Liberal SHOULD NOT Be Synonymous With “Democrat”...

We should all support a strong, viable two Party system, as ideological diversity is necessary and basic to political discourse.

But at this point we NEED to reconsider the axis of the political debate.

“Progressivism” the term socialists have taken up in the wake of the “Red Scare” and more recently “Liberalism” becoming a “dirty word” in the wake Jimmy Carter’s debacle, is no longer a viable political ideology.

If Michael Moore, Keith Olbermann, Rosie O’Donnell and Al Franken don’t prove that the “unhinged Left” is utterly without merit, then you’re just not paying attention.

Today’s ideological battle is no longer the old one between “Big government Liberalism” (the centralized state or “government-run economy”) versus the Corporatism (the highly regulated market-based economy) that is the hallmark of most Western democracies, but between the latter (Corporatism) versus freer markets, both lower taxes and a shift from productivity taxes (income taxes) to consumption taxes (some kind of national sales tax, like the Fair Tax) and perhaps some form of the Land Value Tax (supported by modern-day followers of Henry George).

The Republicans are and will almost certainly remain the Party of Corporatism, so the Democratic Party, which had long been home to most working people should regain that mantle with a shift in ideology, AWAY from the old failed “Franken/Moore/Olbermann Liberalism” to more free market and yet worker oriented policies outlined above.

The hard-Left has greatly damaged the Democratic brand especially among it’s initial core constituency – lower and middle class working people, the kind of people that Senator Charles Schumer recently addressed in his excellent work Positively American.

In that book, Senator Schumer put his finger on the problem the Democrats have had in recent years and at the same time outlined a plan for the Democrats to make the necessary shift toward a more worker-friendly platform.

A Minority of Democrats Self-Identify Themselves as Liberals

With slightly over 40% of today’s Democrats self-identifying as “Liberal,” it is indeed a marginal ideology.

There’s little reason to doubt that a Democratic move to woo more real Conservatives into their ranks wouldn’t replace those disaffected Leftists who’d leave the Party amidst such an ideological shift.

Jettisoning the Far-Left and Embracing a New, Winning Ideology

Moreover, the elections since 1950 have shown that Liberalism is a tough ideology to run on and win with.

JFK ran as a tax-cutting anti-Communist and hardly a Leftist. His brother Bobby was an aide, along with Roy Cohen, of Joe McCarthy.

LBJ won a major victory in a slime-filled election (the A-bomb commercial) that ultimately brought on the GOP’s “Southern Strategy,” which has cost them dearly since.

Jimmy Carter road to victory over Gerald Ford, in the wake of the Watergate scandals (Ford had pardoned Nixon as one of his first acts) as a moderate Democrat.

Since Carter’s star-crossed tenure, EVERY American President has run Right of his opponent, INCLUDING Bill Clinton (the lone Democrat to hold the White House since Carter) who ran to the Right of two Moderate Republicans (George Bush Sr., and Bob Dole).

Senator Charles Schumer, in Positively American, acknowledged that “The Democratic party has been far too liberal, shamelessly liberal and liberal for far too long.” That can and should be remedied by a much needed shift in ideology, in effect, a Democratic “Southern Strategy.”

Conservatives natural affinity is for the Democratic Party. The Democratic Party has been harmed by its long affiliation with Liberalism and recently it’s been positively slimed by the likes of far-Leftists like Michael Moore, Keith Olbermann, Al Franken and Randi Rhodes.

Why continue along this pathway of failure?

Conservative (“Blue Dog”) Democrats are a growing phenomenon. At this point, nearly a quarter of all the Congressional Democrats are Conservative Democrats.

You can contact the Conservative Democratic coalition at; http://www.il-democrats.org/conservativedemocrats.html

You can look into Senator Schumer's book here; http://www.amazon.com/Positively-American-Winning-Middle-Class-Majority/dp/1594865728

The new ideological divide is between Conservative/Libertarians who support a more open, unregulated economy versus the Corporatists who favor a more regulated, more secure economy.

For either major political Party to further entertain the failed and discredited ideology of Liberalism/socialism/progressivism is to court disaster.

Are Conservatives Making Inroads Within the Democratic Party???

Since the 2006 elections, the Democrats have made the bulk of their recent gains, thanks in large measure to Charles Schumer's and Rahm Emmanuelle's common sense strategy of running Conservative Democrats in Red States.

I have Schumer's recent book, Positively American (every Democrat and especially every "so-called Democrat" - that is, those Left-wing loons who've mistakenly seen the Democratic Party as their "home") should read that book.

In it, Schumer admits that the Democratic Party has been, "...far too Liberal, shamelessly Liberal and Liberal for far too long."

If you DON'T read things like that, you tend to be taken by surprise when paradigm shifts, like the one occurring now, take place.

I read Schumer's book, in which he follows the travails of a fictional workingclass Long Island family, the Bailey's and chronicles their hopes and concerns. I don't agree on most issues with Schumer, BUT I respect the calculus of his reasoning.

It was clearly a wink and a nod to Conservative Democrats and "Reagan Democrats" that this new era would be hallmarked by the Democrat's own "Southern Strategy" - capitulating to Conservatism, rather than futilely fighting against it.

Before that book came out, I'd known about Schumer's realistic vision, because a cousin of mine (a very Conservative Staten Island Democrat) worked on his staff). That cousin is now in the NY State Legislator and fought (and won) AGAINST Spitzer's ill-fated attempt to force ALL hospitals (including religious ones) to offer abortions and to strip physicians of their right to conscientiously refuse to perform that procedure. He also fought (and won) AGAINST Spitzer's initial gay marriage proposal which would've allowed some groups to fight Churches and Synagogues and try to get the courts to mandate their marrying gays in such institutions.

Mike's fight had the wording changed to such an extent that such legal challenges, under the current Bill, would be impossible.

The fact that Chuck Schumer reached out to someone like Mike showed me that he was an ideological realist.

Current polls that show that only 43% of Democrats consider, themselves "Liberal" shows how weak an ideology Liberalism really is. It's a complete validation of the Schumer-Emmaunelle strategy!

As to the question that some might ask, "Have only truly conservative, in all senses of that word, picked up all those new seats since 2004," well, that's a fair question, BUT even I'm not a "Conservative in all senses of that word."

I SUPPORT first trimester abortion. I oppose late term abortions once the fetus is fully formed and can exist outside the womb (preemies as young as 21 weeks have survived), BUT Conservative Democrats like Heath Shuler and Chet Edwards oppose all abortion as "infanticide."

I can work with people I disagree with over such marginal issues (ie. requiring DNA in Capital Punishment cases and defining when live begins), I can't, for instance, with people who oppose the sacred and most basic RIGHT to the violent self-defense of one's person AND property. I can't with people who don't see how vital EXTREMELY LIMITED government is and WHY government is ALWAYS a part of the problem and rarely if ever part of a solution. I can't work with those who DON'T understand how income tax rate hikes merely incentivize savings (deferring income) among the top 10% of earners, who pay over 80% of the income taxes, thus reducing revenues, while socking those with little or no disposable income (lower wage earners) with the unavoidable tax hikes. I CAN'T work with those who DON'T understand why unregulated, ILLEGAL migrant labor puts a persistent downward pressure on ALL prevailing wage rates, and why that issue has NOTHING to do with the Free Trade issue and I can't work with people who DON'T understand that government spending on criminal justice (domestic security) and military ventures creates jobs and generally ADDS to the nation's GDP, while government social spending does not.

On THOSE issues, I tend to agree with the vast majority of my fellow "Blue Dog"/Conservative Democrats.

I know I sometimes put things in what might appear to be a confrontational manner. That is certainly not my intent. I think all of us people of good will, want the same things - more prosperity, less government help/intervention and people working and happily being productive for the whole of their lives.

Our disagreements only seem to come over strategies on "How best to get there." The question many Liberals raise, "Why cede large tracts of this country and the Democratic Party over to Conservatism," is best answered that time has shown that Conservatives have rarely been "converted" by Liberals. In fact, there are today, far more former-Liberals (ie David mamet) than former-Conservatives. For Conservatives who question, "Can we trust these "New Democrats" to remain Conservative within a Liberal-dominated Democratic party," the best answer is, "They'd better," as most of these Blue Dogs come from areas where Liberals are a distinct minority - their very careers depend upon a solidly Conservative voting record.

I think Conservatism, as an ideology, has won out because (1) it's rooted in basic common sense and (2) its adherents, including myself, have never shied away from putting forth meticulous and very detailed arguments in its favor, while virtually NONE of the adherents of Liberalism (OK, there aren't many around here) haven't been able to do anything at all like that.

Conservative (Blue Dog) Dems are demanding larger role in 110th Congress

With the last election America saw a very hopeful sign, the rise of the Conservative (Blue Dog) Democrat. Now they are demanding a larger role in the newest Congress, claiming the bulk of the credit for the Democrat’s victory last November.

"Republicans “did not lose their seats to liberal Democrats” in November’s elections, said Rep. Mike Ross, D-Ark. “Republicans lost their seats to Blue Dog Democrats.”

“We’ll have a lot to say about what passes and what doesn’t” when the 110th Congress convenes in January with Democrats in control for the first time in 12 years, said Ross, new communications director for the caucus.

With the addition of nine newly elected freshmen, the Blue Dogs claim 44 members, nearly 20 percent of the incoming Democratic majority. They will be led by Rep. Allen Boyd, D-Fla., and include Rep. Collin Peterson, D-Minn., in line to become the next Agriculture Committee chairman."


http://news.bostonherald.com/politics/view.bg?articleid=167483

The Blue Dogs came into existence in 1994 after Republicans swept many of the long-entrenched Liberal Democrats from power.

The “Blue Dogs” tend to be social conservatives on such issues as abortion, but their biggest issue is fiscal discipline - balancing the budget and reducing the federal debt.

Leaders from both parties have been courting their vote in the months prior to the Democratic takeover of Congress. Speaker-to-be Nancy Pelosi, a California liberal, has promised to make “paygo,” a Blue Dog-backed principle that any new spending be paid for with cuts in other programs or new revenues, one of her first legislative goals.

Rep. Mike Pence (D-IND, pictured above) said, “We also will attempt to restart the old GOP-Boll Weevil coalition that proved so successful in the 1980s to advance President Reagan’s revolution.” Adding, “There are Blue Dog Democrats that want to balance the budget, address our nation’s abounding debt, strengthen Social Security and protect life and marriage. Our minority will look for opportunities to work with them when there is agreement.”


This is a huge opportunity for the Democratic Party to see the writing on the wall and move Right, back toward the center and away from the Gore-Moore-Sheehan-Kucinich axis that has compromised that Party’s credibility in recent years.