I continue to be disgusted with the Democratic Party’s failure to take a strong stand on any issue. Today the Party released the six-point “Democratic Vision:”
It promised:
_Honest and open government;
_Security;
_Energy independence;
_Economic prosperity and educational excellence;
_Expanded health care;
_Retirement security.
Oh my fucking god. That’s all you have to say?
The article points out that this is a starting point, an attempt to reach “the lowest common denominator” first. Uh huh. If you’ve ever had the misfortune of sitting in on an attempt to write a corporate or activist mission statement, you know how easily it can devolve into vapid, vague language like this to achieve in-room consensus. This isn’t crap because it’s a starting point; it’s crap because the Party lacks true vision and can’t help but fall back on empty platitudes.
What about Iraq?
Howard Dean describes the Democratic position on Iraq as “evolving.” Exsqueeze me? We’ve been there a while, dude, and it’s time to take a stand. Either you think we have to follow through with the ill-begotten nationbuilding effort to prevent the country from completely collapsing or you advocate a swift and decisive pull-out. Fear of upsetting a potential voter is the only reason to dodge the issue, but he forgets that checking none of the above will just piss _everybody_ off.
What about the environment?
In 2000, the Democratic presidential candidate won the popular vote _despite_ his views on global warming, which most citizens considered irrational and/or out-and-out wrong. Just six years later, the scientific community takes the global warming threat very seriously and membership in environmental groups is at an all-time high. How is environmental responsibility not at the top of the so-called vision? This isn’t just cowardly, this isn’t just an idiotic way to ignore your base, it’s morally reprehensible.
From these omissions, I can only conclude that the Dems are either in bed with the same unsavory elements pulling the GOP strings or they want to be. And that sucks.
I invite any and all concerned lefties to provide their own six points for a true Democratic Vision. Show ‘em how it’s done.
[...] 2) Politicians need to leave “expert” opinion alone — especially that which turns one into a fucking zombie, although sometimes zombies are cool — and go with their passions. Nonetheless, don’t consider this an endorsement of Gore and/or Democrats. I’m just as disgusted with them — in part for ignoring environmental issues, among others — as anyone else. [...]
[...] To give the envioromentalists at Punk Ass Blog another link today, I have to agree that this new “vision” for the Democrats is maddening in its uselessness and gutlessness. This vision is so weak that you know they’re embarrassed about it, which is why they released it on a weekend. Here’s the big vision: It promised: [...]
Jeebus, that is inexcusably lame. As you pointed out, it sounds exactly like a loaf of crap a corporate committee would crank out — consensus through vapidity. And sure enough, when I read the piece, it was noted that these lame-ass points evolved from focus groups.
Focus groups are all well and good for some tasks, say coming up with a name for a prescription nasal spray (though I must say they missed the mark on Flonase — it connotes some unholy cross between Miracle Whip and snot).
But at any rate, you shouldn’t have to convene focus groups to think up a rejoinder to the unmitigated disaster that is the Bush administration and his disgraced and indicted enablers on Capitol Hill.
The points they raised aren’t bad – they just need to flesh them out more. No wait, I’ll do it for them –- or at least the first few so they can get the drift:
Honest and open government: Tired of subsidizing corporations that subvert your democracy, take your jobs offshore and destroy your communities? Vote for us and we’ll enact real reform so that the bastards who are ripping you off will go to jail and you can be assured that your congresscritter is serving your interests rather than Halliburton’s.
Security: Is the war in Iraq making you safer? Do you think it’s a crock that Osama bin Laden is still on the loose while the government wastes millions of dollars trying to pin 9/11 on a kook like Moussaoui, who is clearly too addled to organize the takeover of a rural peanut stand, much less a jetliner? Put us in charge, and we will restore America’s good name in the world so that we can work with our allies and the international community to address the serious challenges we face at home and abroad.
Energy independence: Did you happen to catch the comments last Friday from the Iranian president, Mr. Ahmedinejad? He’s really happy that we’re paying $74 a barrel for oil. He is fortunate in his enemies, because thanks to the Bush administration’s mendacity and stupidity on the Iraqi WMD issue, the rest of the world thinks we’re just as nuts as the mullahs, and there’s no way they’ll stick their necks out to sanction Iran. So Mr. Ahmedinejad will keep enriching uranium, and since there has been absolutely no serious effort to conserve energy or find alternative fuels, our demand for oil will keep enriching HIM. Vote for us, and we’ll put American ingenuity to work to find alternatives. We’ll make conserving energy the patriotic thing to do. We have the technology and means right now to reduce consumption dramatically. And we don’t care if Exxon doesn’t like it.
For some reason, other than Pandagon kindly linking to us and calling out the Dems in solidarity, no one in the blogosphere seems interested in chastising the DNC for its utterly empty “Democratic Vision.” Hell, Daily Kos pats them on the back for this inanity and says this “shatters the myth that Democrats don’t have any ideas.”
[slamming head on desk]
Fortunately, Betty, you and the blog commenters in the Pandaverse seem righteously indignant. I can only hope at some point that the rest of the left-wing blogosphere will stop accepting D-grade politicking and demand that their Party say something concrete for a change.
I’m sorry, Kos-ers, but if “security” and “economic independence” qualify as ideas, perhaps the party could go even broader in its attempt to please all of the people all of the time. We could offer the following six visionary points:
_Good over evil
_Happiness
_Wealth
_Freedom
_Rainbows
_Unicorns
Who the fuck would vote anti-unicorn?
Oh, and sunshine and puppies too! That should do it.
A bold new stance for nice things, and anti-unpleasant things. I like it-that should resonate with a lot of people.
We’ll need an important wedge issue, though, if we want to play the game like it needs to be played. Something important, something that affects the lives of all Americans.
Coke vs Pepsi? Butter vs cheddar-flavored popcorn? Denim vs khaki? Colby vs colby-jack? Spears vs Simpson? Jennifer vs Angelina? The possibilites are endless.
[...] Okay, assuming “never” means since 1982. Still, they’re down for the count, and based on their empty six-point vision statement, I’d say the Democrats think like this guy: Nothing Republicans do between now and the November elections will stop the massive losses that await them at the polls. With President Bush unpopular with Republicans and Democrats alike, the prodigious campaigning he did in 2002 will not be repeated in 2006. [...]
Kos is now one of the party insiders, or well on his way into becoming one. Expecting him to treat the Democratic Six Point Plan on Unicorns and Rainbows and Kitties and Puppies as the crap it is like expecting him to apologize to all those feminist ’special intrests’ that he dissed.
It’s really not all that hard, folks. Even the frickin’ Greens have a mutli-point plan that they’ve stuck to for at least 4 years – The Ten Key Values.
[...] If one of us can articulate a simple set of tangible values the Democrats shouldn’t find it so impossible. We know they are ignoring us while they spew platitudes designed to appeal to the largest possible focus group but I fail so see how that has increased Democratic formidability. [...]
[...] I’ve said it and said it and said it. [...]