Split GOP still better than united Demos
As President Bush prepared to unveil his choice for a Supreme Court justice replacing the departing Sandra Day O’Connor, many were gearing up for a rumble in the Senate. And a rumble we got. However, none of us expected it to be one just between Republicans.
The president’s choice: Harriet Miers. Some say she’s too liberal. Others say she’s unqualified. The rest just wanted the president to nominate some crazy Robert Bork-like ultra-conservative. For a party with impressive cohesion, the GOP rift comes as a surprise. You expect such antics from the Democratic party, but Republicans?
Republicans have a base, albeit a divided one as of late. They work together. They get things done. But who is the base of Democrats? No one, except for a couple of kooks. It used to be the working man’s party, but now it’s the party of supposed intellectuals -snobby, uppity and condescending.
That won’t attract anyone, I promise.
Does anyone really know what the Democratic party stands for anymore? Where have all of the FDRs and Trumans gone? The Demos’ golden age has now passed and I don’t think we are going to find it again with the likes of those leading the party today.
Howard Dean? Let’s be serious.
The last two elections are startling reminders of the inefficiency of the Democratic party. The 2000 election was practically in the bag for Democrats. We had a booming economy with a country of considerable prosperity and we even had a national surplus – we were looking for ways to spend the extra cash. In such circumstances, the credit usually goes to the incumbent party. The Monica Lewinsky scandal was out there, but that was more of a President Clinton problem than a Democratic problem. In other words, it was Gore’s election to lose. And, well, he lost it.
In 2004, our economy was failing. The country racked up enormous deficits. We were heavily involved in a largely unpopular war. The president’s approval ratings were down. In other words, many Americans were ready for a change. And whom do Democrats nominate? John Kerry. Not a prayer I’d vote for the guy. And once again, the Democrats lose.
Is there no other viable candidate in the entire party other than John Kerry and Al Gore? Mr. “I invented the Internet” and Señor “I voted for the Iraq War before I voted against it.” And it’s not just the vocabulary slips. If that were the case, how could President Bush ever have been elected? You will recall such statements as, “If we don’t succeed, we run the risk of failure.” Or, “You teach a child to read or write and he or her will be able to pass a literacy exam.”
No, it’s not all about good speeches and pretty faces – which, by the way, John Kerry, you do not have one of those. When you vote for a person, you look at their character. Sorry Democrats. Gore and Kerry didn’t have a lot going there. The three purple hearts just didn’t impress me. And besides, did you really want Theresa Heinz Kerry representing us as the country’s first lady?
And it’s not just an isolated incident. The party is full of them.
Ted Kennedy, must you always look like such a goof? No one likes you. You’re like the Orrin Hatch of Massachusetts. The only reason anyone votes for you is because you have such political clout in Washington – more pork for us!
You all can complain and complain all you want about how this country is run, but until you come up with some better solutions, maybe you should just keep quiet. No one likes a crybaby.
So as Republicans try their best to self-destruct, the country’s Democrats are even more lost and even more confused, desperately waiting for someone to come to the rescue.
And Hillary, it ain’t you.
Jon Cox is a senior in print journalism. Comments can be sent to jcox@cc.usu.edu.