Friday, August 19, 2005
Where Are The Democrats These Days?
As near as I can tell, they're clustered around Cindy Sheehan, waiting for her to give them direction. (Has anybody heard from Howard Dean lately?)
In all seriousness, Mark Steyn, speaking on the Hugh Hewitt show, nailed the phenomenon (as he often does) with one short sentence:
And the trouble for the Democratic Party is that... the only energy in the party is from the extreme left.Exactly. The mainstream Democrats are fumbling for a message to carry them forward; the only ones with a coherent message are, well, the incoherent ones.
As I've said before, this troubles me. The Republican Party certainly doesn't have all the answers, or even most of them. (I always chuckle when Kim du Toit calls Republicans "the Stupid Party", although he's always quite serious when he says it.) I want the Democratic Party to offer a viable, serious alternative... and they don't.
Here's hoping they wake up soon. Democrats, your country needs you!
UPDATE: Mark Steyn says it again, at greater length, in an editorial for the Chicago Sun-Times. Among other things, he points out the meaninglessness of the "I support the troops, those poor misled innocents" argument:
Ever since America's all-adult, all-volunteer army went into Iraq, the anti-war crowd have made a sustained effort to characterize them as "children." If a 13-year-old wants to have an abortion, that's her decision and her parents shouldn't get a look-in. If a 21-year-old wants to drop to the broadloom in Bill Clinton's Oval Office, she's a grown woman and free to do what she wants. But, if a 22- or 25- or 37-year-old is serving his country overseas, he's a wee "child" who isn't really old enough to know what he's doing.If that sentiment makes sense to you, please feel free to buy a bumper sticker.
As for Mr. Steyn's article: by all means, check it out!
