Democratic Party Still Missing the Point
By Alan Stewart Carl | Related entries in ElectionsAn editorial in the Christian Science Monitor puts the problem with the Democrats in clear and concise words. The party has yet to earn our trust.
America is not a country of intellectual voters. We do not calculate our ballots on the basis of financial or class interests. Sure, advocacy groups back candidates by virtue of their sympathy with cherished causes. But more often, voters base their decisions on sentiments that are more amorphous. Traits such as toughness and likability are key factors, subject to the standards that media establish.
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Democrats should know more about checkout lines at Wal-Mart, and less about windsurfing. They should also show an ability to speak different “languages” depending on their audience. If they cannot speak evocatively to union members in Seattle one day and an African-American congregation in Georgia the next, they can’t win.
It’s not enough for Democrats to repeat: “We have had enough.” They have to tell people what they’d get if elected. And they have to create trust in their ability to make Americans more secure.
Some Democrats have figured it out. Jon Tester in Montana is in position to unseat the incumbent Republican. Democrat Harold Ford Jr. is either in the lead or at least in serious contention to win the Tennessee seat being vacated by Bill Frist. Both of these men have appealed to the voters not with the intellectual/elitist affectations of so many Democrats these days but with an of-the-people charisma.
Doubtlessly there are other Democrats who “get it,� but the party itself is still off track. From Howard Dean to Nancy Pelosi to Al Gore and John Kerry, the party’s biggest names are decidedly not “of the people� (excluding Bill Clinton who no longer defines the party).
They exude a type of we-know-best elitism that is mirrored by the new base of Daily Kos, MoveOn types who are forever discussing the need to “educate the people,� presumably so the people won’t be so stupid and vote so wrongly. Unfortunately, this type of Democrat is disastrously unaware that their rhetoric makes them alien to “the people.�
For the last decade plus, Republicans have been the party that seems most in tune with the people’s will and wants. Now, a lot of that is smoke-and-mirrors, but a lot is also based on an earnest connection to the voters. Gone are the George H. W. Bush elitist types and in their place are the George W. Bush plain-spoken types. Whether you think that’s all show or not, the fact remains that Democrats have lost their populist aura and their ability to convince a majority of Americans that they are the party that can be most trusted to preserve our way of life.
The party-at-large still misses the point�or at least still lacks the ability to communicate the point. The Democrats best hope this year is that enough individual candidates can win on the power of their own personalities and convictions. The Republicans deserve to lose. Will the Democrats convince enough people that they deserve to win?
–To be continued soon when I reveal which party I’m rooting for in this election–
Cross-posted at Maverick Views
This entry was posted on Friday, October 13th, 2006 and is filed under Elections. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
October 13th, 2006 at 10:32 pm
President Bush and Co. have been masters in framing their arrogance, bigotry and wickedness in simple terms such as the protectors of the realm against terrorism.
These extremist Republicans could not have accomplished as much without the help of the so called MSM which is a de facto mouthpiece for Republican propaganda.
Republicans have been adept at deceiving and obfuscating Americans with smoke and mirrors. Governing in secret and deceiving Americans have been their style. They have bamboozled a good portion of our citizens to vote against their best interest again and again.
Republicans do not talk about health care, health insurance, minimum wage, education, etc, as accomplishments that have their imprint and which have improved the lot of most Americans. The majority of Americans who work for a living have suffered the most under Republican rule. Most if not all Republican legislation has within its entrails a poison pill which in the end lowers the standard of living in our country. When shit hits the fan under Republican rule, which occurs often, what is their reponse: Blame and Excuses are the order of the day.
The propaganda from the MSM and the pundrity enjoy claiming that Democrats do not have a plan for governing. They may have one, we just have not seen it. However we have seen the Republican’s plan of government for the past six years, and guess what; Republicans have not had a plan of government for this country during this time, except their plan to grab all the power they can and to stink up the place in the process.
The Democrats may not be perfect and may never be, but a lot of Americans seem to be waking up from the torpor we have suffered for the past six years and are willing to give Dems a chance at governing.
A majority appears to have finally realized that it is “time to change the trash bag, because the garbage we have now Really Stinks”.
October 13th, 2006 at 11:12 pm
Okay, let’s try this in concrete terms.
The Republican policy: “We’re for lower taxes.”
The Democratic policy: “We’re for low taxes for the working and middle classes, but also for a progressive tax policy which makes the ultra-rich pay their fair share, and ensures that we collect enough revenue to cover budgetary expenses.”
Republican response: “Aha! You’re for higher taxes. We’re for lower taxes.”
Now, the Democrat can respond by saying “It’s not that simple, let me explain…” but who gives him/her the chance to? The media works on 5-second sound bites, and the only thing a Democrat can say in 5 seconds is, “You don’t get it, it’s complicated,” leading to all of the assorted charges of intellectualism, elitism, etc.
How do the Democrats get past this?
October 14th, 2006 at 8:19 am
Frankly I don’t see a dimes worth of difference between the parties. It would be great to vote “for” something, but, it seems again this cycle I will vote “against”.
Iraq and the debt are large issues to me. In Iraq we have lives and treasure lost -with no true metric for withdrawal. and as I write this, I watch the ticker on this page reflect that our debt is increasing at $20,000 +/- per second.
I agree that the Repubs don’t deserve to win. I disagree with you however, I think they do deserve to lose.
Do the Dems deserve to win – Nope. My only hope is that as in ‘94, for the first few years of change, our representitives will.. well.. represent.
These are just two issues that I know will effect my grandkids. arguments can be made for many others. Cynical yea I guess so, but for my grandkids – stay the course is not an option.
October 14th, 2006 at 11:08 am
The real problem isn’t which party is in power, it’s the total lack of leadership abilities in the current crop of politicians. We’re never going to get anywhere until we get higher quality people to run things. All I see is finger pointing and reruns of simplistic and out of date ideas to solve very complex issues.
And the dems, full of Bush hatred, can’t seem to admit that the republs got a few things right. Which means when the dems get power, they will make decisions not from intelligent analysis, but only if it’s the opposite of republican ideas. That’s sure to work well at problem solving.
October 14th, 2006 at 11:20 am
Nick,
You make an interesting point. But I think one of the problems with Democrats may be revealed in the very nature of your question. It is decidedly NOT complicated to say “we want to tax the wealthy and pass the savings onto everyone else.” Anyone interested enough in their country to vote is smart enough to understand the distinction. But Democrats seem to think a lot of voters AREN’T smart enough and that’s one of the problems–Dems feel they have to “explain” when really what they need to do is build trust.
It’s not that people don’t understand Democratic positions, it’s that they don’t TRUST the Dems to actually deliver. Dems should be far less concerned with explaining the complexities of their ideas (which really aren’t that complex) and more concerned with convincing the people that they can actually follow through.
Easier said than done. But it’s something Dems need to work on. Remember, this is not something that used to be a problem for the party — it’s a new phenomenon brought about by being the minority party for the first time in generations. A lot of Dems still assume they’re the dominant party in America and it’s only a matter of time before they are re-elected. But the reality is, they lost the people’s trust and have to win it back if they want to establish any permanent majority.
October 15th, 2006 at 5:57 pm
ASC:
Your post reminded me of a couple of comedy bits.
The first one was an episode of SNL from October 2000 that was rerun last night at three in the morning. Darryl Hammond as Bill Clinton is talking about the Bush/Gore debates and making the point that neither of the two candidates deserves your vote. And that when Gore answers a question like “Mr. Gore, what would you do about the Middle East,” Gore answers with something like “Well, if you square the two sides of an isoceles triangle…” To which Hammond/Clinton replies, “What the HELL does that mean?”
The second bit was late September/early October 2004, on the David Letterman show, after the monologue when Dave sits down and talks to Paul:
“Paul, we had Senator Kerry here last night. He’s running for president…WHAT was THAT about?”
And at that moment I winced and said to myself, “Kerry’s lost.” Because I had been thinking the same thing during Kerry’s appearance, and if I, who greatly wanted to see the Bushies pack their bags and leave the White House, was tuning him out, I could only imagine what the people who were on the cusp had decided about him.
Those who constantly harp on “educating the people” may think that the people they’re presuming to educate voted for Bush because they believe every bit of ishkabibble that comes out of his mouth. Although I’m sure that thare are those who do (and they’re not gonna vote Democratic anyway), the real reason more people aren’t responding to “Bush Lied!” isn’t because they’re thinking, “Oh no he didn’t! Saddam had weapons of mass destruction and he flew out of Baghdad with them on a flying carpet!”
The really sad reason is that those people are thinking, “So what? They all lie.”
October 15th, 2006 at 6:00 pm
PS: Yikes! Sorry I didn’t close that “Bold.” Just assume that all of my words have great emphasis.
October 16th, 2006 at 11:35 am
I am with Lewis. There seems to be nothing more than venom passed back and forth between the Democrats and Republicans. There isn’t much solid leadership in this country. The government is being run by lobbyists and special interest on BOTH SIDES OF THE AISLE.
October 17th, 2006 at 2:01 pm
So you are basically advocating a DUMB IT DOWN type candidate..
Well I find that insulting to the intelligence of the voters
While I agree with you as far as fine tuning the message to the particular crowd……
Do not underestimate the importance of the media upon the last two PResidential elections..
In 2000 Al Gore reputation was sullied thru the media with the unsubstanciated “Internet creator” rumors
In 2004 John Kerry was Swiftboated for at least 6 weeks before the media even conceed that the charges were patently ridiculous..
I m not saying DEMS are perfect candidates…but to say Bush was successful because he appears as a regular guy is missing the point….
What DEMS need to do to gain traction with voters is to put forth a COORDINATED message that is repeated by the Kerry’s, Clintons, Bidens, Kennedys, and Pelosis day after day…..
The Republican communication apparatus is one to be envied for its ability to target groups and get them to vote with their hearts….
What DEMS need to do is target these peoples hearts AND MINDS…
People arent stupid they see the huge federal deficits, the losing proposition in Iraq, Katrina misfires, and the Republican scandals left and right, DEMS need to make that connection by engaging these people all day everyday…use the Blogs, Radio, TV, whatever you have to to get the message out that if elected DEMS would be more interested in serving your universal needs than the Republicans have shown over the last 6-12 years….
October 17th, 2006 at 4:00 pm
It’s pretty damn pathetic when “educate the voter” translates to elitism. When large blocs of voters vote against their own interests in health care, balanced budgets, education and job training, on and on, doesn’t education sound right? When significant numbers still chant WMD,” isn’t education needed? I’m with lib4–we’ll never get our country back assuming the voters are too stupid–that’s the mantra of the current fiasco, and it needs to change.
October 18th, 2006 at 3:34 pm
I don’t think the issue is “Dumb It Down.” I think it has to do with connecting with people emotionally. Bubba Clinton did it when he spoke about the people “who play by the rules.” Whether or not he played by the rules is another story…do any of them? The point is, people from across the spectrum could hear that and say, “Hey, that’s me!”
Now, I’m a downtown-living, center-left geek with a high IQ and a strong ability to relate one concept to another, and if I was drifting whenever Kerry spoke…like I said, I don’t think “Dumb It Down” is the issue.