Wimps to Warriors: How the Democrats Can Rise from the Ashes

By Cheryl Seal

Law professor Peter Shane of the University of Ohio hits the nail on the head when he observes that the Alito hearings, under current conditions in Congress, were a worthless waste of time: "They were hollow, of course, to the extent that the ritual was staged as an exercise in educating open-minded Senators about how to vote....They were hollow also... in Democrats' hopes for a staggering gaffe. The idea that Alito's personal values are irrelevant to his legal judgments and that he will serve simply as a distinguished neutral arbiter extracting objective results from unmediated readings of legal texts is just nonsense. But so is the idea that he is nothing other than a well-domesticated monster, who might be tricked into finally revealing, "I think anti-discrimination plaintiffs are crybabies," or, "The Constitution allows government to compel pregnancy."" (see article)

The subservience of Republicans to Bush's wishes is nauseating, of course. But the hearings also pointed up, as Shane observed, the ridiculous "strategy" clung to by Democrats: that their best chance of ever winning - on any issue - is not to stand and fight on principle, even if they lose in the end - but to sit back and hope to win by default because someone in the opposition screws up.

Diane Feinstein highlights the attitude of so many Democrats when she backs away from challenging Alito in the name of "we must pick our battles." So just when WILL the right battle appear? If an illegal war wasn't the right battle, if the loss of Constitutional rights through the Patriot Act wasn't the right battle, if the miserable deaths of hundreds of fellow US citizens after Katrina wasn't the right battle....then what the hell IS the right battle? My guess? Feinstein and too many other Democrats are waiting for a battle that has a 100% chance of being won. Which means of course, that there is very little danger that they will be called upon to fight. The result: a total loss of respect by the public. The average American does not see this "battle selectivity" as an example of "discretion being the better part of valor." Instead, they see it as cowards hiding in a corner waiting for an easy break.

True courage lies in fighting for what is right even if your chances of winning are slimmer than a nanotube. Right doesn't become less right because the odds are stacked against it and the media and political bullies are likely to give you a hard time. It is what we fight for that defines us. The fact that Democrats have not consistently fought for what is right - choosing instead, to wait for that "magical right moment" that never comes, or rarely comes - has left America wondering: WHO ARE YOU? The fact that the GOP fights every time for every evil and awful thing they want at least defines them clearly, leaving the public to view the party as "the devil they know." Meanwhile, the Democrats are viewed as the "ball players" who are perpetually sitting in the dugout - no one knows if they can hit or not.

Al Gore, it must be pointed out, is showing himself to be a real warrior: he is speaking out without fear of the consequences at every opportunity he gets. His message is consistent - he is not, like too many Democrats, tailoring his comments to fit as many "tastes" as possible, and thus failing to say anything worth hearing. The fact that the media may snub him, that rightwing talkshow hosts may ridicule him, or that too few may hear him has is not stopping him. This is what true courage and belief in what is RIGHT looks like.

The consequences of the Democrats' failure to take on every "righteous" fight - resorting to whatever means necessary, be it fillibuster, walk-outs, or constant press conferences - has undermined the party in both expected and unexpected ways. It is, for example, the key reason the Democrats are viewed as being less trustworthy than the GOP on issues of fighting terrorism. Afterall, if the party refuses to effectively stand up to G.W. Bush, Dennis Hastert and the rest of the cast of bullies in D.C., then how can they be trusted to stand up to hardened terrorists outside DC? It isn't their "strategy" that has led to this distrust, it is the Democrats lack of resolve. Americans have made it clear that they do not believe "any and all means" are justified in fighting terrorism. They WANT to preserve the Constitution AND stay safe. But at the present, they seem to be presented with just two alternatives: a party that will fight terrorism at the cost of rights and a party that appears unwilling to fight ANYTHING.

To win America's respect, the Democrats must fight every battle where America's principles are on the line. EVERY battle, not just a select few. Through this show of courage and consistency will define who the Democrats are - and thereby re-earn some trust.

There's an old saying that I'd like to have made into little banners, to be posted above the door of every Democratic legislator's office in DC: "God will help you, but he won't put your pants on for ya in the morning!"

http://cherylsealreports.com/wimpstowarriors.html