Blurred messages from Democrats

"It also sounds like a way to institutionalize John Kerry's losing campaign strategy: When it comes to controversial issues,duck."

http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2005/01/13/blurred_messages_from_democrats/

JOAN VENNOCHI
Blurred messages from Democrats
By Joan Vennochi, Globe Columnist | January 13, 2005

HERE'S THE new Democratic Party slogan: We stand for nothing but victory.

Or, as Representative Rahm Emanuel of Illinois, the new chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, told The New York Times: "Some people argue about old Democrats and new Democrats. I'm a Vince Lombardi Democrat. Winning is everything."

Inspirational, isn't it? That should lure those Red State voters to the Democrats' side.

Emanuel, a former senior adviser in the Clinton administration, was chosen to direct the Democrats' effort to recapture the House in the 2006 midterm elections by the House minority leader, Representative Nancy Pelosi of California,

Pelosi is also encouraging former Representatative Tim Roemer of Indiana to seek to replace Democratic National Committee Chairman Terry McAuliffe. Roemer, who is Catholic and antiabortion, has a 94 percent rating from the national Right to Life Committee. Pelosi has a 100 percent prochoice voting record, as rated by NARAL, a national organization devoted to a woman's right to choose abortion.

Donna Brazile, chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee's Voting Rights Institute, describes Pelosi's support for Roemer as a way to illustrate the party's new "big tent" commitment. Said Brazile, via e-mail: "As a party, we have a large tent, but our basic values will remain. The Democratic Party's problem is not what we stand for, as much as how we communicate our values. Roemer's personal views will not alter the Democratic platform on choice."

Put aside the practical matter of how the party plans to communicate values through a prochoice platform and a prolife party chairman. This is a way to win?<snip>

And as long as you keep on endorsing it as such, you're going to LOSE. Are these people really the best we can do?

...With only a few votes given to (I)'s and (G)'s. But I no longer have any idea what Democrats actually stand for anymore.

I THOUGHT I knew, but have recently had it impressed upon me that those values I thought the Democrats held dear are now 'hopelessly left wing' or some other near-red-baiting description.

So I don't honestly know anymore. I know what my Senator, Russ Feingold, stands for, but he's so often voting by himself that I tend to think he's about the only Democratic Senator who holds those values.

Other than Russ, and Tammy Baldwin, my Congressperson, I do not see many Democrats who still share 'my Democratic values'.

I've had roughly the same political beliefs for the last 20 years, with only minor modifications. It's not ME who left the party behind -- my party left me behind.

So I'm shopping for a new one at the moment. I have two years before the Congressional elections to decide, but since I'm pretty sure that I'm voting for Tammy Baldwin again, I have about 4 years to decide. We'll see.

which is more of the triangulating rush to the center rather than a bold commitment to principles will be the ones promoted by a centrist chair. And then, the failing cycle continues, centrist domination of policy as false consensus up, preached centrist policy down.

I've been voting >20 years, and losing elections doesn't bother me as much (OK, yes it does), but that comes with the system. It's losing elections because we can't EFFECTIVELY communicate our clearly superior plans and can't get charismatic candidates that cross the party lines to appeal to the center.

Kerry was my man, but the flip-flopper term was deserved...not because he was necessarily a flip-flopper (he was) but mostly because he couldn't effectively counter the accusation IN A TIMELY MANNER! (i.e Swifties, 87 billion, etc.) Oh, he countered, but much, much too late, the spin damage had already been done.

I love Fiengold and hope he has plans for a Pres run in '08. What we as a party need to do is take of the gentle (play to the center) gloves and punch the bullies in the nose, early and often. This is their game, we need to play it first to win elections, then change it...not try to change it to win elections.