If Democrats were ever of a mind to say, “I told you so,” now would be the time.
• Hurricane Katrina, which offered Bush a way out of the nightmare Cindy Sheehan had made of his extended vacation – as well as an opportunity to look presidential again – instead exposed cronyism and ineptitude.
• Bush’s must-do social security reform campaign laid there like road kill, with Democrats holding their noses and politely steering around it.
• The Harriet Miers nomination shows Bush to be clueless but committed – just like in Iraq – no matter bad a choice he’s made.
But Democrats are doing what any party without power does, pointing out problems while no one pays attention. After hearing Howard Dean on ABC’s This Week talk about the Democratic platform for 2006, I only feel gloomier.
Dean named several things Americans care about: schools, jobs, health care. He left out a clean and diverse environment as well as reestablishing America in the eyes of the world as a good country full of good people.
Dr. Gov. Dean has spent too much time in rooms full of fellow Democrats, debating the best way to appeal to the most voters. He’s distilled the issues into inoffensive bromides all can agree on. But what that means is that no one cares very much about a single one of them.
Here’s what Dean and my other party leaders don’t seem to get: Kitchen table issues like “more jobs” don’t bring out voters. They don’t rally people, they don’t fire up the electorate. Republicans know this. The best way to turn out a bunch of GOP voters in Florida is to put a constitutional amendment barring gay marriage on the ballot, even though this state already forbids gay marriage through statute. Repugs know if they convince their folks that unless they turn out to vote on Tuesday, legions of gay couples will appear on Wednesday, people will vote. And while they’re there, they’ll vote the rest of the GOP candidates and initiatives as well.
Instead of running from things that actually matter, like separation of church and state or protecting a woman’s right to privacy within her own body, Dean is focused on… nothing much. And even on issues he’s identified, like health care, there are no distinct Democratic solutions. Dean isn’t standing up and saying something radical like, “We have to quit tying health care to employment.” Instead, the Democrats just want to “help” (read: have the government give tax breaks to) businesses so they can continue to provide health insurance to employees.
Al Gore has never followed the Dean strategy, which might be why he a) got more popular votes than Bush in 2000 and b) electrifies our party every time he makes a speech. Man, I hope he runs in 2008.
Meanwhile, if the CIA leak investigation produces indictments, and Tom DeLay ever gets convicted of anything, Democrats have a real opportunity to say not only, “We told you so,” but, “Give us back our country and move over because we’re taking it where it needs to go.” Dean’s milquetoast truisms aimed for mass appeal will only produce more Republican victories.
What Democrat need to do is say, we need to turn back the IRS and the tax code. That is what people want to hear. This society speaks from the wallet. You want people to listen talk about money. Jobs, healthcare, economy and environment people do not have time to listen.
Democrat should use this slogan.
“Reduce the government, increase border security and revise the tax code”.
And then go about fixing problems that have been created from the previous administration.
What the Democrats need to say is:
* Let’s get rid of supply-side economics that reward the rich and hurt the poor.
* Let’s increase tax cuts for the middle & poor classes, to increase aggregate demand and help the economy. The raise in demand will raise the aggregate supply & employ more people, increasing productivity and as a by-product – people’s quality of life.
* Let’s start being effective at collecting Corporate taxes, and stop rewarding them for tax evasion by leaving the country.
* And let us fight for privacy, universal healthcare to help business and individuals alike, women’s right to choose, and separation of church and state.