In January, the Democratic leaders in Congress, along with several dozen members of the rank and file, gathered in the splendid foyer of the Library of Congress to let loose the opening barrage of a campaign to take control of Congress this November. With the possible exception of the Capitol, no setting in Washington suggests the majesty and antiquity of our form of government more than this domed, pillared, tiled and bemuraled space. As Democratic legislators filecd onto a raised platform, a patriotic march — were those. . .snare drums? — swelled from the wings. To the rear hung two giant American flags and between them a banner, which read, "Honest Leadership, Open Government." One by one, the leaders spoke of how they were saddened, but also outraged, at the Republican "culture of corruption." "We throw the gauntlet down today!" cried Representative Louise Slaughter. At the conclusion of this press event, the legislators formed a tableau intended to evoke glorious moments in the history of the Republic as they stood together to sign a charter known as "The Declaration of Honest Leadership and Open Government."
Cringe if you wish — but didn't this kind of stagecraft work wonders for Newt Gingrich and the Republicans when they assaulted the Democratic bastion in 1994? The Democrats have been trying to recover ever since from that lightning strike, which not only placed both houses in Republican hands but also ushered in the era of conservative supremacy in which we still live. It's true that the Democrats have been vowing to retake Congress every two years, while the Republican majority merely waxes and wanes. But 2006 feels different. What with Iraq, Hurricane Katrina, the Abramoff scandal and an unconvincing economy, President Bush's approval ratings are down in the mid-30's. Even Republican strategists and legislators concede the parallels to 1994 and worry that their party now feels as entrenched and unaccountable as the Democrats did then.
The Democrats are raising money, recruiting candidates and staging coups de théâtre as they have not in years. They're projecting a brawny optimism. But it all seems a little bit brittle. Just because voters have tired of one party doesn't mean they're ready for the other.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/12/magazine/312midterm1_.1.html?_r=1&8hpib&oref=slogin- - -
Did anyone ELSE know the Dems had issued a "Declaration of Honest Leadership and Open Government"? I'm as tuned in as anyone and its news to me. If we can't rev up a message machine to get things like this out, we'll never convey a message of what the party stands for.
Printer-friendly format
Email this thread to a friend
Bookmark this thread
(1000+ posts)
Send PM |
Profile |
Ignore
