Ripley, at zen cabin, did some research on BYU connections to the Bush Administration in the wake of D. Kyle Sampson's appointment to be Chief of Staff at DOJ. "Hmm..."
I see what you mean about building a coalition. It often seems to me like the Dems right now are just thinking: well Bush's numbers are so low.. people will vote Democrat by default.
That might not be the case. Even though people who would typically support a conservative president are upset with Bush.. that doesn't necessarily mean that Democrats now look appealing to them. People may still vote according to how they feel a given party supports their values. If people think that voting for a Democrat means supporting a candidate who encourages “killing babies,” then despite the tragedy that is the Bush administration, this person is still likely to think that their Republican choice is still the lesser of two evils. I guess I’m digressing into Lakoff territory..
But ultimately, I agree in the sense that we should embrace our coalition. Our leaders should speak up about the injustices done to those who yearn to be apart of a progressive movement (and the Democratic party in general).. regardless of how bigots view them (or us, I should say). Let’s take a stance!
(ok this is the 4th time I’ve broken my supposed break from political blogging, I swear, I'm still on break!)
I was really struck by this photo , which graced the cover of Tuesday's New York Times, showing Ariel Sharon, Condoleeza Rice and James Baker attending a memorial of the late Yitzhak Rabin in Israel. There's something in that picture...in Rice's face, jaw set, eyes hidden behind rockstar sunglasses...and how she is flanked on either side by two men who've played hard-ball power politics for decades: Ariel Sharon, peering beneath his furrowed brow and, always conscious he is being observed, gesturing and thinking...and James Baker, completely hidden behind a permanent dimplomatic mask, an impenetrable sphinx. Of course, that photo sends a powerful message to the world. Rice was in Israel to do serious business . The fact that she brought Baker with her meant that the full weight of the U.S. military-industrial complex... the old guard ...was with her. That trip to Israel was important; and I would guess that U.S. plans and actions regarding Syria were part of that
I've spent the last 24 hours reading as the fires ignited by Nobel laureate James Watson have spurred hundreds of racist comments on message boards across the world . The racial views espoused by Watson are not simply pernicious, they are unamerican. The premise that you could walk out your door in the United States and make the claim, with a straight face and in a public place, that you presume that someone is less intelligent than you because of the color of their skin or ethnic background is abhorrent. Watson claims that everyone with Black employees “knows that they are not the equals of Whites” and, somehow, that is supposed to be acceptable? We are supposed to take him seriously…as a scientist? I don’t think so. Watson is about to lose his job and what was left of his reputation. The equality of every citizen, respect for each other including our differences and a sense of the potential inherent in each and every citizen, especially our children, is essential to what it m
From where I stand, it is encouraging to read essays expressing creative and critical ways to think about Democratic strategy in what is shaping up to be a significant election year. Thereisnospoon has served up another solid challenge (always welcome) to Democratic assumptions...and bmaples addendem to that diary (including a nice summary of some thoughts from Markos) extended the idea of a "broad assault" on conservatism that I (with many others) advocated in the wake of Katrina with flipping the rock . What I'd like to do with this essay is adapt a paradigm from the world of business strategy that I think applies to the Democratic party in 2006. I think you'll find these ideas dovetail with the above essays, and, I hope, will prove useful tools for thinking about Democratic strategy in 2006... Dudley Lynch's 1989 book Strategy of the Dolphin: Scoring a Win in a Chaotic World divided business strategy into three competing paradigms: that of Sharks, that
Comments
"What is our coaltion" at MyDD.
I see what you mean about building a coalition. It often seems to me like the Dems right now are just thinking: well Bush's numbers are so low.. people will vote Democrat by default.
That might not be the case. Even though people who would typically support a conservative president are upset with Bush.. that doesn't necessarily mean that Democrats now look appealing to them. People may still vote according to how they feel a given party supports their values. If people think that voting for a Democrat means supporting a candidate who encourages “killing babies,” then despite the tragedy that is the Bush administration, this person is still likely to think that their Republican choice is still the lesser of two evils. I guess I’m digressing into Lakoff territory..
But ultimately, I agree in the sense that we should embrace our coalition. Our leaders should speak up about the injustices done to those who yearn to be apart of a progressive movement (and the Democratic party in general).. regardless of how bigots view them (or us, I should say). Let’s take a stance!
(ok this is the 4th time I’ve broken my supposed break from political blogging, I swear, I'm still on break!)