Democrats: We didn’t mean it
John Cole notes the Democrat’s new strategery of moving to the center will be bloody:
The Democratic Leadership Council, an organization of influential party moderates, named Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton today to direct a new initiative to define a party agenda for the 2006 and 2008 elections.
The appointment solidified the identification of Clinton, once considered a champion of the party’s left, with the centrist movement that helped propel her husband to the White House in 1992. It also continued her effort, which has accelerated in recent months, to present herself as a moderate on issues such as national security, immigration and abortion.
I don’t know that this does much for the perception that Democrats flip-flop. And the lefties don’t like it. Bill Quick points out that those further left are eating their own:
Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton’s call for an ideological cease-fire in the Democratic Party drew an angry reaction yesterday from liberal bloggers and others on the left, who accused her of siding with the centrist Democratic Leadership Council (DLC) in a long-running dispute over the future of the party.
There are a growing number of people that historically vote Republican (ahem, me) who are dissatisfied enough with the Republicans that the Democrats could maybe capitalize on. They failed to do that in 2002 and 2004. I’m not certain that this image change will convince us unless they’re serious about really reconsidering their position on issues like guns, property rights, taxes and the war.
First, they should tell Dean to shut the hell up. Secondly, stop inviting Michael Moore to their little get togethers. And, third, pick someone more charismatic than John Kerry and Hillary Clinton to be their moderate voice.
July 27th, 2005 at 11:49 am
people in our country need to get back to voting for individuals, rather than parties. i think a lot of folks who were displeased with his spending us into a deep hole and killing tens of thousands of people yet failing to catch osama voted for bush because he has an R next to his name. it’s a shame.
i hope people in your shoes will come around to hillary clinton. she’s smart and she’s tough. she also cares about average americans in ways the republican leaders just aren’t showing they do.
July 27th, 2005 at 11:55 am
killing tens of thousands of people
Gonna call bullshit on that one.
Come around to Hillary? Unlikely, unless she changes her stance on guns, grand theft auto, universal healthcare and all the other stupid things she’s advocated. And people will vote for her merely for the D after her name.
July 27th, 2005 at 1:07 pm
I have to go with Uncle on this one…
July 27th, 2005 at 1:31 pm
killing tens of thousands of people…
gonna call bullshit on that one
I think even the most conservative counts/estimates bear that out by now. Iraq Body Count: ~23000 minimum. Others are higher; the (unjustly condemned) Lancet study estimate centers at ~98000.
How many do you think have died in Iraq? You may decide it’s worth it compared to indefinite Saddam tyranny, but to simply deny it won’t do, I think.
I disagree about Dean, too; like WhitesCreek says over at “no silence here,” I think you guys have more in common than you believe.
July 27th, 2005 at 1:45 pm
“I think even the most conservative counts/estimates bear that out by now”
should have been more clear since she was implying that bush killed tens of thousands of people.
July 27th, 2005 at 4:54 pm
“First, they should tell Dean to shut the hell up.”
They tried to by making him the chair, you never should hear anything out of those guys.
July 27th, 2005 at 11:40 pm
Problem for the Dems is the only charismatic non-hardcore leftist they have that I’ve seen was Zell Miller, and they hate him.
Scoop Jackson and Jack Kennedy are dead. Lieberman is about as exciting as cold oatmeal. I hear Ried used to be a moderate until they stuck Daschle’s brain in his head. Don’t know much about Baucus, except that he’s from Montana, which is at least one thing in his favor.
July 28th, 2005 at 1:11 am
Zell Miller is many things, but if you think charismatic is one of them, then you really are heartless. 🙂
And you point out a problem with American politics that probably dates back to the advent of the TeeVee: somewhere along the lines, charisma became more important than knowing what the fuck you’re doing.