October 18, 2006

It’s Up to the Democrats Now

 

Though it may validate every stereotype of us Eastern Liberals, I will bite the bullet and ask the question that is on the minds of many, “What is wrong with the people of this great nation?” How could anyone not see what has been so obvious to the rest of us for years, and not have thrown the rascals out, in 2004 or before? There I said it.

 

In 1994, Republicans took over the legislative branch of this country. Clinton was president, and things weren’t that bad, though there was some lack of confidence in the Democrats. What else is new? The Republican leadership wasn’t that terrific either. But the Republicans captured the dissatisfaction of much of the country in a fairly coherent and defined national direction.

 

Fast forward to 2006. In foreign relations and national security this country is in the worst shape it has been in since the Vietnam War, or before. We’ve lost respect in the world. Our enemies don’t seem afraid of us, and our allies don’t fully trust us. We are enmeshed in a no-win military quagmire of Indochinese proportions, out of control, with Americans, Iraqis and others dying every day, while real security issues go unattended. Confidence in our government and political system is at an all-time low

 

The “party of morality and family values” dominates the government, and public scandals are more prevalent than at any time since Iran Contra, or Watergate itself. Many darlings of the Christian Right have sold out to a corrupt Jewish lobbyist, and the Republican leadership has taken a dreadful page from the Catholic Church in their management of serious sexual harassment offenses among their own sinful flock.

 

It seems incredible that there is even the possibility that the Democrats might not take over the legislative branch of the government. The fact that the American public has not risen up en masse to demand drastic changes in leadership and direction is the real news of the day.

 

In team development, we use a concept that asks people to put on “100 percent responsibility glasses”. These have us seeing situations, particularly ones we don’t like, as if we were 100 percent responsible for their creation and potential undoing. Of course we are never really fully responsible. But the perspective inevitably has us focusing more on changes we can make in our own behavior, changes that we may not think of while blaming everyone else.

 

If we put on our own 100 percent responsibility glasses, we dissatisfied folks must ask ourselves, not “What’s wrong with them?” but rather “What’s wrong with us or our approach?” We might not like the answers, but we need to understand them to have the best chance of success in promoting change. The Peanuts cartoon says it best, “We have met the enemy and it is us.”

 

This call to personal responsibility is the main message of this piece, but I also would like to offer one possible response, going back to the Republican success of 1994: a coherent direction that captures (many) dissatisfactions of a majority of the American people. Democrats need to lead with these points:

 

• Renewed trust and respect for the U.S. in the world, on the part of allies and adversaries, as a role model and promoter of peace and integrity.

 

• A commitment to diplomacy with our adversaries and collaboration with our allies. As John Kennedy said in 1960, “Never negotiate out of fear, but never fear to negotiate.”

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• A strong approach to national security that commits our resources where they can keep us the most safe with the least human and financial cost.

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• A strategic approach to dealing with adversaries that takes into account their and our longer-term strengths, rather than only immediate response and revenge.

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• A commitment to inclusion of all the people of this great country in its prosperity and national life, regardless of race, religion, social class, national origin or current economic level – a genuine commitment to “no person left behind” and “one America”.

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• A renewed sense of patriotism and unity, based on principles that made America great – a commitment to equal opportunity for all, freedom from oppression, including from arbitrary decisions of government, and respect for the law and democratic process, among others.

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• An insurance plan that guarantees affordable health care for all Americans.

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• The sense that our government is on the side of the average American, rather than a wealthy elite or corporate interests.