Monday, December 21, 2009

The Day The Democratic Party Died

Hear that silence? That’s the sound of the last missed-opportunity the Democratic “moderates” are going to get to fix their rotten party. For years now, the leftists in the media have been obsessed with the Republican fringe. They do article after article about how the Republican party is dominated by its fringes and how that makes it unpalatable to the American public. Yet, they ignore the Democrats, the real party dominated by its fringes. The current health care debate is giving “moderate” Democrats one last chance to retake their party. Sadly, they aren’t up to the task.

You may recall my open letter to the Democrats from a week or so ago. In it, I pointed out that they had become a rotten party. They are a party of spite, of anger, of tribalism. They seek to destroy rather than help. They demonize and they hate. That is their activist base; that is their leadership.

But the moderates have always claimed that they are not the same as their leaders. They call themselves “moderates” or “blue dogs” and they make a lot of noise about being something other than what their party has become. But it’s all an illusion. . . or a delusion. No matter what they want to think of themselves, these same “moderates” support leaders who push a hate-filled, destructive agenda on an unwilling population, and they will vote for any hard-left proposal for which they are told to vote. They are at best “useful idiots” or “fellow travelers,” at worst co-conspirators.

So why talk about this now? Because the current environment gives these moderates possibly the last chance they will ever have to rescue their party and bring it back from the brink.

The American public is furious. They oppose every single thing the Democrats are trying to do in overwhelming numbers. In survey after survey, close to 60% of the population opposes (often strongly or angrily) what the Democrats are doing. The public is intent on throwing them out, possibly for a generation.

This is the exact environment these self-described moderates need to reshape the Democratic Party. They need to redefine their principles and then take a stand on those principles. They need to announce to the world, their intent to change their party and their determination to work with the Republicans to frustrate the fringe agenda being foisted upon us.

They need to say something like this:

“We can no longer support the direction the party is taking. It is time that we stop treating the public as an enemy and start listening to the American people. We must put behind us the era of identity politics and race baiting, the era of class warfare, the destructive politics of spite and envy. There can be no room in our party for such beliefs or for those who would be believe them. Liberalism is about helping those who need it, not hurting those we think have too much.”

“We will no longer support irresponsible uncontrolled spending, or spending on pet projects and special interests. We are here to represent the American people, not just some of them. We cannot support a health care bill that does nothing to cut costs or improve the quality of care, that is financed on the backs of retired people, or that relies on fraudulent accounting. We can no longer support midnight votes on secret bills. We must rethink the way our government works.”

“It is time to chart an old course for the Democratic Party, to make it again into the party that Jefferson built, that Roosevelt built, that JFK built. We must stop being a party that listens to Karl Marx and acts like it’s run by Groucho Marx.”
Then they need to follow this up by denying leadership votes to Pelosi et al. They should work with the Republicans to form, basically, a coalition government -- one that tracks mainly center with some liberalism mixed in.

But they won’t because they are afraid of their fringe. Though nothing could be further from the truth, they’ve bought into the idea that they can’t win re-election unless they pander to their fringe. So they cower and they collaborate.

I say “bought into” because the idea that fringes have power is false. The only power the left-fringe has is in refusing to support a candidate. They could run a primary challenge, but that rarely works. . . especially against a popular politician. And in most states and the overwhelming majority of districts, the leftist fringe is too small to matter.

Take Nelson, for example. Nebraska is a largely non-partisan, relatively conservative state. Nelson is(was) a popular politician -- he was known primarily as a governor who cut taxes. So does anyone really believe that he could be unseated in a primary challenge by some wild-eyed, socialist mouth-breather? Not likely. And do you really think he will be better off having voted for this health care seizure and betraying the people of Nebraska than he would have been had he stood up to this loony plan?

If I were to run against Nelson, I would start now (hint hint) and I would put out ads explaining what Nelson has done in the Nelson/Pelosi Health Care Seizure Act. And when 2012 ran around, there would be thousands of signs all over Nebraska asking:
• “Has Pelosi/Nelson improved your health care?”
• “Did you get coverage?”
• “Is your health insurance cheaper?”
• “Did Ben Nelson forget to mention the fines?”
• “Did you get what you’re paying for?”
But the moderates aren’t serious. Rather than band together and rise up, they remain silent. . . or whisper “can I get something to bribe my constituents?” Or they lie. In fact, it’s become a virtual truth holocaust whenever they discuss their agenda. One of my Colorado Senators (they may be the same guy as far as I can tell) has an ad running right now that is nearly 100% false -- the only part that appears to be true is the bastard’s acknowledgement that he’s a United States Senator.

And Nelson? In a most telling moment, “conservative” Democrat Nelson said this regarding the angry response of the people of his state:
“This is all orchestrated. It’s so thinly disguised. . . it’s almost laughable.”
Laughable? The anger of the American people is laughable?

It’s time to face reality. The Democratic Party is dead. And in its place now stands a hard-core, hate-filled socialist, apartheid party. There are no moderates in that party, and those that claim to be moderate are lying.

For those of you who still cling to the idea of a Democratic Party but aren’t ardent socialists or outraged members of some interest group, it’s time to move on.

So why does this matter to me? Shouldn’t I be happy that these daffy fools are about to commit political suicide? Well, yes. But politics works best when you have two vibrant parties competing for ideas. Right now we don’t have that. In place of the second party, we have this collection of lunatics and hate-mongers calling themselves Democrats.

Jefferson is spinning in his grave.

19 comments:

LawHawkSF said...

Andrew: Great analysis. I guess I just have to repeat the Democrat mantra turned back on them: "They just don't get it." The most "moderate" of Democrats is simply a Euroweenie social democrat (socialist) in disguise.

As to the list of questions to ask voters in Nebraska, there is one that might get a lot of "yes" answers: "Did you get coverage?" By raising the income level required to qualify for Medicaid, then taking the bribe from Reid that carves out an eternal guarantee of generous "free" Medicaid to Nebraska, Nelson got some insurance for those who wouldn't have qualified before. Of course it's lousy government medical care, but isn't that what we're all going to get eventually?

AndrewPrice said...

Lawhawk, That question is aimed square at middle class and lower middle people who fell for the idea that once this thing passes, the government is going to hand them a health card and they will never have to worry about it again.

According to polls, nearly 2/3 of the bill's supporters think that's the case. They will be quite disappointed when they find out that they get fined instead.

LawHawkSF said...

Andrew: Perfect description of what they'll be facing. Like everything else that's "free" from the government, this one will cost them more than they ever could have imagined, and in ways they never conceived of. And just about the time the realization hits, it will be election time for Obama and Nelson.

StanH said...

PJ O’Rourke, to paraphrase: “You think medical care is expensive now, wait till it’s free.” Don’t pay attention to the leftist caterwauling about this bill (Howard Dean). This is classic “good cop – bad cop,” while they have their grimy hands on your wallet, …Machiavelli, would be pleased. Being a Democrat is a cult, and they’ve taken a suicide pact, if not now when, their ‘60s radical mentors are getting old, hurry, hurry, …the lemmings are heading off the cliff!

Writer X said...

Andrew, I agree with you that the Democratic Party that we knew is over. And I don't think the Dems are going to acknowledge reality until the 2010 political massacre. Until then, they'll behave like sheep while bankrupting the country and ignoring the majority of their constituents in the process.

AndrewPrice said...

Stan, Great point on the O'Rourke quote.

As you know, I agree with you about the Democratic Party as a group, but it strikes me that if there are moderates, then they need to act now or give up and come join the other side.

AndrewPrice said...

Writer X, I think you're right that they won't act until 2010. But by then it will be too late. Not only will all the "moderates" be washed away in a tide of anger, but they'll be fighting uphill against the "The Republicans sabotaged us" motiff that the Dem's are already trotting out.

If they truly want to save their party -- and I think it would be good for America if they did -- they need to act now.

AndrewPrice said...

Lawhawk, We've talked a lot about the hidden costs of this plan, but people don't want to listen. I'd like to see the Republicans play those up -- because that's the PR weak spot.

DCAlleyKat said...

"We must stop being a party that listens to Karl Marx and acts like it’s run by Groucho Marx.”

Brilliant, absolutely brilliant statement there! btw...I ran into an old Democrat friend of mine today and guess what? She's furious! I don't mean angry, or even real angry...oh no, she is furious. Rip roarin, snortin raging inferno furious! She's going conservative, going independent, and cannot wait for the next two election cycles...oh, she also profusely apologized to which I responded, "One of the best gifts Barack Hussein Obama has given the American people is his unbridled fascism which has greatly moved this country to the right, and it appears to be the gift that just keeps on giving!"

AndrewPrice said...

DCAlleyKat, That's great to hear! All the polls tell us that the right and middle are angry and energized and the left is demoralized. If the left becomes actively enraged at their own people, then it's going to be very, very ugly for the Dems in the next two election cycles.

Joel Farnham said...

Andrew,

We have less than one year to ram home to all voters how the Democrat party has foisted the country into slavery to the state.

We don't have that much time. What we do have is a base which is motivated and angry.

AndrewPrice said...

Joel, I think people know, though that doesn't mean we shouldn't keep pressing as hard as we can!

I think the Dems not only overreached, but they did so obviously and so openly and with such contempt for the people that the public is shocked and enraged.

It's going to be an interesting 2010!

Tennessee Jed said...

Pelosi/Obama/Baucus care is not law yet. Krauthammer was saying last week, it is hard to even discuss the bill since nobody knows yet what the final bill would look like.

I truly hope legislation is not passed because it becomes much more difficult to role back after it becomes law.

Everything said here does look positive for future elections. While I understand and respect the notion that two reasonable parties make government function at it's best, for me it would be a wonderful vision to see liberalism/ socialism/collectivism swept from power and we all hope it comes to pass.

Still, I am a born skeptic and so many variables can change between now and 2010 and 2012. We do have a government with the ability to cook the books and make some sort of "economic recovery" on paper. Still, if the jobless rate stays high, we are able to fend off citizenship for illegal aliens, and nothing weird happens on the world stage, I like to think we can at least get rid of the super majority problem.

And despite agreeing with you over two viable responsible parties,It would be interesting to see what would happen if true small government, fiscal conservatives controlled all the branches for a change.

AndrewPrice said...

Jed, I agree with you about having a truly small government party controlling each branch of government.

The main reason I'd like to see the moderates retake the Democratic party is that right now whenever the Democrats get power (which will happen occasionally) we need to fear for our country.

patti said...

contrary to what have openly said about me, i too think having two viable parties is best. ying yang, baby. to rely on one frame of mind is stagnating and can be very detrimental to the growth of a people. it's like parenting when both are polar opposites (something i know plenty about). there has to be give and take in order to reach an agreed way to raise the child. bickering and belittling and accusing the other of undermining all action only serves to embitter the child. solid compromise, for the sake of a well-rounded kiddo, a productive child, purely in the interest of the child and not the selfish needs of the parents, is absolutely essential.

washington needs a course in the art of good parenting. i volunteer to lead the course and i'm bringing my naughty mat.

CrispyRice said...

Great article, Andrew, and great commentary everyone.

I have 2 concerns.

#1 - The 2010 election may not be such as "massacre" as we are hoping, simply because the numbers of who is up for election. There are about as many Dems as Republicans up, and an awful lot of the Dems are in "dark blue" areas. Is Oregon really ever going to vote for an R?? We may not make much headway.

#2 - I'm not sure how "vibrant" the Republicans are. Sure, we're angry, but you hear lots of rumblings about "third party" and "throw them all out." Well, if the members are just as down on their own party (and if no decent Republicans step up and LEAD!) then we're not going anywhere, either. It's easy to scream and shout (and I'm enjoying it, LOL) but we need leadership to take go anywhere.

BevfromNYC said...

Reading comments on Huffpo has been interesting. I am amazed at how many people are blaming the Republicans for slowing the process down. It's kind of like Dorothy in Oz - all the Democrats had to do was click their heels and vote as a unit. There is nothing the Republicans could really do.

AndrewPrice said...

Bev, That's the usual first step in the self-delusion process. . . look for an enemy.

In a related note, The Economist incredibly blamed the Republicans for Obama's failure in Honduras because they held up one of his appointments! Boo hoo. So Obama, Hillary and the careerist acting in place of the appointee couldn't do anything until the Republicans voted on the appointment?

If Obama is that fragile, then he needs to step down.

AndrewPrice said...

Patti, I agree. Without a vibrant opposition party, governments stagnate and become corrupt.

CrispyRice, I'm hearing more and more conservatives finally telling people to stop whining about the third-party route. I think that's good. As for leadership, it's coming. . . more and more candidates are starting to emerge and our choices will get much better.

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