Heading for another electoral loss this year
More trouble could be in store for Democrats without a new message
From Where I Sit...
Bradley Hart |
THE CONVENTIONAL POLITICAL wisdom these days seems to be that the Democrats will make gains this fall, thanks in part to the Republicans’ ethical troubles along with the President’s low approval numbers and declining support for the war in Iraq.
I don’t necessarily disagree with this assessment – but the Democrats have a long way to go if they’re going to pick up any seats in the House or Senate later this year.
Recent polls seem to be trending in the Democrats’ favor.
On the eve of President Bush’s State of the Union address last week, a Gallup poll found that while Americans are generally happy with the more abstract elements of our society (quality of life, system of government, etc.) we are mostly unhappy about most concrete issues.
A full 51 percent of Americans responded that they are unhappy with the quality of medical care in the nation while a whopping 72 percent indicated unhappiness with the availability of affordable healthcare.
A majority (56 percent) is also unhappy with the nation’s public education system.
At least according to this poll, healthcare seems to be the biggest issue that nobody’s talking about this political season.
If you’re thinking like I am you might be asking yourself about what the public is thinking about the conflict in Iraq.
Despite the fact that the President likes to call himself a “War President” and has said any talk of withdrawal from Iraq would help the insurgency, the majority of the public seems to disagree with his policies on the issue.
Fifty-five percent of respondents in a recent Zogby International poll agreed the U.S. should begin the phased withdrawal of troops from the country fairly soon.
If you think this fact will help the Democrats this fall, keep in mind the fact that no major party leaders have publicly endorsed such a plan.
The plan proposed by Rep. John Murtha (D-Pennsylvania) to do just this was predictably panned by the White House – and also by prominent Democrats like Hillary Clinton who want to look “strong on defense.”
The problem with this strategy is Democrats can never get to the right of the Republicans on defense issues. The best thing they could possibly do is portray themselves as the more restrained and thoughtful version of President Bush’s foreign policy. The best way to achieve this is by advocating a strong and honorable withdrawal from Iraq in short order.
The Democrats’ current strategy of playing both sides and trying to convince people they’re better to run the country despite the lack of a coherent strategy is bound to fail.
If the Democrats want to pick up Congressional seats this year it’s critical that they unify behind a single spokesman with a single message that speaks to the needs and desires of the American people.
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