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.

[TradicalRC]

God Bless Peggy Noonan.

[jaime1959]

Jesus, what a great, spot-on essay! Peggy rules!

[aculeus]

Dear Peggy,

You forget the most important thing there is to know about present day Democrats: They cannot be trusted.

Instead of helping Andrew Cuomo by serving as a token conservative why not investigate his rank politicalization and radicalization of the federal housing administration under his administration? Use the results of that investigation to expand on your view that the Democrats will do anything to get and to keep power.

The man is a raving egomanic with limitless ambition ... for himself, not his country.

You're being used (as you are in your advisory role in West Wing) by a vile Republican-hating power-seeking and (yes!) anti-American Democrat.

Tell him to take a long walk off a short pier and propose to your own book publisher an anthology of Republican analyses of the modern-day Democrat Party.

Sincerely,

aculeus

[beckett]

One of Peggy's better efforts in recent times, although I will admit I am growing weary of her literary style. These days I often find myself wishing she would abstain from the beautiful phrasing and coy circumlocutions and write straighter, cleaner prose.

[Pokey78]

All have been added.

[Noumenon]

To a democrat, what's wrong with America is that it's America. They utterly despise our heritage, our cherished institutions and our values.

That's precisely why one can neither reason nor compromise with such. They are killers without conscience.

Regards, my friend. Take care....

[hattend]

Peggy, Let the Dems self-destruct. Don't give them any hints that may save them.

[Sloth]

And why would you think that it's the best thing about this article?

Because I don't want the Democrats to wake up and figure out how to make themselves mainstream again. I want them to keep marginalizing themselves by selecting leaders like Pelosi and Daschle.

[Salvation]

Thanks for the Peggy Ping!

[Dont Mention the War]

An article on a previous FR thread spoke of hitlery's mathamatical projections of winning a Prez elections without a single white male vote. (Dead white male voters are ok)

You wouldn't happen to know where that thread is. would you? I'd love to read it.

[Marysecretary]

Aha! Good thinking, Sloth. Nothing Slothful about you today. Love, Mxxx

[Wild Irish Rogue]

" And one of those is my dad. :-/"

There was a time,in the not so recent past,that Democrats and Republicans could peacefully co exist.You could agree to disagree. That is no longer possible. I believe that Bill Clinton has gassed the Democrat Party with his own brand of poison and there will never be an antidote.The rank and file Democrats are the most bitter and angry people now,I don't think any of them have used the facial muscles to laugh in years and their frown lines will be keeping the Botox suppliers in business for years.

[Marysecretary]

Yes. It's sooo much nicer here!

[Sabertooth]

I am not saying you are too partisan. Partisanship is fine. But Republicans by and large don't suffer from blind loyalty or blind antagonism. They would think it irresponsible to the country. They will bolt on one of their own if he insists on a route they think is seriously wrong (the first Bush on taxes). They will kill his presidency if they conclude he is essentially destructive (it was his Republican base in Congress that ended Richard Nixon's career). Recently it was Republicans who did in their own Senate majority leader because they would not accept a certain kind of nonsense. If George W. Bush begins to seriously compromise conservative political philosophy, or to behave in a manner grossly offensive in a leader, they will turn on him too.

I just thought I'd excerpt this from Peggy's outstanding piece as a cautionary note to those few Republicans and Freepers who'd prefer knee-jerk loyalty to integrity.

The great failure of the Democrat party is their failure to keep their leaders honest. They have become a shrill gaggle, intolerant of dissent, incapable of introspection, invulnerable to self-criticism, and as appealing to our better natures as a honking horn.

Woe unto us if we should follow that course.

[Tribune7]

ping

[Cultural Jihad]

Excellent essay again. But Peggy should just leave the salvaging of the Democratic Party to President Bush, who will when he's not too busy turn his gaze to the Democrats and single-handedly save the two-party system for these ingrates.

[JoeSixPack1]

I've been searching for over an hour now and can't find that thread. Still looking.

[bert]

Amen

[MassExodus]

I love Peggy Noonan, PLEASE add me to your PING list !

[Taliesan]

Peggy is eloquent, as usual, but far too generous because she is deluded. (Peggy is especially susceptible becasue she LIKES feeling generous. It is her core value, feeling generous.)

This article is a prime example of the cultivated delusion of all those who are allowed to speak for the Right in the mainstream media. That illusion is that the Left is operating in good faith,and we just disagree with them.

You can be a mainstream Right voice on Tv and in print as long as you don't burst this illusion. People like Horowitz and Limbaugh forsook it long ago, and Coulter takes delight in pricking it. The truth is not Peggy's Version: "You're good people if you'll just get a few things adjusted." No, the truth is more this: "You're thieves and stenographers for thieves. We will not negotiate with you. Get a job."