Dems have no will to win.

[stickdog]

Why would anyone trying to defeat Bush put any faith whatsoever in the same establishment Dems who brought us the Patriot Act, the Iraq quagmire, the Bush tax cuts, the Medicare sellout and the 2002 Congressional election debacle?

http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/NewsStory.aspx?section=Opinion&OID=41212

No will to win?

By BOB HERBERT

The Dems may indeed sink like the Titanic next year. But I don’t think Dean is the problem -- at least, not yet. The problem is the party itself. God and the Republicans have blessed the Democrats with the high ground on one important issue after another, from the war in Iraq to national economic policy to health care to education to the environment.

But like the Union general George McClellan, the Democrats have been too timid to take full advantage. It’s a party for the faint of heart. The Republicans are hijacking elections and redistricting the country and looting the Treasury and ignoring the Constitution and embittering our allies, while the Democrats are -- let’s see, fumbling their way through an incoherent primary season and freaking out over Al Gore’s endorsement of Howard Dean.

One of the reasons Dean is doing so much better at this point than his primary opponents has been his combativeness, his willingness to attack and bluntly confront President Bush and his policies.

“Our leaders have developed a vocabulary which has become meaningless to the American people,” he said in his announcement speech in June. “There is no greater example of this than a self-described conservative Republican president who creates the greatest deficits in the history of America. Or a president who boasts of a Clear Skies Initiative which allows far more pollution into our air. Or a president who coopts from an advocacy organization the phrase ‘No Child Left Behind,’ while paying for irresponsible tax cuts by cutting children’s health care.”

[patricia92243]

1. Good Post - but what can be done to "put a backbone" into the Democrats

[Iverson]

2. as long as you asked ...

Let us assume that "anyone trying to defeat Bush" includes the Democratic Party apparatus.

They would put faith in it for two reasons. One is that the specific examples that you mention are against liberalism. Therefore, they are acceptable. In this view, drifting right forever in a kind of political Zeno's paradox is the only permissible strategy, a mistaken belief that taking kinder, gentler Republican positions will capture the undecided middle.

The second is that since Bill Clinton made it work, it's supposed to work always. Time and reality are frozen.

I don't like it, and I think that it's foolishly counterproductive. Like the war on terrorism, triangulation is a strategy without end. It places tactics over ideas.

[izzie]

6. I still think we should go with our base.

I frankly did not like some of the things Clinton did. One thing he said he would do something with NAFTA and all he did was sign it. I think they should have looked at the working man and not just big business.

[Kolesar]

3. A Philippino news website

Bob Herbert does not speak of my friends who are Democrats.

[Cannikin]

4. I, for one, have a strong desire to win....

Its just a matter of bringing everyone together to focus on the BIG goal.

[oasis]

7. Yes focus on tearing down the Bush Admimistration and not the Democratic

Party "power structure".

[Cheswick2.0]

5. I never though I would say this

Bob Herbert is right. For the reasons he lays out Howard Dean is the best candidate to beat bush. Clark doesn't have a chance. He is too late to the party and too shallow in credentials. The liberals will never get the support they need, sadly. The party regulars Kerry, Gep, Edwards and Lieberman have long since missed the boat (and BTW are wrong about too many issues).
There is a reason Dean is getting the support he does and there is not a damn thing wrong with those reasons. GO DEAN, I couldn't be more optomistic these days.

[edzontar]

8. My sentiments exactly. And I want to WIN!!!

The best day in recent history was when the first Bush gave his concession speech in 1992.

Let's hope for another great day next year.

[CWebster]

9. Shout it from the rooftops!

This is it, plain and simple---the foundation of a Dean candidacy is the revitalization of the Democratic party- a party which speaks up and stands for something again. Bush has gained as much ground as he has due to Democratic party timidity, we will not win against him by backing candidates who demonstrated no challenge to the neo-con agenda, and instead attack their own party's challengers.

[polpilot]

13. I LOVE telling my repub friends that I support Dean. In Dean I FINALLY

have a candidate that I'm not worried about what he will say to the repub whores. It is obvious to everyone on the planet that Howard Dean has NO RESPECT for Chimpy whereas Kerry says Bush is 'a good man trying to do good things'...bizarre and absurd and reminiscent of the Twilight Zone. If you enjoy the way the U.S. is today, if you enjoyed your demo reps position on Iraq, and if you enjoyed your demo reps positions on the tax cuts then Dean is not your man.

Dean '04...

[Bombtrack]

10. No democrat running "brought us" any of those things

[HFishbine]

12. I know you wouldn't make unfounded assumptions

So you certainly have some proof that republicans are "partially" funding Dean's campaign and that Clark is accepting money only from democrats. You can show us that this claim is something other than empty rhetoric, right?

[Scott Lee]

11. There ya go. This has been the core of my support for Dean.

If anyone actualy thinks the appeasing status quo is going to solve our problems, they are living in an alternate universe. One of the top tier reasons I support Dean is that he and he alone seems to have the moxy, the fire and support to pull apart this failing party apparat and make us winners again. A REAL opposition, not the Rose Garden Quisling stuff that hands us more wars and "transfer tubes" rather than more jobs.

If the Democrats manage an election win with the darlings of the status quo, what will be gained? An ego thump? Who cares, in the long run?

"Make way for the new boss....same as the old boss."

[Desertrose]

14. and we have the one candidate that was actually able to vote

and DID VOTE against the republican push to control...the one candidate among ALL of them, who stood his ground and stood up to all of them- repubs and dems alike and people act like he isn't serious & doesn't count...? HUH?!

Dennis Kucinich has been fearless in trying to hold the ground, while candidates like HD can SAY whatever they want to look good in the moment...never mind his record as gov of VT...and the others who voted for IWR, Patriot I & II.....

THIS IS WHY THE DEMS WILL LOSE!
If they choose other than Dennis Kucinich they will be sticking with the same old sh*t and why bother to vote at all.

Wake up people.....you don't like what is in office, I agree- we need a major change...but don't think Dean will be any different.

I feel the flames coming...go for it y'all...but before you light the match...think about what I said...

Peace
DR

[stickdog]

15. I really do appreciate the sentiment. I just think Dennis is too

big of a target to currently take on a monsterously funded righ twing hate machine.

Dean's centrist governing record will help him withstand the type of vicious, scare mongering Repuke attacks that would almost certainly stick to Dennis -- such that Dean's biggest weaknesses in my eyes -- his moderate record -- will really come in handy when it comes to turning the tables on Bush & Rove.