I don’t know about all of you, but as I look around, waiting anxiously for what November 2006 will hold, I am at once stricken by a dark sense of Deja Vu. If Democrats want to win, I propose we approach things differently, but first we need to examine what we’re doing wrong.
Yes, the playing field has changed, the President retains his mantle in polling below 40. However, has the Democratic game plan really changed? We remain, carrying on the same as we ever have, the same as in 2002 when we lost the Senate. Much has been made of getting away from just policy and talking more in ideas. I think that’s spot on, but barely scratching the surface. Last Friday Democrats unveiled their new plan for America. The title of it was so impactual, that a news junkie like me, can’t even fully recall it a full week after it was announced.
Just a quick note, why in the hell was something revealed on a Friday. I know there has to be some smart people who are working for the Democratic Party, surely by now they understand what a news cycle is, and the relative attention span of people on Friday. Relative to zero, of course. It’s no secret that’s called dump day, when the White House released information that might not be flattering to their cause. I’m sure that plenty of Americans heard the information, while at work on a Friday, racing to get away form the stresses of the week, especially when it wasn’t picked up by most major news carriers the following week.
So, I propose a different tack, and frankly I think many of you are going to balk. I think you’re going to say it’s crazy, it will never work. To that I can only say, you may be right, and more importantly that I’m only a 20 year old poli-sci student, so I don’t think Gov. Dean is reading this in the first place, but maybe he should. If I were to sit down and create a plan, in a simple form for Democrats to follow in 2006, here’s what I would say in three major points:
1. It’s Not All About You
This one I’m directing to our party leaders, like Pelosi, Reid, Schumer, and yes, even Clinton. All to often when they speak about broad issues, in a way that represents the Democratic Party, and thus Democratic candidates, they talk operatively about themselves. “What I have done in Congress, What I have worked on, and What I want to see done”. Sure, we disagree as a party, but on some big issues, we’re all willing to stand together, win the Congress and then have a debate. Going back and forth over what to do is pointless without the ability to enact policy, or even hold a hearing. Instead, talk about what Democrats are going to do for Americans in 2006, use those flashy things you came up with in the new plan, if any of them are. Even better, if you’re not running for re-election, mention people who are running, be magnanimous, highlight the strengths of all members of our party.
2. Be Yourself
This one is for the candidates. In 2000 Al Gore wanted to give a major policy speech on Global Warming. His handlers and advisers told him not to, and when the Vice President went on anyway, they downplayed the event. If there’s an issue you really care about, that’s going to come out and the American people will see it in your eyes, they’ll experience your passion and your dedication, and that will only help you. Consultants and learned hands have a place in a campaign, but ultimately people are going to vote on whether or not they like you, trust you, feel that you can advocate for them. Showing the force you have behind issues is the best way to do that.
3. Disagreement on Iraq is Strength
Now this one, this is the one I’m sure I’m going to get a ton of flak from if this diary is read. At this point, honestly, I don’t care if the Democratic candidate is for immediate withdrawal or not, that is a primary issue, and I’m talking general election. The data paints a picture of public distrust of the President on the war, and most importantly conflict and internal turmoil among Americans on their feelings of the war. The polls bounce up and down, and I would contend in small part one could look to people having internal disagreements and insecurities about the war. Even I myself find myself carefully rehashing everything about it whenever I discuss the issue.
Here is where we can relate to the American people on the war. Not by offering amendments or bills, but by openly discussing the war with them in town meetings and sit downs. Sure, the party has disagreements, and this strategy leaves an element of risk to the equation, but at this point risk might just be what we need! Our disagreement provides a powerful message though, we need to remind people that President Bush, and only President Bush is responsible for the direction and handling of this war. He remains the Commander in Chief, and along with his Republican Congress are to blame for the blunders, tortures, and missteps that arguably have caused more harm to come to our sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, sent to a desert in our name.
If I were a candidate here’s what I would say on a talk show, or to constituents on the issue of Iraq and Democratic division:
“Is there disagreement within my party, of course. I think that its the same disagreement we all feel. We have a war going on, with our sons, daughters, mothers, and fathers, and we watch every day misstep after misstep from this President. We watched him fly in on an aircraft carrier, triumphantly hailing an end to major operations, meanwhile the people we have sent there in our name continue to die every day.”
“This President, along with Vice President Cheney, and Secretary Rumsfeld, have been allowed to continue these miscalculations, and mismanagement for far too long. I believe that the American people want real oversight and real debate from their Congress. Our job as Representatives and Senators is to relay the concerns of the public before the greatest apparatus democracy has offered us. And the Republicans, in their leadership of that great promise of our forefathers have failed. They are content to sit idly by, taking talking points from the White House, while our brave men and women stand in harms way.”
“If elected, I promise, along with my colleagues to work toward oversight of this war in Congress. And that can only happen, if we are given the privilege of the American people to set the agenda in Congress.”
“If Democrats retain power of the Congress, I promise that we will hold real debates on the Iraq war, not foolish non-binding resolutions that are a waste of tax payer money, and more importantly a betrayal of the seriousness of the issue, and the public demand for answers. And the only way this open debate can happen, the only way true oversight can take place, is with a Democratic Congress that will go to work for you.“
I’m sure there’s tweaking to be done, but that came unedited, off the cuff, and straight from my heart. People want leaders who feel the way they do, and who want the same things they want. It’s a gamble for sure, but the way I see it, we’re at the point where we need to push all in, and wait for the flop.
If I could be given ten minutes with Gov. Dean and other Democrats that’s what I would say, presumably to some shots of laughter. But I’m sick and tired of watching “The Party of the People” forget where they come from. I’m sick of watching us neglect our mission, to be a voice for those with no voice, to represent the concerns of real Americans, still searching for the ever vanishing American Dream. I want Democrats we can believe in, Democrats who talk from their heart with the force of the bravest soldier staring down an insurmountable force.
And until we do that, I fear that our party, and more importantly, this Nation, is doomed to remain in a crisis of leadership.