Jon Carroll has some ideas for the Democrats

[omega minimo]

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2005/09/27/DDGRQE2SBL1.DTL

Jon Carroll has some ideas for the Democratic Party.

Common-wo/man, common-sensical type stuff-- things that might work for DU.

Some gems:

"Democrats stand for a vision to be named later."

--All the folks complaining (on DU!) about Democrats not being on message enough, let's get cracking! Spill it. Watchagot? Ideas?

"Poverty was not a secret before Hurricane Katrina hit."

--What other issues are we ignoring while we quibble over whether "Cindy is helping or not"?

"In the last election, when the Swift Boat Veterans for I'm-With-Stupid started their well-financed reputation-smashing campaign, the Democrats should have appointed one politician as Authorized Bull Catcher."

--Authorized Bull Catapultor is what the Newandimproved Karen Hughes AmbASSadorship is about, in't it?

"But please, let us disagree about real things, about real policies and real ideas and real solutions."

--But please DU, let us disagree about real things, about real policies and real ideas and real solutions. (Unless we're in the Lounge)

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JON CARROLL
Tuesday, September 27, 2005

But it's typical. The party of Franklin Roosevelt and Lyndon Johnson is back on its heels. It is reacting rather than acting. It is getting sucked into pointless debates. It is providing zero leadership. Some individuals within the party are trying -- hello, John Edwards -- but there's no vision. What do Democrats believe? Well, you know what Republicans believe. Well, Democrats believe the other thing. Democrats stand for a vision to be named later.

Poverty was not a secret before Hurricane Katrina hit. The plight of inner-city African Americans was not a secret before the storm hit. If Democrats had wanted an issue, that was always there. If Democrats wanted to stay on message, there was that message. It's not the only possible message, but it's a pretty good one -- and it's a message that reaches across ideological lines to the so-called "values voters."

<snip>

In the last election, when the Swift Boat Veterans for I'm-With-Stupid started their well-financed reputation-smashing campaign, the Democrats should have appointed one politician as Authorized Bull Catcher. Every Democratic candidate would refer all rumors, allegations, thunderings, rumblings and billingsgate to the Bull Catcher. The Bull Catcher would hold eight-hour news conferences every day and keep talking until everyone walked away. Meanwhile, the candidates would insist on talking about poverty and racial justice and the benefits of peace over war. (In peace: less killing. You'd think that would be a selling point.)

<snip>

I don't think the Democratic Party should be another talking-points-generating engine, as the Republican Party is. Democrats are always going to disagree; it's a good thing. But please, let us disagree about real things, about real policies and real ideas and real solutions. And, seriously, the Democrats really should find a candidate who's a uniter, not a divider. That job is definitely still open.
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