Visions of 1988

Dukakis looking silly -- are we set for a repeat? -- Picture courtesy of Wikipedia

by blogSpotter
As I look at the Democratic party, I can't help but wonder why it engages in self-immolation so frequently. You can look back to previous elections like 2000, where we fumbled on the 5 yard line. Why should 2008 be different? This election year should've been a giant "Gimme". We have a recession, an unpopular war and a very unpopular incumbent President. We Democrats should've had the election in the bag.

More gravy for the Dems -- the GOP is running a weak candidate. McCain is old, he's been defeated in a previous national election and he's unpopular with the conservative wing of his own party. He refuses to fight "dirty", which pretty much puts his Boy Scout persona at the mercy of his next opponent. He also just recently confused the Iranian Shiites with Al Quaeda which may invite questions about his clouded view of foreign affairs, or possibly his advanced age. Again -- this election should be served to the Dems on a silver platter.

But somehow, we've managed to finagle two candidates with baggage and image problems galore. Neither Clinton nor Obama are free from controversy -- both of them can serve as lightening rods for various elements. Obama’s longtime pastor is a friend of Louis Farrakhan. Hillary is a “Trojan Horse” candidate who brings Bill on board with her. If you look at www.realclearpolitics.com, McCain bests Clinton or Obama in any theoretical match, by at least 6 points. It seems both parties did a leftward shift, but not to any great advantage for either party. Democrats will take an extra five miles, if given an inch. Some operatives saw the “Gimme” factor of this election year and they became overly confident. “Now is the time,” they thought, “to break through racial and gender stereotypes”. I would say that the very shrill Howard Dean faction took over the show. The Democratic “big tent” sprawls much larger than the Republican tent, and the circus animals in it are more unruly. Is it any wonder that we always manage to pull it down on ourselves? One only has to remember Michael Dukakis in the 1988 campaign, or Kerry in 2004 to see how we’re so frequently swift-boated.

Another poll out today says that 28% of Hillary supporters will switch to McCain if Obama is the nominee. Hillary is being vilified by the likes of columnists David Brooks and Jonathan Alter for “tearing apart the Democratic Party” by continuing her campaign. Newsflash to David and Jonathan – it was already torn apart. There is no parallel universe where I’d vote for Obama (see previous blog entries for the details). Hillary’s actions have no bearing on my actions.

This morning’s paper says that McCain would keep with Bush’s direction on both the economy and Iraq. McCain says the only thing he might do differently is hold interest rates steady and not bail any companies out of debt. He has indicated recently that economics is not his forte and he can’t speak “as an economist”. McCain comes across as tepid, dull and lifeless. Not only is he older than average, but his policies have run past their expiration date. I hate to think that any candidate would promise nothing more than same W Bush song, third verse. 2008 is a truly bad election year. We have the unsavory dealer of glib fibs versus the cadaver-blue Hooverite Republican versus the cultural lightening rod. Election Day this year might see me with a here-to-fore unknown case of indifference, staying at home.

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