Just Keep Thinking That
Uberliberal activist Steve Rosenthal and William Dailey are having a fight for the alleged soul of the Democratic Party. According to this article, Rosenthal thinks he’s got the solution:
What lifted Democrats last year among their base, independents and those previously disengaged from politics, Rosenthal argued, were Obama’s promises: expanding health care, a new approach to energy, spending more on education and especially a promise to revive the economy that would help those of modest means.
“He gave a worried and anxious America hope and a plan that called for restoring America’s middle class,” wrote Rosenthal. Obama coalition voters still want “change,” according to Rosenthal, who writes that the way to boost Democratic fortunes is to deliver, not to follow the path of moderation that the party so often trod in the ’90s.
“They don’t want their elected officials to go back to the days of legislating ‘small things’ (school uniforms come to mind),” Rosenthal argued. “To win them back, to engage them at all in 2010, Democrats need to pass real health care reform, then move aggressively on a jobs, jobs, jobs (it cannot be said enough) program with strong workers’ rights.”
It’s that type of thinking that’s putting smiles on GOP strategists’ faces. The true believer wing of the Democratic Party, with President Obama as their Radical-In-Chief, will soon march themselves off a cliff.
If there are any adults left in the Democratic Party, they’re gulping, not sipping, Maalox these days. Here’s a Rosenthal opinion that I pray happens:
So, he continued, run on this agenda and “put Obama on the ballot in 2010” for the sort of minority and youth voters that turned out in droves for him last year.
Mr. Rosenthal isn’t paying attention. President Obama turned off young people when he went on his irresponsible spending spree. They now know that they’ll have to pay higher taxes and suffer through higher inflation rates as a result of President Obama’s spending spree.
President Obama also turned off youth voters with his litany of broken campaign promises. They bought into the idea that President Obama would be idealistic, filled with fresh ideas. Instead, they’ve seen a corrupt, Chicago-style machine politician. Now that he’s lost their trust, the youth voters won’t be returning.
This Washington Times article indicates that Democrats know they’re in trouble:
Democratic leaders are girding for a political war over the health care overhaul heading in to this year’s midterm elections, preparing strategies and raising funds to fend off attacks by Republicans eager to capitalize on voter discontent.
Analysts from both parties predict the sweeping impact of the proposed health care changes, which will affect every American, to be the overriding issue, with the strongest and most personal impact in 2010.
Democratic leaders acknowledged this week in last-minute party fundraising appeals that they expect Republicans to come out with both guns blazing in pursuit of major gains in the House and Senate.
“They will spend the next 11 months spinning our health care victory into a weapon and hitting us with it. We might have the momentum now, but we must show the GOP and the pundits that we can sustain it until the 2010 elections,” said Sen. Robert Menendez of New Jersey, chairman of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.
“Now that they lost this battle, they will be focusing their fight, and their millions and millions of dollars, on defeating us,” he said.
Sen. Menendez’s statement about Republicans spinning the Democrats’ “health care victory” is itself spin. The American people HATE the Dmeocrats’ plan. They’re frothing at the mouth angry about the policies and they’re more upset that the Democrats aren’t listening to them on health care.
If there’s one thing that I’ve learned watching politics, it’s that money is largely irrelevant when people are this viscerally upset about an issue.
Mr. Rosenthal will find out quickly that it’s one thing to have voters disagree with this or that policy but that it’s far worse when don’t trust a political party. When the trust is betrayed, elections go very, very badly.
Technorati Tags: Elections, Steve Rosenthal, William Dailey, President Obama, Health Care, Advertising, Robert Menendez, DSCC, Economy
Cross-posted at LetFreedomRingBlog
January 1st, 2010 at 9:10 am
Why is anyone buying into the “They’ll have millions to spend!” meme? Of course they will, but based on the last several elections, it’s the jackasses that outspend the elephants by a wide, WIDE margin.
What the Republicans will have to do differently this time is make every dollar count and, when the fight is over, act like they really meant what they said in the run-up to the election. What a difference THAT would make.
And for crying out loud, we don’t want anyone who will settle for “modifying” the separate piles of doggy-do that are being crammed down our throats this year, we want to SEE what’s going on, and to get rid of the socialist programs altogether. In other words, we want the elephant candidates to read the planks, sign on and then live them.
And please, no more Stanfords, Cunninghams or Specters. If we can put those kinds of politicians out, maybe we’ll really have a chance at the “most transparent and honest congress evuh!”