I followed with interest the series of posts bemoaning the fate which has befallen the Dems. Not once have I seen a recognition that it was a failure of men and a failure of policies that has led to their problems.
The Dems' problems are assuredly not caused by bad marketing. They are caused by folks like Dean, who imploded into a series of gaffes so bizarre that his mental health was rightfully called into question. They are caused by the fact that, despite this, they elected him their national leader.
People remember Gore's words during the 2000 election; they remember Kerry's arrogance and pretentious intellectualism. They note that Bush, the alleged dummy, had better grades at Yale.
Victor David Hanson in the article I linked yesterday had exactly the right ideas for a renewal of the Democratic Party. His article should be the starting point for discussion, not bad marketing, fear, and all the other rationalizations for failure I read so far today.
It's about men, i.e., character, and policies, and the Dems have simply not successfully compete on that plane. They will continue to lose the Presidency and Congress so long as they think that mainstream Americans will buy into Dean, Kerry, Hillary, Teddy, and their ilk.
The only Dem on the national scene who is worth a tinker's damn is Lieberman, and he seems ostracized by his party. He would make a formidable Pesidential candidate, but there is no way that the smoke-filled rooms will allow it to happen. National security is Americans' most important concern, and the Dems simply do not have a candidate, except for Lieb., who makes them comfortable on this point. |
