How to spin Bush's good numbers
With rising public frustration with the war and rising approval ratings for GWB, the Democratic National Committee issued a memo last week telling them how to react and respond to Republican threats...
From the Washington Post:
...a strategy memo to DLC supporters last week warning party leaders not to use Bush's problems as an invitation to call for an immediate U.S. withdrawal from Iraq, or generally to steer a more liberal course that could alienate the middle-of-the-road voters the party needs.
"It is important for Democrats to understand that despite Bush's decline, America remains a moderate to conservative country -- particularly on economic and security measures," the two wrote. While a poll taken by [the authors] for the DLC showed voters opposing the Iraq war 54 to 44 percent, they warned that "Democratic leaders could be playing with political dynamite if they call for an immediate pullout of American troops."
The memo is the latest illustration of deep divisions among Democrats over the right stance on Iraq -- on policy and political grounds. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), who supports a rapid withdrawal starting now, has estimated that half the Democratic caucus agrees with her.
The Democratic fringe may agree with Pelosi, but obviously the American people don't. And the Dems are trying to figure out how to overcome that, setting themselves up to gain in 2006, unseating the Republican party in the House, Senate, and eventually the White House in 2008.
This shows their battle strategy in broad terms. It's now up to the individual Dem candidates to do their part. The DNC has thrown the ball to the candidates; now the receivers have to run in for the touchdown.
[The memo] said the most defensible ground for Democrats is a middle path: rejecting deadlines for troop withdrawal but endorsing "clear benchmarks" to measure progress and hold Bush accountable for the results.
The DLC has been arguing since its inception 20 years ago that the party needs to transcend its liberal activists and traditional interest groups to be electable nationally, a message that has rarely varied with any new issue or circumstance. [The authors] say the latest evidence still supports them.
Yeah, good luck with that. Especially since their core constituency consists of the lunatic fringe, unhappy with the status quo or who are deeply upset about some pet issue. Good luck moving to the center while not alienating or abandoning them.