November 05, 2003
King of Wishful Thinking
The Democrats appear to be under the mistaken impression that their victory in November of 2004 is a given. While there are plenty of people who are unhappy with the direction our country is heading under the Bush administration, there are also quite a few that are quite happy with it. Bush et al have managed to quite effectively gut environmental protection, civil rights, privacy rights, and any hope of correcting corporate malfeasance. Combined with the overt push towards theocracy, the actions of the Bush administration appeal to a significant portion of the country.
The Democrats in their infinite self-focused wisdom assume that everyone thinks the way that they do. This bit them in the ass in 2000, and may well do the same in 2004. This actually helps third parties a great deal. As the Dems implode under the weight of introspection, people who really care will move to other parties. The focus of the Greens should be to earn enough of the vote to have a presence.
Posted by rev_matt_y at November 5, 2003 04:05 PMyou write, “As the Dems implode under the weight of introspection, people who really care will move to other parties.”
maybe at the local level but the idea of this ‘shift’ at the national level is unrealistic. i mean we’re talking single digits here. why set up 2004 to be a nadar-edged affair? we should bring some change on top that will be receptive to change below…
Posted by: doug at November 6, 2003 04:38 AMIf the Dems can effect real change within the party, that would be best for them. I don’t see it happening. Granted, I’m not a Democrat so I have an outsiders perspective.
In the same vein, I think that the Republicans are going to see more and more people leave in favor of parties like the Libertarians or American Taxpayers.
A two party system cannot adequately represent the breadth and depth of political thought in any country, and the growth of “third parties” is simply a natural response to that.
Posted by: rev_matt_y at November 6, 2003 01:00 PMI don’t think the Democrats are complacent in this regard at all. There is great confusion in the Presidential race, with the big question being “Who could possibly beat Bush?” True, there is a lot of anti-Bush sentiment in this country, and certain candidates are capitalizing on that, but frankly, your assertion has no basis at this point.
Posted by: pkenway at November 11, 2003 02:48 PM
