Thursday, July 29, 2004

As the Left Unravels II

David Frum has some thoughts in the Daily Telegraph on what passes for strategy in the modern Democratic party.  He thinks they may be a touch off-track:

Mr Kerry was a pragmatic choice for Democrats. They chose him because they assumed that the 2004 election would turn on national security issues - and because they are counting on his record of bravery in Vietnam 35 years ago to bullet-proof him against Republican charges of weakness on defence today.

The belief that a good military record can compensate for weak policies is an old Democratic delusion. It explains why they nominated General George McClellan (the Union’s first commander-in-chief) in 1864 and Winfield Scott Hancock (the hero of Gettysburg) in 1880; why the Vietnam protesters rallied to George McGovern (who flew bomber missions during the Second World War) in 1972 and why so many of them thought that John Glenn (a Korean war ace and the first American in space orbit) could beat Ronald Reagan in 1984. They were wrong all four times.

I might add it did Bob Dole no good in 1996, and George H. W. Bush no good in 1992 (although it probably helped him in 1988). The real problem is who is doing the thinking:

the Democrats’ unexpected defeat in the 2002 congressional elections maddened members and leadership alike. Since then, Democratic opinion has not been led by the party’s generally level-headed elected leaders, but by outside groups such as MoveOn.org.

Those groups have incited rage and paranoia in party ranks. (Last week, Democrats were frothing about an imaginary plot by Mr Bush to postpone or cancel the presidential election - this based on a remark by a federal emergency management official that his bureaucracy was preparing contingency plans in case al-Qa’eda attempted to disrupt the vote.) And the Democratic leadership has indulged and even encouraged this incitement.

The true voice of this year’s Democratic Party is not the jolly chuckle of Bill Clinton, but the strident ranting of Mr Gore.

And that rant will become totally unhinged should Bush win in November.  Indeed, should it be a squeaker like last time, I expect we’ll seee lawsuits on behalf of Kerry in any state deemed close enough for an endless recount.  Real damage could be done to the social compact of the Republic under those circumstances, but I don’t hear a single person on the left voicing such concerns.  Maybe because their only concern is defeating Bush by fair means - or foul.

Posted by Matt on 07/29 at 09:16 AM
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