How Democrats Can Win Again
Remember the old days when we actually won a few elections here & there? The WaPo Outlook section devoted several pages today to asking a variety of people how the Dems could come out on top again.
How to Reconnect With Voters and Realize Your Dreams of Victory
A Step-by-Step Guide for Democrats
Michael Grunwald's intro piece that lays out some basic questions and assumptions.
These are dark days for the Republican Party. Voters are angry at the government over the war in Iraq, the price of gas, Capitol Hill corruption, out-of-control spending, the Dubai port deal -- and Republicans control the government. They failed to deliver Social Security reform or ethics reform, and now they're failing to deliver immigration reform. After Katrina and Haditha, NSA wiretapping and CIA bungling, President Bush's approval ratings have sunk to Jimmy Carter levels. As the Jack Abramoff lobbying scandal spreads, the GOP congressional leadership's ratings are approaching O.J. Simpson levels. And now the Fed is warning that the economy may tank.
Always the Party of What-Went-Wrong
Dan Balz looks at the history of Democratic loss and asks if we'll be doing it again.
Democrats would be delighted to see Republicans go through their own public agony. But there are good reasons for party leaders and rank-and-file activists to fret. Maybe Bush will have rebounded significantly by November and will once again spoil their celebration. Maybe there really aren't enough good competitive House districts or attractive challengers to retake control. Maybe the Bush-Rove magic will work again. Or maybe the Democrats will find just one more way to blow it themselves.
GO BACK TO WHAT WORKS (Be Like Bill)
Al From and Bruce Reed ask if 2006/2008 Dems can use Clintonism to get back on top.
By any logical standard, Democrats of every stripe ought to be embracing Clintonism and its central tenets -- providing people with more opportunity while demanding more responsibility, and being willing to try new methods to realize progressive ideals. As an instrument of progress, it's beyond compare. Just recall its achievements: record budget surpluses, rising incomes, more than 22 million new jobs, millions leaving welfare and poverty for work.
FIND YOUR TRUE CENTER (Don't Compromise)
David Sirota looks for the real center of American politics.
Inside the Beltway, Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman (D-Conn.) is called a "centrist" because he still supports President Bush's misguided policies in Iraq; Sen. Joseph R. Biden Jr. (D-Del.) proved his centrist credentials when he helped gut consumer bankruptcy protections; Sen. Evan Bayh (D-Ind.) is a centrist because he votes for corporate-written, wage-destroying trade deals. And former senator John Breaux (D-La.), now a corporate lobbyist, was labeled the ultimate centrist after working to stop Congress from cracking down on the drug and health industry profiteers who backed his campaigns.
These are just a few examples of how many high-profile Democrats promote the Beltway's idea of centrism -- focused on perpetuating the status quo and abetting the influence of corporate interests that finance political campaigns. But with a centrism like this, so far outside the real center of public opinion, no wonder the Democratic Party keeps losing congressional elections.
DON'T BE A CONTROL FREAK (Ask for Help)
Peter Beinart's examination of our place in the world.
America can't protect itself by withdrawing; the world's pathologies will find us. But if isolation isn't an option, neither is Bush's neo-imperial project. Iraq -- which I mistakenly supported -- has exposed the limits of what America can achieve on its own. And with America's international legitimacy in tatters, the rest of the world is extremely dubious about unilateral U.S. efforts to tinker under the hoods of other countries.
Finally, a series of individuals were asked for their advice on how the Democrats could take back Congress. Among those asked was Daily Kos' own Markos Moulitasas.
How to Reconnect With Voters and Realize Your Dreams of Victory
A Step-by-Step Guide for Democrats
Michael Grunwald's intro piece that lays out some basic questions and assumptions.
These are dark days for the Republican Party. Voters are angry at the government over the war in Iraq, the price of gas, Capitol Hill corruption, out-of-control spending, the Dubai port deal -- and Republicans control the government. They failed to deliver Social Security reform or ethics reform, and now they're failing to deliver immigration reform. After Katrina and Haditha, NSA wiretapping and CIA bungling, President Bush's approval ratings have sunk to Jimmy Carter levels. As the Jack Abramoff lobbying scandal spreads, the GOP congressional leadership's ratings are approaching O.J. Simpson levels. And now the Fed is warning that the economy may tank.
So the political pundits, as always, want to know: What's wrong with the Democrats?
Always the Party of What-Went-Wrong
Dan Balz looks at the history of Democratic loss and asks if we'll be doing it again.
Democrats would be delighted to see Republicans go through their own public agony. But there are good reasons for party leaders and rank-and-file activists to fret. Maybe Bush will have rebounded significantly by November and will once again spoil their celebration. Maybe there really aren't enough good competitive House districts or attractive challengers to retake control. Maybe the Bush-Rove magic will work again. Or maybe the Democrats will find just one more way to blow it themselves.
GO BACK TO WHAT WORKS (Be Like Bill)
Al From and Bruce Reed ask if 2006/2008 Dems can use Clintonism to get back on top.
By any logical standard, Democrats of every stripe ought to be embracing Clintonism and its central tenets -- providing people with more opportunity while demanding more responsibility, and being willing to try new methods to realize progressive ideals. As an instrument of progress, it's beyond compare. Just recall its achievements: record budget surpluses, rising incomes, more than 22 million new jobs, millions leaving welfare and poverty for work.
FIND YOUR TRUE CENTER (Don't Compromise)
David Sirota looks for the real center of American politics.
Inside the Beltway, Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman (D-Conn.) is called a "centrist" because he still supports President Bush's misguided policies in Iraq; Sen. Joseph R. Biden Jr. (D-Del.) proved his centrist credentials when he helped gut consumer bankruptcy protections; Sen. Evan Bayh (D-Ind.) is a centrist because he votes for corporate-written, wage-destroying trade deals. And former senator John Breaux (D-La.), now a corporate lobbyist, was labeled the ultimate centrist after working to stop Congress from cracking down on the drug and health industry profiteers who backed his campaigns.
These are just a few examples of how many high-profile Democrats promote the Beltway's idea of centrism -- focused on perpetuating the status quo and abetting the influence of corporate interests that finance political campaigns. But with a centrism like this, so far outside the real center of public opinion, no wonder the Democratic Party keeps losing congressional elections.
DON'T BE A CONTROL FREAK (Ask for Help)
Peter Beinart's examination of our place in the world.
America can't protect itself by withdrawing; the world's pathologies will find us. But if isolation isn't an option, neither is Bush's neo-imperial project. Iraq -- which I mistakenly supported -- has exposed the limits of what America can achieve on its own. And with America's international legitimacy in tatters, the rest of the world is extremely dubious about unilateral U.S. efforts to tinker under the hoods of other countries.
Finally, a series of individuals were asked for their advice on how the Democrats could take back Congress. Among those asked was Daily Kos' own Markos Moulitasas.
posted by Anonymous at 9:39 AM
1 Comments:
I think there's a lot of upside in just nominating al gore for '08. he's an expert on climate change/global warming, he can claim partial credit for some of the most successful domestic and post-cold-war foreign policy initiatives to date as VP, and he's got awesome high-tech bona fides. the guy he didn't defeat, the guy sitting there in the oval office, can't even pronounce the word "nuclear" correctly after 6 years in office--in addition to all the non-linguistic havoc he has wreaked. So let's run al--liberated now from the clinton-lewinsky baggae-- under the banner of, "had enough? want a serious person for president??" we could do a lot worse.
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