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REPUBLICAN 2002 VICTORIES CONFIRM DEMOCRATS
SUCCESS AND THE END OF THE ‘SOLID SOUTH’! (PLUS – TEN THINGS
DEMOCRATS SHOULD FACE!)
FIRST, TENNESSEE
TENNESSEE in 2002 elected Lamar Alexander (R)
U. S. Senator, Phil Bredesen (D) Governor. Tennessee in 2002
elected two new members of congress, Marsha Blackburn (R-7th
District) and Lincoln Davis (D-4th District), a net gain
of one Democrat congressional representative.
THE REALITY OF SOUTHERN POLITICS
The Solid South is no more. While it currently
leans Republican, it is not totally in either camp. The South leans
conservative but still has human soul. It can go either way. The
militants in both parties do not understand and their strategies
overall do not work. The militants can win some districts and can
swing close races, but if their policies are implemented, the South,
either direction, will go the other way.
(Side Note on Al Gore: The difficulty for Al
Gore was that he could not campaign in Tennessee the same was he
does nationally. Lincoln Davis and Phil Bredesen showed how to be
Democrats and win in Tennessee. Can Gore ever do that? Al Gore
should spend the next years clarifying his soul and then campaign
based on the clarification.)
REPUBLICAN VICTORIES CONFIRM 80 YEARS OF
DEMOCRAT SUCCESSES.
(First the essential disclaimer. Yes Ronald
Reagan took us to home plate on the Cold War. Moderate Republicans
were essential for Civil Rights passage back when Segregationists
were Democrats. Richard Nixon gave us the E.P.A. But, overall,
much of the last century (civil rights, women’s rights, labor
issues, public education, Social Security, Medicare-Medicaid, etc)
belonged to the Democrats.
Democrats in 2002 reflected the status of any
successful business or organization. The causes and rhetoric that
got you to the top cannot keep you there. It is always a different
world. Democrats seem lost because they are living in the past. It
is time to move on. Warning: the biggest obstacle will be the
people who made the Democrats what they are today.
Totally unsolicited, here are the
recommendations.
DEMOCRATS MUST. . .
BE HONEST
*It is not 1930, 1950 or 1960 on any issue
(voting rights, segregation, women’s rights, abortion, labor,
foreign policy, poverty, etc., etc., etc.) Admit it! There is no
problem in acknowledging progress. Admit it’s a different world, a
better country, and if you are a Democrat take credit for helping
make the changes.
FIND NEW LANGUAGE
*Since its 2002 and not 1952, 1962 or 1932 quit
using the same rhetoric. It’s not applicable and rings hollow to
everyone but you!!!
EXPAND THE BASE OF SUPPORT
*Keep going back to the same sources for
revenue and you will continue to be hooked on losing causes.
10 FACTS DEMOCRATS SHOULD FACE:
1. REPUBLICANS MAY HAVE FOUGHT PROGRESS, BUT
THEY HAVE CONVINCED GROWING NUMBERS THAT THEY CAN BETTER MANAGE IT.
*Yes, Democrats, we know you gave us Social
Security, Labor reform, Civil Rights, Medicare-Medicaid, etc. But
now we don’t know that you are the best at preserving and protecting
it and this nation.
*And now that we have Social Security, Labor
reform, Civil Rights, Medicare-Medicaid, Republicans accept it,
govern with it and still call themselves “conservative.” (That may
be somewhat dishonest. But the context has shifted and you,
Democrats, are being outflanked.)
2. WHILE THERE ARE RICH REPUBLICANS,
REPUBLICANS ARE NO LONGER THE PARTY OF THE RICH
*Keep trying the class warfare of the last
century and you will lose this one.
3. THE NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION IS A
TEACHERS UNION and not the only voice (and sometimes not the best
voice) for education improvement.
4. THE NATIONAL ORGANIZATION OF WOMEN IS
FEMINIST, not female.
- GAY RIGHTS issues are not co-equivalent to
civil rights.
- NATIONAL DEFENSE IS A PRIORITY.
- IMMIGRATION IS A PRIVILEGE.
- Someone who says, “The true way to have
DUCKS UNLIMITED is to quit shooting them,” doesn’t understand guns
or the environment.
- The NAACP has become more politically
correct than correct.
- UNIONS do not always represent working
people or the best interest of this economy.
SO, WHAT NOW?
Is there still injustice? Is there still a
place for government? Is there still a need for regulation? Is
there still a place for those who believe in a collective social
role? Is it possible for conservatives to go too far on key
issues?
YES!
So affirm this nation and work for social
progress within a capitalistic system. . .in this century!
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