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Sorry to Rain On the Parade, But... Email Print

By S M Dixon
12/29/2005 06:16:53 PM EST

I'm not a fan of recruiting military vets as Democratic candidates, so I look at the Swing State Project's "Band of Brothers" strategy with a very jaundiced eye.

First, the plan smacks of DLCism; the Democratic Leadership Council mistakenly thinks that the key to Democratic victories is to turn the party into "GOP-Lite" ("Great New Taste! Now with 50% less morals!").

Second, it perpetuates the Republican-manufactured notion that Democrats are weak on defense, and will be portrayed by the GOP as an attempt by Democrats to "butch-up" their image via emulating the Republican Party. I can already see Ken Mehlman saying, "Don't be fooled by imitators, vote for the real thing. GOP!"

There are better ways to counter the idiotic idea that the Democratic Party lacks defense credentials; releasing more reports like this one -- authored by House Democrats -- is a good start. Dems need to go on the offensive, attacking the GOP and exposing its hypocrisy, corruption, and ineptitude.

Third, the notion that "the media typically adores veterans" is laughable; both Gore and Kerry were veterans and they were savaged by the news media, which reprinted GOP talking points smears against both without a second thought. Max Cleland, a Vietnam veteran, was smeared out of office. Paul Hackett lost his 2004 House bid.

Now granted, two of those four elections were stolen (that's another post for another time), but they were easy to steal because being vets didn't give Gore or Kerry an appreciable edge.

The Democratic Party has been slowly drifting further and further right since the 1980s -- and subsequently, farther and farther away from power. We already have too many DINOs betraying what the party stands for; the last thing we need to do is to deliberately recruit military veterans who will be more conservative than non-military Dems and who will be more likely to cross party lines and give Republicans legislative victories.

If the Democratic activists at the Swing State Project want the party to succeed, they need to recruit fewer Paul Hacketts and more Paul Wellstones. The Democratic Party has to distinguish itself from the GOP, not imitate it.


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Sorry to Rain On the Parade, But... | 6 comments (6 topical, editorial, 0 hidden)
Yes - and it can also be argued that the military (none / 0)
might not be the best resource for the GWOT. So far, using a conventional military against an unconventional, stateless insurgency with a fondness and expertise in IED's (Improvised Explosive Devices - like car & human bombs or jets) hasn't proved to be a winning ticket. However, that theory apprently escapes the notice of anyone higher than clerk in the federal gov't.

2 things: Why are the Dems so quick to sign on to a failed policy? And is there a secret law in Washington that says we HAVE to do it that way? Has thinking outside the box gone the way of civil liberties and government without God as a personal advisor?

I think you hit a nerve. Thanks, I think.

All it takes to fly is to hurl yourself at the ground... and miss. (Douglas Adams)

by scoophound on 12/29/2005 09:03:54 PM EST

Excellent point (none / 0)
It was also brought to my attention that some of the vets running on the Dem ticket are pro-lifers. I haven't looked into that myself, and it could be wrong, but simply grabbing a candidate in a uniform to out-militarize the other party doesn't seem like the greatest strategy I've ever heard.

by SusanG on 12/29/2005 10:20:58 PM EST

If great strategy does not come along soon, (none / 0)
none of us will recognize it when we see it.

Rethugs don't have a lock on hanging on to the old ways, it seems.

On the other hand, the House Dems rewriting the 9/11 Commission's Final Report and calling it their own, was brilliant.

All it takes to fly is to hurl yourself at the ground... and miss. (Douglas Adams)

by scoophound on 12/29/2005 10:55:55 PM EST

[ Parent ]
Can't agree (none / 0)
Why on earth should Democratic veterans be excluded from running for office?  Since when does military service make one politically unacceptable?  This seems a remarkably biased, if not elitest, position to take.  And, fairly or not, Democrats are perceived as being weak on national security.  Kerry lost because of his extraordinarily poor campaign and consistently ineffective response to Rovian tactics (swift-boating among others) not because of his military record.  Serving one's country is surely not the worst way to learn the workings of democracy, and I'm surprised that anyone would think it is. And it's one of the best ways to learn leadership qualities, something the Democratic party abysmally lacks.

by mgm on 01/01/2006 03:13:02 PM EST

veterans for peace? (none / 0)
I have looked at the websites for several of the veterans that are seeking nominations and most that I have looked at have moderate to questioning views on the Iraq war. Who better to question the pro-war view than those who have been there, or who have military experience? I would worry if as a group the 'fighting dems' were strongly pro-intervention in Iraq and elsewhere, but I do not think that that is the case. They are running for the Democrats in some cases because they think that the military has been misused and mistreated.

by global citizen on 01/01/2006 11:43:27 PM EST

As usual, I agree with you. (none / 0)
I haven't visited the blogs much in the last month, but it's nice to come back and see your stuff still coming up.

happy new year.

by D Cupples on 01/02/2006 12:24:17 PM EST

Sorry to Rain On the Parade, But... | 6 comments (6 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)
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