"We Democrats better think long and hard about what happened ... and how our party is going to connect with the hopes and aspirations of the people," We have lost the ability to connect with people's value systems, and we're going to have to work to get that back." Sen Christopher Dodd, D-Conn 11/3/04
Well, its been two months since Senator Dodd stated the facts about the Democratic party. While no one would have thought that the Democrats could have joined the mainstream in only two months, its hard to believe that they managed to move farther away from it. In just two short months the Democrats have managed to contest a states electoral votes, it which the outcome was clear. They have allowed a liberal senator from California to become there unofficial spokesman, that should help win those red states in midterm elections. Their second rate 2004 presidential candidate is either getting a jump start on 2008 or no one has told him he lost yet. They have also decided to turn the run up to their party chairmanship election into a mini primary, complete with public attacks against each other. Does this sound like a political party trying to rebound from what is arguably the worst four years in political history?
The problem as I see it is that the party has no one to lead them in the right direction. As a matter of fact they don't really have anyone to lead them in any direction. Don't get me wrong there is plenty of differences in opinions in the Republican party. The difference is they have leadership, and they don't have four or five people or groups pulling the party in different directions. The easiest way to solve this would be for the democratic party to find a leader or a direction in which to go. Unfortunately that doesn't seem to be working out to well.
Lets take a look at the leadership and the direction the party has taken, just in the last two months. First we have Senator Reid, the newly appointed Senate minority leader. He is somewhat more moderate then his predecessor. But as we've seen this week when he allowed KKKlansman Senator Byrd to block the confirmation vote on the first black Secretary of State. That's a real good image to leave in the minds of American voters. It looks like Senator Reid is just going to be a puppet for the ultra left wing agenda.
Speaking of an ultra left wing agenda the biggest war cry speech of the last two months has been given by good ol Teddy Kennedy, here is a guy who the democrat party should lock away in a closet somewhere. I don't think that mainstream America has much use for an ultra liberal from New England. At least that's what the country told Michael Dukakis and John Kerry.
John Kerry, there is a name that still keeps some of us awake at night. Senator Kerry has decided that since lost an election that was the democrats to take, he is the natural pick for 2008. Since he has decided to run a four year campaign he thought he'd start by sending and e-mail to all his "supporters" and ask them to sign a petition to seek Donald Rumsfeld's resignation, then he decided that it was his obligation to show up in the Senate and cast one of only two votes against Condi Rice. I'm glad to see he felt it his moral duty to vote against the future Secretary of State, I guess it was convenient for him to show up and vote. Or was it so he could again send out a e-mail to all those "supporters" stating why he voted no. So apparently Senator Kerry has put himself above the party. Someone should tell Senator Kerry that he only gets to make cabinet appointments if he wins.
Also putting herself above the party, my favorite Senator of the last two months... Barbara Boxer. She is a junior senator from California who decided to contest the election results in Ohio. The outcome, a two hour waste of time and the democratic party comes out looking like cry baby's. But what does Senator Boxer care she just one reelection and she's from one of the most liberal states in the country. I sure hope her colleagues in red states appreciate what she has done for them. But hey she got good liberal media coverage, she even had a press conference. Once again Senator Reid had no control over his party. Then yet again Senator Boxer joined Senator Kerry in voting against Rice, once again getting good press coverage for herself. The only difference is she doesn't have a large e-mail list to brag about her ultra left wing antics too. But she is giving Senator Kerry a run for his money in the contest to be the biggest left wing radical in the Senate.
With all this being said you would think that the Democratic party could at least find some good leadership next month when it elects its new party chairman. He will replace Terry "Loser" McCaullife, don't get me wrong us Republicans will miss him. Now you would think that replacing a three time loser would be a good thing, but with that being said appears that the party is set to elect Howard Dean to be chairman of the party. That's right I said Howard Dean, the same guy that the Democratic establishment went out of there way to stop in the 2004 primaries. They went as far as nominating John Kerry just to stop Howard Dean. They treated this guy like he was the anti christ, now he's going to be their savior. Well, I hate to be the bearer of bad news he's neither. Mr. Dean is going to be charged with taking back power, in order to do that he must bring the party into the mainstream. Much to the dismay of the ultra left. Can he do it? Not if Senator Boxer, Senator Kerry or everyone's favorite Uncle Teddy have anything to say about it. I leave you with these quotes: "We won't always have the strongest military." I know that will help people feel that the democrats could protect them. And "The fact is that we wouldn't be in Iraq if it weren't for Democrats like Senator Kerry." This one lets us know that he is definitely the guy to unite the party and point it in the right direction.
Take my ramblings for what you will but I guarantee you that if the Democrats don't venture into the mainstream and get some direction we'll be having this same debate in 2007 & 2009.