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The Sad State of the Democratic Party Gets Sadder
Joshua Marshall's pragmatic, well-reasoned analysis of the campaign generally serves to bring me back to polticial center, and to a certain sense of calm.
Today -- Oy!
If Hillary Clinton has no way of winning the election unless she basically destroys her fellow Democrat, then we are in trouble.
The alarmist in me wants to say, "Will the the Democrats ever hold power again?"
Others have written this, but it bears repeating: the Democrats seem to be transforming what should have been a landslide victory into a monumental loss, possibly in terms of votes and Congressional seats, certainly in terms of an enthusiastic, active party base.
I've been generally angry at the Clinton campaign, but I have to wonder about the Democratic leadership. Dean is right on the mark with his fifty-state approach. However, somebody needs to take this issue in hand soon, before half the party is alienated, and he doesn't seem willing to do so. (To be fair, I don't know if he can.)
Where is Al Gore?
As a New Yorker, I can't help but find party stalwarts like Schumer partially accountable. Schumer has not taken much of a stand against any of Bush's measures, and, of course, he supported Muckasey for the Justice Department. He's a decent guy, and I've voted for him, but his lack of leadership recently makes him a virtual gift to the Republican Party.
As has been reported by TPM, he and a few other party stalwarts have been quick to lend their support to a possibly illegal 457 campaign against a fellow Democrat. (They've never initiated such a scheme against this administration.)
I have to admit, even Marshall's reasoned approach cannot stop me from wanting to scream at the inanity of it all. If this were all just political games, then I would scream that the Party has proven its stupidity. However, given the current Consitutional and economic crisis we face, I find myself wanting to use much stronger words than stupid.
Comments (2)
I wrote a letter to the DNC that I posted on my blog and reposted at Booman Tribune this morning. It is a shame that our Democratic leadership couldn't be just that:
I would like to register my disappointment in the ugly turn the Democratic party has taken these past few weeks. I admit freely to being an Obama supporter, though Dodd was my first choice.
The only reason I turned to Obama after Iowa was because of the race-baiting tactics from the Clinton’s campaign between July 2007 and Jan. 4, 2008.
That entire time, the party leaders were silent. They stood by why a fellow Senator and Democrat used right-wing talking points, to denigrate a candidate. As a black female, as a Muslim woman, Sen. Clinton’s antics were something I expect from someone like George Allen or Trent Lott.
I had hoped that after news reports mentioned that Bill Clinton has been “talked to” about his Southern Strategy, that we had seen the last of the race-baiting from the Clinton’s. I was wrong.
Geraldine Ferraro’s comments from last month and these past few days were not only out of bounds as Democrats, but also as a functioning member of society. It pains me that the party I was raised in accepts these sorts of remarks.
I’ve sat here for the past 3 days, wondering when a party leader would step in an speak up on behalf of the most loyal bloc of the Democratic party. There was nothing. I sat here the last day searching elected officials websites and local papers throughout this country, looking for something from some elected official denouncing Ferraro’s remarks, chastising the Clinton’s for not taking a harder stance on her outdated and factually incorrect statements. The silence is deafening.
I receive a lot of requests for money from you guys. When I had money, I gave freely. I volunteer my time and energy to get Democrats elected. I make phone calls, I blog, I email. This is all going to stop as of today. Because today, I am not proud to call myself a Democrat. Today, I am ashamed, as a black person in the United States, to associate with a party where racist statements are simply “disagreed” with.
From my view, this election which should have been a cakewalk for the Democrats has turned into a question mark simply because the party leadership couldn't or wouldn't step in and call out of bounds.
March 13, 2008 5:20 PM | Reply | Permalink
If Hillary Clinton has no way of winning the election...
That's incorrect.
March 13, 2008 5:22 PM | Reply | Permalink
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