Tuesday, November 07, 2006
Pinkerton Gets It
I can't imagine how someone as thoughtful and deliberate as Jim Pinkerton ended up at Newsday. I don't always agree with his opinions, but the guy is always reasoned, measured, and more often than not, correct (by correct I mean in agreement with OccObs).
But today, in a short election-day column, he really nails it. Here's his conclusion:
To Pinkerton, Reagan Democrats = the swing vote. The party that captures their votes will control the levers of power. While I might quibble with him on his perception that they prioritize dumping more resources into our monopolisitic public education infrastructure, I think he's largely right on the priorities of this swing group. By going with amnesty on immigration, Dubai Ports on homeland security, and doing nothing to protect American manufacturing (and even insulting the auto industry when there were questions of a bailout), this administration has definitely aliented this bloc.
The only thing that should keep '06 from being a total washout is the fact that the Democrats offer little in the way of constructive solutions. They are also pro-amnesty, weak on homeland security, and have largely adopted the free-trade-at-all-cost mantra that is hammering the working class in the Rust Belt. The Dems hate the Iraq war (now and not when they voted for it, conveniently), and hate the President even more, and that might be enough in '06 to capture the House or Senate. But as Pinkerton states, neither party has won the hearts of the Reagan Democrats, with the GOP squandering the inroads they made over the past 20 years. But the door is still open: if one party figures out how to capture the Reagan Dems loyalty, there is the potential to forge a governing coalition that is broad and possibly veto-proof.
But today, in a short election-day column, he really nails it. Here's his conclusion:
The Reagan Democrats are looking for a party that takes seriously their concerns about immigration, homeland security, multiculturalism, immorality and de-industrialization, combined with a prudently hawkish foreign policy. Whichever party gets there first in addressing those problems, and then stays there to solve them - that party will be in the majority for a long time.
To Pinkerton, Reagan Democrats = the swing vote. The party that captures their votes will control the levers of power. While I might quibble with him on his perception that they prioritize dumping more resources into our monopolisitic public education infrastructure, I think he's largely right on the priorities of this swing group. By going with amnesty on immigration, Dubai Ports on homeland security, and doing nothing to protect American manufacturing (and even insulting the auto industry when there were questions of a bailout), this administration has definitely aliented this bloc.
The only thing that should keep '06 from being a total washout is the fact that the Democrats offer little in the way of constructive solutions. They are also pro-amnesty, weak on homeland security, and have largely adopted the free-trade-at-all-cost mantra that is hammering the working class in the Rust Belt. The Dems hate the Iraq war (now and not when they voted for it, conveniently), and hate the President even more, and that might be enough in '06 to capture the House or Senate. But as Pinkerton states, neither party has won the hearts of the Reagan Democrats, with the GOP squandering the inroads they made over the past 20 years. But the door is still open: if one party figures out how to capture the Reagan Dems loyalty, there is the potential to forge a governing coalition that is broad and possibly veto-proof.
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2 comments:
Jay Severin made a similar point on his radio show last night, which was that he doesn't anticipate a Democratic sea change in this election b/c they haven't actually put forth a platform. When Repubs swept in 1994 it was in large part due to Contract with America. They clearly identified 10 issues they'd bring to the floor for a vote within 100 days, and they picked 10 items that resonated with voters. If Dems were smart and grew a set, they'd make the same gamble. But I think they're going to find out the hard way yet again that simply running as the "We're not Bush" camp, without concrete policies that can really excite people, is not going to get out the vote they need. Certainly it's not enough to win presidential election.
As for specific policies, I think Pinkerton basically does nail it. Most of the discontented Republicans or independents seem to be mostly looking for better solutions on: (a) economy and particularly spending control for balanced budget, (b) immigration and borders, (c) national security (includes homeland as well as foreign policy).
Pinkerton also specifically mentions multiculturalism which I think is the elephant in the room. I think there is a supermajority of American voters that is tired of being bludgeoned with secular and racial politics: political correctness, quotas, affirmative action, and accusations of beins "racist" b/c one doesn't support reverse-discrimination. Likewise, a huge majority of Americans are not secularists and are sick of the nonsense that the ACLU wing of the Dems are offering up: rip down the ten commandments in public buildings, take "God" out of the pledge of allegiance, double tax people who want to send their kids to parochial schools because they have pride in their cultural roots, etc.
The party that confronts the smear-tactics of the far left, and is willing to say that protecting traditional American values is a good thing, will win. Here's a quick blueprint: prayer in school is OK if not mandatory, patriotic education should be required(rather than deconstructive, equivocating education), affirm that the American people are a historically Christian nation (Islam can be tolerated b/c of our belief in religious freedom, but we are within our rights to restrict the flow of Muslims into this country if it becomes an issue of public safety), eliminate the "anchor baby" phenomenon (since American citizenship is a prize that should be obtained legally, not a hand-out to be angled-for), etc.