The following Broder piece claims that the lack of Dem message isn't the fault of the "leaders" Pelosi and Reid, who are too busy fighting bushco to create messages, but Dean's fault. Even better, he cites that Carville, Shrum and Greenberg have figured out that the public doesn't like bushco but the public doesn't know what the Dems stand for. Of course, the lack of message is Howard's fault - we might as well blame him for ... McGovern? Carter? Dukakis?
Democrats In Need Of Stances, By David S. Broder
Sunday, July 10, 2005; Page B07
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/07/08/AR2005070801691.html
Friends, Americans, Countrymen, there is culture war out there, and it is a war for leadership in the Democratic Party. Are we going to listen to the consultants of yesterday, charlatans who've excelled at staying in charge, at staying in their cushy consultant sinecures, spending billions on losing messages, losing strategies, losing campaigns, losing policies AND losing our opportunity?
After EVERY loss this consultant crowd blames Chicago hippies? the '84 Olympic hockey team? Ailes' Morning in America? Willie Horton? Duke in a tank? Lee Atewater? Harry and Louise? Rush Limbaugh and talk radio? Monica? Nader? 9/11 ? Osama? Swift Boats? The right wing message machine?
How much money have these people made in the last 10, 20, 30 years while directing the Democrats down the drain? They've made a LOT more than the tens of millions who live on less than 35 or 50 or 70 thousand a year, those tens of millions whose health care and pensions and jobs and lifestyles are few paychecks away from falling apart?
This is a culture war. Are we underlings going to continue paying the tab of these political losers? Are we going to continue doorbelling and phone banking and donating so the Shrums and Carvilles and Greenbergs can continue to live large as heads of the
Loser Wing of the Loser Party?
rmm.