Two Electoral Thoughts

7:06 pm EST June 7th, 2006 | Politics | 7 Comments

Until the Democratic party can come up with a coherent message on Iraq (rather than leaving it up to individual candidates) and until the candidates we feel are aware of the media environment they inhabit and how to work within it – this fall’s election will be a status quo affair (though Santorum will likely lose to Casey in PA).

It took losing an election for Al Gore and John Kerry to be aware of the environment they’re working in media-wise, will it take another election-day drubbing for the next Democratic presidential candidate to get it? For all my reservations about Sen. Clinton, she’s the one person currently in the Democratic field who gets that, and its because of what the right wing and mainstream press did to her and her family why she understands.

And this will probably not add anyone to my already small fan club, but what exactly is the victory in a Democrat winning a Democratic primary? I sure want Jon Tester to knock off Conrad Burns, but sheesh, come on.

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7 Responses to “Two Electoral Thoughts”

  1. Bill L. says:
    June 8, 2006 at 1:06 am

    It’s the kind of democrat that won that’s important, or at least that’s what I take away from the link. The push against Washington politics is going to have to include giving the boot to the insulated “centrism” loving candidates that are so adept at bending over at that slightest shift in the polls and handily snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. Yes there needs to be some balance restored to Congress, thus making the major issue at hand putting democratic faces in republican seats, but it also means putting, hopefully, the right democrats in place. More Lieberman’s we don’t need.

    As for Hillary “getting it,” I would argue that the only thing she’s gotten is that the only way to beat Republicans is to become them. Granted, she really has nothing to lose by tacking right. It’s not like, come election day, those liberals she has infuriated with her faux makeover as “hawkish Hillary” won’t vote for her when faced with the Republican alternative. Unfortunately, I think she is so transparently pandering that many moderates on the Right who might otherwise cross the line and vote democrat in 2008 just to give the Republicans a much needed slap will pull back and vote the party line. Honestly, the lesson the Dems need to learn from Bill Clinton is that for many voters it is often the politician and not the policy. Hillary just ain’t that well liked (and honestly, rightly so, given her lack of intestinal fortitude on so many issues). Maybe I’m wrong and she’ll play the anyone-but-a-republican-historic-first-female-president-I-can-kill-brown foreigners-and-squash-civil-rights-as-well-as-any-right-wing-male-don’t-forget you-liked-my-husband vote just right and take the prize. It certainly seems like we are going to find out.

  2. SaveFarris says:
    June 8, 2006 at 8:06 am

    When you’re 0-19 going in, you’re going to take any win you can get!

  3. Jay C says:
    June 8, 2006 at 9:06 am

    It took losing an election for Al Gore and John Kerry to be aware of the environment they re working in media-wise

    THEY DIDN’T LOSE!!! THE ELECTIONS WERE STOLEN!!!!
    :)

  4. Vogelfrei says:
    June 8, 2006 at 9:06 am

    The victory is in a candidate from the democratic wing of the party winning the Democratic primary.

    (And Bill, Tester’s opponent John Morrison is no Lieberman, but he’s definitely a Baucus.)

  5. qkslvr_wolf says:
    June 8, 2006 at 9:06 am

    Glad you’ve seen the light. I trust you’ll be demanding diebold fix the numerous security holes that have been found and covered up with lawsuits?

  6. briffy says:
    June 8, 2006 at 3:06 pm

    the iraqi issue is a mess for the democrats. best thing to do is nominate a candidate who doesn’t have to explain his vote on the war resolution. That would make warner the best candidate.

  7. Bushwacked says:
    June 9, 2006 at 8:06 pm

    briff, that’s the problem with Hillary. She is the media’s darling for the democratic nomination, however some of her positions are not attractive to a lot of democrats. I’ve only heard Warner once on CSPAN but was impressed with his clarity on the issues and he seems to be comfortable in his skin, something that seemed to plague Kerry and Gore. A lot of that was promulgated by the MSM. Unfortunately for democrats, with all of the other shortcomings of GWB, he does not seem to have that problem.