It Doesn’t Play in Peoria.
In the end the voters saw through the façade of the Democrats and stood by the President.
Democrats failed to get traction on a number of issues. Their biggest hope was the economy. But aside from the fact that the Democrats did not have an economic plan, most Americans know that the economy was in trouble long before President Bush took office. Also, most Americans are keenly aware that September 11 damaged the economy.
But perhaps more significant, is that the Democrats failed to disavow their wacko fringe and un-American stances held by granted - a very small minority. This silence spoke much louder than the “we support the President message”. A message that was feigned at best. Democratic commentator, Juan Williams noted this, saying that he believed that most of the Democrats who voted for the resolution on Iraq, did not really want to. Many if not most, opposed action against Iraq at first, but got on board only after they saw the level of support that Americans had for the action. It did not help the democrats either, that their record of action against Iraq was blatantly partisan. Opposing action against Iraq when George Bush (41) was President, then supporting Clinton in 98 when he took unilateral action against Iraq, and then initially reversing positions again, when President George W. Bush proposed action this past summer. This is not to say that the Democrats should not have supported the action; but Americans can see through that sort of thing.
The act of Terry McAuliffe seeking personal revenge against the President did not help the Democrat cause either. "Jeb is gone!"; "There won't be anything as devastating to President Bush as his brother's losing in Florida." This statement by McAuliffe really crosses the line. Debating the issues, criticizing policy, or questions about character are all fair game. But McAuliffe's statement is none of these. McAuliffe's statement reveals his intent to personally damage and seek some sort of revenge against the president. Seeking personal revenge is never a good idea. It is beyond comprehension to engage in such activity against a popular President. This doesn’t sit well with Americans. |
