At this point in history, one could look at the Democratic Party as a ship, having lost its rudder and its captain, floating wherever the tide takes it. At the same time, there are numerous people attempting to assume the empty position as captain, but this vast struggle for power and order is causing the ship to lose its purpose and a unified agenda.
On this particular ship, there happens to be very radical people on one side and a calmer, moderate approach to leadership on the other. The question must be asked: Which approach will be the most successful and how will this affect the realm of politics?
A recent attention-grabber in the unification struggle on the left is speculation that Sen. Hillary Clinton could replace Sen. Tom Daschle in 2004, when he (hopefully) retires or (hopefully) fails to be re-elected in South Dakota, as the minority leader.
The most logical candidate for unifying the party once again is Sen. Clinton – a political heavyweight with command, position and experience. Many look to her in the 2008 presidential election, thus one would assume that the next logical step for her is walking in with a Senate leadership position, since Daschle’s political future looks pathetic.
In addition, with her recent best seller, things are looking good for the New York senator and it appears that doors are being opened to political leadership despite her hard-line political ideas. Still, hers is not the only example out there of a struggle for power.
A landmark event for the Dems occurred last November as the Democratic legislators voted on the next House minority leader. After leading into a very moderate position and working with the White House on Iraq, Dick Gephardt stepped down from his leadership role to make way for an alternative Democratic force in the House. However, the Democrats showed they had no intention of electing a more moderate Harold Ford Jr.; instead, they elected Nancy Pelosi in a 177 to 29 vote.
The two Democratic frontrunners in the presidential race are, arguably, Sen. John Kerry and Howard Dean – two very liberal candidates. A step behind, moderate Joe Lieberman looks to capture the less radical constituents of the Democrats, but he lacks charisma and a sleek appearance – something that seems to be a requirement for a president and those in a true leadership position. Indeed, it appears Howard Dean has assumed that role as a commanding and strong politician – leaving any idea of being moderate in the dust.
The big question surrounding this radically liberal trend is whether it is truly a good step for the Democratic Party and how it will affect the rest of politics. Can a liberal socialist really gain support from the American people right now?
It would be hard to say yes. It appears that many Americans have taken a slightly conservative view of politics with their support of the president. A recent CBS News Poll found that 66 percent of Americans approve of President Bush’s job, and with the war, this is to be expected. But it also shows that being moderately conservative is paying off politically.
For true conservatives, it looks like a hard-line liberal Democratic Party can only mean more losses. Recently, the GOP has compromised on many issues to simply gain political capital or to look like good bipartisan politicians. And recent history shows that the Dems usually won’t compromise to that extent with Republicans.
Another interesting effect these radical liberals have on politics is the perception of a conservative. Conservative, liberal, Republican, Democrat – they all are relative to each other. Therefore, the radical liberals on the left start to make moderate conservatives look like hardcore right-wingers, while making true conservatives out to be wackos.
Although this bigger and more public step toward socialist leaders in the left may precede sure political failure, one cannot underestimate the power of their friends in government education, entertainment and the news media.
Will the Democratic Party find a true leader and a captain before the stormy elections roll along? Only time will tell, but if the more liberal and less moderate approach to party leadership offers any insight, the future for true conservatives isn’t going to look very bright.
