The Democrats have an image problem, as Dionne writes, but the image problem springs from divisiveness and the lack of any coherent ideological message or policy platform. That divisiveness springs from one main source: Howard Dean. He has spent far too much time railing on about his hatred of "Republicans, and everything they stand for" and not enough time building the kind of relationships with elected party leaders and donors to create a consensus direction for the Democrats. People pointed out this probable result at the time of Dean's appointment as chairman of the DNC, and apparently no one but the DNC is surprised by the result.
Howard Dean will be in Rapid City tomorrow. The Rapid City Journal quoted Donald Carr as saying Dean "connects with the typical South Dakota Democrat." Do the majority of South Dakota Democrats agree that Republicans "are bad for democracy. They are not interested in ideas but interested in power and they are not interested in the best interest of the American people.” (MSNBC’s “Hardball,” 10/6/05)? Or that “[R]epublicans . . . have never made an honest living in their lives.” (DNC Chairman Howard Dean, Remarks At Campaign For America’s Future “Take Back America Conference,” Washington D.C., 6/2/05)? Or “[W]e need to remember that the enemy here is George Bush, not each other.” (CNBC/The Wall Street Journal Democratic Presidential Candidate Debate, New York, NY, 9/25/03)?
Unfortunately for the Democratic party, the only people that have responded favorably to Dean has been the MoveOn.org/Daily Kos/George Soros crowd. Dean recycles the same anti-Bush vitrol that has cost Democrats three successive national elections. His leadership has resulted in a feud between the DNC, DCCC, and DSCC which hurts the chance the Democrats have in the midterm elections. Dean and other party leaders have the same problem: there has been no indication on how they will improve government, foreign relations, and the economy. They're only strategy on the War on Terror is to attack Bush and Republicans. But this isn't going to win the war against Islamic terrorists. We've heard Democrats say time and again that "we can do things better," but they don't elaborate how they would make things better. If they think they can fight the war better, how? National security and the GWOT will remain the biggest election issues for quite some time, and the Democrats have said nothing about security in their "New Direction for America" platform.
I would doubt a majority of South Dakota Democrats "connect" to Dean's philosophy.
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