There is a battle for the soul of the Republican party.As we debate immigration reform, our continued bloody occupation of Iraq, tax cuts versus rising deficits, and George W. Bush's dismal poll numbers, the press is full of discussion about the possible decline and fall of the Republican empire. Meanwhile, there is only occasional mention of the fact that the Democrats are as unorganized, uncertain and unwieldy as ever.
But the fact is that unless Democrats coalesce around a core principle, and create a platform of issues and initiatives that grow out of that core principle, any political gains they may make this fall will be short-lived.
The current Republican majority can trace its roots to Barry Goldwater, two generations ago. He was the then-maverick Republican who insisted that the party unite behind a principle that a small government and a large military is best. By 1980, that concept led to the "Reagan Revolution", which gave neoconservative Republicans their first taste of power. In 1994, they took the next step, gaining control of both houses of Congress. By 2000 the takeover was complete.
The problems Republicans face today result from the fact that it is much easier to criticize than it is to create. This is known as the "back-seat driver syndrome", and the Republicans are suffering from its consequences. They have failed to cut the size of government, and they have disastrously mismanaged their military buildup. After spending decades to win the hearts and minds of America, they are losing those hearts and minds in a few short years.
But where are those hearts and minds going?
So far, the Democratic party has yet to provide anything approaching an alternative to Republican failure. Democratic leaders (if there are any Democratic leaders) don't lead, and Democratic strategists (if there are any Democratic strategists) seem to be saying that inaction is the best action.
The problem is that Democrats aren't ready to resume the leadership role, because the party has no soul, no core principle around which they can gather, strategize, and act.
It's time to replace the Democrats.
There are two possibilities. A new political party can arise. This hasn't happened since the modern Republican party was created to replace the failing Whig party in the 1850s; since then the two major parties have become so entrenched in our election laws and our legislative rules that creating a new major political party is almost impossible.
The other possibility is that a small group of Democrats with a modern, progressive concept can stage a coup, overthrowing the current party leadership the way the "neocons" overthrew the old Republican party thirty years ago. This is far more likely, but it will not happen overnight. The only question is whether it can happen in time, before the current Democratic gains in the polls waste away.
Copyright 2006, Dan Jacoby
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