Batfink's Beep -- 1-18-06

A day late and a dollar short

January 18, 2006

No less a true believer than James Carville is now claiming that the Democrat party "has a disease" that needs to be fixed quick if they are to get anywhere in the next couple elections.

In a book co-written with fellow far-left loon Paul Begala, Carville presents what are sure to be some uncomfortable truths about his party. Sure, there's a lot of crazy in there along with the occasional grain of truth, but there are some grains in there, and that sets Carville quite apart from the bulk of his party these days.

Remember when Carville was manifestly and self-evidently insane, and most regular Democrats weren't? It wasn't that long ago, really. He burst onto the scene in the early 90s, coming on like a rabid squirrel on crack, foaming and raving, and even faithful Democrats had to admit, when he came on TV, that that guy was just barking nuts. Well, it says plenty that he may now be their voice of reason, trying to save them from what even he sees is a hell of a trainwreck coming down the track. Carville's never-quite-sufficiently saving grace was always that, while he was clearly out there a long, LONG way, stupid he's not. There's some good thinking machinery in there under all that crazy. And buried under the usual layer upon layer of pathetic lies (he actually asserts, for example, that the Dems' problem isn't a lack of ideas, but too many of them) there is some good advice.

He puts his finger clearly on the Dems' lack of a compelling narrative, a simple, clear message that boils down to a handful of words that just plain make sense to people. He even acknowleges that certain things the Dems hold fast to, will just plain NEVER sell, and it's time to face it -- late-term abortion rights and gun control are specifically cited.

I won't get into too much detail on what are actually, some of them, quite astute suggestions in their way, because that's not what I think is the issue here, as a practical Republican. What I'm wondering is, does it come in time to help? Or is it too late already? Put another way, let's suppose his targets woke up, and his advice was heeded all the way by the Democrat party, well, for lack of a better word, leadership. Would THAT work?

I doubt it. One basic reason is that much of what he suggests, just can't be done. He suggests, for one big thing, "wrapping ourselves in the flag", "just like Republicans have done." Is this doable? What exactly IS 'wrapping yourself in the flag'? Isn't it showing average people that you are for America, first, foremost, and always? That you want it to always stand proudly as a place where hard work pays, and where we can live and raise our children in safety and security? That you unashamedly believe that this is the best country on earth? That, at the end of the day, you LIKE the idea of the USA as a strong, shining example to the world on how it can be done?

Do you believe that this is the way liberals think? Would people who thought that fill the newspapers they work for with page after page of Blame-America-Firstism? To ask the question is to answer it; Who thinks that a Left that has given us so many years of all that Not-Unless-The-UN-OKs-It crap can 'wrap themselves in the flag', and have it work? Let's get down to it: Would a party that believed all that, be screaming for defeat in Iraq? In short: until it becomes true, nobody will buy it. And at that point, they'll be Republicans anyway.

Carville makes it clear that he is not changing his mind about liberalism's brightest guiding light, either. I'm talking, of course, about Socialism. He claims that "We have to change how we drive, how we are consuming energy, deal with deficits and exploding health care costs," he says. And, oh, he wants the 'wealthy' to give up their tax cuts. What's new is how he proposes to sell all that same-old-same-old: "Progressive Patriotism." No fooling, now: He's going to tell us that we're all in this together. The folks who think they're the only ones smart enough to run things for us stupid slobs, are going to tell us that we have to pay them more of our hard-earned money to be patriotic, because we're all on the same team, you see. Hmm. Well, it sounds semi-plausible on paper, assuming you can get people to flush that most All-American of American values, working hard and taking care of yourself with your own hard-earned money. You know: the value that brought our parents and grandparents and great-grandparents here. But putting even that aside, wouldn't a case like that have to be made with a sense of reasonableness? You can't exactly convince someone, alternating between rage and sneering condescension, that you like him, and we're all in this together, and so hand over your hard earned money and like it.

There are other deal-breakers, as well, though it would certainly help the Dems in the end if they were possible. Things like weaning themselves from the special interest groups. Who exactly would that leave in their coalition? And there are the things that, while sensible, would lose the support of vast swaths of foaming leftists on the grounds of being capitulation -- More nuclear power for electricity, and even drilling in ANWAR. Carville actually suggests this. It'd be different if this weren't already the GOP position, but it is, and people know caving when they see it; It doesn't exactly fire up the base.

When he isn't just plain dreaming, Carville comes up with some more classically crackpot ideas as well. Probably the craziest is his way of dealing with lobbyist-purchased congressmen -- more than double their pay to $350K. According to Carville, these poor working-class folks are being forced to travel in a world of super-rich powerbrokers, on a mere $150 thou per year on average. We HAVE to make them filthy rich, too; just so they can resist the temptation of all that lobbyist money, you see. Sure: that'll work. Because nobody ever wanted more than a third of a million dollars, after all.

No, I don't think Carville will be able to save his sinking party. But that he clearly sees them going down shows that even the craziest of liberals have the capacity to increase their awareness to some degree. The thing is, after you've already struck the iceberg, furiously cranking the rudder won't do much to help anymore.

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