(Whoever he is...)
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bob-burnett/searching-for-the-democra_b_16426.htmlWhy can't the Democrats get their act together? Why are they unable to convince voters that they, not the Bush Administration, are best able to protect America? It's because many in the Party leadership have forgotten who they are. They've abandoned the values that represent the historic Party and the vast majority of rank-and-file Democrats. They're not telling the truth.
Let's face the truth. Democrats can't win by becoming Republicans, by placing tactics ahead of heartfelt values. George W. Bush and Karl Rove are pros at that game; in the past decade the Bush-Rove team have won election after election with one ethic: the ends justify the means. In the process they have duped the religious right, moderate Republicans, and most of the electorate--everyone but their rich patrons. In one of the great paradoxes of American politics, the Bush Administration, who came into office promising to "usher in an era of responsibility" is immoral; their only ethic is "what's in it for me."
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Many would argue that what the Democrats need to do now is win; that they must do whatever is necessary to take back the House or Senate. From this perspective, the tactics-first position makes sense. However, recent demographic data indicate that the overwhelming majority of Democratic loyalists are values-based.
The reality is that the tactics-based wing of the Democratic Party--the Clintonistas--represents a minority of Democrats. But, it's extremely powerful, represented by the Democratic Leadership Council, the campaign of Hillary Clinton, and the role of Rahm Emanuel as chair of the DCCC, among others. Therefore, tactics-based Dems have a disproportionate impact on Party decisions, which explains actions that enrage the rank-and-file: the muddled stance on Iraq and the choice of Governor Tim Kaine to deliver the SOTU rebuttal, to name only two. At least 75 percent of the Democratic rank-and-file are values based; they expect their Party's positions to be based on principle, not on expediency.