Thursday, June 22, 2006
Stagnation of Democrat Progressive Ideas
The Washington Post had a story yesterday that Rush Limbaugh would appreciate--he's been saying the Democrats ran out of ideas about 1976 for a long time now. Money quotes:
There is also a belief shared at least by some of the participants that Democrats have ridden for too long on what are the fumes of the New Deal and the Great Society, which sustained Democrats for half a century. The first issue of Democracy offers articles on rethinking how to finance the health-care system, the economic and security challenges posed by differing birthrates around the world, and alternatives to redistribution to reduce inequality. The Democratic Strategist provides essays on competence as a campaign theme, protecting voting rights and demography’s impact on politics.
Doug Hattaway, a Democratic communications consultant who worked for Al Gore’s presidential campaign in 2000, recalled a moment of epiphany during a focus group of Democratic operatives and marketing professionals he attended last year. The participants were asked to say what Democratic accomplishments they were most proud of. Their responses filled several pages on a flip chart set up in the focus group facility. “We all realized there was nothing there within the past 30 years,” Hattaway said.
Many Democratic politicians are still tied to past glory and what worries some of the progressives trying to generate new ideas is that elected officials are divorced from what is a lively debate-in-the-making on national security and domestic challenges. “Somehow or another this conversation does not really make its way to Democratic politicians very much,” said Michael Tomasky, editor of the liberal American Prospect.
The lone exception he cited was Bill Clinton and his presidency.
(h/t Bull Dog Pundit)
There is also a belief shared at least by some of the participants that Democrats have ridden for too long on what are the fumes of the New Deal and the Great Society, which sustained Democrats for half a century. The first issue of Democracy offers articles on rethinking how to finance the health-care system, the economic and security challenges posed by differing birthrates around the world, and alternatives to redistribution to reduce inequality. The Democratic Strategist provides essays on competence as a campaign theme, protecting voting rights and demography’s impact on politics.
Doug Hattaway, a Democratic communications consultant who worked for Al Gore’s presidential campaign in 2000, recalled a moment of epiphany during a focus group of Democratic operatives and marketing professionals he attended last year. The participants were asked to say what Democratic accomplishments they were most proud of. Their responses filled several pages on a flip chart set up in the focus group facility. “We all realized there was nothing there within the past 30 years,” Hattaway said.
Many Democratic politicians are still tied to past glory and what worries some of the progressives trying to generate new ideas is that elected officials are divorced from what is a lively debate-in-the-making on national security and domestic challenges. “Somehow or another this conversation does not really make its way to Democratic politicians very much,” said Michael Tomasky, editor of the liberal American Prospect.
The lone exception he cited was Bill Clinton and his presidency.
(h/t Bull Dog Pundit)
# posted by Roger Fraley @ 8:15 AM 
