Bush's Bandwagon
And The Democrats Who Still Want To Ride
Potential Democratic Presidential candidate John Edwards has returned to the stump.
On Thursday he told an audience this: Despite Bush’s frequent speeches on liberty around the world, “freedom does not belong to one political party.”
I can’t help but think statements like these may be the key problem with the Democrats. They campaign and talk with a sort of “me too” rhetoric that praises the opposition in a roundabout way saying “we can be like that too”.
The Democrats (and progressive-minded independents) need to explain why Bush’s version of freedom is disingenuous and that he has fought against liberty in many ways, especially here at home. They need to point out that he has neglected opportunities to foster freedom and democracy, especially among African nations. They need to show that democracy's spread in the Mideast is dubious at best and not without an unnecessarily heavy price.
But, instead, the Dems keep making speeches like John Edwards’ saying, in effect, “we want a seat on Bush’s bandwagon.”
Bush's popularity is sinking fast and any potential candidates for the White House in 2008 need to look at the reasons why he has lost that ground. Trying to walk like Bush, talk like Bush, and be like Bush doesn't exactly seem like a winning formula.
Potential Democratic Presidential candidate John Edwards has returned to the stump.
On Thursday he told an audience this: Despite Bush’s frequent speeches on liberty around the world, “freedom does not belong to one political party.”
I can’t help but think statements like these may be the key problem with the Democrats. They campaign and talk with a sort of “me too” rhetoric that praises the opposition in a roundabout way saying “we can be like that too”.
The Democrats (and progressive-minded independents) need to explain why Bush’s version of freedom is disingenuous and that he has fought against liberty in many ways, especially here at home. They need to point out that he has neglected opportunities to foster freedom and democracy, especially among African nations. They need to show that democracy's spread in the Mideast is dubious at best and not without an unnecessarily heavy price.
But, instead, the Dems keep making speeches like John Edwards’ saying, in effect, “we want a seat on Bush’s bandwagon.”
Bush's popularity is sinking fast and any potential candidates for the White House in 2008 need to look at the reasons why he has lost that ground. Trying to walk like Bush, talk like Bush, and be like Bush doesn't exactly seem like a winning formula.
posted by Steve Trumbull | 6/02/2005
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