Democrats are starting to understand that aggressive advocacy is the best policy. Progressives have always had a soft spot for consensus building that too often has led to an appearance of weakness. We are told by our conservative pundits that we must move forward in a bi-partisan spirit, read acquiesce to the GOP perspective. In our effort to be more sensitive to the opposition we make compromises that often undermine essential strategies. Nothing stands as a better example for this than the 2000 Democratic Presidential ticket. The inclusion of Joe Lieberman was the act of a party more concerned about the feelings of right-wingers than the activists and more liberal members within its own party.
Since the 2000 election debacle we have learned our lesson. The Democratic Party has achieved a level of competence that the Republicans have only aspired to, despite all claims to the contrary. Ironically, after Bush took the White House, we continually heard that we should rest easy, the adults were in control. The claim came as a result of Clinton’s debauched, but in hindsight, workmanly competent leadership. After the damage that Bush has done, we are now hearing again that adolescent behavior is giving way to mature, organization building competence.
Where Democrats failed to seize on the Clinton era’s successes to expand the party, due to a misguided Puritan modesty in 2000, they have now been emboldened by the success of core values in the market place of ideas. Inclusiveness, environmentalism, social justice and the need for market regulation were pillars of the Democratic ideal that were never abandoned even when the party seemed to be foundering. Our politicians are drawing a great deal of courage from a broader acceptance of these core values and consolidating their victories.
Two speeches mark for me this seachange in the form taken in Democratic message making. Governor Kulongoski’s State of the State and President Barack Obama’s Inaugural broke with not only the party style but institutional convention for their speeches. Both men delivered very aggressive addresses in a forum that is usually reserved for a more ceremonial approach. The President and the Governor were also able to sidestep a blatant partisan heavy-handedness in favor of aggressively advocating for progressive values that should be mutually held. These progressive values were brought home in both speeches and have been accepted as apropos by many conservatives. Some Republicans are now projecting all the misguided policies resulting from neocon zeal onto Bush as a means of purging their party of its failures.
The moral authority of our state’s and nation’s executives were evidenced in the response of some Republican legislators in regard to the State of the State and in the latest job satisfaction poll as it relates to the inaugural address. As I sat in Salem watching the Governor deliver his speech, I looked around the chamber and noticed that a number of GOP lawmakers were vigorously applauding at times that seemed out of character with the sentiments depicted. When Governor Kulongoski remarked that an anti-environmental perspective “is out of tune – and out of touch – with Oregon’s future;” I saw an enthusiasm on the part of a number of GOP Legislators (who shall remain nameless) rising to a level of energy similar to their Democratic counterparts.
I find it curious that this new assertiveness has come from our Democratic leadership organically, independent of strict central coordination. Kulongoski did not get marching orders to assert core Democratic values while disputing the neocon assertions from the Obama campaign. His address was a full eight days before President Obama’s. I believe this emboldening has come from the bottom up. Speeches by political executives, especially the two in question, come from the center of American Politics. When we see a change in what can be taken for granted, we see a change in Middle America. Is growth in the size of Government bad? When the Governor stated, “because we haven’t had the political will to come up with our share of the matching funds;” He was criticizing the conservative status quo aggressively to an audience that was expecting more of the healing ceremonial cues that opened his speech.
A week and a day later the new President undoubtedly independent of our state’s governor, would up that ante by questioning all of the misguided policies championed by his predecessor. When Obama quoted the Apostle Paul with his entreaty to leave behind “childish things,” he turned the maturity meme that opened George W. Bush’s administration against him. Much to my surprise, my conservative friends were more than happy to see this point made. Some pundits might have felt otherwise, but for the most part conservatives cannot deny that there has been a failure of their leadership. Conservative voters have seen their politicians embroiled in a culture of corruption at the same time they pushed ideology over pragmatism and the welfare of their constituents.
This was made clear when the President led into the body of his speech stating,”On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord. On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn-out dogmas that for far too long have strangled our politics.” Similarly as he transitioned into the body of the State of the State the Governor declared, “But I also want this to be a year when we look deep inside ourselves – and take pride in our values, our character, and our stubborn independence….Our forefathers and foremothers didn’t come to Oregon because they’d lost hope – they came to Oregon because they believed in hope.” Both men were creating adversaries not of conservative voters, who were clearly being invited to participate, but of a number of their leaders that had persisted in bad governance and failed to deliver a baseline quality of life.
The marginalizing of neocon values with a more forceful tone from our Democratic Political leadership has been a long time coming. Finally, it seems, our party realizes that even the opposition responds to leadership driven by strength of purpose and asserting core values in a forceful manner. If we had one lesson to learn from our conservative friends and neighbors about what they respond to, I believe that this is it.
Since the 2000 election debacle we have learned our lesson. The Democratic Party has achieved a level of competence that the Republicans have only aspired to, despite all claims to the contrary. Ironically, after Bush took the White House, we continually heard that we should rest easy, the adults were in control. The claim came as a result of Clinton’s debauched, but in hindsight, workmanly competent leadership. After the damage that Bush has done, we are now hearing again that adolescent behavior is giving way to mature, organization building competence.
Where Democrats failed to seize on the Clinton era’s successes to expand the party, due to a misguided Puritan modesty in 2000, they have now been emboldened by the success of core values in the market place of ideas. Inclusiveness, environmentalism, social justice and the need for market regulation were pillars of the Democratic ideal that were never abandoned even when the party seemed to be foundering. Our politicians are drawing a great deal of courage from a broader acceptance of these core values and consolidating their victories.
Two speeches mark for me this seachange in the form taken in Democratic message making. Governor Kulongoski’s State of the State and President Barack Obama’s Inaugural broke with not only the party style but institutional convention for their speeches. Both men delivered very aggressive addresses in a forum that is usually reserved for a more ceremonial approach. The President and the Governor were also able to sidestep a blatant partisan heavy-handedness in favor of aggressively advocating for progressive values that should be mutually held. These progressive values were brought home in both speeches and have been accepted as apropos by many conservatives. Some Republicans are now projecting all the misguided policies resulting from neocon zeal onto Bush as a means of purging their party of its failures.
The moral authority of our state’s and nation’s executives were evidenced in the response of some Republican legislators in regard to the State of the State and in the latest job satisfaction poll as it relates to the inaugural address. As I sat in Salem watching the Governor deliver his speech, I looked around the chamber and noticed that a number of GOP lawmakers were vigorously applauding at times that seemed out of character with the sentiments depicted. When Governor Kulongoski remarked that an anti-environmental perspective “is out of tune – and out of touch – with Oregon’s future;” I saw an enthusiasm on the part of a number of GOP Legislators (who shall remain nameless) rising to a level of energy similar to their Democratic counterparts.
I find it curious that this new assertiveness has come from our Democratic leadership organically, independent of strict central coordination. Kulongoski did not get marching orders to assert core Democratic values while disputing the neocon assertions from the Obama campaign. His address was a full eight days before President Obama’s. I believe this emboldening has come from the bottom up. Speeches by political executives, especially the two in question, come from the center of American Politics. When we see a change in what can be taken for granted, we see a change in Middle America. Is growth in the size of Government bad? When the Governor stated, “because we haven’t had the political will to come up with our share of the matching funds;” He was criticizing the conservative status quo aggressively to an audience that was expecting more of the healing ceremonial cues that opened his speech.
A week and a day later the new President undoubtedly independent of our state’s governor, would up that ante by questioning all of the misguided policies championed by his predecessor. When Obama quoted the Apostle Paul with his entreaty to leave behind “childish things,” he turned the maturity meme that opened George W. Bush’s administration against him. Much to my surprise, my conservative friends were more than happy to see this point made. Some pundits might have felt otherwise, but for the most part conservatives cannot deny that there has been a failure of their leadership. Conservative voters have seen their politicians embroiled in a culture of corruption at the same time they pushed ideology over pragmatism and the welfare of their constituents.
This was made clear when the President led into the body of his speech stating,”On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord. On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn-out dogmas that for far too long have strangled our politics.” Similarly as he transitioned into the body of the State of the State the Governor declared, “But I also want this to be a year when we look deep inside ourselves – and take pride in our values, our character, and our stubborn independence….Our forefathers and foremothers didn’t come to Oregon because they’d lost hope – they came to Oregon because they believed in hope.” Both men were creating adversaries not of conservative voters, who were clearly being invited to participate, but of a number of their leaders that had persisted in bad governance and failed to deliver a baseline quality of life.
The marginalizing of neocon values with a more forceful tone from our Democratic Political leadership has been a long time coming. Finally, it seems, our party realizes that even the opposition responds to leadership driven by strength of purpose and asserting core values in a forceful manner. If we had one lesson to learn from our conservative friends and neighbors about what they respond to, I believe that this is it.
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Making a Forceful Case
One piece of advice that all candidates need to remember, is to be strong in their convictions. I often repeat to people preparing speeches the mantra (I think from Harry Truman) "People don't care what you know, until they know that you care."
I also recall a conversation with a local radio talk show host several years ago who said that she saw the Arbitron ratings for the show increase the more powerfully liberal she made her comments. This was why so many of us knew that Air America and other liberal talk radio shows would succeed.