Help Me Help You

A road map for Democrats

by Thomas Lindaman
11/16/04

After weeks of foreshadowing and remembering the problems with Election 2000, the 2004 election was a bit of a letdown. After the smoke, dust, and confetti cleared, George W. Bush emerged the victor. But a vital question remains: where do the Democrats go from here? (Judging by some of the comments I've seen from Democrats in chat rooms lately, they appear to be going to pieces.)

Seriously, the Democrats are once again at a crossroads, just like they were in 2000. And just like in 2000, they are ill-prepared to address the serious issues within their party. But Election 2004 will hopefully be a wake-up call, like a window on your computer that asks if you are sure that you want to delete a particular file. Consider it a window that asks "Are you sure you want to continue doing things that hurt your party and threaten to marginalize you for the next 20 years?"

With any great change, there has to be some sort of plan. Being a former Democrat myself, I feel obligated to at least offer my ideas on how Democrats can rebound from Election 2004. There are six steps. Think of it as a 12-step program with half the calories.

1) Forget the recent past. Your recent problems started in 1998 with your reaction to Bill Clinton's impeachment. James Carville referred to it as a "war" and you've stuck with that mentality ever since because you sought to ruin any Republican who was responsible for the impeachment. Then in 2000 when that strategy failed by and large, you wanted to make George W. Bush and Jeb Bush pay for "stealing" the 2000 election. That cost you progress in the 2002 midterm election, as well as contributing to John Kerry's defeat in 2004. Wanting to get revenge hasn't worked for you, so it's best to let it go and start looking towards the future.

2) Optimism sells. I believe the key to the success of liberalism is optimism. It takes the belief that things will change with enough work that makes change possible. And it's that optimism that has been lost in the modern Democratic Party. John Kerry tried to plant the "Anybody But Bush" sentiment in people by saying Bush was wrong and by offering vague plans with no specifics. That gave the impression that the only thing Kerry offered was...nothing. At least, nothing that uplifted the spirit and gave people a reason to vote for him. Running down the opposition without offering a viable alternative won't work. Giving people faith that things will change for the better will.

3) Money doesn't win elections. When Terry McAuliffe was named chairman of the Democratic National Committee in 2000, one of the things that was always mentioned was his ability to raise funds. This is what Democrats believed was the key to Republican victory, but it wasn't. As we saw with Ross Perot and Steve Forbes, having a lot of money doesn't make you more electable. (It does, however, make you very sexy, especially if you like tall guys with glasses.) The key to Republican victories wasn't the amount of money spent, but how likable the candidate was. George W. Bush is a prime example of this. You don't think he beat Al Gore and John Kerry by being smarter than they were, do you? No. He beat them by being seen as a nice guy that people could sit down and have a beer with, talking about anything. Gore and Kerry? Well, put a beer in their hands and they look like Mormons trying to look cool. It just doesn't work, so don't sell out your futures by focusing solely on the money.

4) The Clintons are not your friends. Right now, the DNC is run by Bill and Hillary Clinton through their surrogates, such as Terry McAuliffe. Anything that gets done has to be approved by the Clintons or presumed to be approved by them. But the trick is that they really don't care about the future of the Democratic Party. Sure, they'll proudly come out to rally for their side, but there's always an ulterior motive: to feed their egos. Their masters are and always have been themselves, and they've managed to get the bulk of the Democrats to the detriment of their party's future. I've said it before and I'll say it again, you guys need to give the Clintons and anyone who worships at their altar the heave-ho and let people who actually care about Democratic Party politics a chance to lead.

5) Reopen the tent. Conservative Republicans like Zell Miller and Joseph Lieberman have gotten a bad rap from the powers that be at the DNC. And it's been going on for quite some time. Any Democrat who didn't follow the leader was pushed away or kept at arm's length, regardless of the reason for their dissent. Miller, in particular, has been lambasted, called everything from a liar to a racist by Democrats and their pals in the media. They even said he was crazy after he gave his speech at the Republican National Convention. But Miller has a point. The Democrats of today are nothing like the Democrats of Miller's time, and the new Democrats will not tolerate what they deem to be insolence. All you're doing is pushing people out of the party, either through retirement or through third party voting. Face it, Ralph Nader isn't the one screwing you guys in two straight elections. You guys are doing it to yourselves by not allowing all voices a chance to be heard and give direction. As it stands now, you rule by fiat, not by consensus, and that will guarantee defeat for years to come.

6) Don't skimp on leadership. The ship of the Democratic Party is without a captain and has been for quite some time. The presumptive leaders, such as recently unemployed Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, have done little to advance their party. I haven't seen leadership this milquetoast since...I'd have to say the Republicans, circa 1996. This leadership void has made it possible for people like Michael Moore and MSNBC political commentator Lawrence O'Donnell to become the face of the party. And that's a bad thing, kids, because they're making you look like a bunch of angry people. Will the new Democrat golden boy, Barack Obama, be a shining light to lead the Democrats out of the darkness? Only time (or failing that, Newsweek) will tell, but it only happen if he is allowed to lead. With an impressive resume as he has, it may behoove you to give him control of the party in some fashion and see what he can do. But while Moore, O'Donnell, and the Hollywood left are out there, they have become the icons of your party, and they will ruin you as quickly as a Pat Buchanan speech at a bar mitzvah.

So, there you have it. Now, it is up to you to decide what to use and what to discard, but let me urge to you choose carefully. The party you save may be your own.

And that's the Bottom Line.

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