November 29, 2006

11/29: Wither The Values Voter?

Following Dem success 11/7, considerable lefty blogger pixels have been spilt discussing how Dems should approach the only region not showing convincing gains this cycle: The South. Discussion often comes up under DNC Chair Howard Dean's 50-state strategy, but Tom Schaller's book Whistling Past Dixie: How Democrats Can Win Without the South has also generated discussion. Lefty blogger consensus is that Dems should allow each southern state party to pursue its own strategy while ensuring that nationally, Dems don't sacrifice their positions on "abortion and equal rights" while, at the same time, don't demonize southerners.

On the right, MI GOP Chair Saul Anuzis recommends a post-11/7 GOP strategy memo on RedState that includes calls for "fiscal conservatism," "lower taxes across the board," and "a vigorous strategy for a conclusion to the Iraq war." Notably absent from the list: Any mention of cultural or value issues.

OBAMA: A Purpose Driven Outreach

TPM Cafe's Eric Kleefeld cites an open letter from "Christian-Right figures" and na press release from the National Clergy Council as signs Sen. Barack Obama's (D-IL) "efforts to reach out to evangelical Christians in preparation for his possible Presidential campaign is running into very stiff resistance."

The push back is the result of Obama's upcoming attendance of "a huge evangelical gathering in California on Dec. 1, at the invitation of megachurch Pastor Rick Warren, the evangelical superstar who wrote The Purpose-Driven Life." NCC's Rob Schenck warns Warren "Senator Obama's policies represent the antithesis of biblical ethics and morality, not to mention supreme American values." Kleefeld comments: "Obama's attempted inroads with evangelical voters may end up being successful, but not without a significant struggle from leading figures in that movement."

CLARK: Timing Isn't Everything

The Washington Monthly's Paul Glastris claims it's good news indeed that [ex-Gen. Wesley Clark (D)] is sending pretty strong signals that he's running" since "[t]here's no reason to think national security won't still be the big issue two years from now, as it was this fall."

The Plank's Michael Crowley is less excited: "It's true Clark was late to join the 2004 race. But my memory isn't that his problem was timing. It was that he seemed unsure of his own position on the Iraq war, recited oddball canned answers about abortion which suggested unfamiliarity with the subject, and generally proved himself to be a terrible politician. Perhaps Clark has since honed his skills. But the calendar wasn't his real problem."

EDWARDS: A Goodyear For Edwards Labor Relations

Firedoglake's Jordan Barab links to a YouTube of Jon Edwards at a United Steelworkers rally in Akron, OH as a demonstration of old labor learning "some new tricks." Barab writes: "It's hard to tell how all this is going to turn out. There's no doubt that similar strikes in traditional manufacturing that can easily be transferred to China have not done well lately. Ultimately, however, Goodyear workers are fighting to maintain a society where a middle class still exists. Will public support and a consumer boycott of Goodyear tires force the company to cave before workers' money and patience run out?

KERRY: From China, With Derision

The Huffington Post's Stephen Kaus looks at polling data showing Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) "dead last in popularity among a group of active politicians" and writes: "They say that when you are in a hole you should first stop digging. If you keep running for President, please write me from China."

GIULIANI: George's Loss Is Rudy's Gain

Race 4 '08 argues NY Gov. George Pataki's (R) loss of IA advisors Loras Schulte and Ed Failor Jr. "could be either great news or horrible news" for ex-NY mayor Rudy Giuliani (R). R4'08 argues the Pataki losses could mean one of two things: "1) It's going to be severely difficult for pro-choice presidential Republican candidates to keep pro-life supporters; or 2) Because Rudy hasn't been having this same kind of fall-out as Pataki by this point, then it won't be an issue for him."

IA's Caucus Cooler does not see any downside for Giuliani in the Pataki losses but does see gain for Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) as well: "A big part of the Pataki collapse has been the shadow of Rudy that looms larger and larger as each week passes. The thought that Rudy wouldn't enter this race has almost completely faded. McCain gets a boost based on rumors that most of the Pataki organization is heading his way, led by the inimitable Ed Failor Junior."

GINGRICH: Censorship Always Sounds Better In Context

RCP Blog's Tom Bevan's inner libertarian recoiled at ex-Speaker Newt Gingrich's (R) suggestion that "freedom of speech may need to be curbed in certain circumstances to meet the threat of terrorism." Bevan writes: "The newspaper article didn't give much context to Gingrich's remarks, but I suppose you can conjure up scenarios where the public good would be served by abridging some free speech rights in certain instances."

ROMNEY: A Never Ending Story?

National Review Online's Jonathan Martin passes along a glaring omission in MA Gov. Mitt Romney's (R) official release announcing the addition of SC strategist Warren Tompkins: "[N]o mention of Warren Tompkins' work as the top Bush strategist in the now-legendary (and, for McCain's camp, not forgotten) '00 SC primary that put the Texas governor back on course for the White House after his loss in New Hampshire. We wonder if this was a mere oversight or if it twas part of an intentional effort to play down the "Bush-McCain II" storyline that they could do without."

GOP: Heck'uv A Job Liddy!

RedState's Clayton shares a laugh with his good friend DailyKos' founder Markos Moulitsas over outgoing NRSC chair Liddy Dole's (R-NC) email "reaching out to the NRSC's most loyal and generous supporters" for help retiring NRSC debt from spending "every last cent on last-minute advertising and other efforts." Clayton comments: "Redstate readers, do me a favor. If you feel the need to contribute to anyone at this point in time, kindly visit someone like our friends at the Club For Growth and support their fine work."

GOP II: Not Interested ... Right Now

National Review Online's Jonathan Martin draws attention to the talking points ex-RNC chair Ed Gillespie allies are circulating in support of a Gillespie of VA GOP chair campaign:

• He is firmly grounded in Republican principles that define us as a party
• His experiences and qualifications as former chairman of the RNC make him an obvious choice
• He is not interested in running for office
• He has chosen to live and work in Virginia for the past 13 years
• His appointment may avoid a bloodbath among the different factions in the party
• His ability to attract national money for our candidates

Martin writes: "Note the careful wording on the third bullet and don't be surprised to see a Gillespie on the ballot sometime down the road."

GOP III: Brandless

Under a RedState header "A Shattered Brand?!?" MI GOP chair Saul Anuzis links to a On Message memo and writes: "If you compare what Republicans "stood for" and how we were identified 5 years ago to what the general public believes is our "brand" now I think you will be shocked, but not necessarily surprised. This is an excellent analysis and I hope you take the time to read it."

The "Prescription: Strong Medicine and Clean Living" portion of the memo advises:

• Lose Weight - Reclaim our rightful title as the Party of fiscal conservatism.
• Cut Back on the Caffeine - Fight for lower taxes across the board.
• Quit Smoking and Cut Back on the Drinking: Time to get off the corporate gravy train and become the champions of the American entrepreneur.
• Get Some Exercise: Stand up for our principles and do not shy away from the fight.
• Take Our Medicine: Pursue a vigorous strategy for a conclusion to the Iraq war.

On a related note, Power Line's Paul Mirengoff responds to Sen. Chuck Schumer's (D-NY) suggestion that Reaganism is dead: "If the Dems do have an advantage over the Republicans other than the war, it's that they've been out of power for a while. The party in that predicament is usually willing to make concessions in order to appeal to moderates. By contrast, a party that is losing power often tends to think, at first, that the loss is due to an abandonment of first principles. But, again, it remains to be seen whether this incarnation of the Democratic party has the discipline to behave like a party in its position normally does."

DEMS: We Don't Do "Values" Voters

MyDD's Chris Bowers posts excerpts from an Ed KilgoreSalonarticle on Tom Schaller's non-Southern strategy including: "Democrats can put together a presidential or House majority without much of anything in the South. ... But the idea that Democrats will do well by attacking Southern culture is just plain dangerous. ... please don't prejudge the map based on unreasonable prejudices toward one region, even if it's the one populated by us crazy Crackers.

Bowers comments: "I agree. Consider, for example, how the conservative movement has consistently demonized the Northeast. The result has been a near-total wipeout for Republicans in the regions that will not be reversed anytime soon. ... Let conservatives continue to demonize every demographic they view as some sort of cultural threat, and let us have a pluralistic mindset and open arms to reap the reward."

Talk Left's Big Tent Democrat follows the debate and adds: "What Schaller is saying is what we are all saying: don't dig for fool's gold - the "values" voter - and undermine the negative branding of the GOP as extreme. Let Southern Dems find their regional voice and target the moderate voters Ed has identified. ... The truth is it is the [Barack] Obamas and [Jim] Wallises who are striking the discordant note, criticizing Democrats in false ways and undermining the very strategy that can make gains in the South. I submit that neither Kilgore nor Schaller are the problem - it is the Obamas and Wallises that are the problem."

On a related note, MyDD's Jonathan Singer looks at New York Timesreports on Christian Coalition of America president-elect Rev. Joel Hunter stepping down over resistance to his efforts to broaden the Coalition's agenda to include poverty and global warming and writes: "While some will no doubt continue to tell us that the Democrats that they need to give up on some of their issues (particularly ones relating to abortion and equal rights for all Americans, including homosexuals) and that can steal away "faith voters" from the Republicans by appealing on issues like the environment, it should be plain to any serious watcher of politics that not only do the Democrats not need to do this but that by doing so the Democrats threaten to lose whatever gains they made earlier this week."

DEMS II: Center Of What?

The Washington Monthly's Kevin Drum set off a debate over "centrisim" among lefty blogger before departing for a conference 11/28. Drum wrote: "I hope the liberal blogosphere doesn't get into the habit of automatically trashing centrist positions simply out of pique against some of centrism's more annoying practitioners. After all, trying to govern solely via populist intuition won't work any better than relying on a bunch of blue ribbon commissions. ... I'd argue, for example, that good analysis supports a fairly extreme view on Social Security (just leave it alone for now) but a centrist position on trade. The populist impulse on trade points us in the right direction, but a Lou Dobbsian solution (stop making trade deals, shut down the border) is nuts."

Reactions include:

• Digby: "I would actually posit that the real problem is the liberal punditocrisy which reflexively rejects anything that is tainted by its association with grassroots populist sentiment. Particularly now, when many experts were marginalized because they failed to support the war and many liberals of both the netroots and grassroots were proven right, it behooves the establishment to open its minds to thinking from outside the usual suspects in the beltway. That doesn't mean they should trust us liberal bloggers' "guts." We would not ask them to. It means they should stop trusting their own. Their guts, like Bush's, are defective."
• Atrios: "I have hostility to the concept of "centrism" for a variety of reasons. First, except on a few mostly social issues there really isn't all that much which can be neatly fit into a left-center-right-axis. Mostly centrism is used be elite opinionmakers to denote sensible, set off against real or (more often) imagined "extreme" positions which are of course wrong because anything "extreme" has to be wrong. Except, perhaps, invading countries for no good reason."
• Ezra Klein: "What's necessary here is, silly as it may sound, to separate ideas perceived as centrist (say, on the economy, policies seeking to achieve equity aims through market mechanisms) and what Atrios would call "wankery," the deployment of such ideas to undercut more useful solutions or marginalize progressive voices. ... When "centrist" ideas become a navigational device rather than a policy proposal, that's wankery. And it should be opposed."
• firedoglake's Jane Hamsher: "In fact "centrism" is not antithetical to populism, and both are, in pure abstract terms, measurements. ... I don't think I've ever rejected a position simply because it was "centrist," it would be like having a problem with long division. Rather, I get a bit irked with the smug certainty of pundits and politicians who think the wisdom of their position should be respected because it is "centrist" when they have not in fact established that such a measurement is applicable, or why (if it is) this should lead to some knee-jerk assumption of validity."
• The Huffington Post's Dave Johnson: "There is this idea that a "centrist" position is a good thing, that we should take policy positions that are something in between the "extremes." This is "moderation." ... OK. So then doesn't it make sense for progressives to sponsor lots of far-far-far-out extremists? These extremists could call for things like actually eating the rich (maybe have recipe blogs), literally dividing up companies by having the police go in and take the desks and chairs and computers and hand them to the homeless, forcing Baptist ministers to have sex with their infant daughters, imposing the death penalty for driving, requiring LSD use in elementary schools -- all the things the conservatives already say liberals do. ... This way the "moderate center" becomes somewhere between eating the rich and whatever the right is advocating? Clearly that is why the Republicans sponsor Ann Coulter to write things about killing journalists, etc. Maybe we should try it."

LA 02: Looks Like Dollar Bill Could Use That Frozen $90K Again

AMERICAblog's Joe in DC forwards reports that state Rep. Karen Carter (D) "will face questions about her strong support of gay rights and abortion" in the final days of her campaign against Rep. William Jefferson (D) and writes: "Jefferson is an affront to the Democratic party. He's the symbol of corruption. Now, he's becoming a beacon of gay-bashing for political purposes. Both of those were almost exclusively the domain of the GOP."

MyDD's Tim Tagaris notes Jefferson maintains a $117k to $58k over Carter CoH advantage implores netroots contributors to close the gap "in the final days before the election."

THOUGHT OF THE DAY: So Could He Just Boycott Star Wars Episodes I, II, and III?

DailyKos' founder Markos Moulitsas takes FNC Bill O'Reilly to task for inventing the slur "San Francisco values" and suggests O'Reilly and "every conservative who bashes San Francisco and the Bay Area" should boycott all "Bay Area-origin products." Markos writes:

So no iPods or anything Apple. No HP computers. No Google. No Yahoo. No eBay. Those conservative bloggers using Blogspot, MovableType, or TypePad? Sorry. Those products are Bay Area-based. Don't wear Levis (or any kind of jeans), Gap, Banana Republic, Old Navy, or buy your kids Gymboree. Avoid LeapFrog learning toys. Boycott Pixar movies. Boycott any movie using George Lucas' ILM special effects shop. Stay away from Treos and other Palm devices. Don't let Charles Schwab manage your portfolio. Don't bank at Wells Fargo. Yeah, those "San Francisco values" sure are dragging the region down. Making it weak as it falls behind the rest of the country -- the parts that don't share "San Francisco values" -- economically and socially.

LEST WE FORGET: Joe Biden Did Not Participate In this Study

Ankle Biting Pundit's Bull Dog Pundit links to reports of a book claiming "women talk three times as much as men" and comments: "A real shock there. My own non-scientific study shows that we men use the remote three times more than normal while the women are talking, and that 2 seconds after they've (finally) stopped, we cannot recall a single word they said."

Posted by Conn Carroll at November 29, 2006 12:21 PM