And Now?

I have limited personal experience or expertise in political strategy, having considerable distaste in fact for the whole to me depraved idea that the masses I belong to must be managed, cajoled, conned, or otherwise "strategized." For example, to show my backwardness, I'd prefer strict limits on expenditures for campaigning for all offices. Advertising and use of media in general to be minimized. No corporate campaign contributions, no matter how carefully laundered. Lots of town-meeting style events with little or no rehearsal and no constraints on attendees.

Of course we also need voting equipment subject to proper audit. The Diebold and ES&S crap is overdue for the compactor. Paper records and other means of verifying the vote are essential. It's amazing that we are even still talking about this in a country prone to bragging about its democratic heritage. No wonder we are at times a bit of a laughingstock in the real world.

But getting back to strategy. Like I said, I'm short on insight and therefore prone to seeking the counsel of more experienced folks. Here are a couple of the posts I am pondering tonight:

Bullmoose

Republicans are in a deep funk awaiting disaster. Democrats can hardly control themselves in anticipation of a GOP collapse.

The Moose suggests that the donkey and elephant should just settle down. If the indictments come, it will be a very difficult for the GOP in the short term. With the stench of corruption already surrounding the congressional wing of the Party and incompetence the leitmotif of the White House, this is not a good moment to be a Republican.

In fact, the Moose suggests that the Republicans should encourage a total collapse of the Bushie-DeLayican regime. Only then will the GOP have a chance and an imperative to reform itself - the worse, the better.

For the Democrats, a GOP collapse could benefit the party in the short term and harm it for the long run. The Republican travails could provide false comfort and convince the donkey that there is no need to fundamentally reform its message and policies - particularly on values and national security. Consequently, it could enjoy major gains in '06 that are wiped out in '08.

Don't misunderstand the Moose. He can enjoy the schadenfreude as well as the next mammal. However, it appears that the American people have had it with both parties - neither is all that popular at the moment. A recent Democracy Corps memo indicates that "both national parties are at a half-century low point in public esteem."

[clip]

And then there is the inimitable Molly:

Let's Fix This Mess

I have been collecting material for a series of columns on the peppy topic, "How Do We Fix This Mess?" The news is dandy in that there are a lot of a sound ideas being passed around. Really serious messes, like the one this country is in, do not, in my experience, have simple, definitive solutions. And if they do, such solutions are politically impossible. We are looking for progress, not perfection, so anyone who tells you the entire tax code should fit on a postcard is a bona fide, certified, chicken-fried moron.

But listening to the Democratic debate on what to do now, it seems to me some of the brethren and sistren are asking the wrong questions. The question is not, "How Do We Win?" That's a technical question that comes after, "What the Hell Can We Do About This Disaster?"

[clip]

Which brings us to the Democratic Leadership Council and the Al From-Bruce Reed take on what we should do now. The DLC is regularly condemned as being Republican Lite, but it seems to me its problem is being Light Lite. The From-Reed proposal is security, values, opportunity and reform - a perfect symphony of the obvious. I do like their Opportunity ideas:

Create high-wage jobs by making the United States the top exporter of energy-efficient products.

Cut $300 billion in subsidies, and invest it in innovation, education and growth.

Pass tax reform to replace 60 tax breaks with four: college, homes, kids, universal pensions.

The problem comes when you look at their reform initiatives - lobbying reform to close the revolving door and a ban partisan gerrymandering. Uh, how about we address the problem that our entire political system is corrupt, that it has been corrupted by corporate money, and that we have government of corporate interests, by corporate interests and for corporate interests - and that we really need to change that, instead of trying to raise more corporate money than Republicans?

[clip]

Bob Borosage, director of the Campaign for America's Future, offers a "Real Contract With America" in the current issue of the The Nation. He has some excellent ideas, and I'll discuss them more later. Like the others, Borosage emphasizes Making America Safe and Real Security for America. What you find across the Democratic spectrum is agreement that the Bushies are hopelessly inept at homeland security. Essentially nothing has been done to protect the ports, and almost no progress has been made on helping first responders and improving public health capacity, despite all that money spent on small towns in Wyoming. The chemical plants are obvious targets - but heaven forfend that the Bushies should force their dear friends in the chemical industry to spend money on public safety.

[clip]

The contemptible, petty, little would-be Joe McCarthys need to understand what love of country really means - love of the highest and best in America. Never to be confused with "pre-emptive war" over nonexistent weapons and certainly not with using "democracy" to sell a rotten, failed war.