Wednesday, November 23, 2005

Koch: Let's Stop Destroying the Country We Love

From Real Clear Politics comes this essay by Ed Koch, former Democratic mayor of New York City and supporter of Operation: Iraqi Freedom. I recommend reading the whole thing, but here is the opening paragraph:

The Republicans are headed for a seismic crash in the congressional election of 2006. Their effort last week to embarrass House Democrats by forcing a contrived vote on a non-binding resolution to end the war in Iraq by immediately withdrawing all American troops didn’t succeed and shouldn’t have occurred. Everyone lost, including the Democrats, most of whom supported the Republican resolution. Most important, our country lost. We look foolish and in disarray in the eyes of the world.


Well, Ed. It's like this. The Democrats are acting foolish.

So, how about we do this? You get the Democrats to stop politicizing the war.

Stop the relentless attacks on what has already been debated and decided. Stop the baseless accusation machine that does nothing to achieve the mutually-agreed goal of, "getting the job done and getting out". Start countering the loud and reckless forces that manufacture false information designed to divide the nation, with some reasoned discourse. Criticize that which deserves criticism, but stop beating a dead horse.

If your party can take the high road first, you can place the ball in the GOP's court and have a valid complaint about them using these kinds of tactics. If the Democrats can re-invent themselves a little and recognize that gaining the trust of the people involves much more than just putting out garbage, you might have a chance to raise up some centrist Democrats (like yourself) that could and would serve the interests, of the American people. Maybe one of them might even get elected President.


But until then, expect this kind of tactic. And expect people like me, to support it.

3 comments:

All_I_Can_Stands said...

Koch has got to have taken a beating from supporting Bush in the '04 election. I think this article is to buy a moment's respite from those still mad at him.

The fact is ever since 2000 the Dems have been acting inappropriately to an unbelievable degree. The constant filibuster tactics are just the tip of the iceberg. So now that the GOP pulls one "stunt" it is suddenly worse than all the Dem's stunts.

As I wrote on my blog, that GOP stunt was critical to deny the Dem's strategy of taking credit when troops start coming home next year.

Anonymous said...

Mr. Beamish commented at my blog the other day, observing that the Democratic Party has been acting inappropriately since the election of Andrew Jackson. His point is well made, given the racism and denial of civil liberties to large segments of our minority population sponsored and supported by Democrats. But here's the amazing part: that any minority ever votes for a democrat.

LA Sunset said...

Mustang,

It's way beyond me why minorities would be inclined to support Democrats. What they can't realize is, the Dems' message is only pertinent when people are suffering. They need a gloom and doom prognosis in order to sell their wares to a dependent voting bloc.

The man is keeping them down alright. And, that man IS the Democratic party.