At yesterday’s Q&A with Democrats Obama delivered a line that should have every Democrat sitting up and taking notice. If you watch the video below one thing stands out – Obama is not laughing.
“There was apparently a headline after the Massachusetts election. The Village Voice announced that Republicans win a 41-59 majority. It’s worth thinking about.”
It is worth thinking about.
That Village Voice headline reinforced a perception – a perception Democrats have done very little to counter. I think the political diversity among Democrats is great. I think the robotic spewing of talking points from Republicans is terrible, but there really isn’t much we can do about that. And while I keep searching for an independent voice among the GOP (not happening, I know) I’m also looking for some cohesive message from the Dems. There should be strength in numbers. That should be a natural advantage, and one, imo, that’s being squandered.
That doesn’t mean embracing Lieberman, Nelson, Lincoln, Bayh, etc. They are on their own, as far as I’m concerned, and if they lose their seats I won’t shed a tear. What it means is that we have to stop taking to our beds every time they say something stupid. Frankly, we are giving them way too much attention, and, in case we haven’t figured it out, attention equals power and endless guest appearances on Hardball and Meet The Press- where they simply get another platform for their positions. And every time these people get access to a microphone the real message is lost to whatever pet issue or slight they want to focus. In essence, they are taking up valuable air time with their whining and faux display of being “reasonable.” And every time they go on TV, they are also taking away time from Dems with something of value to say.
They are helping create the perception the Village Voice put forth. Republicans will be Republicans no matter what. It would be nice if Democrats could be Democrats on key issues.
It’s worth thinking about.