Democratic Anxiety Time

A slew of recent articles attests to growing sense of unease among America's liberal intelligentsia. The question that everyone seems to be pondering these days is: Why isn't Barack Obama annihilating John McCain in the polls? After all, Obama is a fresh face, has good ideas, and represents change at a time when people are sick of the past. Moreover, his opponent comes up empty in all three of the same categories, and is one of the worst campaigners in modern history. So, what's the problem? Why is Obama ahead by so little?

Here's Paul Krugman's diagnosis in today's New York Times:

...the debate on energy policy has helped me find the words for something I've been thinking about for a while. Republicans, once hailed as the "party of ideas," have now become the party of stupid.

Krugman then goes on to do one better, by insinuating that the stupids have also infected the Democratic party:

In any case, remember this the next time someone calls for an end to partisanship, for working together to solve the country's problems. It's not going to happen--not as long as one of America's two great parties believes that when it comes to politics, stupidity is the best policy.

Of course, Krugman's "I told you so" thinking is widely practiced by legions of other Hillary Clinton supporters. Indeed, the "Don't Blame Me, I Voted for X" bumper sticker has become something of a running gag for failed Democratic presidential hopefuls. Yet there are several flaws with Krugman's argument.

Chief among them is his central argument--that playing the ignorant card to manipulate voters is wrong and dangerous-- which is undercut by his conclusion that America is too stupid to come together and create a better society. Therefore, we should have gone with Hillary, who would have pandered to the stupids better than the Republicans.

True, the GOP attack machine is damned efficient. It makes the Democratic attack machine look like a tricycle at times. But does this mean that we are forever committed to low-road politics? Is there no hope of raising our national discourse beyond tire-gauge taunts, and gas-tax holiday mirages?

Maybe not, but I am heartened that the two candidates currently running are the ones who have most consistently talked about working with colleagues across the political divide. Yes, we've watched the campaign degenerate into the red-versus-blue politics of old, just as we knew it would. But, as a consequence, should Obama simply abandon his call to reform our politics? Should the anxiety of losing because one's opponent employs slimy tactics be enough justification to use them as well?

Democrats across the country are collectively wringing their hands. Could Obama really lose? Sure he could. But the election isn't for three months -- and we're already diagnosing what went wrong? Obama has consistently led in the polls, so stop planning his wake. And if you're really so upset about the prospect of failure, then quit with the Monday morning quarterbacking and make sure it doesn't happen. As Krugman points out, no one party has a lock on the stupid vote -- and make no mistake, it's out there. But maybe, just maybe, the country is ready to fight fire with water instead of still more fire.

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