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Jan 29, 2004 We just don’t get it as Democrats, do we? We don’t have to be polar opposite of every Republican idea to define our party stance. Democrat(ic) National Committee Chairman Terry McAwful stuck his foot in his mouth by saying President George Bush’s State of the Union address on Tuesday “was the worst ever given.” He droned on, saying it lacked vision. Talk about the pot calling the kettle black. We as a party lack vision. Instead of giving the American people a clear alternative to corporate greed, paranoid defense spending and cronyism and war profiteering, we dress up our party platform with bashing religion, killing unborn babies and extensive pork programs to ensure our elected jobs will be secure in the next cycle. Where’s OUR vision? The President didn’t have to lay out a visionary speech last night. He merely reframed contexts in a speech that was strategically placed and tactically sound. He reviewed the accomplishments of his administration; he attacked Democrat candidates’ reelection planks by reframing the arguments, addressing those who opposed the invasion of Iraq and those who condemned the action as ‘going it alone’ in a brilliant fashion (remember Bush listing many of the "Coalition of the Willing" countries?); and he co-opted planks on education and children’s welfare that we as Democrats should be advocating. We don’t know where we’re going as a party, in my opinion, because we lack the courage to look at our past, acknowledge and learn from our mistakes, and craft a bold agenda that is visionary and compelling. Instead, we wallow around in the throes of agony, crying about a lost election and lambasting Republicans at all the wrong times for all the wrong reasons. No wonder no one takes us seriously. ------------ About the author: Chuck Tyler is a freelance writer and journalist based in South Bend, Indiana. His credits include coverage for the South Bend Tribune (www.SouthBendTribune.com) of a triple homicide trial and a town hall meeting of concerned citizens and local officials for the Herald-Palladium (www.HeraldPalladium.com) following 9/11. Email him at: tyler_1420@yahoo.com Comment on this column in the forum. ------------ |
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