PERRspectives: Election '04 Archives

Election '04 Archives

	In New Book, Tom Ridge Decries Politicized Bush Terror Alerts "In his new book, former Homeland Security secretary Tom Ridge confirms what most long suspected: the Bush administration manipulated the terror threat level for the President's political advantage. But while his long overdue admission is welcome, his suggestion that he resigned over the matter is laughable. As ThinkProgress and others have passed along, US News reported that: Among the headlines promoted by publisher Thomas Dunne Books: Ridge was never invited to sit in on National Security Council meetings; was "blindsided"... more Posted on August 20, 2009 \| Comments (2)

	McCain Recycled '04 RNC Riff to Close '08 Convention Speech For the most part, John McCain's Republican National Convention speech was generally panned. While former Bush speechwriter Michael Gerson called the performance ''pretty disappointing," CNN's Jeffrey Toobin deemed it "the worst speech by a nominee that I've heard since Jimmy Carter in 1980." But McCain did get some high marks for his rousing finish, which exhorted Americans to "stand up" and fight. As it turns out, he probably knew that part by heart. After all, he delivered pretty much the... more Posted on September 5, 2008 \| Comments (2)

	Purple Heart Band-Aids and Tire Gauges Here are two incontrovertible statements of fact. John Kerry was a decorated Vietnam war veteran. Barack Obama suggested Americans keep their tires inflated to ensure better gas mileage for their cars. But as with Kerry and the Purple-Heart Band-Aids in 2004, Obama is about to see his basic truth swamped by the tawdry but sadly effective gimmicky of the Republican Party. That's the clear intent of the McCain camp's distribution today of tire pressure gauges reading "Obama Energy Plan." On... more Posted on August 4, 2008 \| Comments (1)

	McCain's "Bring 'Em On" Election Strategy While a terrorist attack on the U.S. homeland would be a tragedy for the American people, it would apparently be viewed as a blessing by the campaign of John McCain. On the same day that USA Today reported that terrorism is the only issue on which Americans clearly prefer John McCain to Barack Obama, McCain senior strategist Charlie Black admitted of another terror strike here, "certainly it would be a big advantage to him." As it turns out, John McCain... more Posted on June 24, 2008 \| Comments (0)

	Conservatives 527, John Kerry 0 The campaign 2004 indignities continued this week for Senator John Kerry. On Tuesday, Kerry's Foreign Relations Committee confronted Sam Fox, the President's nominee for ambassador to Belgium, also a Bush "Pioneer" and a $50,000 contributor to the Swift Boat Vets in 2004. And on Wednesday, Kerry learned that the Federal Election Commission slapped a record $750,000 fine on Progress for America, a conservative 527 group which spent almost $30 million on President Bush's reelection. The Fox confirmation hearings proceeded uneventfully,... more Posted on March 1, 2007 \| Comments (2)

	Study: Voter ID Programs Suppress Turnout Just before November's midterm elections, a piece called "Divide, Suppress and Conquer" described the two-pronged Republican campaign strategy of mobilizing its conservative base while driving down the Democratic and independent vote. When it comes to vote suppression, a new study has found that the Republican tactics have been quite successful, indeed. In a report just presented to the U.S. Election Assistance Commission, the Eagleton Institute of Politics at Rutgers University showed the impact of draconian new state voter identification laws.... more Posted on February 22, 2007 \| Comments (5)

	Bush Denies GOP Treason Label for Democrats A chastened President Bush ventured into enemy territory on Saturday to address the annual gathering of House Democrats. Obliterated in the November elections and facing both abysmal poll numbers and open rebellion over Iraq within his own party, the formerly fierce Bush with tail between his legs feigned a spirit of bipartisan cooperation: "I welcome debate at a time of war and I hope you know that. Nor do I consider a belief that if you don't happen to agree... more Posted on February 4, 2007 \| Comments (2)

	Divide, Suppress and Conquer: The GOP's 25% Strategy for 2006 As Tuesday's vote approaches, Democrats are buoyantly optimistic about their prospects for retaking control of Congress. President Bush is wildly unpopular. His handling of Iraq, the election's dominant issue, is backed by less than a third of the electorate. On issue after issue, voters across the United States support Democratic positions. And in generic Congressional polls, a majority of Americans consistently prefer Democrats over Republicans. Almost none of which matters for the Republican braintrust. For the GOP, 2006 isn't a... more Posted on November 6, 2006 \| Comments (2)

	Bush's Premature Emancipation Problem This weekend, the United States launched "Operation Mountain Thrust" in Afghanistan. Featuring 10,000 U.S. troops and American aircraft targeting the peaks along the border with Pakistan, the spring offensive seeks to decimate a resurgent and emboldened Taliban. Sadly, that would be the same Taliban President Bush declared non-existent two years ago. This weekend's fighting in eastern Afghanistan may have killed 90 guerillas, but it also served to highlight President Bush's penchant for prematurely declaring victory in his wars fought on... more Posted on June 19, 2006 \| Comments (1)

	Bush Flip-Flops on North Korea In the latest flip-flop from President Bush, the administration is planning to reverse course on North Korea. After five-years of a failed policy that produced a nuclear-armed North Korea, Bush will give the go-ahead for direct bilateral negotiations with Pyongyang. Apparently, the President has finally decided to listen to John Kerry's advice in 2004. The New York Times reports that President Bush will soon approve recommendations from top advisors which include "a broad new approach to dealing with North Korea... more Posted on May 18, 2006 \| Comments (2)

	Team America: Making Lakoff Work for Democrats George Lakoff's advice for Democrats in Don't Think of An Elephant: Know Your Values and Frame the Debate continues to be the focus of much discussion within the left-of-center blogosphere. In the last week, while Perrspectives took Lakoff to task, Matthew Yglesias praised Democratic efforts to stop President Bush on Social Security as an example of successful Lakoffian "framing." Meanwhile, Marc Cooper in his book review in The Atlantic thundered against Lakoff's "neuroscientific hooey." And just today, DailyKos has called... more Posted on March 6, 2005 \| Comments (1)

	Framed: Lakoff's Dubious Speech Therapy for Democrats In the wake of November?s disaster for Democrats, liberals and progressives of all stripes have been seeking guidance and comfort in the work of cognitive scientist and linguist George Lakoff. All the rage among Democrats, his book Don?t Think of An Elephant has introduced the term ?framing? into the daily lexicon of political animals. For devastated Democrats trying to plot their return from the wilderness, Lakoff has taken on almost mythic status. And that?s probably not a good thing. While... more Posted on March 1, 2005 \| Comments (4)

	Ruy Texeira and the Whiteness of Being Over at Donkey Rising, Ruy Teixeira analyzes the raw data from the final NEP 2004 exit poll is search of an explanation for John Kerry's defeat. Not surprisingly, he concludes that "It's the White Working Class, Stupid." That is, Democrats not only got clubbed again by the GOP among working class white men (by 30% vs 29% four years ago), but were trounced among working class white women, with Bush's margin growing to 18% (from 7% in 2000). More alarming,... more Posted on February 9, 2005 \| Comments (0)

	Name That Bush Scandal Contest Results! To commemorate the Second Inauguration of President George W. Bush, Perrspectives is pleased to announce the winners of the "Name That Bush Scandal" Contest which concluded at noon EST, January 20, 2005. Perrspectives received entries from all over the United States (and the world, for that matter). We'd like to thank everyone who participated for their creativity, spirit, energy and, given the election results, understandable angst. But while America may be the place where , to quote President Bush, "wings... more Posted on January 22, 2005 \| Comments (0)

	Simon Says: Rosenberg for DNC Chair The race to succeed Terry McAuliffe as DNC chair is heating up and is getting very crowded. On December 8th, "front-runner" Howard Dean made his pitch. Today, Simon Rosenberg, president and founder of the New Democrat Network, will preview his case for leadership at the ASDC conference in Orlando. A Rosenberg candidacy to lead the Democratic National Committee is one we at Perrspectives strongly endorse. By way of background, Perrspectives has made the argument (both before and after the electoral... more Posted on December 9, 2004 \| Comments (3)

	Dr. Dean: Wrong Prescription for Democrats At George Washington University, Howard Dean on December 8th used a major address to make his claim for the chairmanship of the Democratic National Committee. Seeing a very ill, deeply depressed Democratic patient with a weak pulse and failing heart, Doctor Dean offered his usual combustible mix of rage and righteous indignation as a balm. Just as in 2003, the Good Doctor showed he is passionately committed to saving the life of his patient, with words that make the patient... more Posted on December 9, 2004 \| Comments (5)

	Less Than the Sum of Our Parts As Democrats wallow in the mire of Tuesday's electoral devastation, many are looking for silver linings in the clouds of the Republican trouncing. From record turnout, new voter registration, impressive fundraising, and the proliferation of liberal 527's, many progressives are finding solace. Comforting as that might be during this time of mourning for progressives, this search for palliatives misses the real point of Tuesday's disaster and obscures the hard work we have to do. That is, Democrats fundamentally have neither... more Posted on November 4, 2004 \| Comments (1)

	Messages and Messengers in 2008 As expected, Democrats rending their garments in anguish over yesterday's debacle are already turning to potential nominees in 2008. It would seem that Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, and John Edwards head the list. While all good and admirable Democrats and public servants, each would be a recipe for yet another defeat in 2008. John Edwards opportunity has come and gone; Obama's time will not yet be right, and for Hilary Clinton, the time will never be right. Why? Because Democrats... more Posted on November 3, 2004 \| Comments (5)

	Five Lessons Learned: The Donkey Gets Its Ass Kicked While the Ohio saga may linger for some days, it's abundantly clear that the Democrats have suffered a devastating defeat. Bush has his mandate, the GOP owns Congress and the governorships, and the Supreme Court is only a matter of time. Let the recriminations begin. Progressives will no doubt cite a host of factors, from Kerry's wooden personality, the unshakable flip-flopper label, the Swift Boat slanders, "voted for it before I voted against it", among others. But these are questions... more Posted on November 3, 2004 \| Comments (29)

	The Stakes Every four years, the presidential candidates and their parties trot out the tired clich� that �this election is the most important in our lifetimes.� In 2004, the clich� is true. The outcome of the battle between George W. Bush and John Kerry will be a watershed event for the United States, a �line in the sand� as Bush the Elder would say. The stakes on November 2 are clear and dramatic: Will the American people choose to renew their social... more Posted on November 2, 2004 \| Comments (0)

	Is This the End of Days for W? To use the language of Armageddon so beloved by this president and his fellow travelers, is this the End of Days for George Bush? While we can only hope so, it's too soon to tell. Until election day, you can track the Numbers of the Beast in the Perrspectives Campaign Poll Center. Hopefully, Americans will wake up on the morning of November 3rd and experience the Rapture of George W. Bush being denied a Second Coming. Until then, it perhaps... more Posted on November 1, 2004 \| Comments (0)

	Spinning in Their Graves President Bush, in his latest cynical act of political whoredom, is pursuing swing state Democratic voters by invoking the heroic words of Democrat heroes past, and finding John Kerry wanting in comparison: "The party of Franklin Roosevelt and Harry Truman and John Kennedy is rightly remembered for confidence and resolve in times of war and in hours of crisis. Senator Kerry has turned his back on 'pay any price' and 'bear any burden." Well, Mr. President, I knew the words... more Posted on October 27, 2004 \| Comments (0)

	Trifecta: Fiascos and Frauds in Iraq and Afghanistan Even in Iraq, when it rains, it pours. Examples of the Bush administration's staggering blunders and clumsy cover-ups are coming fast and furious as election day approaches. Each new revelation only serves to highlight the administration's incompetence, denial and deceit: 1. The Missed Zarqawi Opportunity As The American Prospect details, the Bush White House rejected Pentagon plans to destroy Zarqawi and his Ansar al-Islam camp in Northern Iraq in June 2002. The same people who lambasted President Clinton for merely... more Posted on October 26, 2004 \| Comments (0)

	Is the Pope Catholic? While President Bush continues his cynically transparent effort to court American Catholic voters, some U.S. bishops are doing his dirty work for him. A group of American bishops, backed by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in the Vatican, proclaimed that pro-choice politicians should not receive Communion. Others have gone further, issuing statements and newspaper advertisements that true Catholics should not vote for pro-choice politicians. As Pew Research has found, American Catholics are... more Posted on October 25, 2004 \| Comments (0)

	Osso Bushco Add one more foreign leader publicly announcing his support for the reelection of George Bush. The ethically challenged media mogul and Italian Prime Minister Sylvio Berlusconi added his voice to Bush's overseas amen corner. "We hope and believe that the next president will again be Bush." He might want to check with his countrymen, for whom George W. Bush is slightly more appealing than an STD. No head of state from an American ally can speak in public of his/her... more Posted on October 22, 2004 \| Comments (0)

	The Axis of Evil Endorses W Foreign leaders continue to line up behind George Bush in the 2004 election. Joining Russia's nascent czar Vladimir Putin as a W endorser is Hasan Rowhani, head of the Supreme National Security Council, Iran's top security decision-making body. Unlike Bush, this leader from the Axis of Evil spoke seemed to speak honestly: "We haven't seen anything good from Democrats...We do not desire to see Democrats take over." The American people can only conclude that Iran, with its budding nuclear weapons... more Posted on October 20, 2004 \| Comments (0)

	Bush's Foreign Endorsements: 2000 Flashback Speaking of foreign leaders supporting W for President, who could forget the ringing endorsement of Canadian Prime Minister Jean Poutine in March of 2000: "Prime Minister Jean Poutine said he wouldn't endorse any candidate in this election, now he says he believes George W. Bush is the man to lead the free world into the 21st century." Bush warmly accepted his endorsement: "He understands I want to make sure our relationship with our most important neighbour to the north of... more Posted on October 20, 2004 \| Comments (0)

	Bush's Foreign Endorsements Back in the spring, conservatives thundered against John Kerry when he mentioned in passing that many foreign leaders had confided to him that they wanted to see him replace George Bush as President. Now, those same conservatives have remained silent as Russian president Vladimir Putin endorsed Bush's reelection this week. Putin, the one-time KGB chief and budding Russion autocrat, stated that a Bush defeat would be a victory for the terrorists: "Any unbiased observer understands that attacks of international terrorist... more Posted on October 20, 2004 \| Comments (0)

	Three More Strikes for W In addition to the three pastings inflicted on him by John Kerry, President Bush a day after the final debate faces a trifecta of bad economic news: 1. A record Federal budget deficit of $413 billion. 2. A large increase in the number of first time jobless claims to 352,000. 3. The second highest monthly trade gap in American history ($54 billion). The Bush record speaks for itself. As Ronald Reagan once said, "are you better off now than four... more Posted on October 14, 2004 \| Comments (0)

	Three Strikes and You're Out The last presidential debate is over and the results are in. It is a clear three-peat for John Kerry. Unfortunately for Furious George, his most memorable line of the night ("Gosh, I just don't think I ever said I'm not worried about Osama bin Laden.") was also a blatant lie. Nothing unusual there, of course. Expect President Bush to be on his feet for the rest of campaign, as his backside is no doubt too sore after the ass-kicking John... more Posted on October 14, 2004 \| Comments (0)

	George Bush: Mr. Personality? On the eve of Friday's town hall presidential debate in St. Louis, much has been made of George Bush's "likability advantage." Seemingly plain, folksy and approachable, Bush is portrayed as the kind of guy you'd want to have a beer with. No doubt, this gives W a big advantage in Friday's town hall format. In contrast, John Kerry, like Al Gore before him, represents a personality type disliked by most voters. He was the straight A student, the guy who... more Posted on October 7, 2004 \| Comments (0)

	Cheney, Edwards and the Cleveland Test Speaking of Cleveland, moderator Gwen Ifill's question about the fate of cities like Cleveland was one of the most telling moments of the Cheney-Edwards encounter. Ifill highlighted the woes of Cleveland to ask the candidates address economic and quality of life issues facing the nation. And John Edwards proceeded to use the example of Cleveland to draw the sharpest contrast in the debate. IFILL: "What can you tell the people of Cleveland, or people of cities like Cleveland, that your... more Posted on October 6, 2004 \| Comments (0)

	Cleveland Blues One of the sad stories of the Vice Presidential Debate in Cleveland is that of Cleveland itself. While the debate hype pushed my hometown into the spotlight, other recent developments have not been so kind: America's Poorest Big City The Census Bureau reported that Cleveland is the now the poorest major city in the United States, with a staggering poverty rate of 31%, two and a half times the national average. The Incredible Shrinking City In two generations, Cleveland has... more Posted on October 6, 2004 \| Comments (0)

	The Fake by the Lake - Part 2 While reactions from pundits and pollsters were mixed regarding the Cheney-Edwards clash in Cleveland, CNN's Jeff Greenfield raised the prospect of collateral damage to the Bush campaign from Cheney's solid effort in the debate draw. The Greenfield thesis: Cheney's obvious ability to better articulate and defend the Bush record only serves to highlight Bush's own weakness and will rekindle suspicions that Cheney is the power behind the throne. In Greenfield's telling, GOP loyalists satisfied with their Dark Prince's efforts last... more Posted on October 6, 2004 \| Comments (0)

	The Fake by the Lake - Part 1 Among Vice President Dick Cheney's many skills is the effortlessness and comfort he displays when lying. In last night's debate with John Edwards in Cleveland, Cheney's calm dissembling was once again on display. (This ease with deception is one of the many reasons the Veep is #2 on the "Avenging Angel's Top 10 Unpunished Transgressors List.") Consider the following falsehoods and distortions: Falsehood #1: Iraq - 9/11 Link As he had in the past, Cheney asserted that "the senator has... more Posted on October 6, 2004 \| Comments (0)

	W's Debate Disaster and Pummeling in the Polls America as a whole apparently agrees with my assessment that Kerry opened a can of whoop ass on W. Newsweek's latest poll (9/30-10/2) now shows Kerry up 49-46% in a head-to-head matchup with the hopefully soon-to-be ex-president.... more Posted on October 2, 2004 \| Comments (0)

	The Bush Top 10 Flip Flop List Four years ago, George W. Bush accepted the Republican nomination for President, and famously set the moral tone - and expectations for his presidency: "So when I put my hand on the Bible, I will swear to not only uphold the laws of our land, I will swear to uphold the honor and dignity of the office to which I have been elected, so help me God." It has not, of course, worked out that way. As we pointed out... more Posted on October 1, 2004 \| Comments (0)

	Bush the Coward According to conventional wisdom, George Bush leads John Kerry based on the perception of his strong leadership qualities and decisive action in the war on terror. The polls back this up, with CNN/USA Today/Gallup polls showing Americans prefer Bush over Kerry by large margins in the fight against terrorism (61%-34%) and the situation in Iraq (57%-35%). On his "courageous leadership" as with virtually every aspect of the Bush presidency, however, reality and perception diverge wildly. As Perrspectives has described in... more Posted on September 27, 2004 \| Comments (0)

	Bush RNC 2000 Flashback As Americans prepare to hold their noses for the next four days so as to not inhale the stench eminating from the GOP convention in New York, a step back to the 2000 Republican gathering is in order. Let's journey back to August 3, 2000, when then Governor George W. Bush accepted his party's nomination for president. That speech in essence encapsulated everything we suspected then and now know to be true about George Bush. The lies, the vindictiveness, the... more Posted on September 2, 2004 \| Comments (0)

	RNC Irony Watch Perhaps the only joys in watching the Republican National Convention are the rich servings of irony. Served fresh in virtually GOP speech, these morsels of sweet revenge help slow my otherwise inexorably rising bile. It is worth bearing in mind that the Republican platform calls for a ban on same-sex marriage and equates the rights of a fetus with those of its mother. The Texas GOP platform is particularly frightening, which "affirms that the United States of America is a... more Posted on September 1, 2004 \| Comments (0)

	W's Failed Wartime Leadership During the first night of the Republican Convention in New York, John McCain and Rudy Guiliani were effusive in the their praise of President Bush's war-time leadership. They are dead wrong. As the current situation on the ground and history alike show, Bush's conduct of the war has been misguided, ineffective and yes, cowardly. As Perrspectives detailed back in February ("The War President?"), Bush has failed because he has ignored the four real requirements of American wartime leadership: 1. Call... more Posted on August 31, 2004 \| Comments (1)

	McCain's Deal with the Devil One of the saddest - and most disappointing - spectacles of the 2004 election has been John McCain's descent into pure political opportunism. Gone is McCain's obvious disdain for President Bush, swept under the rug in pursuit of the GOP establishment's support for his own presidential bid in 2008. McCain has not only been stumping for his bete noire, but joined the disgusting chorus of the swift boat hacks by stating that "what John Kerry did after the war is... more Posted on August 30, 2004 \| Comments (0)

	Bush's Ownership Society During a recent campaign stop, President Bush gave West Virginians a preview of the GOP convention and his reelection theme for the fall. Bush summarized his "Ownership Society", stating that "when you own something, you have a vital stake in the future of our country." The Ownership Society is Bush's attempt to offer the "vision thing" and counter his vulnerability over the chaos in Iraq and the jobless recovery at home. It aims to create a new American homo economicus... more Posted on August 27, 2004 \| Comments (0)

	The Trial of John Edwards Within minutes of Senator John Edwards� selection by John Kerry as his running mate, the Republicans started their predictable onslaught of attacks on his national security experience and high-profile career as a trial lawyer. An instantaneously updated GOP web site called Edwards �a disingenuous, unaccomplished liberal and friend to personal injury trial lawyers.� Trent Lott (whose wistful, public nostalgia for the days of Jim Crow cost him the Senate majority leadership) called him �a suing lawyer � that�s S-U-I-N-G lawyer.�... more Posted on July 8, 2004 \| Comments (0)

	Five Global Challenges for a New American Internationalism That giant sucking sound you may have heard last week was the last vestiges of American unilateralism spinning down the drain. Perhaps barely noticed in the din and drumbeat of the Reagan commemoration, the short and unhappy life of President Bush�s policy of �America Alone� mercifully came to an abrupt halt. In securing passage of a U.N. Security Council resolution recognizing the new Iraqi Interim Government, the Bush administration unwittingly pronounced the death of an idea whose time had never... more Posted on June 18, 2004 \| Comments (0)

	Reflections on Reagan Now that the orgiastic collective mourning of Ronald Reagan is complete, we can from the distance of a week honestly reflect on the legacy of Ronald Reagan. Here is a look back at the man and the myth, in his own words and those of who (theoretically) admired him... Continue reading "Reflections on Reagan"...... more Posted on June 12, 2004 \| Comments (0)

	Are We More Secure? As we mark the one-year anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Iraq, George W. Bush has made national security the foundation of his reelection effort. To no one�s surprise, the self-proclaimed �war president� is running on a theme of �steady leadership for changing times.� Given the traditional advantage the GOP has enjoyed with voters on defense and national security issues, the formula for electoral success seems straightforward: �President Bush made America safer.� Except that it�s not true. John Kerry and... more Posted on March 18, 2004 \| Comments (0)

	Are You Better Off? During the 1980 presidential campaign, Ronald Reagan quickly deflated Jimmy Carter�s reelection bid with a simple question, asking the American people, �are you better off today than four years ago?� The answer, at a time of high unemployment, staggering inflation, spiraling energy prices, and hostages in Tehran, was an obvious - and devastating - no. Now it�s George Bush�s turn to face the Reagan question. And as with Jimmy Carter, the verdict from the American people won�t be kind: the... more Posted on March 10, 2004 \| Comments (0)

	States' Blights As the past week�s Democratic debates in Los Angeles and New York showed once again, there are generally very few substantive policy disagreements between John Kerry and John Edwards. On the issue of same-sex marriage in particular, there is very little difference in their approach: play it safe. That may be politically expedient and even politically necessary, but unfortunately, it also dangerous to the cause of personal liberty. Unlike abortion rights, which enjoy consensus support nationwide, same-sex marriage is still... more Posted on March 2, 2004 \| Comments (0)

	Unsafe at Any Speed Ralph Nader announced his candidacy for president on Meet the Press with Tim Russert on Sunday. For those who missed it, here is a sneak peak at the de facto 2004 Nader campaign platform. At first glance, it looks strikingly similar to George W. Bush�s program. At second and third glance, too... Continue reading "Unsafe at Any Speed"...... more Posted on February 23, 2004 \| Comments (0)

	The Opt Out Society, Part VI: The Democrats' New American Bargain in Action In 2004, Democrats must answer the GOP assault on national unity with a program based on reciprocity, responsibility and opportunity that calls on the best in Americans and their government. On national security, Democrats must not only pass the threshold of credibility, they must demonstrate clear leadership compared to the GOP. There is no better way to do this, substantively and symbolically, than through national service. While the volunteer army currently seems sufficient to fight foes abroad such as Afghanistan... more Posted on February 9, 2004 \| Comments (0)

	The Opt Out Society, Part V: A New American Bargain Democrats need a new, revitalized public philosophy and politics not only to achieve victory in 2004, but also to have any hope of attaining majority status in the next decade. In contrast to a conservative Opt Out ideology increasingly at odds with the best American civic traditions, Democrats should seek to usher in the "Reciprocity Society." Characterized by shared national identity and values, commitment to common goals and public institutions, national service, mutual responsibility, and universal opportunity, the Reciprocity Society... more Posted on February 9, 2004 \| Comments (0)

	The Opt Out Society, Part IV: Identity Politics and the Threat from the Left Unfortunately, Democrats cannot credibly speak of a politics of national unity and common American interest unless they make a clear break with the identity politics, multi-culturalism, and group privileges of the party's left. Democrats during the Clinton reign in the 1990's made great progress overcoming two of the three barriers to the party gaining majority status: being trusted on national defense and to provide economic growth. On cultural issues, however, the Clinton program of "100,000 cops" and welfare reform (not... more Posted on February 9, 2004 \| Comments (0)

	The Opt Out Society, Part III: Branding the Opt Out Society Democrats in 2004 would do well to emulate two successful approaches of their opponents in branding the GOP and its Opt Out philosophy. In 1994 with Newt Gingrich's "Contract with America" and again with the 2000 Bush campaign, the Republicans succeeded in both labeling the Democrats as outside the mainstream while effectively positioning their own program in easily understood, hard hitting and, at least superficially, universally appealing sound bites. The result was and continues to be GOP domination of the... more Posted on February 9, 2004 \| Comments (0)

	The Opt Out Society, Part II: On Your Own The impact of the Opt Out Society can be seen across the policies the Bush administration has pursued since coming to office. These are consistently defined by three characteristics. First is market idolatry; all public policy issues are framed in terms of market choice, competition, and privatization. From school vouchers to a market for pollution credits, any outcome that results is by definition the right one, since it was freely decided by the market. Second, the politics of the Opt... more Posted on February 9, 2004 \| Comments (0)

	The Opt Out Society, Part I: Introduction There's an old saying that says, "don't bring a knife to a gun fight." Another old saw goes "know your enemy." Truer words were never spoken as Democrats approach the 2004 elections. President Bush, fresh off his victory in Iraq, the staged performance on the aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln, and the capture of Saddam, has maintained strong approval ratings. But while the president wraps himself in the flag and the banner of unity in the American war against terror, the... more Posted on February 9, 2004 \| Comments (0)