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Jolie Rouge · 01-26-2005, 11:13 AM

Can The Democrats Resurrect Themselves?
by Gary D. Halbert
January 25, 2005

Even the staunchest of Democrats will admit that their party is currently in disarray. President Bush defeated John Kerry by over 3½ million votes. Republicans, already in the majority in Congress, picked up additional seats in both the Senate and the House of Representatives in last November’s elections. It was not pretty for the Democrats.

Now the party of FDR is trying to figure out how to resurrect itself. Do they move further to the liberal left as Howard Dean, Ted Kennedy and the Hollywood elite would prefer? Or do they move toward the center where you find Senator Joe Lieberman? Powerful forces on both sides are trying to gain control, and it will be very interesting to watch the battle over who becomes the next chairman of the Democratic National Committee.

Perhaps the biggest question is where do the Clintons fit into this picture. Clearly, the Clintons want to retain control over the party, but their guy – Terry McAuliffe – has been a disaster for the Democrats. He’s stepping down even as everyone expects Hillary to make a run for president in 2008. So it’s no surprise that there’s a real battle brewing over who will be the next DNC chairman.

Since the major investment markets are still floundering to find direction, I thought this week would be a good time to get back to one of my favorite topics – politics – which I haven’t written about since before the election. I asked my conservative colleague Spencer Wright – a political junkie if ever there was one – to write me a piece on what it would take for the Democrats to resurrect themselves. Here are his thoughts.

How To Fix The Democratic Party
by Spencer Wright

“This just in: The Democratic Party is a smoldering wreck, a shadow of its former self. It is clear to me, as I hope it is clear to the powers that be in the DNC, that the Democrats are at risk of remaining the political underclass for the next two decades and perhaps more.

At Gary’s request, I will attempt in this article to genuinely point out the Democrats’ problems and what they need to do to fix them and get back on track. Some of you no doubt will ask, “Since you are a conservative, why do you care? Isn’t this good news?” My answer may shock you. Yes, I am a conservative and no, this isn’t good news. America works best when there is real and substantive debate. Very few answers are found solely on the right or solely the left.

The once powerful Democratic Party is clinging to past glories and ignoring present realities. Over the last 160 years the Democratic Party has literally changed the world in some noble and spectacular ways. From the tenacity of Andrew Jackson and James K. Polk, to the courage and steadfastness of FDR and Harry Truman, to the vision of John F. Kennedy, a Democrat can look back with pride. Yet considering the direction in which today’s Democrats seem to be moving, these men may as well have lived a thousand years ago.

Think Big & Get Serious

Former Reagan speechwriter and advisor, Peggy Noonan, recently wrote a column entitled “If I Were a Democrat, Here’s What I Would Do.” I am a big fan of Noonan, and I think she hit the nail on the head with several points in her column. I will summarize some of Noonan’s advice to the Democrats, and offer some of my own in this week’s E-Letter.

The first thing Noonan advises the Democrats to do is “…think big and get serious.” This is absolutely correct. The Democrats are a fractured party with fractured issues. They no longer have any grand over-arching themes and are therefore losing their national identity.

If I were to ask you what the Democrats stand for, many of you might say bigger government and higher taxes. This is the image many Americans have of the Democrats. But these are two issues which simply rub the public the wrong way. As Peggy Noonan suggests, the Democrats have to be bold and think bigger than that if they are to regain power.

Here’s an idea. Why doesn’t the party that created Social Security step forward and propose big ideas to fix it? Stop denying that there is no Social Security crisis looming. You know there is. Stop criticizing President Bush for his ideas until you go bold and suggest some of your own. You do have some ideas, don’t you?

Minority leader Harry Reid should be in the well of the Senate pressing the idea that Democrats created Social Security and Democrats will play a major role in fixing it. Is that so hard? This isn’t caving in to the Republicans or the president. The Dems don’t have to rubberstamp Bush’s ideas. They need to come up with some of their own, big ones at that.

A Fresh New Face At The DNC

In her recent column, Noonan wrote, “No one wants to be head of the Democratic National Committee.” Actually, that’s not true – there are several Democrats who want to head the DNC. The problem is that no one of serious stature wants to be head of the DNC, unless you consider Howard Dean such a person. And some Democrats do, especially those who believe the party must veer to the far left to get back into power.

Don’t allow the vocal liberal minority to steer your party over a cliff. The Clintons’ man, Terry McAuliffe, was a great fundraiser but he was a disaster for the DNC in terms of victories. Howard Dean would be even worse. He lacks McAuliffe’s strengths and multiplies his weaknesses. Howard Dean is a ticket to nowhere. Don’t buy it. You need a new image, one of strength and character. A respected and capable spokesperson goes a long way.

While resisting the far left in your party, you also have to deal with the Clintons. Once again, they are trying to hand pick the next DNC chairman. They want someone at the DNC who will support Hillary in 2008. It has been widely reported that they asked Bill Clinton’s former chief of staff, Erskine Bowles, to take the job. They also reportedly asked Harold Ickies, former Clinton deputy chief of staff, to head the DNC. Apparently, both have declined.

My advice is not to elect Howard Dean. Move beyond the Clinton grasp - you don’t owe them anything. Take a chance on a fresh face. You need someone who can convey your new, bold initiatives with the courage of his/her convictions.

Turn Away From The Ultra-Left 527 Groups

All political parties have special interest groups and single-issue groups that embarrass them at one time or another. In the case of the Democratic Party, these 527 groups are hugely funded, very well organized and are moving ever closer to complete control of the party apparatus. Yet only those on the left fringe of your party endorse these groups. They certainly don’t reflect mainstream American values. You need to stop them. Peggy Noonan writes:

Quote:

The [527] Groups – all left-wing outfits from the abortion people to the enviros – didn’t deliver in the last election, and not because they didn’t try. They worked their hearts out. But they had no one to deliver. They had only money. The secret: Nobody likes them. Nobody! No matter how you feel about abortion, no one likes pro-abortion fanatics; no one likes mad scientists who cook environmental data. Or rather only rich and creepy people like them. Stand up to the Groups--make your policies more moderate, more nuanced, less knee-jerk.

Yes, that means you need to move to the center. You can do it confidently and boldly. You don’t need these groups. Most of the liberal 527 groups spew hatred and bile and deceit; they are everything that is wrong with the process. You are better than that. Rise above it and stop pandering to your lowest common denominator.