Out of Touch, Out of Step, and Out of Office

Why the Democrats are failing

The Democratic Party of the United States lost the White House by over 3 million votes. They also lost of seats in the House and Senate, and had to literally STEAL the Governorship of Washington. Why? The question's been asked a million times, but few - and even fewer Democrats, realize the true answer.

The Democratic Party is still living in the 1960's. After 9/11, the 60's era politics have no relevance to the world we all have to live in.

The Wrong Message

The Democratic Party presidential candidate ran on his 1960's Vietnam record. That's understandable, since there wasn't anything else to run ON. There was nothing in his tenure as Assistant Governor of Massachusetts that was noteworthy. There was nothing in his almost 20 years in the US Senate that was noteworthy. Unfortunately, as it turned out, most of his Vietnam record turned out to be pretty phoney as well.

The Democrats had no message to offer to voters other than "We're not George Bush". That's not enough to get elected. Even going back to their long-standing, almost permanent messages - unlimited abortion, more government control of virtually everything, higher taxes, more government spending, fear and scolding, and genuflecting to the United Nations, only worked with the party's ultra-faithful that were already committed to the Botox Candidate from Taxachusetts anyway. To top it off, they all but conceded the war issue to the Republicans, and attempted to use fraud and deceit to warp and twist the debate.

Worse was the Democratic behavior toward President Bush and his message. The Democrats refused to actually debate issues, but merely objected, stonewalled, blocked, and derided everything President Bush tried to do. Most visible, and mose vehement, was their treatment of President Bush's Judicial nominees. The entire world understood that the Democrats didn't want Justices that obeyed the law, but those that could be pressured, or guaranteed, to MAKE the law - and make it in a manner favorable to Democrats, but which couldn't be done in the Congress, where laws are supposed to be made. The obstruction was an exercise in pure tyranny, and the rest of the nation noticed.

So the Democrats had nothing new to add to the debate, what they'd had before had already been rejected, and they behaved badly in both the Congress and among the general public. And they still wonder why they lost.

Out of Step with Reality

It gets worse. The Democratic Party has shown over the past three years that they have no concept of what the United States is up against in the international War against Terrorists. In fact, they refuse to acknowledge we are at war, as John Kerry's remarks about "allowing the police" to deal with terrorists shows. Doing that will guarantee more Americans are killed, in the United States, with loss of billions of dollars of infrastructure and jobs. The Democrats are not serious about fighting a war. That's understandable, since they lost the last one they fought through the lack of will. That same lack of will to do what's hard, what's necessary, is clearly evident in the Democratic leadership today.

Americans are tired of the demand of no-limits abortion. They're beginning to understand this is causing problems in our society, and not just because of the "religious nuts". Americans want to keep more of their own pay, not pay higher taxes. The American people want their children taught to read and write, history and science, not how to use a condom or how to play nice with gays and lesbians. The majority of Americans are tired of the constant attack on their beliefs, their culture, and their society. They're incensed over the attack on the most universal of institutions, marriage. They insist that marriage can only be honest when it's between one man and one woman, with commitments by both parties to make it work. "Hollywood" marriages are again becoming a scandal rather than something to emulate.

The American people are becoming legitimately concerned about the number of divorces in this nation, the number of single-parent homes and the handicap that puts on children, and the number of out-of-wedlock births. They're sick of grotesque extremes such as "partial-birth" abortions and supporting women who haven't the integrity to either refrain from sex or to protect themselves from unwanted and unnecessary pregnancies. They're tired of the cost of supporting both mother and child for most of a generation.

They're tired of being pushed around by tiny minorities that are loud, offensive, and rude, who add nothing to the general well-being of society but much to its destruction. They understand that their future retirement and well-being requires attention NOW, not after it's already become a disaster. They want more control of the decisions about retirement and about retirement investment.

The majority of Americans are finally willing to admit that the United Nations was a good idea, but that what it began as is far different from what it is today, and it's no longer the answer to every question. It's more obvious than ever that the UN itself is more often than not the problem. The tantrum France pulled in vetoing every proposal to hold Saddam Hussein accountable, followed by the Oil-for-Food scandal, unchecked genocide in Darfur, sex-gate in the Congo, and the pitiful performance by the United Nations in responding to the tsunami crisis in South Asia, have all but destroyed any willingness on the part of most Americans to work with the failed and failing UN.

All of these are part of the Democratic "message". The Democrats aren't asking for, and aren't listening to, feedback from the people they wish to represent.

The truth is, we have several very serious problems we need to be working on, including the war against Islamofascists in the Middle East. As the Dec 26, 2004, tsunami illustrated, the world is full of problems, disasters, and catastrophies just waiting to happen. We need the ability to deal with those problems. We need to help others develop the ability to deal with those problems. That requires two things - individual freedom, and a system of government friendly to private enterprise.

We need a larger military, at least for the next ten or fifteen years or so. That means a larger Army, a larger Navy, and a larger Air Force. We need them in order to provide relief for those actually carrying the fight to the enemy. We need them to put an end to small problems before they become big problems. We also need them to do what they're doing right now in Indonesia, Thailand, and Sri Lanka - helping those who have been devastated by catastrophies beyond their control. Right now, we're making it, but it can't go on forever, using every single resource to 100% of capacity. Increasing the military by increasing our fighting ability 20% across the board is critical. Most Americans understand that, and are willing to make that sacrifice. The Democrats don't see the need.

We need to secure both our northern and southern border against terrorists and others intent on destroying our culture and our political system. That's going to increase the need for manpower somewhere. I would recommend creating an entire new military command under the Army, called Border Command. Use troops coming back from Iraq and Afghanistan to man the posts, rotate units in and out just as we do in Iraq, and emphasize patrols, small-unit operations, and strong communications and intelligence. Add another dozen batallions of troops to the strength of the Army, beyond the additional buildup, for these people. Establish a close working relation between the Border Command, FBI, Border Patrol, and immigration authorities. Both parties are dragging their feet equally, but the American public wants this done.

We need to improve education by insisting on rigid standards, teachers knowledgeable in the subject matter they're teaching, the extermination of the anti-freedom rant called political correctness, and greater opportunity for everyone to learn and grow, mentally and physically, without being stifled by unreasonable, unnecessary, and often counter-productive behavior on the part of "educrats". We need to use the Internet to increase knowledge, by posting information everyone can use to learn about important subjects, ranging from basic reading and writing (using a variety of different approaches, and allowing each person to choose what works best for them) to the advanced classes - in math, physics, history, or whatever - only available in a few high schools. We need remedial classes for those that missed out and now find themselves desperate for an education, and we need advanced classes - something between high school and MIT - for those that want to go beyond the minimum pablum available in today's public schools.

Finally, Americans want to return to cultural standards destroyed over the past forty years by the Democratic Party. We want children taught to be polite and courteous. We want the discussion of sex to be reduced to something that doesn't interject itself into every other sentence. We want decency in movies and television, instead of the constant barrage against strongly-held personal values. We want preachers who preach, ministers who minister, and secular acceptance of religious institutions and religious values.

Most of all, Americans want honesty in government. The current scandals in Wisconsin, Ohio, Minnesota, and Washington, do not encourage most Americans that they're getting the government they chose, but the government dictated to them by one or the other political party. Election reform is not just a byword - it must be constant, transparent, workable, and effective.

Until the Democrats are willing to listen to the American people, and to offer them what they want, they will be the party of the minority, and more and more marginalized throughout the nation.