"At the legislative level, the Republicans are now running Congress with a degree of single-party discipline -- complete with closed meetings, party-line voters, and top-down command -- never seen in our history."
"if Congress had to abide by its own rules, it would have to throw itself in jail for fraudulent accounting"
-- Running On Empty by Peter G. Peterson
Peterson is a lifelong Republican, Secretary of Congress under President Nixon, and member of various governmental advisory boards on economic matters through the years. His newest book has a subtitle that says it all: "How the Democratic and Republican Parties Are Bankrupting Our Future and What Americans Can Do About It." And, Peterson thinks the latest actions by the national government are perhaps the worse yet: unrestrained spending AND tax cuts. Sort of like the perfect storm of our downfall.
Though Peterson is no fan of his partisan tactics, Howard Dean in some ways seems to be an ideal answer to the economic and political bottleneck we have got us into. This doesn't make him an ideal presidential candidate -- Dean's lack of finesse and national security bona fides doomed him there. It does suggest the sort of platform a successful presidential candidate could use to appeal to a broad audience.
Dean had the anti-Bush rhetoric down, but was not able to control his message to show the wider electorate his other strengths. His constituents back in Vermont can tell you he is not just the kneejerk liberal a look at some of his supporters might lead one to assume. In fact, when he was still viable, a Kerry supporter actually tried to use this as a reason not to vote for him. Dean's fiscal conservativism and ability to mix environmental concerns with support of business might turn off some liberals. But, compromise is necessary for true success toward a broader coalition.
The fiscal conservativism, which bristled certain state liberals though Gov. Dean supported various programs that pleased them, is also admirable. There are many middle of the road Republicans (unlike the proverbial unicorn, they exist) who are liberal on social issues just dying to trust a Democrat to punish the sorts now in power. Peterson himself (in an interview) says Kerry is better than Bush on fiscal policy, but many wonder. Dean was willing to cut more than the rich's tax cuts to pay for programs and fiscal stability.
[I'd add that a Republican Congress (at the very most, the Dems will win the Senate) provides a potentially useful check to Kerry's excesses (his "pay as we go" history makes them less excessive at any rate). Kerry promising more than he's like to deliver and the recent Medicare boondoggle passed by the Republican Congress, however, make some dubious.]
Dean is not with us though and had his own problems. Kerry is and had a debate that impressed many people (not everyone, so let's be careful). One important value of this positive spin was that it inspired those who deep down want to vote for Kerry. The need to coax a significant amount of these individuals to not let doubts seep in is basic to insuring a victory.* It is depressing that this has to be a concern, given the alternative (and these are Kerry-friendly voters we are talking about here). But, so be it.
Let them know that even those fiscal conservative establishment sorts do not trust Bush and company any more. Don't let Rove and company let their esteem in Kerry (or themselves?) stop them from voting what they know deep down in their guts -- Bush has to go (I know ... this is a bit ironic). In the face of some who say Kerry won on style, not substance, let his style help reaffirm that he won on both. Such is the point of rhetoric anyway, right?
Anyway, go Astros! At least for now!
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* Compare this to the importance of sports teams believing in themselves. A win like yesterday in which the NY Giants, repeated slip-ups aside, managed to beat the Green Bay Packers (and held Brett Favre scoreless to his final play) is quite important for the future. The closeness of the victory, given the number of times when a coup de grace was possible, is troubling ... but it's still a win. The ability to strike back after that last pass by BF is also key -- counteract the other side's weapons, take advantage of their weaknesses (look past the successes and aura!), and do not let the defeats knock the wind out of your sails.