Message Matters

I didn't agree with Bill Clinton on many issues, but at least he ran on a positive message and a vision for the future. Remember the "Don't Stop Thinking About Tomorrow" and the "Bridge to the 21st Century" themes? Sure, they were largely platitudes without substantial vision behind them, but they propelled Clinton to eight years in office.

George Bush in 2000 followed a similar tack, promising to bring "honor and integrity" back to the White House. Again, no real policy import, but at least a message of positive leadership.

Watching the news over the weekend, I was struck by the degree to which the Democrats are running a campaign while looking almost entirely in the rear view mirror. Charlie Rangle spent Sunday morning talking about George Bush's National Guard record of 30 years ago while extoling John Kerry's. When pressed futher, Rangle said the party was motivated by the stolen 2000 election.

John Kerry, meanwhile, seems to live exclusively in the early 1970's, traveling the country with his "band of brothers." And don't dare ask him why, upon returning from Vietnam, he accused the same vets he now hides behind of unspeakable atrocities and war crimes.

Where do the Democrats want to take the country in the future? That's murky water indeed. Besides raising taxes on "the rich" to incite class warfare and putting one-fifth of the US economy under exclusive federal control, there isn't much "there" there. I hope for our sake that either a) the Democrats find a positive message on which to run or b) they are soundly trounced in November. If running a campaign that has neither a positive message nor a forward vision becomes a recipe for success in 2004, the future looks bleak indeed.