Thursday, June 22, 2006

Kerry's Hollow Moral Victories will Kill the DNC

I just got an email from my friend John Kerry. John seems to email me a lot. He ranks right up there with my cousin Elise with the volume of email he sends me.

Because I've contributed a few bucks to a few Democratic causes, now John Kerry thinks he and I are great friends, and he doesn't hesitate to contact me and tell me about all his empty moral victories on Capital Hill. Lately he's been a very busy, moral guy.

As the Republicans have moved insanely to the right in turning America into a frightening police state, I want to believe that the Democrats can provide some kind of a leadership alternative. Though I hear many people speaking for the party, no one seems to be on the same page. At least that's how it's being received on this laptop.

Let's be clear, Democrats. If you want to recapture Congress, you have to be able to do what the Republicans are trying desperately to do right now -- control your fringe.

That means...
  • Gay marriage is gonna have to wait.
  • Flag burning -- who gives a crap -- shut up on that one. No one loves a flag burner, so screw 'em.
  • Abortion -- to decide this issue, all we need to do is elect one more Republican administration. Lay it on the line for America.
  • Minimum Wage -- push to bring the minimum wage to $6, where it would be if ajdusted for inflation ($7.25 was just too much too soon). Any more will scare off us small business people who can't afford to pay more.
  • War in Iraq --be careful: America has a lot invest in this war, and we don't come across like a bunch of cut and run pansies.
  • The Environment -- YES!! Go get'em on the environment. King Bush just created the biggest marine sanctuary in the world, and what have you done?
  • The Deficit -- YES!! Go get'em. THIS is a major concern. Say something, do something.
  • Alternative Engery -- YES!! Tell us about your plan. How will move us away from middle east oil?
  • Health Care -- YES, talk about how unfair the current system is. We're ready to hear about the "Two America's now. Talk about how it puts US businesses at a competitive disadvantage.
  • Immigration --- YES, talk about how we need an immigration policy that is good for America, that Citizenship should not be cheapened by just handing it out at the border.
  • Privacy -- Yes, this speaks to me. Americans have fought for hundreds of years to retain and preseve our freedoms, and King Bush "secretly" taken them from us. Promise to restore our sense of dignity and privacy.

John Kerry seems to be very pleased with his "moral" victories. In his email, he said, "Just hours ago, the Senate voted on the Kerry-Feingold proposal to redeploy American combat troops out of Iraq by July 1, 2007. Thirteen Senators voted for it." He said that he would have pushed this issue and voted for it, even if the vote was certain to go down in a 98-2 defeat.

The Democrats have got to be careful with this kinds of antics. It may play to the Democratic base, but to Independents like me, it just looks like more stupid pet tricks.

John Kerry may have won a fabulous moral victory today. I'm glad he sees the silver lining in showcasing the divisiveness and ineffectualness of the Democratic party. However, voters might remember this ineffectualness this fall. Ineffectualness makes me want to stay the course, not pursue more ineffectualness.

The Democrats also seem very pleased with their results in the San Diego run-off election earlier this month, where Republicans maintained control of their house seat. After that election failure, my pal Howard Dean (or as I like to call him, "YEEE-Haw") emailed me. He spoke of this great moral victory, in which the Republicans were forced to spend upwards of $100 per registered voter in order to retain the seat.

If providing ineffectual leadership in the Senate is John Kerry's idea of victory, and if making the Republicans pay more to win elections is Howard Dean's idea of victory....

then God help the Democratic party in November.

In his email, John Kerry personally told me, "It's our job to provide a new vision that offers real security for America while giving the Iraqis their best chance for a stable Iraq."

That's right, John. So WHAT THE HELL IS IT?? America is still waiting.