Democrats need a leader

Published November 19, 2014

by Gary Pearce, Talking About Politics, November 18, 2014.

Since the election tsunami, Democrats have been scouring the rubble for answers. Liberals say the party needs to take on Wall Street. Moderates say retake the middle. Labor says raise the minimum wage and stop trade deals. Hispanics say push ahead with immigration reform. Millennials say get rid of the old crowd. The old crowd says bring in some gray hair. Obama fans say embrace the President. Clinton fans say embrace her. 

 

Then consultants weigh in. Their solutions boil down to: hire me.

 

But if you look at the lessons of the last 50 years of American politics, it’s clear what Democrats really need is a great leader with a great story to tell.

 

After 1964, the Republican Party and the conservative movement were left for dead. But that campaign produced Ronald Reagan, who became the defining conservative President of the 20th Century (after the Nixon-Ford detour).

 

After 1980, 1984 and 1988, Democrats seemed incapable of ever winning the White House again. Then came Bill Clinton to define the New Democrats for the 1990s.

 

In retrospect, both Reagan and Clinton have the magic glow of charismatic inevitability. But that didn’t come until after they were elected President.

 

What they both had was a political philosophy that made sense, one that people could understand and that both explained present problems and promised a better future.

 

For Reagan, it was: government is the problem, not the solution. And America is the greatest country in the history of the world.

 

For Clinton, it was and is: We’re all in this together. And American is a still the home of hope and opportunity.

 

It’s not just the sum of individual issue positions. It’s not just the story of the man who would be President.

 

Jimmy Carter had a great story. He was an honest farmer who wasn’t from Washington – just what we needed after Watergate. But he couldn’t sustain a convincing narrative about where the nation was and where it needed to go.

 

Barack Obama has a great story, one that inspired millions to break down old racial barriers. But for all his accomplishments – wars ended, financial disaster avoided, banks and industries rescued, deficits reduced, stock market up, health care provided – one of the great orators of our time somehow has been unable to give us the kind of narrative framing that we yearn for.

 

Obviously, an inspirational candidate like a Reagan or Bill Clinton comes along rarely.  But they have a way of coming along when a party is lost in the desert and searching for a leader.

 http://www.talkingaboutpolitics.com

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November 19, 2014 at 8:31 pm
Norm Kelly says:

There hasn't been a great leader with a great story to tell since Ronald Reagan. Problem with that is that Ronald was anti-socialist, so he was the worst nightmare any lib could have. Ted Cruz comes close, but he's also a nightmare for the Socialist Party.

'Then came Bill Clinton to define the New Democrats for the 1990s'. What was different about Bill from other socialists? Secrecy. The ability to spin a story. The ability to tell a lie, straight faced, without the media asking ANY questions, with no one in the media wondering how this socialist plan differed from prior socialist plans. No one wondering how the SAME OLD, TIRED, WORN OUT ideas of this socialist were any different from the prior OLD, TIRED, WORN OUT ideas. And what has the Socialist Party put forth for new ideas since Billary? Let's see, it starts with RAISE TAXES. Nope, not a new idea. Then, perhaps increase government subsistence programs, and specifically target blacks. Nope, not a new idea. Pander to illegal aliens. Only sorta, kinda a new idea. Just a different group they are pandering to. Take over more of the economy through outright take-over or just adding regulation. Nope, not a new idea either. I trust some socialist, lib, somewhere can come up with other excellent examples of the 'new' ideas being put forth by demon pols. Except you won't find any NEW ones, just the same old, tired, worn out, failed schemes that they've put forth for pushing 60 years. You know, the ideas that are bankrupting the country and destroying socialist leaning states who have yet to come into the real world and start electing Conservatives.

'What they both had was a political philosophy that made sense'. Sorry, you can't lump Billary in the same group as Reagan. They both had the ability to express well what their ideas were, which encouraged people, engrossed people, made people want to pay attention. But after that, they part ways. Reagan's ideas, philosophy actually did and do make sense. Billary was/is an excellent story teller as well as exemplary liar. His political philosophy didn't and doesn't make sense. His/her plan for socialized medicine was rejected because it DIDN'T make sense. Billary's plan for expanding welfare failed also; remember he completely caved to the Republicans led by Newt! The majority of Americans did NOT accept Billary's schemes the way that Ronald's philosophy was accepted and succeeded.

'one of the great orators of our time somehow has been unable to give us the kind of narrative framing that we yearn for'. The occupier is such a good example for so many reasons. None of them good. Kinda like the kid next door that your dad always used as an example of what not to do with your life. Seems every kid had one of those neighbors. The occupier is that kid next door. The occupier is proof that just because you are good at reading a tele-prompter doesn't mean you can do ANYTHING else. He's been unable to give us anything good because his core is socialist. Plain and simple. He told us he wanted to transform America. He's done his best: we have socialized medicine phase 1 thanks to him; we have higher unemployment than in almost 40 years (or it is 50); we have more people on the government dole than at any point in history; we have more blacks who believe that racism has gotten worse in this country not better - the occupier has done everything in his power to stir up racial hatred; he promised that his policies would make the cost of energy skyrocket which might explain the XL pipeline delay. The nation MAY be yearning for a good narrative, but what we need is someone qualified to LEAD us, with IDEAS that encourage. What we have is someone who is totally, 100% unqualified, someone who does not encourage or inspire, and someone who doesn't have ideas but has schemes and deception to distract the uninvolved/low-information types as much as possible. And we have a media that is mostly willing to go along with the schemes, deception, distraction in order to avoid being called racists themselves. So long as OTHERS are being called racists, too many in the media seem content to let the lies continue, let the deception drag on, and let the transformation from the best country in the world to just another mediocre wanna be. The nation doesn't want to be just another wanna be. And that's where the Socialist Party is having the most problems. People do NOT want to settle for the type of country the Socialists want to create (or destroy us into). The majority of people are encouraged by ideas, plans, directions that make sense, and budgets that also make sense. The current bonehead occupier wants to spend money we don't have to help people in countries where global climate change has had a negative impact. Except global climate change hasn't happened. And WE CAN'T AFFORD HIS SCHEME! Not encouragement, but more blah, blah, blah coming from him. And the rest of the Democrat Socialist Party. When the demons find a candidate who says more than blahblahblah, and has a REAL idea, then the Republican party is in trouble. Until the old playbook is disposed of, the Demons will play second fiddle. God willing!