Electability

Natasha at Pacific Views has: I'd like to know what right the Democratic party leadership has to lecture people about electability. After losing congress in 1994, the presidency in 2000, and the senate in 2002, I think they have some nerve to tell anyone that they know best.

Looking back at that Newsweek poll, none of the major candidates is more than five points away from Bush, whose re-elect numbers are very soft. At this point, virtually anyone could beat Bush if they play their cards right.

And when anyone says "record", I'd say "Max Cleland." A decorated Vietnam veteran who lost three limbs in the service of his country, voted for the Iraq war, the PATRIOT act, and Homeland Security. He was ousted by a Republican ad campaign that put his picture next to Bin Laden's and claimed that he was soft on terror. An ad campaign not dissimilar to the one run against Dean in two states by a group staffed by 'former' Kerry and Gephardt people. (I've never bought the denial of attachment, less so after seeing the above advertisement in NH.)

And it's in this context that it's clear why Kerry is beating Dean, and why his campaign is probably reducing its chances of winning in the general. He's selling fear of Bush, propped up with pilfered bits of Dean's platform. And no one sells fear better than conservatives, they are (to lift a phrase) the real deal when it comes to petrifying the electorate. When we buy into it, it cedes the entire debate. Democrats all around the country have lost to Republicans when they got into the fear business, which they like to call centrism.

Too many people seem to forget that before Dean showed up with his complete lack of reverence and fear for Bush, it would have been hard to find a Democrat who believed anyone could oust him. The DLC approved campaigns are dragging all of us right back to where Bush is the 800 lb. gorilla that can't be touched except by the very lucky and curiously meritorious. Thanks guys. Thanks a bunch.

When the Democratic party finally gets the Dean campaign's donor list, they'll find that they already had my name. And they'll find that I haven't given them a cent.

She refers to this good Al Giordano post.