The Moderate Republican

Tuesday Musings

My take on the Iraqi Elections: If a picture is worth a thousand words, then this might sum it up:

Now I didn't think the invasion was a good idea. Still don't. But I do think it was a wonderful thing to see people come out and vote amid threats of violence. A nation that has had to deal with a brutal dictatorship, now is taking the first steps towards democracy. Let's hope these are not the last steps.

In related news, Christopher Hitchens has an interesting story on the differences between Iraq and Vietnam. It's a good read because the anti-war camp seems to use Vietnam whenever the US goes to war. Of course the anaologies are not so clear and as Hitchens points out, they don't necessarily dictate the future of Iraq.

Are the Dems gonna drink the Kool Aid? So, it looks like Howard Dean is in line to become the next head of the Democratic National Committee.

I think I might be the one who screams.

The Dems are in a hard place. They are fast becoming a minority party and they need to find new ways to reach out to people. Dean will not do that. He is pretty partisan and will only make the Dems that much more so. Yes, he raised a ton of money. Yes, he got people motivated on the Internet. But in the end, his campaign went nowhere. I think you can expect the same thing if he's DNC chief:money gets raised, people get motivated on the internet, but there is no footwork.

A few months back, the Washington Monthly did a story about how hidebound the GOP has become. As much as I think that's true, I think the Dems are also becoming that way as well. They need someone who can give the party new visions, not someone who will make them feel good about themselves. Dean is a cheerleader, but he is hardly a leader. But it seems these days that the Democrats are more concerned with feeling good about being Democrats than they are with being a party that can win elections.

Posted by Dennis at February 1, 2005 11:54 PM