A Lesson in Chaos

Sep/18/09 04:55 AM
President Barack Obama and the Democrats crafted an election campaign based on strict discipline. Every appearance, word, and even question was part of a formulated strategy meant to propel the then-Senator to the White House. To the Republicans, his defense seemed inpenetrable. Over the past weeks and months we have witnessed both the President’s and the Democratic Party’s focus descend into a blurry state of chaos. From health care to czars to accusations of racism, the party message seems to be spinning out of control- much to the delight of Republicans hungry for a 2010 turnaround.

The serverity of the situation for Democrats especially struck me this morning when I opened up Drudge Report to a barrage of headlines displaying contradictoy and accusatory statements being thrown around the Democratic U.S. political circle. First up, former President Jimmy Carter alledges that racism lies behind the motivations of many conservative protesters seen across the nation over the past weekend. Accusations of racism are a political third rail that no Democrat wants to touch at the moment, for fear of alienating the white, Independent vote. Press Secretary Robert Gibbs, Majority Whip James Clyburn, and Majority Leader Steny Hoyer were quick to distance themselves from Carter’s statement- not the first time Carter has caused Democrats to grimmace in the past year.

Next, Senators Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Russ Feingold (D-WI), and Robert Byrd (D-WV) jump on the anti-czar bandwagon, questioning the constitutional authority of White House czars, who avoid Senate confirmation and oversight. These czars are a new invention in presidential politics and have thus far avoided the headlines. However, constituent’s concerns on ever-increasing govenment powers have brought them into the spotlight.

Most imporantly, the left seems to be in disarray over the bill released by Democratic Senator and Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus of Montana. Baucus’ bill was meant to attract bipartisan support by not including a so-called “public option”. Instead, legislators on both sides of the aisle have announced their displeasure with the document, including RINO (Republican In Name Only) Olympia Snowe of Maine. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV), under intense reelection pressure himself, released a statement yesterday saying that the bill “won’t work” for Nevada and that he won’t vote for a bill until it does. Rockefeller (D-WV) and Schumer (D-NY) are but a few more Democratic politicans who came out against the bill yesterday, too.

And finally, everyone’s favorite corrupt organization: ACORN. Democrats, who claimed that Republicans assault on President Obama and his ties to ACORN were simply political games, have realized that such a stance is nowadays “nuts”. After an undercover sting showed ACORN volunteers advising a couple on how to avoid taxes in a child prostitution ring, the House voted 345-75 yesterday to completely defund the group.

The Republicans are in no position to sit back and enjoy the ride, though. As has been noted by many political analysts, the growing frustration with the Obama administration doesn’t necessarily equal GOP votes. As someone who attended the Taxpayers March on DC last weekend, I can assure you that the majority of both sentiments and signs were anti-government and anti-Obama, not necessarily pro-GOP. In fact, a whole lot of the attendees weren’t very happy with Republicans either.

So, the Democratic PR train has seemingly been derailed. Now we can only wait and see if the party comes together with a common message on these important issues and prevents the caboose from falling off the tracks.
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