You're a loser baby
Isn't there something deeply cynical about this?
As strange as it might seem, there are moments when losing is winning in politics. Even as Democrats are doing everything they can to win, and believe that victory is critical for future battles over real issues, some of the party's leading figures are also speculating that November could represent one of those moments.
From this perspective, it wouldn't be the worst thing in the world politically to watch the Republicans struggle through the last two years of the Bush presidency. There's the prospect of continued conflict in Iraq, high gas prices, corruption investigations, Republican infighting and a gridlocked Congress. Democrats would have a better chance of winning the presidency in 2008, by this reasoning, and for the future they enhance their stature at a time when Republicans are faltering.
...Another worry is whether some Democrats would use their power in what could be perceived as payback against Republicans. Party leaders like Nancy Pelosi, the House minority leader, have talked of investigations into allegations of malfeasance across all parts of the Bush administration.
Call me naive, but shouldn't good government be the goal? And if you don't trust what your leaders will do with power, elect new leaders. It also seems to me that the writer has taken the wrong lesson from recent political history:
Democrats these days look back to 1994, when Republicans took over Congress, as inspiration for why the party can take over today. Equally instructive might be the experience the Republican Party had after it took power for what turned out to be two tumultuous years marked by the House's shutdown of government.
The transition from being the critic out of power to being the leader proved difficult. That is a lesson that at least some Democrats are thinking about today, even as they put their Champagne on ice.
While it is true that Newt Gingrich's hubris led the GOP into a disasterous budget showdown with President Clinton, the party held onto Congress and has won two of three presidential elections since. Yeah, that would be terrible for the Democrats.
Being afraid to lose is understandable. Being afraid to win is pathetic.
posted by Jonathan Potts at
10:07 PM
4 Comments:
it's not so much a case of being afraid to win...it's a matter of being afraid to be responsible for clearing up a mess that the democrats are constantly bitching about and never offering any solutions. yeah,it would be fantastic to watch bush muddle about in iraq for another two years...and make matters even worse...as long as my kids don't have to fight there.
it's so troubling to remember that gore didn't really offer any new or galvanizing direction...and kerry bumbled along even worse. but when the best choice for democrats seemed to be john mccain--at least until recently--it's kind of like counting on your drug dealer to just say no to selling you more crack.
12:48 AM
let's get back to important issues...this week's sopranos
most of the online opinion seems to think that tony forcing johnny sack to sell his house to janice was a real gift from tony...but if you remember, the scene before jancie's blubbering thank you in tony's basement showed christopher's porsche (johnny's old ride) being towed away by the feds because ginny wasn't allowed to sell her husband's assets.
and remember, tony told melfi that he never missed an opportunity to s**t on Janice. Losing the house would be the ultimate dump...and maybe drive Janice to finish the job her mother and junior couldn't complete.
new jersey's lady macbeth has been strangely quiet this season.
12:08 AM
I'll have to watch it again, because my wife and I thought the house was included in the assets Johnny and his wife got to keep, such as her IRA. Of course, then that would make the scene with Christopher and the car superflous. Unless, of course, there is something in the car that will incriminate Christopher.
7:57 PM
could be drug stuff in the car. he was shooting up with that weasely guy who set up the hit on rusty. he's a character who's had a lot of screen time for such a bit part.
if i remember the timing of the show correctly, and that's not a sure thing, it seemed that janice had the house before john made the deal. the other thing about the house, tony told sal vitro he could stop doing the lawn, just another way to piss off janice.
all the same, it seems the house of card is set up to fall hard. amazingly two main characters, junior and john — and maybe paulie — are going out with a whimper. while minor guys like gene and probably vito exit dramatically.
obviously, this week a lot of loose ends will get tied up and knotted up at the same time...so that we can hold our breath until the last six episodes come around in 2007.
yes, i know this sunday is the next to last show. but with the sopranos, that episode can be bigger shocker than the finale.
9:21 PM
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