Whether or not you accept the outcome of last week’s election, there can be no doubt that millions of Americans voted for George Bush and other republican candidates. While the voters residing in the upper one- percent tax bracket had something to gain, the great majority voted against their own self-interest. Why? Election fraud and voter suppression theories do nothing to address the number of legitimate votes cast for candidates that did not truly represent the interests of the people.
I agree wholeheartedly that our electoral system is in dire need of reform. Americans should demand a uniform system, safe from partisan influence, in which every vote cast is counted, and in which there can be no doubt in the accuracy of the outcome. Until that system is in place, we need to work within the current framework to produce an incontrovertible margin of victory. This was an attainable goal given the record of the Bush administration’s first term.
To those who would spend the next four years as they did the last, crying foul and lamenting the “hanging chad”: I wish you the best of luck. The Republican Party now has complete control over any legislative or judicial recourse you might seek to attain. The media spin will portray you as sore losers, whiners, and victims, perpetuating the image the right wing has worked tirelessly to bestow upon those with a liberal ideology.
The republicans have been winning elections, not because of touch screen voting machines or Supreme Court decisions, but because they have carefully crafted their message to make themselves out to be populists. They have spared no expense nor wasted any opportunity to present this message. Whether targeting “NASCAR Dads” or “Security Moms”, conservative strategists have portrayed their party as being the only choice for the common folk. This is the first part of the republican strategy.
The second part is the portrayal of liberals as bad. Whether it’s the “Massachusetts liberal elitist” or the “California pot-smoking hippie tree-hugger”, the word “liberal” now carries so much baggage it cannot be used in polite political discourse. With this in mind, we must not don our tie-dyed t-shirts and hit the streets in protest over election results that can not be changed. Nor should we adopt an attitude that the people who voted for Bush are less intelligent or not educated well enough to make the right decision.
Keep in mind, the idea of red states and blue states is divisive. Us versus them. All fifty states were purple, just different shades. The republican strategy depends on division.
To attain a deeper shade of purple in 2008, the left must create a positive vision of unity and a clear agenda for enriching the lives of hard working people everywhere. The language used to describe this vision should be concise and simple. We live in the age of the thirty-second sound bite. The republicans have mastered sound bite politics, and the democrats have not.
It was obvious to all that watched the debates; John Kerry was more intelligent and knowledgeable than Bush on every issue. He won all three contests by unanimous decision. This did not carry over to the general election because intelligence doesn’t necessarily make for an exciting sound bite.
Between now and the 2006 mid-term elections, there is much work to be done. The left is diffused into many noble causes but lacks a uniform message. This message must be crafted carefully and be made as simple and concise as possible. The language used must encompass the broad diversity that makes the Democratic Party so accessible and must seek to unite rather than divide. Instead of gay rights, women’s rights, minority rights, etc., equal rights should be the cause. Most importantly, the message should be positive.
America was founded on principles of truth, liberty, and justice for all. To battle those who would subvert those principles we must meet them on the field they have created and prevail. Meaningful change can only be effected from a position of power. We have come to a vital turning point in American politics and our actions will be measured by the generations to come. If we choose now to be victims, so might we choose that as the fate of our children.
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