It's not to say that the Democratic Party has always been without principles but it does have a tendency to put personalities above principles. It's in the throes of one such episode now, the idolatry of Barack Obama. There was something very eerie and scary in the cult worship some of the more flamboyant groupies exhibited in 2008 with the songs and chants that tried to deify Barack Hussein Obama. Probably that paroxysm has abated but Obama has been able to put in place a cadre of true believers to preside over the destruction of what once was the champion of the liberal American values. Those values had been waning long before Obama. Probably George McGovern should get some credit for wrecking the party but Obama has taken it over the cliff. In practice the party has always been about personal financial fulfillment and it has been rife with corruption for more than a century but it at least tried to hold onto a sense of noble idealism. Obama demolished that facade. He has conducted a soviet style purge of the traditional friends of the party. Gone are Democrats for Life since abortion is now a right that trumps anything actually enumerated in the constitution. Gone are the blue collar Democrats. They were expendable. Gone is the Catholic Church; it would not bend to Obama's will. Yesterday Israel got its dear John letter. Team Obama broke an understanding that had endured 65 years and did it ruthlessly. It denies it did it. No one reads the party platform anyway. The personal disappointment some in the Democratic Party may have is apt to be mild compared to voter reaction in swing state Florida. Obviously this convention doesn't have the wants and aspirations of the independent voter in mind and it may pay an awful price for its neglect.
Dana Bash: I asked the DNC [why it omitted sections of its 2008 Israel plank from its 2012 platform] and we have an answer. And their answer was that they were simply following what the Obama administration’s policy is, and the White House said several months ago that the status of Jerusalem is an issue that should be resolved in the final status negotiations between the Israelis and the Palestinians, and that is why it is not in the platform as it was in 2008.
The question now is, can what remains of the Democrat Party put the party back together again after Obama is gone? Or has Obama damaged the party beyond repair in too many states and in too many constituency groups for it to come back in four years?
No comments:
Post a Comment