The Workday Liberal

Whenever I hear/read/see, etc... the oft repeated canard that Democrats have some sort of need to present a unified message, and that until we do so we can not win elections, I feel my blood pressure rising. Why the party who has (to paraphrase Jon Stewart) 3% of the power with 49% of the vote, should have to be the guiding light for America out of the pit the Republicans have led us into really is baffling. It's like saying "I can't imagine things getting much worse than where we have been led by the Republicans, but I'm gonna keep on voting for them because the Dems don't have a plan!" This makes as much sense as not evacuating of a burning house because you have yet to arrange housing after you move.

But for the sake of this post, let me concede the point. Just for the next few minutes let me agree that a unified message detailing a parties plans while governing is important. Let me ask you... what exactly is the message of the Republican party?

It used to be that the message was President Bush can do no wrong, so if he wants to do it, we'll go along with him. Politically speaking, that was fine as long as the President was riding high in the polls. But as his popularity has slipped away, is that really a message that can be counted on to help Republicans keep their grip on uncontested power? I for one don't think so.

What is the Republican message, if they can no longer be politically viable with blind allegiance to their floundering President? Their message boils down to an overdriving need to keep the reins of power in order to protect a Presidency that the public overwhelmingly feels is a failure. They can not turn away from the policies of the President. To do so would be to admit that Democrats are right. In that case, why vote for a Republican who disagrees on the occasional issue with the White House but votes for 90% of the rest of the Republican agenda? You can vote for someone who will disagree with just about everything the President is doing, and by gum we can see what a mess he's gotten us into!

You think Democrats need a message... think about the burden of the message that Republicans have to carry into the midterms!

As far as it goes, if the Democrats do need a message, lets be honest with ourselves. George Bush is President. Democrats in Congress are not going to be able to push their agenda around with Bush riding herd. Why then ought Democrats pretend that if we are elected we will then be able to lead the nation from our current straits?

This then ought to be our message: "Elect us to put a rein on President Bush's failure of a Presidency." This type of message diametrically opposes the default Republican message of trying to protect Bush. With these competing messages the debate is nationalized and focused on one of the least popular Presidents in American history. That my friends would be a recipe for a tidal wave victory for Dems in the midterms, in my humble opinion.

So the next time someone asks you what the Democrats message for the midterms is, ask them what message the Republicans are taking out there!