On Thursday William M. Daley, son of the famous Chicago mayor Richard J. Daley and brother of the current Chicago mayor Richard M. Daley had an Op-ed in the Washington Post that can only be surmised as a warning shot for Obama.
Basically, Daley’s piece says that the radical left agenda currently being followed is a stinker that will damage the Democrat brand.
From the Washington Post:
The political dangers of this situation could not be clearer.
Witness the losses in New Jersey and Virginia in this year's off-year elections. In those gubernatorial contests, the margin of victory was provided to Republicans by independents -- many of whom had voted for Obama. Just one year later, they had crossed back to the Republicans by 2-to-1 margins.
Witness the drumbeat of ominous poll results. Obama's approval rating has fallen below 49 percent overall and is even lower -- 41 percent -- among independents. On the question of which party is best suited to manage the economy, there has been a 30-point swing toward Republicans since November 2008, according to Ipsos. Gallup's generic congressional ballot shows Republicans leading Democrats. There is not a hint of silver lining in these numbers. They are the quantitative expression of the swing bloc of American politics slipping away.
And, of course, witness the loss of Rep. Griffith and his fellow moderate Democrats who will retire. They are perhaps the truest canaries in the coal mine.
Despite this raft of bad news, Democrats are not doomed to return to the wilderness. The question is whether the party is prepared to listen carefully to what the American public is saying. Voters are not re-embracing conservative ideology, nor are they falling back in love with the Republican brand. If anything, the Democrats' salvation may lie in the fact that Republicans seem even more hell-bent on allowing their radical wing to drag the party away from the center.
All that is required for the Democratic Party to recover its political footing is to acknowledge that the agenda of the party's most liberal supporters has not won the support of a majority of Americans -- and, based on that recognition, to steer a more moderate course on the key issues of the day, from health care to the economy to the environment to Afghanistan.
For liberals to accept that inescapable reality is not to concede permanent defeat. Rather, let them take it as a sign that they must continue the hard work of slowly and steadily persuading their fellow citizens to embrace their perspective. In the meantime, liberals -- and, indeed, all of us -- should have the humility to recognize that there is no monopoly on good ideas, as well as the long-term perspective to know that intraparty warfare will only relegate the Democrats to minority status, which would be disastrous for the very constituents they seek to represent.
The party's moment of choosing is drawing close. While it may be too late to avoid some losses in 2010, it is not too late to avoid the kind of rout that redraws the political map. The leaders of the Democratic Party need to move back toward the center -- and in doing so, set the stage for the many years' worth of leadership necessary to produce the sort of pragmatic change the American people actually want. [Read the whole thing here]
What is significant to note here is from whom these words are coming from. William M. Daley is part of the very old Chicago Democrat party machine. The very same party machine that vaulted Obama to the White House and the very machine where Chicago political power is held.
These words should carry weight with Obama. Daley is saying; the machine won’t be able to deliver for you against the backlash that is coming, so chill out. I am reminded about the delay in health care reform and wonder is Obama did not receive this message privately first.
Daley represents what I consider old school Democrats. These are your typical run of the mill bleeding heart liberals that derive their power from “helping the people”. These are the Democrats that your mom and pop probably belong to. Yeah, they are shady, but they are very much true Americans.
Daley can clearly see the damage being done the brand as radical leftists foist their agenda on the American people. Daley smartly realizes that the American people are like wild Mustangs. As a people we have know freedom from day one. Americans never really lived under monarchies, dictators or centralized anything. As such, Americans do not take well to the type of European government control that Obama and Congress are pushing. Daley can see the great “buck” that the American people are about to deliver to the Democrats for trying to rough ride us into submission.
I do believe that Daley has the Republicans figured out wrong. The Republicans are not being dragged to the far right. If anything they are being dragged to American’s true political center, which is conservative in nature. Tea Party protesters simply want fiscal responsibility, politicians to say what they mean and mean what they say and politicians that abide by the Constitution. There is nothing far right in any of those things.
All in all we should look at Daley’s Op-ed as the first signs of the unspoken rift developing in the Democratic Party. What will be interesting to watch is if the far left hears this message or ignores it. I am putting my money on that they ignore it. The radical left is on a mission and they are using the Democrat Party as a vehicle to achieve their goals. Damaging that party is not a concern.
Via: The Washington Post
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9 comments:
Clinton had to steer back to the center. He did have more experience politically than Obama and actively sought other opinions. Of course for his own gain, but he did remove the blinders. This administration and much of Congress aren't removing theirs. State by state, we can remove them. There is a reason the voicemail boxes are full - there may be a few complements, but very few take the time to call Congress and voice a happy opinion. Time to turn the heat up several notches.
Good catch on Daley's column!
Janelle:
You are so right about Clinton. That is one reason I wish Hillary won instead. She like her husband are acutely aware of their political careers and would never have gone this far. Obama is an ideologue and will push his agenda to the hilt.
Hopefully we can clean out enough of them in 2010 to save ourselves.
I can not believe that this man thinks that liberal policies are good. Look at America, which has embraced liberalism in almost every faucet of American life. Their policies are destructive and non-productive.
i like your idea of where the middle is. and i agree with it. on the right the extreme would be anarchy with socialism being the extreme to the left.
the left already have one self proclaimed socialist in congress but the right have no one near like an anarchist in congress.
I do believe that Daley has the Republicans figured out wrong. The Republicans are not being dragged to the far right. If anything they are being dragged to American’s true political center, which is conservative in nature. Tea Party protesters simply want fiscal responsibility, politicians to say what they mean and mean what they say and politicians that abide by the Constitution. There is nothing far right in any of those things.
EXACTLY. Well said, Clifton. This is the part of Daley's comments that raised my hackles -- refusing creeping socialism (Daley's version, as opposed to Obama's galloping socialism) is not "extreme." Daley, like other Dems, try to slander conservatives with the "extremist" label. There is nothing, however, extreme about fiscal sanity and adherence to the Constitution.
Excellent analysis!
WHERE DO WE GO NOW?
What is our mission in 2010? It should be to teach ourselves why America’s political tradition worked and what will happen if we change it. Obama wants us to change. He wants us to become like the Old World America left in the 18th century. He wants us to forget what the libertarian 19th century Democrats provided that gave us so much prosperity when compared to the stagnation of the Old World. He wants the American society well-oiled and ordered so the few elite can rule the many, for our own good, of course. America’s individual freedom has never been tried elsewhere, though partially approached in some more modern nations. Yet, 80% of the world’s people are struggling to exist, many starving, all under one dictatorship or another. Not so in America, unless deciding to be struggling and unhappy. We need to teach ourselves the difference so we can make the best decision of whether America will fall in line, get on its knees and be ruled by the few, or renew its pledge to individual freedom. That’s our task! Find help on claysamerica.com.
The Griper:
You are correct that extreme far right is anarchy. So many on the left want it to mean fascism, but it is not. Fascism is a leftist philosophy. You are also correct there are no anarchist in Congress and given the definition, I doubt there ever will be.
Stogie:
Many on the left want to paint anything slightly to the right of them as extreme. Many leftist also desperately want Americans to believe that leftist thought is mainstream thought. Thank God, that isn't sticking.
Clay:
Part of our task in 2010 is to find politicians who not only support and defend the Constitution, but also who are willing to take the steps to create a hostile environment for progressive policies. For example, replace the progressive tax system with a flat tax. If everyone paid the same rate, with no exceptions, then it would be very hard to sell "free" government programs.
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