Democrats to Repeat GOP’s Winning ’06 Strategy This Fall
In just nine days, we’ll be commemorating the first anniversary of an event long awaited on the left side of the political aisle: the return of George W. Bush to Texas. This departure, however, has not prevented Democrats from bringing up their all-purpose bogeyman every time our nation faces a crisis, his successor makes an error or when they just plain need something to complain about.
Obama may say the buck stops with him, but for the better part of his first year in office, he’s been blaming Bush for the toughness of the challenges he fought so hard to face.
Well, our friend Sonicfrog, perhaps in anticipation of his fifth blogiversary, points out that Democrats are making this obsession their electoral strategy, linking John Fund’s piece on how Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chairman Chris Van Hollen plans to “attack Republicans for wanting to restore the discredited Bush era.” Funny, our friend notes, quoting the Washington Post how similar that strategy is to the Republican strategy in 2006 :
The message that Bush and others are sending to alienated supporters is that, no matter how upset they have been about various policies or political missteps over the past couple of years, life would be far worse under the Democrats. They name liberal lawmakers who would take charge of key committees and warn conservatives that taxes would go up and protection against terrorists would go down.
We all know how well that strategy worked out. But, “even more damning,” Sonic writes, “many on the right will now be able to say they were right.”
In 2006 and 2008, the Democrats could run against Bush because his was the party in power. The American people hold incumbent parties responsible for the state of the nation. Today, with Americans overwhelmingly concerned about the deficits and increasingly opposed to a health care overhaul that Democrats feel they just have to pass, they’ll see an attempt to tar the current crop of Republicans as Bush clones as a means to avoid taking responsibility for their own actions.
Bashing Bush may generate some heat in the fever swamps of the far left, but among Americans, once eager to see him do what he did last January (exit the White House), are more focused on what’s going on in Washington today. And polls show them becoming increasingly disenchanted with the Democrats. The average of surveys on the generic ballot currently shows Republicans ahead, something we normally don’t see, even in years where Republicans end up winning congressional majorities.
Make sure to check out Sonic’s post and to wish him a happy blogiversary.
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So in other words, same shit – different election. They have no accomplishments they would want to emphasize. Hope & change has gone over like a wet fart in an elevator. Time to go back to what they know and run by attempting to destroy.
Comment by ThatGayConservative — January 11, 2010 @ 6:26 am - January 11, 2010
John Fund is calling the Bush era discredited? Perhaps it has been discredited, but certainly not rightly so. Bad choice of words on his part.
But the larger point is right, you cant win if you can’t or won’t defend your own actions. And there is very little you can do to win when your policies are unpopular.
But Democrats also hope to cut their losses by redefining the election. Instead of being an election that reflects voter anger at Democrats, Dems and their allies in the media are already working to redefine this as an anti-establishment election in which Americans want to “throw the bums out”. Because if voters are convinced that the problem is not the party that has total control, but politicians in general, then they can be convinced to throw Republicans out too, in favor of Democrat challengers.
If it works, this allows Dems to win some seats, whereas an anti-Democrat election doesnt allow them to win any.
Comment by American Elephant — January 11, 2010 @ 9:33 am - January 11, 2010
I’m still waiting for the GOP to show me a plan that’s actually better than the Demonrats, that will actually fix the massive deficits and government metastasis PelosiReidObama have wrought. So far… nada.
Comment by V the K — January 11, 2010 @ 12:02 pm - January 11, 2010
Ramesh Ponnuru — not a liberal — has some cold water to splash on premature Republican triumphalism. I agree with most of his points.
Comment by V the K — January 11, 2010 @ 3:57 pm - January 11, 2010
V, I agree. When it comes to insanely bloated government that wants to take over every aspect of our lives and destroy the future of our children and grandchildren, the GOP has been a big part of the problem, these last 10 years. The difference between them and the Democrats is one of degree. It is a noteworthy difference, but not a vast one.
Comment by ILoveCapitalism — January 11, 2010 @ 4:04 pm - January 11, 2010
(Excepting foreign policy / defending America. There, the difference is vast. My above comments address economic & domestic policy, where the GOP these last ten years has only been “Democrat Lite”.)
Comment by ILoveCapitalism — January 11, 2010 @ 4:06 pm - January 11, 2010
V,
I am waiting too. But I suspect we are waiting because Republicans are keeping their powder dry until closer to the election. If they were to come forward with plans now, Democrats and the media could spend the next year attacking them. At least thats what I hope they are doing. My confidence in Republicans strategic skills falls every time Michael Steele opens his annoying yap.
Comment by American Elephant — January 11, 2010 @ 5:03 pm - January 11, 2010
To start with….JFK, Ronaldus Maximus and Bush 43 jumpstarted economies mired in recessions with tax rate cuts.
Comment by Gene in Pennsylvania — January 11, 2010 @ 5:18 pm - January 11, 2010
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