What Should the Democrats Do? Become the Party of Principle
So, everybody's asking what the Democrats should do. They lack a cohesive message, they're divided over Iraq, they--as usual--seem rudderless.
As for their division over Iraq strategy, I've got nothing. But I will say that their confusion is a good sign. Any rational, well-informed person should be confused about that.
As for the other stuff, here's a suggestion: truly become the party of principle (a phrase Kerry and Edwards seemed to toy with a bit back in '04). Resolve--loudly--to become a truly principled, squeaky-clean political party. Institute their own rules about campaign financing and lobbyists that are rational and ostentatiously more strenuous than the law.
In short, become what they ought to have been all along.
For most of my lifetime the Democrats have eaked out a niche as the least corrupt, least objectionable, least rotten of the political parties. (For the while-I-was-a-baby part of my life, they were apparently the more corrupt of the two.) Maybe it's time to aspire to something greater than that.
The Democrats will never be able to be more rotten than the current bunch in charge of the Republican party--and that's to their credit. You can't beat those guys at hardball--nor should you try. Currently the Dems seem to but just rotten enough to make it plausible to characterize them as being in the same ballpark as the Republicans. Many big corporations, for example, give the Dems about half what they give the Republicans. This system keeps the Democrats from ever really gaining control--they can't collect as much money as the Republicans, but they can't truly be seen as differing from them in kind, either.
So, since the current strategy can't work, and the get-meaner-than-them strategy is both reprehensible and doomed to failure, maybe the Democrats should break down and actually become the good guys.
Just a thought.
So, everybody's asking what the Democrats should do. They lack a cohesive message, they're divided over Iraq, they--as usual--seem rudderless.
As for their division over Iraq strategy, I've got nothing. But I will say that their confusion is a good sign. Any rational, well-informed person should be confused about that.
As for the other stuff, here's a suggestion: truly become the party of principle (a phrase Kerry and Edwards seemed to toy with a bit back in '04). Resolve--loudly--to become a truly principled, squeaky-clean political party. Institute their own rules about campaign financing and lobbyists that are rational and ostentatiously more strenuous than the law.
In short, become what they ought to have been all along.
For most of my lifetime the Democrats have eaked out a niche as the least corrupt, least objectionable, least rotten of the political parties. (For the while-I-was-a-baby part of my life, they were apparently the more corrupt of the two.) Maybe it's time to aspire to something greater than that.
The Democrats will never be able to be more rotten than the current bunch in charge of the Republican party--and that's to their credit. You can't beat those guys at hardball--nor should you try. Currently the Dems seem to but just rotten enough to make it plausible to characterize them as being in the same ballpark as the Republicans. Many big corporations, for example, give the Dems about half what they give the Republicans. This system keeps the Democrats from ever really gaining control--they can't collect as much money as the Republicans, but they can't truly be seen as differing from them in kind, either.
So, since the current strategy can't work, and the get-meaner-than-them strategy is both reprehensible and doomed to failure, maybe the Democrats should break down and actually become the good guys.
Just a thought.
posted by Winston Smith at
12:28 PM
5 Comments:
When all else fails, try principle. Actually, that's just was the GOP was forced to do after Nixon and all those years of Democrat control of Congress.
The GOP made its gains on the backs of two great visionaries---Reagan and Gingrich. (Their successors admittedly, and almost by definition, pale in comparison.)
Throwing spitballs is not a political philosophy. Nominate Russ Feingold instead of guys like the last two weasels, and let America vote up or down. Run on your beliefs instead of from them.
I disagree with Feingold on virtually everything, but still trust his character. We could do worse, and almost did, with Gore and Kerry.
Oh, god, Tom, you just kill me sometimes.
The Republicans haven't been the party of principle in my lifetime.
Greed and superstition are not principles.
But they're a lot more fun than envy and nihilism. Your side is really a drag.
Yeah, facts are a drag, the reality-based community is a drag, principle is a drag because it interferes with believing what you want and accumulating power.
Show me something worth envying in the Republican party. Well, I wish we had John McCain...
And as for nihilism: partially guilty as charged. Granted that some on our side are so afflicted, but at least they're a microscopic minority and have no influence.
The primitive superstition lobby, on the other hand, is very powerful on your side.
On second thought: touche.
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