Democrat Problems - Jay Reding

Democrat Problems - Jay Reding has an excellent analysis, I think, of the Democrats' current problem:

The Democrats are doing exactly the opposite of what they should be doing. They're copying the GOP playbook of 1998 by creating a demon figure on the opposition.

Except the problem isn't with the hardcore DNC partisans that this strategy would motivate. The problem is that swing voters are moving towards the GOP. This strategy does nothing to correct that movement. In fact, it will only make it worse.

The Democrats are coming off as a shrill and partisan party with an obssession with the President. In other words, they're coming off as the GOP of the Clinton years. We all know how effective that strategy was back then.

There really doesn't seem to be a Democrat with a coherent vision. Not that that's a bad thing. Or for that matter, not that the current Democrat vision would necessarily sell.

Reding continutes:

If the Democrats want to have a chance in 2004, they need to start becoming an effective minority party. That doesn't merely entail attacking the plans of the majority, it means coming up with better alternatives. However, even if the Dems do come up with viable public policies, their message is going to be lost to the attacks they make on Bush.

Political attacks are only viable when you are confident that you have the ability to gain an edge. This strategy is only going to compound the Democrats problems with swing voters and reduce their viability. Then again, looking at the current makeup of the Democratic Party, having them out of office is probably a good thing for the country.

That's the thing that many of us railed about in '96 - and hope nobody in the DNC's railing about now; Reagan never had to attack anyone. He articulated a vision that Americans wanted to share.

Do the Dems have any such vision?

Posted by Mitch at February 24, 2003 07:34 AM