Friday,
April 22 2005
CARVILLE, BEGALA & THE CULTURE WARS: Despite all
the tactical advice dished out by James Carville and Paul Begala
in this
USA Today op-ed (most of which I agree with) one sentence
at the beginning of the piece struck me as the 800-lb gorilla
sitting in the political war room: "Sure, we'd like it
if Democrats were seen as the party of faith, family and the flag."
Really? Reputations
rarely come undeserved, and this one is no exception. The reason
Democrats aren't seen as the party of faith, family and the flag
is because they've pursued social policies over the past forty
years that many have come to view as antithetical to those values;
militant secularism, abortion on demand, and a general dislike
and/or distrust of the U.S. military stretching all the way back
to Vietnam. Even though Carville and Begala suggest it's time
for Democrats to "change everything," they don't make
a single mention of what the party can do to alter this perception
with the public - other than just wishing it were so.
The fact
is, it's very hard to talk about a Democratic party resurgence
without discussing social and cultural issues. Polls show that
Democrats continue to retain traditional advantages with voters
on domestic issues like healthcare and education. Where Democrats
fail with voters - aside from the crucial issue of national security
- is when it comes to issues of culture, faith, and family. This
is no small matter, because these are among the most influential
factors in determining how people vote.
Democrats
continue to grapple with the electoral problems presented by this
cultural disconnect: the South is now close to barren ground for
them politically - so much so that some have openly suggested
writing it off at the national level altogether. The disconnect
is also seeping into other vital constituencies as well: in 2004
Democrats saw an erosion of support among Hispanics and African-Americans,
at least some of which was driven by cultural issues like gay
marriage.
So what's
the fix? The first thing Democrats should do is to stop putting
on such ridiculous expressions of public piety. If I hear John
Kerry or Howard Dean quoting the Bible one more time I swear I'm
going to puke. To win votes Democrats don't have to try and pass
themselves off as deeply religious, they just need to stop being
actively hostile toward people who are.
I would expand
this point to say that the fastest way Democrats could shed their
minority status is to step back from being aggressive antagonists
in the culture wars and recast themselves with a distinctly libertarian
approach. The message, were I to craft it for them, would be simple
and consistent:
Democrats
stand for effective, efficient government that exists to protect
America and provide opportunity for all of our citizens.
We
respect religion and value faith as a deeply private matter.
Government should not be in the business of religion.
We
respect the rights of women to make decisions concerning their
own bodies, whatever those decisions might be. It is a private
matter where the government has no place.
We
respect the rights of adults to engage in consensual sexual
relationships. These are private matters where government does
not belong.
Of course,
this would require Democrats to take a much more agnostic stance
on abortion and gay marriage, which is arguably like trying to
get a leopard to change its spots. But again, Democrats need not
abandon all support for their current positions. What they must
do, however, is demonstrate a level of respect for faith, family
and flag and then carve those issues out as private matters that
are distinct from the business of paving potholes and protecting
the country.
BIZARRO
HUGH: Ever see the
"bizarro" episode of Seinfeld? It's the one where
Elaine meets three friends who look similar to - but whose behavior
is the complete opposite of - Jerry, George and Kramer.
Well I'm
fairly certain that Baltasar
Garzon, the judge currently presiding over the trial of suspected
9/11 terrorist in Spain, is the bizarro version of Hugh Hewitt:
Garzon is
a socialist who fought to extradite Augusto Pinochet from London
to try him for human rights abuses and a guy who called the U.S.-led
War in Iraq a unilateral "act of madness."Like I said:
the bizarro Hugh. - T. Bevan 8:45 am Link
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