Dem Bones
The Republicans have started to eat their own.We're not yet talking about a full three course
meal but there has been some significant nibbling
around the edges of an appetizer tray that includes
such delicacies as a pan seared aha television ad,
a roasted pork Voinovich, Olympia Oysters in the
half shell and a Newt and improved fiber-rich Rummy
Roast known among insiders at D.C. commissaries as
the ultimate Colin cleanser.
The unscheduled self-snacking moved from an occasional
sniff or subtle lick to some teeth-sinking fun when
a few Republican members of the Senate decided that
the time simply wasn't right for a massive tax cut
(instead, they sided with the Dems and are backing
a sort-of massive one). In recent days, Republicans
have been blasting their fellow team members who have
dared to stray from the the herd. A Republican-backed
television ad running in Ohio shows that state's Republican
Senator George Voinovich next to a French flag while a press
release refers to him and the also Republican Olympia Snowe
as Franco Republicans (in this climate, the only thing worse
would be to show the two Senators toting Qasay and Uday to
the Senate's annual Bring Your Kids to Work Day).
The next course of eating was Newt Gingrich's public
lambasting of Colin Powell and the State Department.
In his speech, Newt essentially criticized the Department
for relying too heavily on those timeworn tools such as
diplomacy and discourse. During the critique, Gingrich
targeted Powell for a planned trip to Syria - one imagines
though that Newt is well aware of who plans the itinerary
for the U.S. Secretary of State (trust me, it ain't
Noam Chomsky).
So why the sudden hunger among Murdochians for fresh
red (as opposed to blue) meat? It could be that the
Republicans are starved for a bite of anything edible
because their former favorite meal has been chewed up
and spit out so many times that nothing remains
other than Al Sharpton's hair (too chewy) and a pile of
decaying bones (and this analysis is coming from a member
of the beaten and eaten team - I've got the bite marks
to prove it). Come on, taking out ads to criticize fellow
party members, taking jabs at the most popular and powerful
figures in the administration, bringing back Newt; let's
face it, these guys are just plain bored.
And why shouldn't they be? The tsunami from the right has
been so complete in recent years that it almost seems as if
they are operating in a vacuum. Politically, the Republicans
have control of the House, the Senate and the White House. On
the tube, Fox News continues to dominate while those hoping to
make up ground believe the only way to do so is to take a
right at every turn (see MSNBC for details). Radio?
Forget it about. The Dixie Chicks do not a political movement
make. Even in old strongholds like Hollywood, the left is
either silent or overwhelmed. Seen Dennis Miller's routine
lately? The guy actually worked a pro school-vouchers
bit into his latest HBO special. Imagine a comedy routine
in which Lenny Bruce spoke at length (and humorlessly) about
the need for young Americans to watch their language. Folks,
Madonna just pulled a music video out of a concern that it
would make her seem too controversial.
There is such an absence of sound leadership (and here by sound
I'm referring to public comments that do not include the
phrase Free Mumia) from Democrats that Bill O'Reilly
and his fellow media schoolyard bullies have managed to fill
the vacuum with their own selections. I'm all for political
activism, but Janeane Garofalo and Susan Sarandon are not
going to shift American voting patterns (or Republican
dietary habits).
So what gives? Part of the problem is the Clinton hangover
that the Democrats can't seem to shake. For eight years,
the Democratic Party gradually became about a personality,
not a platform. Personality-driven movements can be among
the most effective, but they are almost impossible to
replicate. The liberals have also been hurt by a wild
lack of leadership when it comes how to handle the war on
terrorism and the invasion of Iraq. Contempt for bullies
and tyrants is core to the liberal value system. It's
really O.K. to hope that Saddam is dead. It's also O.K.
to get as enthusiastic about policy measures as we do
when Trent Lott or Rick Santorum says something incredibly
offensive about one group or another. These guys say
equally dumb and offensive things about matters of
policy all the time, but soundbite counterpunching
will not be enough to dent their momentum.
There is a religious, cultural and political war going
on in this country, but for the last few years, only
one side has been fighting. Now they're bored and they
are fighting amongst themselves. Think it's a coincidence
that Colin Powell and Donald Rumsfeld have a lunch scheduled
for this week? I think we all know what's on the menu. The
Democrats can continue to sit at the kiddy table and hope
that the Republicans turn themselves into the main course or
they can grab a fork and knife and put some put some
meat (or at least tofu) back on their bones.
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