ...)

14 posted on 11/20/2002 8:04:31 AM PST by bassmaner
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To: Valin
"For every Mother Teresa I can show you 6(at least) Pol Pots."

I could show you 6 potential Pol Pots in the crowd of any given "peace" demonstration. Probably a couple Hitlers, several dozen Stalins and scores of Robespierres. The people who cry the loudest for disarmament are the ones who would be most dangerous if the weapons were under their control.
15 posted on 11/20/2002 8:06:43 AM PST by Media Insurgent
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To: Media Insurgent
We got our "peace dividend" on 9/11.
16 posted on 11/20/2002 8:07:28 AM PST by Mr. Jeeves
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To: Valin; backhoe
Al Gore also ran very well in 2000, winning the popular vote.

I so sick of hearing this.

First of all, it's irrelevant because of the electoral college system.

Secondly, considering the epidemic of vote fraud in 'Rat districts, it's likely that GWB actually did win the popular vote. I wish someone like Scaife or Klayman would put up resources to investigate this and show to the world just how much corruption and fraud there actually is in our electoral process. The recent Johnson/Thune debacle in SD is yet another stinking example.

17 posted on 11/20/2002 8:11:46 AM PST by bassmaner
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To: Mr. Jeeves
Clinton enjoyed a peace dividend all throughout his term. Oh wait...that was a "piece dividend."
18 posted on 11/20/2002 8:12:29 AM PST by Media Insurgent
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To: Williams
Had we taken care of business in Cambodia, there would have been no Pol Pot, and no Killing Fields, another little "fact" the Commie Libs avoid pointing out.
19 posted on 11/20/2002 8:12:31 AM PST by dfwgator
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To: Media Insurgent
Most of the anti-war activists during the Vietnam War were not "anti-war" at all. They just thought we were fighting for the wrong side.
20 posted on 11/20/2002 8:13:44 AM PST by dfwgator
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