NYTimes: A Party Inverted by Bill Bradley

[OrwellwasRight]

FIVE months after the presidential election Democrats are still pointing fingers at one another and trying to figure out why Republicans won. Was the problem the party's position on social issues or taxes or defense or what? Were there tactical errors made in the conduct of the campaign? Were the right advisers heard? Was the candidate flawed?

Before deciding what Democrats should do now, it's important to see what Republicans have done right over many years. When the Goldwater Republicans lost in 1964, they didn't try to become Democrats. They tried to figure out how to make their own ideas more appealing to the voters. As part of this effort, they turned to Lewis Powell, then a corporate lawyer and soon to become a member of the United States Supreme Court. In 1971 he wrote a landmark memo for the United States Chamber of Commerce in which he advocated a sweeping, coordinated and long-term effort to spread conservative ideas on college campuses, in academic journals and in the news media.

To further the party's ideological and political goals, Republicans in the 1970's and 1980's built a comprehensive structure based on Powell's blueprint. Visualize that structure as a pyramid.

* * *

A party based on charisma has no long-term impact. Think of our last charismatic leader, Bill Clinton. He was president for eight years. He was the first Democrat to be re-elected since Franklin Roosevelt. He was smart, skilled and possessed great energy. But what happened? At the end of his tenure in the most powerful office in the world, there were fewer Democratic governors, fewer Democratic senators, members of Congress and state legislators and a national party that was deep in debt. The president did well. The party did not. Charisma didn't translate into structure.

* * *

Link: http://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/30/opinion/30bradley.html?th&emc=th

I think the tide is finally starting to turn and those within the party who think the answer is to become "Repulican-Lite"
in order to emluate Clinton are starting to be drowned out by the voices of reason, who say we must stand up for, instead of abandon, our core values!!

You go, Bill Bradley!

[FreepFryer]

1. Bill Bradley is a family friend - and sadly, he's too good for D.C.

A Rhodes scholar, it pains me to say it but he's far too intelligent and thoughtful.

[Wright Patman]

2. Only when the ultrarich "leaders"

in both parties realize that the fanatical elements which have taken over the GOP will eventually destroy all wealth or even the capability of accumulating wealth in this country will the Democratic Party ever have a chance to regain control.

Even then, where I live (Bible Belt), being a Democrat is equated with demon possession. I don't see it ever regaining the "brand name appeal" it once had 40 or 50 years ago.

There is a better chance of a "populist" third party candidate (a la Perot) carrying Texas in the future than there would be a Democrat.

[katsy]

4. All one has to do is read the latest poll...

The Dems rate below the gop in congress.

Even when the gop has shot itself in the foot with Schiavo and SS... they still poll better.

That should give the Dems in congress a wake-up call.

[Larkspur]

9. That's because Dems refuse to take a stand based on Dem principles

on issues like Schiavo. Bill Clinton had a lot to do with the weak Dem response to the Schiavo case and to the Repuke reaction to it. He basically told Dems to avoid it.

As long as Dems on the Hill run from fear of the Repuke horde instead of tackling the Beast head on, the Dems overall will poll lower than the GOP.

[OrwellwasRight]

13. Word, Larkspur.

Clinton has no useful advice for us.

[katsy]

16. Running is NOT a strategy.

You would think Dems would know this by now.

[OrwellwasRight]

8. I have to maintain my optimism, though

or else I'd have to slit my wrists.

But seriously, the Republicans turned former yellow-dog Dems. They won the union vote while busting the Air Traffic Controllers Union; they get the poor to support the abolition of the one sure wealth redistribution program in America (the Estate Tax).

If they can steal voters away (getting them to follow leaders whose principles will only make the poor poorer and rich richer), we can steal them back. It has got to be possible, and there are lots of people pointing us in the right direction (Lakoff, Frank, Moveon.org).

I have to believe.

[leveymg]

3. Nothing that hasn't already been said by hundreds of us here at DU.

Why is it all of a sudden news just because a former Senator utters what many of us thrashed out a long time ago. Is someone starting to listen?

Nonetheless, I doubt they'll change the way they recruit party candidates and strategists. That is the rub.

[OrwellwasRight]

5. DUers have thrashed it about,

but there are still many here who think the solution is to drop our support of choice and gun control. I'm just heartened to hear "recognized party leaders" support what many/most of us in the grass roots have been saying. It makes me believe that there is hope that common sense can percolate up from the grass roots. :-)

[leveymg]

6. I think it peculiar that the Dems would want to abandon Choice, perhaps

the strongest issue next to SS in which we have maintained a solid, steady majority of public opinion.

I doubt the party loyalty or intelligence of anyone who suggests we should cave on that one.

[OrwellwasRight]

12. What about

Pelosi backing Roemer for DNC chair or Hilary's new-found urge to "compromise" with anti-choice folks or the latest bit of creeepy news, that the DCCC is looking to back anti-choice candidates in 2006?

[leveymg]

15. You illustrate precisely the problem with the present party leaders

you named. I would add the failure of all of the above to come out and brand the Administration's mishandling of 9/11 and the Iraq war as criminal.

Notice, that's the threshhold. Whoever steps over -- and is willing and able to prosecute the public case against George W. Bush -- will lead the Democratic Party in regaining power in America.

[MsMagnificent]

21. Our position on Choice should be already all over,

in the media, on the DNC website, here, on our personal pages,
EVERYWHERE

It is not even on the Democratic site. Amazing.

The recent "Democratic" response to Reprobates calling use 'baby-killers' and 'in love with death' has been to either run or to advocate taking the same stance as the opposition.

Has it been so long that everyone has forgotten?
Have we built such things as job security, wages, workers rights, etc. so strong and so long that what we now have is assumed as won without struggle, the status quo -- that it all is taken for granted?

On the DNC website the "Headlines" are snarky little snippets against the Republicans,
but made conspicuous by their blatant absence are any statements whatsoever of our own defining principles and philosophies!

What do they PLAN to say, EVENTUALLY?!

HOW LONG do we have to wait until our clear position on Social Security, Woman's Choice, Gay Marriage etc. is disseminated far and wide?!

We still don't have anyone speaking for us, from what I can see --it's the same old vapid vacuum!

In terms of being Pro-Choice, our message and reasoning should be EVERYWHERE, WHY we support a woman's right to choose!
That we DON'T delight in abortion but the historic, unavoidable alternatives are untenable: bloody, high Unnecessary mortality rate; just too damn dangerous!

WHY we do NOT necessarily delight in Gay Marriage, rather we defend their rights just as we would any other American citizen, of any race, creed, gender, or sexual orientation!

These things need to be constantly repeated!
In the meanwhile, in the VOID, our message has become lost!

We somehow think people should automatically know our principles in full... God knows how, OSMOSIS maybe?!
Filing our thoughts in the Collective Unconscious isn't an efficient way of communicating to the general American public!
/my own snark

[OrwellwasRight]

22. Couldn't agree more.

What we stand for may have felt "self-evident" at some point, but even that were true then it is not now.

I think part of it is arrogance, part of it is fear of focus groups, and part of it is the cult of Bill Clinton (that goes a little something like this: he's the only two-term Dem since FDR, therefore his stances --centrist, pro-business, etc.--must be the winning comination, therefore we must eschew our traditional stances of pro-labor, pro-working class, pro-women, etc.

Well, we have no right to be arrogant (our election returns prove that).

We should have no fear of offending anyone (Bush offends us all day, every day, and still performs well in elections -- all fraud aside).

We should eschew the cult of Clinton: going middle is not a viable strategy for us, especially when the middle keeps moving right. It did not work for Gore or Kerry. Clinton was a fluke.

[paineinthearse]

7. CSPAN dedicated 15 minutes to this on Journal

Bill Bradlay :yourock:

[OrwellwasRight]

10. Yeah!!

Were there calls on it? How were they?

[paineinthearse]

14. CSPAN did something different today

15 minutes of Democrats-only, 15 minutes of rethugs-only. I'm going to write to them to express support for this idea.

During the Dems time, the calls were >90% in support of Bradley and grass roots organizing.

Go to www.cspan.org and look at the "open phones" rebroadcast times.

[OrwellwasRight]

19. Thanks! nt.

[Larkspur]

11. I'm glad Bill spoke up about this. It helps Dean's task with rebuilding

the Dem Party. We need more like Bill to speak up.

[paineinthearse]

17. I'm sure it was unintentional

But I cracked up when I read the subject line..." A Party Inverted by Bill Bradley".

...or was this intentional? :)

Watch those dangling participles!

[OrwellwasRight]

20. LOL. Not so much a dangling participle

as missing quotation marks:

"A Party Inverted" by Bill Bradley.

I didn't even see the irony until you pointed it out!

In any case, we need more leaders to repeat this message until it gets into our blood and we eat, sleep, and breathe the "Don't move to the Middle because the Middle just keeps moving Right" mantra.

[salin]

23. lol... I read the title the same way

and wondered, oh my what has the Senator done to invert the Party?

Brought twister to a mixer? ;-)

[Demeter]

18. Sorry, Bill, You Have It Wrong

The GOP has had these ideas for 50+ years, and worked tirelessly to pass them off on the public. But it wasn't until they decided to lie, cheat, steal and commit election fraud that they got anywhere (starting with Gingrich and Reagan). The first attempt--Nixon's Watergate, shocked the old GOP legislators, but the old guard retired and the young punks thought Nixon had the right idea, and here we are, several 'Gates later, with a totally morally and ethically bankrupt country.

The Democratic ideas were once the stuff of civics lessons: Constitution, Bill of Rights, expansion of the franchise to blacks, women, youth, civil rights, etc. And those are still our ideas---time-tested, successful, popular. It is the fraud and abuse that is keeping us in the losing position, not our ideas.

[SpaceBuddy008]

27. Public 'Personas' can't be trusted ..unable to be genuine

rather than someone saying, I'm going to run, now build the campaign

better to have a modest public servant, who is drafted, asked to lead by the grassroots, activists, general populace, somewhat unwilling to be popular, but pressed into service because of example they have set with whatever public service or volunteering they concretely provide

much like the Zapatista's and subcommandante Marco's who is only the 'conduit' representative of an anonymous elder preacher, sage and that is why the face is always covered with a scarf, symbolic of representing everyone, construction worker, waitress, gay, single mother, family, old, young, student, poor from whatever ethnic makeup or spiritual preference.

this 'marketing' of platforms, holding fingers to the wind, is easily seen through and easily exposed by the intelligence and diligence of the New CitizenMedia, The People of The Web, and just plain commonsense of EveryDay Americans who really do have pretty good BS detectors.

it is time for an idea to take leadership positions

we must put an end to 'personality' politics it is too easy for the right wing smear machine to sow discontent and derail

I believe that is why Dean refused to talk to media who would not promise to play the dean scream, and why Kerry is keeping a somewhat low profile, but continuing to steadily do his job, sometimes keeping your powder dry confounds and intimidates the opposition into mistakes and helps build deserved paranoia in people who are not doing the right & just things.

the next campaigns need a number of effective, powerful spokespeople who can defend the progressive positions, as in the Kucinich campaign the commitment and strength of conviction of alot of his supporters were able to hold their own, defending the onslaught of hatchet jobs under taken by Rich peoples attack dogs, info and class guardians -The CorpMedia. holographic approach ? so to speak?

There is one thing stronger than all the armies in the world and that IS an Idea whos Time Has Come...anonymous

and in the environmental demise, toxification of Our Home, the debate will be over, we will have to follow Emergency instructions The Union of Concerned scientists advocated years ago

WE WILL HAVE TO LISTEN TO OUR MOTHER..and do what the Earth tells us to do

you can fool some of the people some of the time
and all of the people.......,

AUTHENTICITY ATTRACTS!

[CTyankee]

24. Excuse me, while I agree with much of what he said

I think Bill Bradley has an "agenda" here. I remember back when he ran in the primaries for president and people said he was "boring." Even people who liked what he was saying. They just didn't think he had enough charisma. I guess he can be forgiven for a little "I told you so."

[iamjoy]

25. I Hope George Soros Reads This

And I hope he has read the George Lakoff book too. Some of what Bradley said went along with the whole framing issue, even though Bradley never directly addressed it.

Now, Soros has money, and I think I heard at one time he said he would spend his entire fortune if it would guarantee Dubya would not be re-elected.

If Soros were to fund a think tank, like the Heritage Foundation only sensible (Liberal), we would have the base of our pyramid. Furthermore, we would have help framing the debate. Maybe our leaders take the cowardly way sometimes because they aren't sure how to make something bad sound good, something Republicans are very, very skilled at doing.

[Larkspur]

26. Bradley's image of the Repukes as a pyramid reminds me of Barad-dur

Sauron's tower. Maybe Dubya is the "Mouth of Sauron."

According to Tolkein, as long as the foundations of Barad-dur were not destroyed, Sauron had a chance to come back and everytime he did, he was stronger than before, and his opponents, due to the toll taken during previous epic battles against Sauron, were weaker.

We must find a way to crack the Republican Reichwing political foundation.