"The Right Angle"

Heidi Parent

Honk If You Hate Bush

How the Democrats' strategy will backfire

by Heidi Parent
01/01/04

In an effort to rally the troops and exercise their frustration, some Democrat supporters are enjoying a new pastime: organizing, attending, and just generally reveling in the atmosphere of Hate Bush rallies.

One of the more notorious Hate Bush rallies was recently held in Hollywood and predictably attended by many Tinsel Town elite and other sufficiently liberal beautiful people. The event was officially called "Meeting to Change the Leadership in America in 2004." But an email sent by one of the attendees revealed a bit more about the actual agenda. In an email titled "Hate Bush 12/2 Event", the sender implored invitees to make room in their schedule, "This is the most important meeting you can attend to prevent the advancement of the current extremist right wing agenda. Do not miss this meeting. This will be a high-level briefing to discuss the strategies."

Sounds serious. Better bring your Democrat decoder rings!

But holding the rally - even one with such a vitriolic title - isn't the issue. After all, the left's disagreement with the President on a variety of issues is well documented. Add to that the fact that they continue to cling tightly to a number of delusions that feed their hatred: he stole the election, he's an illegitimate President, he took illegal military action in Iraq, he has ties to special interests and/or big business, his environmental policies will destroy the earth, his tax cuts will ruin the economy, the list goes on. So this meeting, and others like it, shouldn't come as a surprise. Moreover, events like this are surely to end up backfiring and helping Republicans and here's why.

While rallies entitled "Hate Bush" appeal to the hard core Democrat base, and in turn result in contributions from other frustrated liberals, they have just the opposite effect on middle America for one very simple reason - middle America does not hate Bush. In fact, they quite like him.

It is said that 30% of voters are solidly, faithfully left, 30% are solidly, faithfully right and the remaining 40% are somewhere in the middle; that coveted swing voter that turns every election. And failing to recognize this fact, or worse - choosing to ignore it, is what's wrong with the Hate Bush strategy.

While these Bush haters may derive great pleasure from holding their rallies, purging themselves of their pent up frustration as it were, at what cost are they being held? The vote of their 30% is already locked up. They certainly aren't going to sway the right's 30% by bashing Bush. So that leaves the remaining 40%.

And that is the rub. While more temperate Democrats recognize how important, heck how downright crucial, it is to bring as many of this 40% as possible over to their camp, I don't believe that is the intent of the rabid Bush Haters. They aren't trying to win over this 40% with their rallies; they are just exercising their hatred. They just can't help themselves. To them, Bush is the antichrist. He stands for everything they oppose: tax cuts, a strong America, spreading freedom and democracy across the globe. In short, they abhor everything Bush represents and cannot bare the thought of another four years. To that end, they will shout their hatred from the highest mountain top every chance they get.

But in the end, their lack of control will cost their party the election. And if they don't regain control soon, perhaps much more. The Democrat Party is already unraveling before our very eyes. Events like this one, and the discourse that goes with it, can only speed up the process and further split an already quite fractured Democrat Party.

All of which means Democrats will end up shooting themselves in the foot with their hate filled rhetoric. And when you think about it, it's really kind of ironic. In 2004 Republicans will rack up another election victory thanks not only to their own 30%, but also to the Left's rabid, hate-filled 30%. Ain't politics grand?