The worst mistake I made in 1992-93.

[bluestateguy]

I worked as a volunteer for the Clinton-Gore campaign in California in 1992. I was 16, young and naive, though I sure thought I knew everything about politics. With much euphoria I watched the returns come in on election night as the Clinton ticket won a comfortable victory and Democrats maintained control of Congress.

At that point I sincerly believed that the war had been won, that America was now once again a solidly liberal Democrat nation. I was sure that Republicans and conservatives would drift into irrelevancy in the coming months and years. I really believed that Republicans would accept their loss and just kind of crawl into a hole, never to be heard from again.

I let my guard down, and I was tragically wrong. Instead, I watched with horror as Republicans and others on the Right immediately, on Inauguration Day, began to hack away at the Clinton Administration and the Democrats, pissing and moaning, bitching and complaining and carping and kvetching. Clinton would get no honeymoon from them, nor from the media. They organized a well-funded professional network of Clinton-haters, media whores and hate radio hosts, while our side just kind of dithered and continued to celebrate the 1992 election results. I was shocked, appalled and outraged. Most of all I was blindsided, as it took me some months to realize that this crowd was not going to accept, much less cooperate with, Bill Clinton in the White House and a federal government run by the Democratic Party. The results in 1994 need no re-telling here. We are still licking our chops from that dreadful night in November, 1994.

The lesson from all of this is not to let it happen again. Should George W. Bush be evicted from the White House in 2004 it is incumbent on us not to spend too much time savoring the victory--a few days of celebration and gluttony are OK. Republicans and others on the Right will not accept any Democrat in the White House (they believe it belongs to them as a matter of divine right)and they will hit the pavement the day after election day to do everything possible to destroy the new president. Making the mistake of thinking that the Right will just crawl into a hole and go away when they lose could have tragic consequences for the nation.

[Sliverofhope]

1. Excellent point

We must remain vigilant at the grassroots for years to come. Even if we can win back the presidency, there's an awful lot of damage that needs to be undone.

[populistmom]

2. Very true

They will not go down to fight and we need to realize that. They will do all they can to get rid of any Democrat in power:

1. Clinton- impeachment for personal sexual issue
2. Carter- October surprise
3. JFK- asassination
4. RFK-asassination
and many more....

All good leaders who got on "somebody's" bad side

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

3. That brings up an interesting question.

When has a powerful Republican leader been killed since Lincoln? And don't say McKinley.

[zeemike]

4. And

Why did only Democrats get sent anthrax

[dsc]

6. a matter of inches

and Reagan would be dead and Nixon was Impeached. Though Nixon did deserve Impeachment as he was a real crook.

[Toucano]

8. Minor correction?

Nixon didn't get impeached. He resigned before impeachment.

"Close enough for journalism" :)

[Lydia Leftcoast]

5. Your memory is absolutely accurate

I was unenthusiastic about Clinton, but it was disgusting to see how the pundits started talking about "the failed Clinton administration" before the poor guy had a chance to get unpacked.

In fact, I would be suspicious of any Dem president who received too friendly a welcome from the Congressional and media Republicans.

[jiacinto]

7. I agree with you completely

You hit the nail on the head. They will start the assault as soon as possible if a Democrat wins next year.

[Awsi Dooger]

11. At least that will verify the vast rightwing conspiracy

Or will the media simply accept (and participate in) it as unrelated; a necessary and legitimate "scrutiny" of a different Democrat at a different point in time? No doubt yes.

I was like you after '92, bluestateguy, greeting all my rightwing ex-college friends with, "you're not still practicing Republicanism, are you?"

[Toucano]

9. You are very astute!

Perhaps the first official act of our new, ELECTED President should be to restore the Fairness Doctrine.

The RW, corporate media whores cannot go unchecked.

[Booberdawg]

10. Very well stated bluestateguy

It's exactly that fanatical and relentless moaning and pissing and kvetching from the Right and the viciousness from the likes of newt the horses petewt gingritch and hijacking of the national agenda by the far right that turned me sour as a registered Republican and made me abandon the party.

It actually caused me to educate myself on the issues and why I thought I was a Republican in the first place (because my family was) and I discovered I was never a Republican at heart to begin with. So thanks ya lousy bastards for showing me your true nasty selves so I could find my way home in time to vote for Clinton in 96.

[Vogon_Glory]

12. Agree With You, Bluestateguy

A very intelligent, insightful post. If a Democrat evicts George Deucey-U Bush from the White House in the 2004 elections, the Far Right and the Republican Party will immediately return to the same sort of loathsome behavior they exhibited during the Clinton administration--backstabbing, character assasination, rumor-mongering, endless harrrassment by litigation, obstructionism and all the rest of their "endearing" little habits we remember all too well.

A long term goal for all of us Democrats, whether from the Kucinich left to DLC-leaning villains like me, is to discredit the ideas and philosophies currently propelling the Republican Party and the so-called "Conservative" movement. This is unfortunately going to take a very long time.

[kodi]

13. you were young and thought a battle was the entire war

its not, and what you did is what most liberals think.

on the left we all thought that a scotus victory here and there would change the face of the country, and while liberals relaxed after victories in civil rights, creation of the EPA, and other things that were achieved, the right wing got to organizing and took over the nation by their own grass roots organizing.

and what is the lesson to be learned from this?

that its never over. and all of us will spend our entire lives fighting ideological battles to bring to birth the reality of our ideals.

we are engaged in a Long March, whose destination is one which we might not see in our lifetime.

just like jfk's words:

"Now the trumpet summons us again--not as a call to bear arms, though arms we need--not as a call to battle, though embattled we are--but a call to bear the burden of a long twilight struggle, year in and year out, "rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation"--a struggle against the common enemies of man: tyranny, poverty, disease, and war itself."

and Dr King's:

"What would happen to me from some of our sick white brothers? Well I don't know, what will happen now. We've got some difficulties ahead. But it really will not matter to me now, because I've been to the mountain top. I don't mind. Like anybody I would like to live a long life, durability has its place. But I am not concerned about that now. I just want to do God's will. And he has allowed me, to go up the montain. And I have looked over. And I have seen the promised land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we as a people will get to the promised land. So I am happy tonight, I am not weary about anything, I am not fearing any man, mine eyes have seen the glory of the comming of the lord!"

and while Dr King was murdered the next day, and the rest of us can still carry that torch we have to realize that our political beliefs are not garments to wear and shed as elections come and go, but must be an eternal and active part of our daily make-up.

dont wear your politics on your sleeve, make them your very arms to build the world in which you believe.