Do we need to provide solutions to Iraq and terra...?

[regnaD kciN]

I was listening to an NPR interview with Ron Suskind (The One-Percent Doctrine) and someone from the Gallup organization, and they both came up with some sobering points: that, although most Americans agree with Democrats that invading Iraq was a mistake, simply pointing fingers at the Bush administration isn't enough to convince most voters to go with the Democrat this November -- instead, we need to show them that we have a plan that will get us out while not letting the opposing forces win. And, they both agreed, the Democrats so far haven't come up with a convincing plan.

Furthermore, they both said, it is clear that Rove's plan for this election is to once again turn on the 9/11 spigot, and try to scare Americans into voting for them to protect us from "Islamofascism." And, once again, the Democrats have to provide a plan on how they can protect us better -- and, to date haven't done so. A failure to answer the average American's concerns in these areas, both agree, could mean that we won't be able to motivate Americans to vote Democratic, even if conditions should point to a Democratic landslide this November.

Sadly, I'm not sure I disagree. I've seen Repugs play the "Terra Terra Terra" security card two election cycles in a row, and come away with a victory each time under conditions that should have led to Democratic gains. (And, before anyone comes up with a cry of "the 2004 election was stolen," I agree that chicanery in Ohio probably cost Kerry an electoral-college win. The fact remains, however, that even if we had won in the electoral college, Bush won a clear majority of the popular vote -- far more than Al Gore did in 2000. If the popular vote is a truer indication of "the will of the people," the people in 2004 wanted four more years of Bush.)

And, worst of all, I'm really not sure we can come up with such solutions. Maybe I'm unduly pessimistic, but I think Bush has bollixed things up so thoroughly in terms of foreign affairs that nothing a future Democratic leadership can do will fix things, at least not in the short term. Staying in Iraq will only leave us with more Americans dead and more hatred of America throughout the world...but withdrawing will leave Iraq under the control of Iran, make us even more dependent on the Saudis for oil, and send the message to Islamic militants throughout the world that America can be beaten if only they keep up a relentless fight against us...which will no doubt spur more terror attacks, even on U.S. soil. And, on the subject of terror and how it can be defended against, I agree that a Democratic government could probably build up more effective defenses than the Repugs have done, but it would take time to implement such plans, and is probably not something that could stop any major attack in the next year or two -- which is precisely the sort of protection we would have to promise voters in order to gain their support in November.

O.K., I'll admit that, at the moment, I'm feeling rather negative about our chances in overcoming the Repugs this year, despite the fact that all the trends should be pointing in our favor. Can anyone here suggest how we can provide an approach that will turn the electorate from merely passively anti-Bush to actively pro-Democrat? (Responses that simply brush off a need for solutions and say all we have to do is keep pointing the finger at Bush's failings are not welcome, since I think they'll just leave us on November 8th just where we were the day after the last two elections -- scratching our heads and wondering "what happened?")

:shrug:

[welshTerrier2]

1. excellent, thoughtful post ... k&r !!!

it's always a little disturbing to see such excellent posts go without response on DU ... my theory is that most of us are unable to read things that include "actual paragraphs" :sarcasm: ...

i just started Ron Suskind's book so i don't have anything to add about it yet ... i like the way he writes ...

as for your interesting analysis, here's my take ... i agree that the Dems are still mostly "anti-bush" and have not provided the kind of vision and leadership we have a right to expect ... and it's not just on Iraq; my view on this covers almost all issues ...

HOWEVER, i think it's important to differentiate between 2006 and 2008, i.e., it's important to differentiate between short-term gains and long-terms gains ...

this year, with bush still in the WH, "Democratic candidates are the change" ... voters want change meaning that they want to elect people who will oppose what bush is doing ... so, my view is, that while the Dems owe the nation much more than they've offered in terms of vision and policy, i think they'll do very well this November because they are the "not bush" ...

but looking at 2008 and beyond, what they're doing right now is truly sad ... it's ALL POLITICS and no leadership and vision ... i know the party cheerleaders will disagree but that's what i see ...

if we want to become an entrenched, long-term majority, as we used to be, we have to be more than just better than the republicans ... we have to offer real solutions to the country's problems ... if not, we're just sticking the voters with the "less worse" slate of candidates and the country will surely go down the tubes ... as Americans, we need real answers to real problems and not just answers that get "our team" elected ...

the vision that we have cannot be sold in a single election cycle ... it has to be a collection of ideas that we develop and strengthen and communicate consistently over time ... this year, the Dems seem all about winning and not at all about planting the seeds we'll need to grow the trees of our future ... put another way, the Dems seem so busy harvesting that they've forgotten to plant next year's crops ...

short-term, i think we're looking pretty good although i think we should be doing even better than i think we are ... long-term, it's all mud ... hear these words: the voters have not heard a compelling case from the Democratic Party about why we should be given the reigns of power over the government ... anti-bush will get us through this year; it will NOT sustain us ... it's time to stop listening to the political hacks and put some soul into what we stand for ... and it's time to stop all this cautious, finger-in-the-wind political calculating and stand up for our deepest beliefs ...

good post, Mr. Danger ... i'm an old FT fan from way back ...