WHY DEMOCRATS ARE ALL BOXED IN!!

Newsweek ^ | 11/23/03 | Joe Klein

[Elkiejg]

We have reached a moment of transcendent weirdness in American politics and perhaps a defining moment in the 2004 presidential campaign. In Washington last week, Newt Gingrich and the aarp—who battled each other over old-age entitlement spending in the 1990s—joined the White House in support of a new $400 billion Medicare prescription-drug benefit. Odder still, the Wall Street Journal's ultraconservative editorial page opposed the bill, as did ultraliberal House leader Nancy Pelosi, Ted Kennedy and most of the Democrats running for President. This, after a decade of Democrats pleading for just such a benefit and lambasting Republicans for blocking it. This, in the same week that Tom Daschle and George Bush joined forces to support the fetid enormity of a $31 billion energy bill, which was quickly dubbed the Hooters and Polluters Bill, since it funded, among many other things, construction of an energy-efficient Hooters restaurant in Shreveport, La. This, in the same week that Massachusetts moved toward legalization of gay marriage.

Confused? Overwhelmed? Appalled? Yes, yes and yes. This was an awful week for the Democrats, who are likely to lose— politically—on all fronts. And it was a shameful week—substantively—for the Bush Administration.

The political equation is obvious. The President will be able to say the Democrats opposed prescription drugs for the elderly whether the Medicare bill passes or not (just as he campaigned in 2002 saying the Democrats blocked Homeland Security because they wanted labor-protection provisions in the bill). The same is true, to a lesser extent, of the energy bill, which Senators of both parties managed to stop, perhaps temporarily, last Friday.

The President can still say, "We proposed energy 'reform'; the Dems opposed."

Not many Americans will scour the fine print. As for gay marriage, my guess is that Bush will remain above the fray. The issue is too raw—and his Vice President has taken the same position as most Democrats have. But Bush will benefit nonetheless from the anguish and agitation on the religious right, which will use the ruling to invigorate turnout among Christian conservatives.

[PeaceBeWithYou]

Bump.

[Cobra64]

The Dems won't win by continuing to "misunderestimate" Dubya.

I love it. Series, I love it.

[gatorbait]

RE: Your entire post

Exactly correct. The true believers apparently lack any sort of long vision,if they have any at all. I think this Medicare thing is terrible.The up side, the Dims are destroying themselves on it. The Energy Plan? Pork laden yes, but, a plan, nonetheless.The Dims cry out for one, they now are faced with one ,,and they are howling.
Bush 43 gets this viscerally.I've said this before, this ain't cribbage; it is high risk, high stake poker.
The "pricipled" among us remain without a clue as to the whys of this strategy , nor do they want to learn it.Too easy to carp and moan.
Chris, a great analysis.

[lepton]

Another way of stating what you said is that Bush only has so much political capital, and can only fight so many battles. In a way, the Democrats, by attacking and obstructing on all fronts are feeling the brunt of this effect.

[lepton]

Does anyone remember the term "triangulation"? It was popular in 1997 as Dick Morris's clever strategy for reelecting Bill Clinton in 1996. Back then, Clinton took small portions of the Republican agenda and made them his own. Well, I see Bush and Rove have made the strategy their own, and the 'Rats are stewing.

This doesn't always work...in 1995, the worst cries against the Republicans were that they were trying to pass legislation that Clinton had claimed for years to support. On the other hand, the internet and Fox are widely available now.

[seowulf]

An excellent post demonstrating the point of many finer philosophers (from Ancient Greece onward) than me that human beings are not naturally inclined to freedom.

It does not take long in a democracy for the majority to discover that it can live off of the productive minority with a simple vote. Creating a democratic republic simply delays the inevitable.

Eventually, as always, the majority will push too far and the minority will be forced to violent revolt. It has been a sad but true reality throughout human history.

[Common Tator]

Reagan was sharp: he understood that people wanted tax relief and higher defense and social spending. Reagan's genius was to be anything but a green eyeshade, sourpuss Republican. That kind of Republicanism that gave us Mary Louise Smith, the RNC chairman in 1974, who claimed that there was "no recession"-in the deep recession year of 1974.

If was in 1962 after Brown Sr. won the governorship of California that Reagan decided to run for that office in 1966 as a Republican. Reagan had a big problem. He had been a Democrat all his life. He had been elected and relected as his union's president. He had negotiated real good contracts for his members. He had openly spoken for FDR, HST, and JFK. He had donated money and campaigned for them. He was sure to be painted as a RINO by every right wing California Republican who could talk.

The question Lyn Nofiziger, Ed Meese, and Ronald Reagan pondered was how to counter the RINO label .. especially in the primary. As Riordan found out in 2002, getting labeled a RINO in a Republican primary can cost one the nomination.

In 1964 as Goldwater sewed up the Republican Nomination several things became apparent. Many Republicans did not want to appear or speak for Goldwater at the convention. Goldwater was so right wing that being associated with him would spell political disaster. Goldwater was destined to get just a tad over 1/3 of the votes in 1964. Every Repulican office holder who could read a poll, did not want within 200 miles of Barry Goldwater.

The Reagan camp came up with a bright idea. Goldwater could not get any centrist or even moderately right wing Republicans to speak for him at the convention. So Reagan proposed that he speak in Goldwater's behalf. The Goldwater people were elated. A hollywood star,a retired union President, a FDR, HST, JFK fan would speak for Goldwater at the convention in prime time. His name was Ronald Reagan ,,, the TV star of Death Valley Days.

Reagan felt giving a speech for Goldwater would help tone down if not eliminate the RINO label attached to hin.

Reagan wrote a great speech and gave it in prime time. Ronald was astounded by the result. The media did not paint him as a RINO trying to earn points with the right... they painted Reagan as a far right wing zealot in the Goldwater tradition. The media knew Goldater was poison and that Reagan as a great natual comapaigner. The Media knew Goldwater was very unpopular with the center and the left... So they painted Reagan with a Goldwater brush.

The right in Californis fell in love with the man with the guts to stand up for Barry AuH2O. When Reagan ran in 1966, the media painted Reagan as the right wing zealot. They figured that might be enough to defeat him. But that strategy did not work. Reagan won. But from then on the charge of right wing nut was used to try to defeat him.

It is interesting to note that in the first years of the Reagan administration, his most vocal Republican critic was Barry Goldwater. To quote the Washinton Post obit for Barry, "Mr. Goldwater refused to join the Republicans of the New Right during the 1980s."

If Reagan was an extention of the Goldwater philosophy why did Barry oppose so much of what Reagan tried to do in the 80's. Barry was a constant source of stories in the Post and Times opposing the Reagan agenda from 1981 until he retired in 1986.

If Reagan was the implementation of the Goldwater agenda... you could not prove it by the Goldwater attempts to thwart that agenda' implentation by Reagan. Goldwate foght it at every turn.

[section9]

Exactly correct. The true believers apparently lack any sort of long vision,if they have any at all. I think this Medicare thing is terrible.The up side, the Dims are destroying themselves on it. The Energy Plan? Pork laden yes, but, a plan, nonetheless.The Dims cry out for one, they now are faced with one ,,and they are howling. Bush 43 gets this viscerally.I've said this before, this ain't cribbage; it is high risk, high stake poker. The "pricipled" among us remain without a clue as to the whys of this strategy , nor do they want to learn it.Too easy to carp and moan. Chris, a great analysis.

First, I would commend to you Common Tator's post about Reagan and Goldwater. It's an insightful read into the political, indeed cultural, differences between the two men. If you read between the lines, you'll see why Barry was doomed in 1964 while Reagan was almost assured in 1980 (running as he was against the green eyeshade, sourpuss Democrat, Jimmy Carter).

Barry was Moses down from Sinai, all tablets and thunder. Goldwater was convinced that if you hit people over the head with the truth long enough, a little bulb would go on in their heads and they would automatically throw off the chains of decades of Democratic voting patterns. Goldwater was a visionary, but a clueless visionary.

Ronnie didn't waste his time with that crap. He understood that political victory often goes to the man who only gets half the loaf, but acts as if the whole loaf was owned by him from the beginning ("I paid for this microphone!"). The Dems could control Congress in the early '80's, and AuH2O could carp from the sidelines, but sunny Ronald won the day. Ronnie understood the voters in the way that only the truly successful pols do. Reagan was one, Clinton another. Bush appears to have the secret, as well.

Look at the idiot Democrats. They are THREATENING A FILIBUSTER OF THE MEDICARE BILL.

This is Goldwaterism gone haywire. Now you know that this is a fiscal monstrosity, I know that it is a fiscal monstrosity, and the trial lawyers know it is a fiscal monstrosity. But the people want the damn medicare bill. Why? Because they believe that puppies are cute, kittens are cuddly, the little chilluns should have free education and hot lunch at school, and old folks who have done their time in the great WWII, Korea, and Vietnam, should have a God Given Right to a Prescription Drug benefit in medicare.

And the stupid Dems are fighting this. Now I want you to step back and wonder what Karl Rove is going to do with this. He will take Dean and morph him next to the Senate Democratic leadership:

OPENING IMAGE: WHITE LETTERS, BLACK BACKGROUND...

"HOWARD DEAN AND THE DEMOCRATS ARE TRYING TO KEEP THE GREATEST GENERATION FROM RECEIVING PRESIDENT BUSH'S PLAN FOR A PRESCRIPTION DRUG BENEFITS IN MEDICARE..."

CUT TO: Image of elderly couple in Cemetary Villiage counting pennies to try to afford drugs for osteoporosis.

CUT TO: WHITE LETTERS, BLACK BACKGROUND.

"WHILE PRESIDENT BUSH IS TRYING TO HELP OUR SENIORS GET A PRESCRIPTION DRUG BENEFIT, THE HOWARD DEAN DEMOCRATS KEEP ON FILIBUSTERING PRESIDENT BUSH'S PLAN TO HELP SENIORS FIGHT OFF THE HIGH COST OF PRESCRIPTION DRUGS...."

CUT TO: Image of the lady from the "fallen and can't get up" commercials looking wanly into the camera.

DISSOLVE TO: Image of elderly retiree looking at picture of himself with his bomber crew in England during the War.

CUT TO:

PRESIDENT BUSH AND FIRST LADY WALKING IN ROSE GARDEN WITH SENIORS, TALKING AND SMILING..

BLACK LETTERS, WHITE BACKGROUND, UPLIFTING MUSIC: "PRESIDENT BUSH IS TRYING TO HELP SENIORS FIGHT THE HIGH COST OF PRESCRIPTION DRUGS. YOU CAN HELP HIM HELP OUR SENIORS...

CUT TO: WHITE LETTERS, BLACK BACKGROUND, DARTH VADER MUSIC:

"CALL HOWARD DEAN AND THE DEMOCRATS AND TELL THEM TO STOP PLAYING POLITICS AS USUAL. TELL THEM TO SUPPORT THE PRESIDENT'S PLAN TO GIVE A PRESCRIPTION DRUG BENEFIT TO SENIORS IN MEDICARE-CUT TO HOWARD DEAN'S PRIVATE HOME NUMBER."

Trust me on this, people. I have no idea who it is who is telling the Dems to have such a brain fart, but they have decided that they can run as bleeding hearts AND green eyeshade sourpusses. Stupid, stupid, stupid.

The more I see the Dean campaign come into contact with reality, the less I admire about it. And Dean had nothing to do with this catastrophe.

But that won't stop Rove from tying it around his neck.

Be Seeing You,

Chris

[section9]

The key to understanding what goes on in any successful Administration (unlike, say, Carter or Bush I) is to realize that it is the adept President who divines the true definition of democracy:

Democracy is when two wolves and a sheep vote on what's for dinner!

The Framers understood this. That is why they designed a Constitutional Republic filled with competing centers of power and had, at the time, supplemented it with a Bill of Rights. They all had read their Shakespeare: give the Mob enough time and they will always vote for Caesar.

It's like Common Tator says: you vote for the Bush medicare plan now, or the Dean Hockey Night In Canada National Health Care Plan later...

So, how would you like your lamb?

Be Seeing You,

Chris

[LS]

You got it. If you want a rather amazing study of what is happening to the population, and its effects on the economy, read "Birthquake," by Diane Macunovich. It isn't an easy read---lots of jargon and stats---but her research is from my perspective unimpeachable. More of the unemployment picture has to do with demographics than with the actual performance of the economy, both good and bad.

[LS]

Hillary as president. It's way too early in the morning for that picture. Sort of like the beach scenes from "Saving Private Ryan."

[oldironsides]

I am not sure I like this bill. I am not in the Medicare system but handle it for my mother in law. She is well insured, has medicare, private drug insurance, nursing home insurance and the ability to kick in more for plan B. I have a feeling the drug insurance coverage she now has will dump her pretty quick once this GOP bill kicks in (if she is still alive)and she will end up with taxpayers picking up the tab.

Her medication is $250. per injection when her blood count drops. Procrit is really expensive. There seems to be a fair amount of cheaper bogus Procrit around that worry users and pharmacies. Alhzeimers and full time care at home add to the list of her expenses that she now handles. The nursing home insurance is a joke. They pay very little if the care is 24/7 at her home. Will her RX insurer dump the high cost drugs on the taxpayer? Probably.

[PhilipFreneau]

>>Democracy is when two wolves and a sheep vote on what's for dinner! The Framers understood this. That is why they designed a Constitutional Republic filled with competing centers of power and had, at the time, supplemented it with a Bill of Rights.

Sorta. The Framers attempted to create a republican form of government with limited powers; one which requires a difficult amendment process to lawfully obtain new powers. Our government, however, has ignored the law and obtained new powers via usurpation, initially via the usurpation of majority rule, and lately via judicial fiat.

[section9]

Agreed. But that's what happens when the other two branches of government defer too much to judicial diktat.

Be Seeing You,

Chris

[gatorbait]

Trust me on this, people. I have no idea who it is who is telling the Dems to have such a brain fart, but they have decided that they can run as bleeding hearts AND green eyeshade sourpusses. Stupid, stupid, stupid.

The more I see the Dean campaign come into contact with reality, the less I admire about it. And Dean had nothing to do with this catastrophe.

But that won't stop Rove from tying it around his neck.

Chris, we know Rove can and should :- )

[seowulf]

So, how would you like your lamb?

---

With mint jelly, please!

I do agree with what you're saying. However, it does leave a bad taste in my mouth always having to choose between the lesser of two evils. Rome was also a Republic (even a constitutional republic in the sense of Britain's constitution, i.e. common law), but the organization was manipulated by unscrupulous politicians to gather power to themselves, buying votes sometimes or through coercion at others.

Remember, all of those competing interests in our Constitutional Republic are still government employees. They only appear to be in competition. Judges are just (just may be the wrong word to use since justice is getting to be a rare commodoty) government employees afterall. Political expedience seems to have more to do with their decisions lately than honest interpretation of the Constitution.

[GulliverSwift]

I predict that in the future the entire Medicare and Social Security programs will have to be scrapped and that people will have to move to paying for their own retirement and their own medicine, kind of like they do with auto, life, and home insurance.

The role of government in the technology age will be to facilitate choices--where to school your children, how to pay for your medicine, what kind of taxes to pay (i.e. nat'l consumption tax).

The repeated failures of socialisitic policies will come home to the citizens of this country just as the Euroweenies are starting to face the consequences of their idiotic welfare states.

[Gritty]

Today, politicians are giving Americans the goodies they want and are fighting over who gets the credit.

Someday, they'll be fighting over who gets the blame!

[untwist]

I think you're right and I think that more elderly than we think will support privatization. I remember Perot's campaign in '92 and the excitement he generated over the size of the debt and the incredible impact of that on the elderly's children and grandchildren. This resonated with many - my parents included. You need somebody with a rational approach, like Bush, to begin the ball rolling, even if it costs in the short term. Long term the prospects will be far more positive.

[section9]

I am the first to share your concerns about the Republican Party morphing into Tweedledum.

Understand that before we can think about introducing a conservative culture to a Republic that has lived off nothing but liberalism since 1932, we have to win the small battles bit by bit.

We also have to learn not to be the Stupid Party. Opposing the Prescription Drug Benefit would have left the initiative, and the Seniors, to the Democrats. Now it is our issue, and Bush will hammer this home next year. Medicare and Social Security are on their way to becoming Republican issues.

If Republicans refuse to act as a majority party (rewarding friends, punishing enemies, initiating legislation, winning wars), they will not deserve to be a majority party. Majority parties get to dispense the goodies, as well as craft legislation.

Patronage never died, it just changed its name to "entitlements". Bush knows this. He refuses to be a whipping boy like his dad. The Son holds the whip hand.

Again, for further illumination on this subject, and why the Dems are probably royally screwed, check out our good friend, the Common Tator's blog for a pretty good analysis of where we stand. CT has a nice sendup of Hillary's plans for the Convention in Boston.

As an aside, I've always thought there is nothing but downside for Hillary to jump in and grab the nomination away from Dean. Hillary is beloved, but if she came in and demanded the nomination after a year of the Cargo Cult's blood, sweat, tears, and campaign contributions, dammit, those libs might go Nader or sit out the campaign. Dean's people are the true Liberals, who believe that the party belongs to them. Hillary and the DLC crowd coming in to grab things because, well, they are the Clintons and therefore they deserve it, will cause no end of bitterness.

Be Seeing You,

Chris