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July 12, 2004 If Republicans have ever approved of anything Democrats have done, they have been good at keeping silent about it. It is as if, in the entire history of the Democratic Party, nothing good has ever had the donkey stamp on it. I must hand it to Republicans: they tow the partisan line unlike anyone else. Petty, partisan Republicans have become bitter and snappy as they cling to the Senate and White House. They attack John Kerry’s supposed “lack of values” while President Bush declares it is “not an issue” when the Vice President of the United States of America hurls profanities on the floor of the Senate. Of course, good luck trying to scold Cheney for that. They snipe at John Edwards, billing him as John Kerry’s second choice. They would do well do remember that, by the popular vote, George W. Bush was America’s second choice. No, they don’t remember that. If there is truth in the statement that a majority of America is not liberal, a swipe at our chances for a November win, it is also true that America is not wholly conservative, either. It is a broad stroke of swing voters with fringe hard-liners at either side. This is the vulnerability that so many Republican hard- liners ignore. It would do Republicans well to admit they are not invincible to the shifting of the political spectrum. That kind of play comes off as childish when President Bush is posting volatile approval ratings, the world opinion shifts anti- American, and Tom DeLay is dragged into an Enron money scandal. Of course, this notwithstanding the fact that the Senate may just, may just be taken back by the Democrats in November. But what matter is the opinion of the world, so many Republicans declare. We are the United States, the golden Titan of the world, and we will do as we please. If other nations do not like it, France, Germany, Russia, you can just cry about it. No, Republicans would be wise to remember wars are won just as much with soft power – just as this month’s Foreign Affairs reports in a banner story – as blunt strength. The Cold War was won with just as much soft power as hard power, and while the War on Terror is different, it creates an even more important need for soft power, the art of persuasion. Well, we’re the superpower, and no one’s going to say we’re doing it wrong. But there will be a time when the United States needs a favor – publicly or not – and all of the “freedom fries” in the world will not turn our former good friends back to our side. Republicans must and will realize that they are not the only party, and their actions are not without consequence. Republicans would be wise to realize that. More and more Americans are. ------------ About the author: Max Burns lives in Indianapolis and interns with the Indiana Democratic Party. Visit The Rabid Demoncrat or read the fantasy-fiction novel "Alcardia". He is currently a junior at Lawrence North High School and is active in political clubs and associations. Max thinks it's time to hatch a real environmental policy and plant George W. Bush back in Crawford. Email: MBurns_NS@hotmail.com Tell a friend about this site! ------------ |
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