How the Democrats Continue to Lose Ground

Robert Kuttner writing in the Boston Globe says the Democrats are “Asleep at the Wheel.” That seems almost like an understatement, for as we have also commented many times before,

Time after time, Bush administration policies do real economic harm to ordinary people, yet the Democrats can’t seem to turn that reality into winning politics.

It is not as if the opportunities are not there.

A New York Times/CBS poll last week reported that 63 percent of respondents felt that Bush had different economic priorities than those of most Americans. A majority (51 percent) opposed Bush’s Social Security privatization plan, and that rose to 69 percent when respondents were informed that the shift would cut the basic guaranteed benefit.

People understand what Bush is up to. So why are Democrats failing to turn this into a winning politics? Five reasons.

First, dozens of Democratic legislators vote with Bush, usually to curry favor with organized corporate business interests that write these bills (and campaign checks). Eighteen Senate Dems even voted for the bankruptcy bill. This blurs the distinction between the parties and leaves the impression that Democrats don't know what they stand for. Nobody wants to follow a wimp.

Second, center-right Democrats urge their party to avoid “'populism.” But sticking up for the economic interests of ordinary people is not populist in the sense of class warfare. It's the essence of what once made Democrats the majority party. Nor is it “antibusiness” to defend a fair tax system, adequate social outlays, and regulation to protect consumers and investors.

Third, Bush is a master propagandist, with tame or intimidated media eating out of his hand, while the supposedly liberal press bends over backward to be evenhanded.

Fourth, the cultural conservatism of many moderate-income Americans attracts them to Republicans who don't serve their economic interests. But cultural moderation will not save the souls of Democrats unless they start delivering the goods economically.

Finally, there’s a war on, and people generally support a wartime president.

I’m not so sure about reason number five, but I suppose people do not really know how badly things are going in Iraq.

The latest example of his first reason is the vote to drill for oil in Anwar, the vote was 51-49 with the margin of defeat coming from the Democrats.

Three Democrats – Daniel K. Inouye and Daniel K. Akaka of Hawaii and Mary Landrieu (La.) – joined 48 Republicans to defeat the amendment.

This happens much too often, and as we have stated, is just another nail in their coffin. This constant caving hurts them both in the short and long run.