Democrats In Disarray

Scanning the political headlines today, it's impossible to conclude anything but that the Democrat Party is in complete disarray.

In what makes them look like a patchwork of confusion, we have this interesting news out of New Mexico.

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. -- Former IBF junior bantamweight champion Danny Romero, who has fought just once in the past three years, told police officers that Gov. Bill Richardson would "take care of" his arrest on aggravated drunken driving charges, according to a police report.

...Asked where he had been drinking, the report says Romero reported he had been "partying with Bill," referring to the governor, at the Governor's Mansion in Santa Fe.

And that the very same day the New Mexican Democrats call for Bush's impeachment? Sounds like they were all at the same shindig with Romero and the Gov. Maybe they'll change their minds in the morning when they wake up not drunk. But there's so much more.

ALBUQUERQUE (AP) - The New Mexico Democratic Party is calling for President Bush's removal from office.

Party Chairman John Wertheim said Tuesday that delegates to Saturday's state party convention supported a call for the president's impeachment largely because of "perceived abuses of power and corruption in the Bush administration."

He listed as examples of abuses of power, warrantless wiretapping of U.S. citizens, the misstatement of facts preceding the invasion of Iraq, and the scandal surrounding the indictment of Vice President Dick Cheney's former top aide in connection with the leak of the identity of a covert CIA operative.

Reid is threatening a filibuster on an immigration bill that lacks any language of amnesty. Practically speaking, I doubt we'll see an immigration bill without some accommodation for illegals already here and productive. But taking a stand against tighter borders is still playing political Russian roulette with an election coming up. And then there's Russ.

“Both Democratic politicians and pundits are afraid,” Mr. Feingold said on March 21 by phone. He was between constituent tours during the week’s Congressional recess. “Time and again, they allow themselves to be intimidated from taking a strong stand against the administration.”

Regardless of what people think the polls might say - here's some excellent commentary on that topic from Ann Coulter today -

If these poll results were accurate, support for the war should be about negative 3,000 percent by now. The public would have stormed the White House, seized the president and flogged him to death.

Here's a sample of New York Times headlines on stories discussing poll numbers since before the Iraq war began in March 2003:

the problem Dems face now, thanks to Russ, is that you can't go after the Commander In Chief during a time of war and also attempt to beef up your National Security and defense credentials. That's something the Dems desperately need to do before the next national election. Indeed, as the article points out, all of the main Presidential contenders are running away from ol' Russ.

“The fear factor inside the Democratic Party is appalling,” he added. “You’ve got these small-minded Democratic-consultant-driven political leaders, and then you’ve got real neocons who refuse to listen to the base of the party …. You have these voices of unbridled ambition—Hillary Clinton first among them—who are asking the base to nominate them, when they’re not even listening to the base when it comes to the most important issue in American politics today.” Look at the 2004 convention in Boston, Mr. Michael said: “Ninety percent of the people in that nominating hall wanted to end this war, and they wound up voting in a ticket where both candidates voted for it—and said they still supported it.”

For better or worse, I'd argue for worse, the Dems have cast themselves as primarily a domestic party for decades. As an aside, the auto-workers are about to be paid off by GM, instead of the Dems - and new auto workers are less likely to be unionized under South Korean and Japanese automakers coming into the states. And the Dems are all but stumped as to what to do in an increasingly globalized world. The Iraq war is only the tip of that iceberg.

From their history of buying into the UN, to their record of appeasement of totalitarian regimes, an America forced to look beyond its shores post 9/11 will be hard pressed to support the Democrat Party at a national level anytime soon.

Where it really becomes difficult for them is, in order to get the kind of reputation too many Americans want in critical, primarily international areas right now, they have to endorse policies 180 degrees away from the direction of their far-left base. And they can't hope to win a national election without that base.

The disjointed nature of the Democrat Party managed to survive for years, so long as it was only the inner city blacks they so often neglected in their national campaigns, knowing full well they were going to retain their votes.

But now they are facing a split much more difficult to bridge as a result of the Iraq War and the greater war on terror. If they adopt a cut and run strategy for Iraq to appease the Left, too many middle-class Americans will bolt due to their national security fears.

The left wing blogs, now the new home and growing platform for the Dems sometimes more lunatic fringe, is more likely to pull the Democrat Party into pieces which won't easily mend, than it is to propel them to victory on a national level.

The wonderful irony there for a conservative is thinking about how many mainstream Dems with Presidential ambitions must be looking at Sheehan, Soros, Daily Kos, and Dean and Co, and asking themselves, My God, what hath we wrought?

Pardon the correction, but I realized most Dems can't say My God for fear of ticking off the far left.

Comments

[Midge]

And the repubs aren't...?

[warrenb]

More Repubican ya ya from a Republican. Why don't you just get sponsored by the GOP? I'm sure they'd be more than happy to. Every (Yes every) one of your political arguments are biased. I don't even read all the way through your nonsense anymore because it's all the same old thing.

[splashtc]

It seems the dems exist solely to be an opposition force. Who are the cry babies?

[AfghanVet]

So, let me get this straight. We should look to a Democrat ACCUSED of fixing a ticket as a reason to NOT look at the President breaking the LAW. Got it. Good thinking.

Ann Coulter as a reference? Dude, you can get the same lame garbage from a stripper and you would get a better show to boot.

Other than an expensive education, what exactly has Ann Coulter ever done? Seriously, has she EVER served anything other than herself?

I always find it curious that right leaning blogs tend to quote each other, a la echo chamber, instead of some fact-based story to prop up their rediculous assertions. Well, if Ann Coulter says it, it must be true. Yeah, EVERY poll is wrong. Whatever.

Wallow in the fact that you voted for the most incompetent President ever...TWICE! Don't worry, you can still go to the club and talk to your "friends" about how Bush was taken down by the damned liberal media just like your fathers probably do about Nixon.

Simple is as simple does.

[Phoenix]

Warrenb,

The Daily Kos has a place for ya. Be careful, though. When you sign on to conservative sites, I see that you might have the urge to spit on your screen.

At the Kos, your screen spits at you. Wear goggles so you can read the nitwittery of thousands of lemmings whose intellection smacks of those little snot-noses in Berkley in Birkies.....

[AfghanVet]

Ahhh yes. Attack the intellectual. Damn smart guys who think with their brains.

Maybe it's true that conservatives have an inferiority complex. I guess it's so much easier just to put things in black and white boxes and move on. Simple is as simple does.

[warrenb]

So we are in agreement that this is a Conservative site then? Hmmmm I wonder if Dan would agree to your assumption Phoenix...

You obviously have the ability to speak nonsense which goes along nicely at such a "Conservative" site as youy say. So keep it up. Everyone is quite used to the nonsense and attacks by now. I'm sure you'll send another 'attack" at me after this one so go ahead...only par for the GOP course.

[Yuma]

Well, you could sign up on Free Republic, but then again you prolly would not do well there unless you dress in white, hide behind a book, and know your way around a rope.

[Captain Joe]

It gets nuttier
http://cepan.redstate.com/story/2006/3/22/121052/630

[Pat in NC]

I always find it curious that left leaning commentors tend to quote each other, a la echo chamber, instead of some fact-based story to prop up their ridiculous assertions. I also find it interesting that they have to spew on right leaning blogs when comments from righties are frequently blocked on left leaning blogs. I understand that only lefties have a right to espouse their views.

Keep up the good work.

[Yuma]

I always find it curious that right leaning commentors tend to quote each other, a la echo chamber, instead of some fact-based story to prop up their ridiculous assertions. I also find it interesting that they have to spew on left leaning blogs when comments from lefties are frequently blocked on right leaning blogs. I understand that only righties have a right to espouse their views.

Keep up the good work

[AfghanVet]

It's not about freedom to express views. It's about the difference between opinion and fact, assertion and proof. A perfect example is quoting a rant by Ann Coulter to justify and assertion or to back up and opinion. In the intelligence community this is known as circular reporting. You know, the whole thing about Niger and Yellow Cake - circular reporting.

Now, if the author of the fine blog were to go back and site some factual content to back and assertion or statement, then we would be talking about the same thing.

Stop mistaking opinion for critical thought. Stop mistaking assertion for logical conclusion. I realize that the conservative approach is to simplify (dumb down), but the devil is in the details and whenever you generalize you increase risk of failure due to poor baselining.

Another example is "Hollywood Blames Bush for 9/11". Well, no, one actor, in this instance, suggested that we may not know the truth. Now, I don't buy conspiracies of this scale because they are logistically unworkable. We can't even keep a NOC Agents identity secret, I doubt a conspiracy with so many moving parts could succeed. But, in order to get out the meme or Hollywood Bad, you dumb down...I mean simplify...in order to make an assertion with no basis in fact.

Facts are not biased. Reporting facts are not biased. Opinions are biased. Touting opinion as fact is an act of bias.

[AfghanVet]

What Dean has wrought is significantly more in campaign contributions for dems running for Senate then Ken the meme master Mehlman.

[jolari]

The media said it so it must be true??? Nope

[Phoenix]

Warrenb,

Can you READ?: "When you sign on to conservative sites, I see that you might have the urge to spit on your screen."

See anywhere in that statement a mention of Dan's site?

Try some reading comprehension courses.

[Phoenix]

AfghanVet,

"Ahhh yes. Attack the intellectual. Damn smart guys who think with their brains."

Yes? And which 'intellectual' here are we attacking?

'Damn smart guys who think with their brains?' As opposed to guys who think with their dicks?

OOOOO RAH !

[warrenb]

Phoenix,

All you can do here is slam people. So keep it up. All you're doing is making my case stronger about all that Republicans can do is complain and attack people like you're doing to me and AfghanVet. So keep up your childish tirade moron. Your Republican stupidity brings greater strength to the Democrats.

[Steel Turman]

...What Dean has wrought is significantly more in campaign contributions for dems running for Senate then Ken the meme master Mehlman...

Wow, I don't know how I missed this one.

My bad.

I wonder if 'AfghanVet' could possibly explain just how this is good for America?

Excluding altruistic, faux, do-gooding, heart-on-the-sleeve, well-greased-head-to-toe mantra monkeys that call themselves liberal of course.

AV? I figure someone has to be at least 25 to be a veteran of Afghanistan.

I'm willing to bet you are on the computer because your parents took the car keys away OR there's not enough room in your dorm cell for a TV.

All those comic books doncha know?

[Phoenix]

warrenb,

You are absolutely right - I have slammed you and AV. Got busted for it, too. Not by you or your bud. I should have gotten busted, too, for losing my cool.

I'll tell you this much: I am not a republican or a democrat or a libertarian. I am independent. I do not define myself by political party affliation. I define myself by my character - thoughts and actions. I'm an atheist and I'm pro-abortion. But, neither of those declarations define me, either. I don't like sniveling whiners. I'm a neo-con. I'm pro-military all the way. I am very patriotic.

I could list a whole lot of things that keep me from being defined by any single category. Perhaps the best is to say I have a mind and I use it. If I'm going to complain/whine about something, you better believe I will follow up with a better way. It's called free-thinking.......... try it.

[Steel Turman]

warrenb ...

...about all that Republicans can do is complain and attack people...

If you spent more time trying to find the 'news', instead of relying the Kos, you might see the stupidity of that premise.

Maybe you could fit that in between homeroom and second period English.

Aren't you the least bit embarrassed to quote rote like that?

Oh wait, nevermind, stupidity requires a brain.

Maybe you left that in your locker.

Go see.

Should be easy enough to find.

It'll be that thing that smells worse than your gym shorts.

[AfghanVet]

Pro military? What exactly does that mean? Do you have one of those neat magnets on your car?

Are you IN the military or PRO military? If you're REALLY pro and really a neo-con, then why not enlist. We can always use motivated soldiers.

Oh, and your calculation is about right. I'm 40. With 20 years in and 14 years in the Intel community. A Major after being an E-5 prior service, Infantry. So, drive on there angry man.

[AfghanVet]

Steel,

Can really look back on what you have posted and think, "Gee, I showed them." My God, how old are you?

I have personally attacked no one here, merely challenged your perceptions and not ONE of you has YET to address my ideas, only me. I'm sorry, but as was said, it speaks volumes about the party and political ideology you represent.