That old feeling – Dems could blow a sure thing One of the better lines to come out of Obama-era politics was uttered by Jon Stewart of “The Daily Show” before the 2008 elections. It was late in the race, after it was apparent Bush administration policies had plunged the nation into the second-greatest economic catastrophe in American history. The polls had turned away from John McCain and toward Barack Obama. Progressives, ever pessimistic, felt stirrings of hope. Stewart, speaking to then-Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean, recounted all that. I can’t find his exact words, but they went roughly like this: “It’s looking good. You’re leading in most polls. McCain is dropping. It would almost take an effort to lose…. “So, how’re you gonna do it?” The funniest thing about the line was that it was exactly what many Democrats were thinking: Something is bound to go wrong, some October surprise. What will it be? Is anybody else getting hints of that same feeling now? Not on the surface, probably. The Republicans are in almost comic disarray. The Party of Lockstep, having lost one presidential election and been blasted in the next, is staggering. A recent poll showed that two-thirds of its members agree it has major problems and 59 percent think it should “reconsider some positions.” OK, so they’re less oblivious than they seem. Maybe they can put the wheels back on. But here’s where progressives see a glimmer: 54 percent of Repubs, from the leadership to the last Social Security codger screaming from his Medicare-funded mobility scooter that he doesn’t need government, believe the party needs to veer — wait for it — further right. Shhh. Don’t giggle so they can hear you. These people are buoyed by the likes of Rush Limbaugh, whom they haven’t yet noticed is 0-for-the 21st century in political predictions, and the gaggle of shills at Fox News. Others, backed by talk on the street, common sense and every poll not restricted to the extreme right, believe their party should move “in a more moderate direction.” But since they make up only 40 percent of the total (and less than that of the base), they’re likely to be ignored, at least for one more election cycle. At first glance, then, things look, if not bright, at least undim for Democrats. But … well, Democrats, you know? They just don’t … focus, I guess. Conservatives, especially the fringe, do. They’re scattered now, but faced with the threat of, say, Hillary “Bride of Satan” Clinton in 2016, they could congeal. Most of them that I know, in fact, do want the party to tack to starboard. I’ve talked with people — smart people, people I respect except for their oblivious politics — who think the Republican problem is not the message, but a string of really bad messengers. “You mean,” I asked one Wednesday, “that somebody who’s really charismatic could convince me I’d be better off without Social Security, Medicare, EPA laws, all that stuff you want to get rid of?” “Well, I wouldn’t put it like that….” Soon, though, we’ll see exactly how they do put it. Watch for it. From Corey Farley in the RGJ
Posted on: Mon, 12 Aug 2013 01:34:51 +0000
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