I have been accused in private conversation and in message board discussions of being an "ideologue" for a variety of positions I hold: opposition to the War in Iraq, a die hard belief in free speech and the 1st Amendment, a belief in a woman's reproductive rights, a belief in a right to privacy, a belief that the death penalty is costly, a non deterrant and immoral, and a belief that although we certainly have a right to bear arms (a right I have exercised my entire life, by the way) this right in no way means anyone should be able to purchase automatic or semi-automatic weaponry at anytime they choose.
You might recognize me from that very brief list of high level political beliefs - I may be a lot like you - a common cloth liberal Democrat. Now I look at that list (and analyze some of my more deeply held beliefs and positions on policy) and for the life of me I can't see the ideology there. I see a heck of a lot of practicality, common sense, admiration for the US Constitution and every day ethics/morality in my beliefs - but ideology? Nah. And yet Chris Matthews and Don Imus and David Brooks and Christopher Hitchens and Tim Russert and all of FOX "News" and all of the other whores who shill for the Admin whilst posing as "the media" think I am an ideologue.
Let's get one thing straight: the current incarnation of the Republican Party is the most ideologically driven movement in American politics since the Red Scare of the 40s and 50s. The current incarnation of the Democratic Party is quite simply a group of pragmatic realists - if they were just given the chance to roll up their sleeves and get to work for America, that is. However, the GOP, as an ideologically driven behemoth, MUST cast Democrats as equally ideologically driven. Take the classic "Big Government" issue. Now, anyone who has lived through Nixon, Reagan, Bush I and II understand the GOP mantra of being against Big Government is a load of self serving horse hockey. No need to get into numbers here - we all know the size of our government is massive. But, the GOP has been able to claim this false mantle of being opposed to big government while AT THE SAME TIME painting the Democratic Party as being addicted to huge government. Bill Clinton said it best I think (and I paraphrase): "Its not the size of the government that matters - its the EFFECTIVENESS of the government." Republicans claim they want to shrink the size of government to where you could "drown it in the bathtub" (of course, Republican presidents simply grow the size of the Federal government - often exponentially). Why this obsession with "small" government? Is it a tax thing? Well, yeah - sure. But that's too obvious. Its best to cast this belief into a sort of philosophy - an "ideology" if you will. Something like: "with a small government unable to interfere in and run people's lives, folks will be less reliant on government to solve their problems. This in turn will create subsequent generations of Americans who will be hardier and more able to survive their own problems." It will also keep people locked into a permamnent class system, unable to become upwardly mobile etc. But hey! At least our taxes will be wicked low!
Democrats are just practical folk who when recognizing a problem want to fix it. We don't care if the government is big or small - just as long as it works. Let's take taxes, for instance. The GOP will and has attempted to portray the Democrat's attitude about taxes as being an ideological stance: addicted to Big Government we need a highly taxed populace to fund our special interest projects like giving artists grants to place a Christian cross in piss or promoting a homosexual lifestyle. That sorta stuff. And what is the ideology behind the GOP's love of no taxes? Well - greed, duh. But they'll blather on about supply side economics, trickle down, capital investment etc. Some of the more radical ones will talk as if they are still fighting the Revolutionary War - you know, rebelling against that bad bad government and all of their mean taxes. Psst - here's a little history lesson, GoOPers: we fought that war for no taxation WITHOUT REPRESENTATION. Guess what, Mr Norquist? You've got representation!! Shut the hell up!
Dems don't look at taxes that way. If they are too low and the Treasury ain't taking in quite enough to cover the outlay, then let's simply raise some taxes here and there. If we're fat, let's cut 'em. Tinker with the code - create an empowerment zone etc etc. Get creative. Use taxes to fund the treasury and to spur investment. You get the drift. This is just roll up your shirt sleeves practicallity. There is no "hidden agenda" as there is behind so much of the GOP's platform issues.
There is an ideological rationale behind much of the GOP's positions. A Democratic President would have invaded Iraq if there were WMDs in that country, for sure. That's a pretty damned practical solution. A Republican President will use false info about WMDs to justify his neo-con ideology of bringing Democracy to the Middle East (read that as: creating an American military presence in the Middle East) and thus creating a glorious domino effect of democracy taking root all over the region. Plus we get to have a few fighter jet bases there, too. Don't forget that. Take Social Security: the GOP's ideology demands that we trash this program because we can't have the Wicked Big Huge Government holding our hands and funding our retirements. And besides, its Socialism. That's bad. Dems of course view the Social Security fund as - here's that word again - a practical necessity in today's complex times. You pay into the fund most of you life and you expect to draw from that fund towards the end of said life. And that ain't Socialism, bubba. That is simply investing in your future. We don't need to throw big -ism words at a simple retirement fund, now do we? And who do we need to manage and grow that fund? Do we need a bunch of ideology driven freakbags putting their mitts all over it? Nope - we need - yup, you got it - practical minded pragmatists with their shirt sleeves rolled up attacking the problems as they arise and getting to a solution without a bunch of abstract ideology and faux philosophy mucking everything up.
I know there is a lot of worry about "what do the Democrats stand for" and "what is the Democratic alternative plan" etc etc. Well, since we are shut out of the government at all levels I gotta tell ya - why on Earth would a Dem stick his or her neck out on how to fix one of a dozen utter fuck ups from this Admin - an Admim that doesn't offer too much in the way of what's going on behind the curtain, by the way.
Do we need a meme? Do we need something to frame? Well I am convinced this is that frame - the GOP is driven by false ideology and will create policy based on abstract ideological justifications and will pursue failed policy to no end as long as it fits their precious ideaological viewpoint. And the Dems are quite simply the "smart kids," the hardworking wonks who roll up the sleeves, pull out the pocket protectors and get things fixed. Democrats DO NOT hammer square pegged ideologies into the round holes of reality. You can bank on that - its why we exist as a party.
Now go out and incessantly repeat this to your apathetic, uninformed, unconvinced or on the fence friends and acquaintences.