loosie: words: Clanton's Rant

Clanton's Rant

Forget faith.

by Clanton McNeese | 2004.11.10

Democrats are in despair. They’re moaning, they’re panicking, and they’re humbly soliciting advice from the victors. It seems an over-reaction, considering this was the first time Republicans have won the popular vote in a presidential election since 1988.

Just days before this election, signs were promising. Who could have guessed that so many of those “America’s on the wrong track” responders were concerned not about the war in Iraq or job losses but about Massachusetts marriages and Janet Jackson’s breast?

Morning-after political wisdom holds that Democrats must somehow gather support from the snake handlers and creationists who voted their phobias and re-elected George Bush. Many members of the now distinctly minority party are eager to pursue faith-based ballots. Should the Democrats attempt to tailor their message to the Christian fundamentalists, however, they will be making a crucial mistake of politics and warfare: they will be fighting next year’s battle with last year’s strategy.

Karl Rove has hardly revolutionized electoral politics. In fact, his technique was simple and straightforward: he counted the number of votes he needed, identified his backers, and prodded them to the polls. One advantage Rove had over other politicos was the alacrity with which his candidate obeyed and the depths to which his candidate stooped. If George Bush, never shy about exploiting a moral divide, had to sacrifice a few million gays on the altar of expediency, well by God, he was willing. He would gladly call for the Constitutional amendment he had previously opposed. After all, that queer crowd always goes the other way politically as well as sexually. It’s a rare Republican who has lost votes by homo-bashing. As for Log Cabin Republicans, those rare birds are clearly an endangered species.

In core beliefs, Bush truly exemplifies his most devoted followers. He is all faith and no knowledge. Screw science. Forget history. Ignore intellect and go with the gut. Bush is a natural politician for those folks and these times. He would be a formidable school board candidate anywhere in the Bible Belt, and might work himself up to mayor of some dusty village. That he is president of the United States is at once evidence of a fortunate son’s good luck and a nation’s bad judgement.

So, when a sitting president who should have been resoundingly evicted from office wins easily, can Democrats maintain hope for 2006 and beyond? Sure they can. In truth, they have lots of hope. Democrats stand to benefit first from future problems, probably in Iraq, definitely with the deficit.

More lastingly, Democrats can return to power if they establish themselves as a party of equality and opportunity. Democrats must promote a doctrine of fairness that transcends individual religions. There are thirty million people who hold jobs but live below the poverty line. There are fifty million Americans without health insurance. Many are the very voters who kept Kerry out of office. George Bush has denied the existence of “two Americas,” but he has in fact been instrumental in widening the gulf between the rich and the poor.

Democrats must field candidates who can effectively condemn the brutal tax policies and savage social services cuts that the Republicans are sure to enact during the next session of Congress. Advertising will be easy. Any college film student could produce powerful vignettes showing a waitress working two jobs to scrape by, a laid-off factory employee forced to relocate, or a corporate CEO who makes more money in a day than his workers earn in a year. The stories should be direct and honest, their meaning simple and true: the blessings of America fall far from equally on our citizens.

Who’s to be the spokesperson for the party? It clearly can’t be John Kerry. He just got whomped, plus he spends way too much time wearing expensive form-fitting athletic gear while he rides expensive bikes or skis expensive slopes. John Edwards came off as a lightweight during the campaign. There are plenty of other possibilities, but there’s no real need to worry about presenting a single face to the nation. If the party message is strong, Americans will listen, and new Democratic leaders will emerge.