Right-Winged Migration
It's not like I don't have some understanding of migratory patterns. I wrote about them almost a year ago. But it still hacks me off and scares me silly.
The normal pattern is for presidential candidates to move toward the edges to win the nomination and move toward the center to win the election. That model is reinforced by John McCain's plan to speak at Jerry Falwell U:
Standing alone, that story actually encourages me -- the "McCain the Maverick" meme is dangerous because it is false, and the best thing that could happen would be for him to neutralize it himself.
But put it together with what Dr. Bloor mentioned -- the hard-starboard tack by Hillary -- and you get something scary and depressing. It leaves Russ Feingold as the lone bird who forgot to fly rightward in our long winter.
What is happening here is that, although they want to encourage our anger and activism on the left, the DLC-types are taking us for granted. They know we are energized and motivated to end the Republican reign of error. But they think they can best use that energy by running away from it. The result is the paradox that the better we get at making waves, the furtter away they run.
I argued that playing it that way was a mistake last year, when Bush's numbers were in the 40s. Embracing him now, when his numbers are threatening to break in to the 20s, is foolish beyond description. But it appears the Democrats are running an overstock sale on fools.
Karl Rove and Rupert Murdoch are the smart ones -- buying every Democrat who is willing to sell. Murdoch's Hillary play is a no-brainer: backing an unelectable Democrat is a pretty efficient way of helping the Republicans. If by some chance she does win, he's in like Flint. And Rove knows that dividing the Democrats is the best way to take pressure off the Republicans who are starting to feel the need to break away from his now-toxic Boy Blunder.
I now see how simple the recipe for disaster is: all you need is a two party system in which one party knows how to govern, but not how to get elected, and another party that knows politics, but not how to govern.
The normal pattern is for presidential candidates to move toward the edges to win the nomination and move toward the center to win the election. That model is reinforced by John McCain's plan to speak at Jerry Falwell U:
Known for his maverick streak, McCain has been burnishing his conservative credentials in recent months as he readies a likely White House run. As part of that effort, he'll deliver the commencement address at the Rev. Jerry Falwell's Liberty University on Saturday - an opportunity he described Tuesday as "an honor."
Standing alone, that story actually encourages me -- the "McCain the Maverick" meme is dangerous because it is false, and the best thing that could happen would be for him to neutralize it himself.
But put it together with what Dr. Bloor mentioned -- the hard-starboard tack by Hillary -- and you get something scary and depressing. It leaves Russ Feingold as the lone bird who forgot to fly rightward in our long winter.
What is happening here is that, although they want to encourage our anger and activism on the left, the DLC-types are taking us for granted. They know we are energized and motivated to end the Republican reign of error. But they think they can best use that energy by running away from it. The result is the paradox that the better we get at making waves, the furtter away they run.
I argued that playing it that way was a mistake last year, when Bush's numbers were in the 40s. Embracing him now, when his numbers are threatening to break in to the 20s, is foolish beyond description. But it appears the Democrats are running an overstock sale on fools.
Karl Rove and Rupert Murdoch are the smart ones -- buying every Democrat who is willing to sell. Murdoch's Hillary play is a no-brainer: backing an unelectable Democrat is a pretty efficient way of helping the Republicans. If by some chance she does win, he's in like Flint. And Rove knows that dividing the Democrats is the best way to take pressure off the Republicans who are starting to feel the need to break away from his now-toxic Boy Blunder.
I now see how simple the recipe for disaster is: all you need is a two party system in which one party knows how to govern, but not how to get elected, and another party that knows politics, but not how to govern.
posted by bluememe at 5/10/2006
1 Comments:
It kills me a little every time I hear something like this. Every time I get a call from the Democratic party asking for donations or to volunteer, I always say that I feel taken for granted and that not being Republican is not reason enough to vote for you. I will vote Green again if I don't start hearing what I want to hear.
It's the same story - all they have to do is make it close. Dirty tricks and electronic voting machines will take care of the rest. Democrats need to settle on the right story and get the message out.
I am also nearly convinced that the party has been infiltrated by the same monied interests that control the Republican party - that explains so many of the DINO votes.
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