I just finished reading thereisnospoon's
diary from last night, and I wanted to add something to the discussion. It came from Markos, and I think it's relevant.
Markos recently came to Da Ville as part of the Crashing the Gate tour. As part of his talk at the Metro Dem club (which you can watch here), he shared an insight that I think is critical to our success this fall. When I heard it, I said to myself and others, "That's the most important political insight I've heard this spring."
This morning, I shared it with a local candidate, and he agreed. Below the fold, I'll share it with you -- see if you agree as well.
For some time, we've been looking forward in Da Ville to running against Anne Northup in the fall. She is a Republican congresswoman from a majority Democratic city, who has withstood challenger after challenger. "This year," we've been telling each other, "we've got her. We'll just tie Bush, Cheney, and the whole administration around her neck like a bowtie, and ride their dropping poll numbers to a win in November!" And Markos told us: "You're wrong."
Here's the insight that Markos shared, which I find very compelling:
- Don't run against Bush, or even the current administration. They aren't running again. They don't have any elections left.
- And don't run on "incompetence." That gives the right an easy answer, which they're already starting to use -- "Yes, these people were incompetent. Vote for this Republican, because he is competent." And you're back where you started.
- Here's your message:
What you are seeing is the failure of right-wing conservatism. The failures since 2000 are not Bush, or Cheney, or incompetence; they are the logical end result of their philosophy of government. When you vote for people who believe government is the problem, this is the government you get. When you vote for people who believe corporations are more important than people, this is the government you get. If you vote for these people, you will get more of the same. It is time to say, "We tried it, and we don't like it." It is time to stop voting for the right-wing Republican agenda, and start voting for progressives who believe in government of all the people, by all the people, and for all the people.
I'm sure I didn't say it as well as Markos did, which is why I included the link. But the takeaway is simple: if we run just against Bush, they can duck the charge by substituting a "better" candidate. But if we attack their entire philosophy of government, they have nowhere to hide, and we present a clear and compelling alternative.