The Myth of the Republican Beast
The Democrats will need to do a lot better than "not being Republicans" to win the mid-term elections this fall and regain political power.
It would be a perfect world if people were sophisticated enough to organize in their self interest, without having to discuss any issues. Then we could say "join the Democrats the only political party of the people who make less than $100K a year."
Apparently the Republicans have convinced a lot of those $100K and under voters that the GOP is doing something that serves the interest of low and moderate income people.
If the Democrats are unable to seize control of both the Senate and the House in November under the current circumstances, how in God's name are the Democrats supposed to win a presidential election in 2008? The reason why Barak Obama is the future of the Democratic Party is the current gallery of Democrat presidential wannabes are incapable of inspiring anything but great big yawn and a serious case of narcolepsy for the average American voter.
The Democrats should not be counting on John Kerry, Al Gore or even Hillary Clinton to redeem them. Each of those presidential wannabes is already damaged goods and nothing more than a punch-line to a bad Republican joke. Howard Dean has the right idea and that's why the Republicans live in mortal fear of him.
The Democrats worry that Howard Dean is going to scream into a microphone again, when they should be taking screaming lessons from him.
Democratic candidates are at the mercy of whatever mythology the Republicans create about them. Kerry the Flip Flopper, Gore the Father of the Internet, Hillary the Feminazi and Dean the Screamer. It's a big mistake to concede enough territory to allow Republican myths to define Democratic candidates. At least Howard Dean knows the Game and how to play it. If you don't define the rules of the Game, your enemy will do it for you. Dean's answer to the GOP Dean the Insane Screamer characterization of him is: "Screw the Republicans, there are some moral and ethical outrages that are worth screaming about."
If Democrats are unable to define themselves then the Republicans will be more than happy to do that for the Democrats. Dean the Screamer never stuck because Howard Dean is enough of a street fighter to counterpunch and move in close for the knockout punch instead of going to the ropes when he's under attack.
The Democrats should not go into a state of apoplexy when Dean says:
"I hate the Republicans and everything they stand for..."
I know that is strong language for the so-called latte sipping liberals, but relax...it's okay to tell the whole world how you feel about Republicans or turn their own morality on them:
Hypocrisy is a value that I think has been embraced by the Republican Party. We get lectured by people all day long about moral values by people who have their own moral shortcomings
The reason why Howard Dean is the Republican's worst nightmare is he doesn't equvocate or feel any need to apologize for what he says.
Democrats need to get less cerebral and more visceral or else the Game is over for them.
Any student of political warfare knows your opponent is most venerable when he is on the offensive. Republicans get away with saying outrageous things because Democrats allow them enough space to take wild swings at them when a few well placed jabs by the Democrats would place them on the defensive. Already Rove is priming the Heavy Metal Republican Attack Machine to consume any Democrat in its path for the November election.
The Republican Attack Machine is as much of a myth as those War of the Worlds aliens in tripod war machines. Repbulican power is entirely based on the mythology of the ruthless beast they've created. Power is belongs to those who claim it and beast is in the mind of the beholder. It's entirely appropriate for Howard Dean to make a mockery of the Republican beast, because in reality it's a fairy tale spun by the Republican National Committee to silence anyone who disagrees with them.
Any time a Democratic leader like Howard Dean starts saying the right things, his Democratic colleagues should not be falling all over themselves to apologize to the Republicans. Those who apologize for Mr. Dean are the ones who end up looking like bumbling syncophants.
I wasn't even a big fan of Dean until election sham of 2004. Now I think Howard had it right all along. When the Republicans start with their tales of the beast, tell them they're full of shit. It doesn't nessecarily make good presidential timber out of Howard Dean, but his kind of leadership is a start.
As it currently Democrats won't win any elections being spineless obsequious twits. Power never reaches the hands of those who sit and say "Please pass the power." As we used to say in our student radical days: Nobody will give you power, it has to be taken.