After the election of 3 weeks ago, it is clear that the democratic party needs to restructure. How can they do that, with the GOP running all branches of government in Washington?
The answer is remarkably simple. I believe that the GOP will self-destruct, as their policices are not based upon much more than wishful thinking. Iraq and the economy both are potential disasters of their own making. And what other potential disasters are awaiting?
President Bush took very little time to evaluate his 51% election victory as a mandate, and that he would expend his political capital to push the US further to the right. As one who has opposed Bush since the 2000 primaries, I can only say 'Go for it, W!'
Personally, I think the best way for the democrats to succeed is to just quietly sit back and let the GOP screw up. Maybe make some noise on the big issues, but quietly allow them to do their evil work on most things. They are already signs of strain, with the GOP refusing to follow the will of the American people and the 9/11 Commission to reform intelligence to protect America. Just let them screw things up for a while, and let people like us keep them honest, and hopefully the media will be a little less enamoured of Bush and the GOP and will point out their follies. Let the GOP work their imaginary 'mandate' on the US, and see if Americans approve or dissaprove.
It seems more and more impossible for the US to succeed in Iraq. We went in under false pretenses, with the flawed premise that we could impose a democracy by the barrel of a gun, and that somehow an exit strategy would miraculously appear when needed. Iraqis would dance in the streets, throw rose petals at our troops' feet, and would instantly become compassionate conservatives and vote for Ahmed Chalabi, the GOP nominee. Unfortunately, things went awry right from the beginning. Even before Bush declared Mission Accomplished, the looting had begun, and those of us in our right minds were wondering what we were going to do next.
I cannot comprehend what Bush really planned the exit strategy to be. After all, he was as silent on that as he was the real reason we invaded. But those of us opposed to the invasion seemed to realise that Saddamn's secular Iraq was what was keeping Iraq from a Civil War, which could quite possibly be won by the majority Shiites, and that a Shiite government would almost certainly oppose the US. In fact, a Shiite Iraq could easily transform Iraq from the only Middle East nation without an al Qaeda presence into a hotbed of Islamic fundamentalism and terrorism.
On the economy, the jobs situation is marginal, and the Bush Administration's weak dollar policy is destined to bite us in the keister eventually. Our reliance on terrorist oil is foolish, and the US cannot produce enough oil to power all of those Supersized Unamerican Vehicles that the Bush Administration gave selective tax breaks for. What IS Bush's economic policy, other than tax cuts and legislation protecting America's bad doctors from malpractice suits? Really!
So, the best strategy the democratic party can follow is to let the GOP have their way.
The second question is, is this best for America? After all, letting Bush have his way got us embroiled in Iarq, and I really don't think any American can say, with what we know now, that this was in America's best interests. If Bush is as incompetent as I believe he is, allowing him to mold America for the next 4 years in the hope that this will bring America to its senses is a dangerous strategy for the DNC. But, I know people that honestly believe that is the only thing that will bring real change.
The constant in politics is that the pendulum will swing to either side at various times. The GOP will not have the absolute power they now enjoy ad infinitum. At some point, perhaps in 2 or 4 years, the pendulum will swing back to the left. It is undeniable that it has swung to the right, and the issue is whether the pendulum is at its apex, or is still swinging rightward?
