Peggy Noonan: Dem Problems

Opinion Journal ^ | 03/03/03 | Peggy Noonan

[Pokey78]

Recently Andrew Cuomo asked me to contribute to a book of essays on the future of the Democratic Party. I thought I would send it to Andrew through OpinionJournal.com. That way he will be able to see your responses pro and con and perhaps include a few of them in the book, too.

[Pokey78]

Pinging Peggy's list.

[AmishDude]

Another winner from Peggy. They won't heed a word of her advice, of course. For example, she says that they should allow people like the late pro-life Bob Casey to speak. They could have done that. He would have been booed out of the room. These days he would have been booed out of the room if his entire speech was nothing but criticising W. Sad, in a way.

[stands2reason]

(Sure they should be registered, but registration should exist to allow the law abiding to have guns, and not be twisted into a way to keep guns out of everyone's hands.)

I---don't think so. Otherwise, an on-target article.

[NELSON111]

She nails it. That's why I left the democratic party. I was raised a democrat...and went through the first 20 years of my life thinking that there were 2 kinds of women...democrats and others. I would only be allowed to marry a democrat. I voted for Dukakis. Then something happened. I noticed the DNC didn't think like I thought. They seemed to hate America and the things about America I loved. I voted for Clinton in '92...but held my nose. Within 2 short years...I was a rabid Republican.

Thanks Clinton and DNC for opening my eyes...if you want somebody to blame for losing a democrat for life (and BTW...my mom is a republican too now thanks to X42)...blame yourself.

[JoeSixPack1]

Her description of Slick was tamer than desired, but politcaly on the money.

Wonderful article, great read.

[Wild Irish Rogue]

My overarching impression of today's Democrat Party,is their fervent desire to stab America in the heart.Their turning point,which they do not yet realize,but,future historians are sure to acknowledge,was the deification of all things Clinton.The party has been infected with hatred and anger and oozes sleaze.You can count on one hand the number of Democrats you would want to share an elevator ride with,let alone a meal or political discussion.They have become very unlikeable individually and untrustworthy, as a whole.

[nickcarraway]

Think of all the great people who became Republicans, when the Democrats, ``left them.'' Noonan and Ronald Reagan, for example.

[JoeSixPack1]

Please put me on the "Peggy List" :-)

[NetValue]

Again, Ms. Noonan is right on the mark...perfect. Here is every reason to NOT be a dimocrat.

[Noumenon]

Half the country is wondering if we are in the end times. (Excuse me, I mean they fear man may be living through a final, wrenching paroxysm, the result of man's inhumanity to man and of the inevitable culmination of several unhelpful forces and trends.)

Guess what, Peggy - there are more than a few of us who aren't wondering any more. It isn't rocket science or prophecy - all it takes is a modicum of understanding of human nature, some grasp of history and, for crying out loud, paying attention to what's going on around you. Sometimes ideas and events converge to produce a watershed in human history. The age-old struggle between those who claim the right to dictate the terms of existence to everyone else and those of us who recognize that no such 'right' exists is coming to a head once again. We're choosing up sides along a dividing line that cuts across national boundaries and political parties; it's a fundamental difference in world view that ignores the self-imposed borderlines of race and the hierarchies of class. For many of us, the light has begun to dawn on the fact that there can be no appeasement of evil, no compromise to be had with the erstwhile masters and minders of humankind. Moderation has no place here - not in this time or in this place.

Oh - one last thing, Peggy: your call for gun registration will be one of the proximate causes of the next American Civil War. It goes something like this: I will refuse to register any of my weapons at any time or for any reason. That is a line in the sand whose crossing I will not peacefully allow. Those who come to confiscate my 'unlawful' un-registered weapons and to arrest me me for non-compliance will not find me at home - I will already have taken to the field in order to hunt down those who sent them.

[winner3000]

I can picture Peggy Noonan and Anne Coulter as Good Cop Bad Cop. The Dems stand no chance with such a one-two punch.

This is one of Peggy's best articles ever. Of course, I say that every time she writes a new column. Incredible! What a classy and gutsy lady!

[alfa6]

Bump for later

Regards

alfa6 ;>}

[Fracas]

She should have addressed tort reform and the Judiciary, but otherwise, a fine article. The good news is that Andrew will pay no attention.

[Pokey78]

Will do.

[Lancey Howard]

You have had only one two-term Democratic president in the 35 years since Vietnam. This is because in the end you looked extreme, bought and paid for, and weak.

And beholden to a wacky mish-mash of goofy, liberal special interest groups that seem to be the bulk of the party itself. Gun-grabbing extremists, abortion-on-demand extremists, race-hustling "reparations" extremists, land-grabbing environmental extremists, America-hating and capitalism-hating extremists, and regular old parasites who depend on the Democrats to confiscate from society's producers and hand out lots of "free stuff"..... Why on God's green earth would normal, traditional American families want anything to do with the Democrat Party?

[MEG33]

Right on! I remember my mother,a "yellow dog Democrat" telling me she had voted for Reagan. It told me she had finally accepted what I had been telling her,that her party had left her.

[EternalVigilance]

What you said...yep...

[Question_Assumptions]

I'm surprised about her focus on abortion for part of this essay. I think she's said that she is essentially pro-choice but I think even some pro-choice people are starting to realize that NARAL is pro-abortion.

[goldstategop]

Yep... the party left us.... with FDR, Harry Truman and JFK you had Presidents who knew what they stood for and where they wanted to take the country and people respected them even if they didn't always agree with them, for trying to do the right thing. That's what you can say about the greatest Democratic Presidents of the last century. Today's Democractic Party is nothing like them and wouldn't recognize them because it can't. If they were alive today, they'd probably get booted out of the party. What can you say about the Democrats current crop of presidential candidates is that they sure aren't what they used to be. Today the Democrats are all about calculation, positioning, and being slick and people are turned off. Peggy Noonan gave the Democrats heartfelt advice on how to regain their former greatness but I doubt they'll take the time to listen. More likely they'll continue to blame Americans for everything that's wrong with our country, which I suppose is fitting for a party that had lost it way since the late 1960s and never found itself back to where it once was. No wonder no one's buying from them.