Let every man know whether he wishes us will or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe in order to assure the the survival and success of liberty.
John F. Kennedy.
The idea that we are going to win this war is an idea that unfornately is just plain wrong.
Howard Dean.
Victor Hanson has written an excellent essay, Democratic Implosion [Can the Party of the People be saved from itself] in which he discusses the Vietnamization of the Democratic party and the self destructive leadership that currently holds sway over party politics.
When I was growing up men like John F. Kennedy were the party, now Joe Lieberman is shunned and Michael Moore sets in the seat of honor at the Democratic National Convention.
It is like watching an old friend commit suicide.
6 comments:
Maybe suicide in the way alcoholism can be a form of suicide- a slow, downward spiral puctuated by moments of lubricated self aggrandizement and bravado.
I cant help but hearing Kosh' words of wisdom:
"They are alone. They are a dying people. We should let them pass."
http://www.tv.com/babylon-5/midnight-on-the-firing-line/episode/67/trivia.html
david:
To be trthful I think a lot of people saw it. But it is like a lot of things, they pretended not to.
But now it has gotten to the point where we are hearing that Hillary Clinton is not radical enough for them. And that is somthing that can not be ignored.
VDH says: "Howard Dean, John Kerry, and Congressman Murtha represent the Democratic mainstream."
I would strongly disagree with that statement. The mainstream of Democrats are now what is referred to affectionately as "Republicans".
Dean and Kerry represent the 34% plurality of remaining Democrats who make enough noise to assure that no Dem victories will occur in any Red states. Murtha represents some indefinable amount of the remaining 66% of Dems that DeanKerry do not speak for. Lieberman/Clinton speak for another chunk of that 66%.
I don't deny that the party is an absolute shambles, I just don't think that in a fair election among Democrats Dean or Kerry could get elected against a grounded populist. Of course, I can't think of any grounded populists at the moment - maybe Bayh.
There are still many levels to the Dems. But most of them have shifted farther left today than five years ago.
I think there are sensible Dems who are against the Iraq war for valid reasons. Mainly that the war has probably created a lot more terrorists and in many ways angered and emboldened them and that international opinion has gone even farther south than it was.
As I said, these are valid reasons (as opposed to Halliburton and oil and all that crap) but I don't agree that those reasons were sufficient enough to prevent us from doing what we're doing.
The Dems are definitely in disarray and speak with many voices. No single one of them can speak for them all. I think they realized they absolutely had to formulate a plan for Iraq by 2006. And they obviously cannot agree on what it should be.
I think the Republicans are wrong to paint the entire party as losers and quitters when there are many who are not. I think it's more important to portray them as they are: hopelessly unable to figure this thing out in any kind of unified and sensible way and show how that disunity would harm the country if they were to be in power.
Syl:
It has always been my opinion that if the Democrats can survive the Civil War they can survive anything..they just need to come together and do it.
But right now the party we have known for most of our lives is a goner, the question is what will take its place?
This kind of realignment and change takes place from time to time in politics. Republicans should remember that.
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