Misdirected concern
Quote of note:
At a minimum, say party strategists, the shift will mean a more confrontational Democratic Party in battles with President Bush and the Republicans. But some strategists worry that the influence of grass-roots activists could push the party even further to the left, particularly on national security, reinforcing a weakness that Bush exploited in his reelection campaign.
You know, everyone in the media should have my little red motto at the top of the page tattooed on the inside of their eyelids.
Remember what the issues were that shifted the election at the last minute. It was not national security. Democrats are so accustomed explaining that yes, they are willing to use military force (that's what "national security" means, you know) they may be tempted to have a knee-jerk reaction to this analysis. But "national security" was fully discounted months before the actual election.
Don't forget the past has depth. Things happen at a specific time; sequence has impact.
Anyway...
Democrats' Grass Roots Shift the Power
Activists Energized Fundraising, but Some Worry They Could Push Party to Left
By Dan Balz
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, February 20, 2005; Page A04
The bloggers have been busy on the Democratic National Committee Web site since Howard Dean was elected party chairman a week ago.
"Paul in OC" and "Steviemo in MN" wrote that they had made their first-ever contributions to the national committee. Someone identified as "J" pleaded with Dean to come to Florida, "home of Baby Bush," to "heal the irritating red and help us become a cool blue state again." "Donna in Evanston" wrote, "It's sad, but it is up to the grassroots to set the example for our representatives in Washington. Howard gets it. Maybe some day the beltway bunch will get it too."
Those sentiments square neatly with Dean's call for "bottom-up reform" of the Democratic Party and the further empowerment of grass-roots activists who flexed their political muscle in his unsuccessful presidential campaign. They later became the backbone of organizing and fundraising efforts by John F. Kerry's campaign and the DNC's election-year efforts.
But the rising of this grass-roots force also signals a shift in the balance of power within the party, one that raises questions about its ultimate impact on a Democratic Party searching for direction and identity after losses in 2002 and 2004.
