Myrmidonisia
19-09-2006, 19:54
Well, what?
I don't know. I've been waiting for the Democratic equivalent of Newt Gingrich's "Contract with America". I figured that it would be out by now if it was going to have any chance of sinking in and making an impression on voters.
The Democrats seem to be incapable of any policy more complex than 'Blame Bush'. 'What is your vision on Iraq?' 'Bush lied us into war.' 'Health care? 'Bush hasn't a clue.' They're so obsessed with Bush it prevents them from forming anything more than a trivial plan.
That's the six point plan that Ms Clinton outlined the other day. For those that escaped noticing it, I'll summarize it right now.
1 Redeploy from Iraq.
2 Create legal terrorist surveillance and trials.
3 More money for first responders.
4 Beef up Special Forces.
5 Increase port, rail and mass transit security.
6 More congressional oversight of intelligence.
The reason that this is such uninspiring and unoriginal stuff is that it was based on a solid year of polling. It seems familiar because the present administration is already doing a number of these things.
Is that what the party really wants to stand for? Focus groups and polling results? That scares me.
The Democrats can't expect to capture the leadership of the government if they can't capture the imaginations of the electorate. One of the oldest clichés in politics is, "You can't beat something with nothing." It's a cliché because it's true. You have to have belief, and a program. The '94 Republicans had such a plan. They introduced it six weeks before the elections and were swept into office.
If large numbers of voters are going to turn away from their Republicans, in favor of new leadership, then the new guys better have a plan. Right now, the Democrats don't.
Which leaves them unlikely to win the confidence of the American electorate. And unworthy of it.
I don't know. I've been waiting for the Democratic equivalent of Newt Gingrich's "Contract with America". I figured that it would be out by now if it was going to have any chance of sinking in and making an impression on voters.
The Democrats seem to be incapable of any policy more complex than 'Blame Bush'. 'What is your vision on Iraq?' 'Bush lied us into war.' 'Health care? 'Bush hasn't a clue.' They're so obsessed with Bush it prevents them from forming anything more than a trivial plan.
That's the six point plan that Ms Clinton outlined the other day. For those that escaped noticing it, I'll summarize it right now.
1 Redeploy from Iraq.
2 Create legal terrorist surveillance and trials.
3 More money for first responders.
4 Beef up Special Forces.
5 Increase port, rail and mass transit security.
6 More congressional oversight of intelligence.
The reason that this is such uninspiring and unoriginal stuff is that it was based on a solid year of polling. It seems familiar because the present administration is already doing a number of these things.
Is that what the party really wants to stand for? Focus groups and polling results? That scares me.
The Democrats can't expect to capture the leadership of the government if they can't capture the imaginations of the electorate. One of the oldest clichés in politics is, "You can't beat something with nothing." It's a cliché because it's true. You have to have belief, and a program. The '94 Republicans had such a plan. They introduced it six weeks before the elections and were swept into office.
If large numbers of voters are going to turn away from their Republicans, in favor of new leadership, then the new guys better have a plan. Right now, the Democrats don't.
Which leaves them unlikely to win the confidence of the American electorate. And unworthy of it.