Michael Kinsley takes a look at the Democratic platform and finds their “New Direction” rather lacking. The Democrats’ 31-page manifesto is the usual bunch of mealy-mouthed platitudes and not even half-assed policies that represents the complete disconnect between Democrats and actual consideration of policy issues. As Kinsley, who is hardly a member of the Vast Right-Wing Conspiracy, notes:
The Democrats promise “security, prosperity and opportunity” in “diverse, safe and vibrant communities”. They will “protect Americans, secure our borders, and restore our position of international leadership” through “homeland, energy, and diplomatic strategies”. And we’re only up to page three.
It’s all platitudes. Unlike the Contract with America in 1994, the Democrats don’t really have a sense of policy because they’re not running on policy. They’re running on little more than a sense of abject hatred for the opposition. It isn’t about taxes or preserving Social Security, it’s about partisanship. The polls consistently show that Democratic voters are motivated less by love for their candidates than hatred for Republicans. Who cares about policy when you’re running a campaign fueled by vindictiveness?
The problem is that the Democrats did the same thing in 2002 and 2004, and it caused them to lose. Even if the Democrats win today, it won’t be by margins any larger than are traditional in a six-year midterm. There’s no mandate for the Democrats, although their inflated egos will likely interpret it as such.
A Democratic takeover will lead to two years of partisan attacks against sitting officials, meaningless harassments, baseless charges, and continual witch-hunts. It will be a travesty, the only good result of which will be the Congress unable to do anything of substance. Meanwhile, our enemies will still be plotting, Social Security will continue towards collapse, and other key policy issues will go unconsidered.
The silver lining in that crowd is that the American electorate can’t stand sore winners, and the effect of yet another two years of childish partisanship could very well be an electoral spanking on a truly massive scale. When all the Democrats stand for is a veneer of platitudes covering a seething hatred, even if they get the power they so desperately want, they’re likely to use it to shoot themselves in the foot.