Jim Webb: Why Reagan Dems Still Matter

"I've been warning them," Webb says, sighing, resting his chin on his hand. "I've been having discussions with our leadership ever since I've been up here. I decided to run as a Democrat because I happen to strongly believe in Jacksonian democracy. There needs to be one party that very clearly represents the interests of working people ... I'm very concerned about the transactional nature of the Democratic Party. Its evolved too strongly into interest groups rather than representing working people, including small business people."

This is a decades-old rebuke, one uttered today by moderate Democrats like Webb. The balkanized coalition never came to recognize the vice of its virtues. Diverse interests sometimes severed it from the majority's interests. That fissure moved political tectonics by the 1980s. And we came to know these migrating voters by the president who won their favor.

Webb is a Reagan Democrat who returned home. He was Ronald Reagan's Navy secretary. Almost two decades later, he was the Democrat who scrapped out a win in Virginia.

Webb seems less at home today. He identifies himself as a Democrat. But he has few Democratic leaders to identify with. He won't say this. His criticism is discernibly girdled. He begins to tell a story about a conversation with a Democratic leader and pulls back. "I don't want to talk about that," he mutters. "I have had my discussions. I've kept them inside the house. I did not want to have them affect this election, quite frankly. I didn't want to position myself in the media as a critic of the administration."

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2010/11/08/jim_webb_why_reagan_dems_still_matter_107875.html

The entire article is worth a read. After reading this, I think Webb will be a presidential candidate in 2016. He'd be tough to beat even though I don't think I'd support him.

...I don't think it's lost on anyone that he feels he has to run as a conservadem to win in VA.

Pretty lukewarm about him. And not surprised he wants the party to move even further right.

The man couldn't put that fucking thing down...

Yeah...not too hip on Mr. "Born Fighting" either...

The Republican crazies want everyone to buy into their simplistic dichotomy of right vs left. I don't. What going center means is really communicating a compassion and an advocacy for ordinary working families. This is essentially a marketing job... and frankly Democrats suck at it. We're so busy trying to govern responsibly with the cooperation of plutocrats and nitwit demagogues from GOP fantasy land (who don't even want to cooperate) that we're doing the basic marketing of telling voters just how the things we do actually benefit them.

Healthcare is a prime example. Item by item, people like everything that the healthcare reform did (in fact, they wanted more of the same), but Republicans successfully branded it as big government overreach. Now, they're certain to neuter off what they can from it. Once it gets into the details, the Dems will probably save most of it... but we're only good at the details. We suck at themes. Jim Webb's point seems to be pointing in the direction of saying we need to connect to those themes.

I wouldn't mind him as president. I don't think he'd govern much different than Obama or Clinton has. But the man won in red territory and helped to make it purple. You have to respect that.

He's so vague. I mean is he saying he supports policies that will help working people like strong support for Unions, a second stimulus, etc.? It seems like it, but then he pulls out the ridiculous "small business" slice of BS that makes it seem more like faux populism of the Repubs.

When he says its evolved too strongly into interest groups does he mean like different corporations that dems are beholden to? Or is he talking about stuff like civil rights and gay rights and abortion rights and all that.

Not sure whether this deserves "Right on!" or an "Eff you, Blue Dog".

He is another Hawk at a time we need more Doves...

This is all about marketing. When you think about what the Dems support, I gotta wonder just what "special interests" can he be talking about? Insurance consumers? Home buyers? Working families? The unemployed? It's extremely vague on purpose. He's searching for a "please re-elect me" theme. You would, too, in his shoes.

Governor McDonnell and the crazies that Virginia elected last year and this year.

He has to run again, and that means become a Blue Dog Reagan Democrat. It's disgusting, but that's how it is in Virginia. The state moved 100 feet forward, only to take 500 steps back only after 2 years.

I will never forget how hard we worked in 2006 and 2008 only to regress. Really sad.

The Dems don't need to move to the center! The problem is that they're already in the center! They've compromised entirely too much with the Repukes! That's the problem.

I don't think Webb knows what he's talking about. He's running for reelection and is incoherent as a result.

(I am from Bluefield, WV). He seems to think, however, that the white working class is the demographic to cater too and that other demographics are "interest groups." That is a problem.

an issue with the Democratic party. I don't see an anti-white platform. I don't see anti-white discrimination (unlike Webb). I don't see anti-white laws. I do see a black President. I do see a concern for lower-class and unemployed and sick and disadvantaged people. Apparently this bothers whites.

....while that's not exclusive to white people, since there are so many more white people it bears more political weight.

It's so ironic that we consider ourselves such a Christian nation when we are filled with a majority of self-interested "I got mine so fuck the rest" sons of bitches.

in equivalent or lower socioeconomic classes, and/or other races, getting something they don't "deserve", instead of getting angry at those ABOVE them who make all the rules and collect the wealth. Webb is just feeding into this, IMO, when he should be turning his guns on Republicans and big business. He's concerned about "working people" losing out to "special interests" within the Democratic party--what special interests is he talking about here?

seen its success by characterizing every policy position that Democrats espouse into "welfare policies." They have racialized non-racial public policies, such as unemployment insurance and health care reform, for instance. We've seen it in Kentucky and West Virginia during the Democratic primaries where white people openly admitted that they wouldn't vote for Obama because he's black and because somehow his policies would "reward people who don't deserve it," translation: black and brown people.

The Southern Strategy has worked now for nearly 40 years. I thought Webb would be smart enough to see what's going on.

The reason why there's "Reagan Democrats" is precisely because Reagan played the race card so effectively that white Democrats--particularly white male Democrats--began to vote against their own best interest because they were frightened and/or hated black people who are "shiftless and lazy" and just want a handout.

Watch Rachel Maddow. She has done such a brilliant job rehashing the history of Republicans playing the race card and employing the Southern Strategy. The Republicans want the final vestiges of the Southern Democrats or "Dixiecrats." If the Republicans can grab any remaining Southern Democrats by appealing to their racism and fear, they would have succeeded.

That's what this is about. I think Webb is a racist. Period.

The health care plan, the tax breaks for the middle class all seem to be things that are in the interest of the "working people" he claims to be so concerned about.

I could agree that the President has been sort of tepid in his support for his programs, but that doesn't seem to be what Webb is saying.

It appears to me that he wants the party to oppose minorities, immigrants, gays, women and all the diverse elements in favor of an appeal targeted to white working class males. In other words he wants the Democratic party to adopt the Republican southern strategy.

He may well be a presidential candidate in 2016. For the Republicans. I think he's in the wrong party.

Frankly, I wish more Democratic politicians would say this kind of thing -- that they want to be the party of the working class. I can't figure out why anyone would disagree with that.

sw

So...not sure what Webb is trying to say.

standards, e.g., the U.S. Chamber of Commerce? Wall Street? The energy and oil lobbies? The so-called Tea Party?

What interest groups is Webb referring to?

but it seems he runs to the right among dems.

His call to end affirmative action didn't seemed more Libertarian than a Democratic plank?

He was a Democrat, turned Republican, turned Democrat, turned Republican, turned Democrat...

While people are concerned about LIEberman joining with Republicans, or the effort by the Republicans to woo Manchin, or Ben or Bill Nelson switching parties, I'd be much, much more concerned about this guy. He can't seem to figure out which party he belongs to.

"There needs to be one party that very clearly represents the interests of working people ..."
does Webb's record back it up?

:sarcasm: