Former Secretary of State John Y. Brown III took umbrage with my characterization of his blog of December 11, 2007, regarding the inauguration of Governor Steve Beshear.
In a piece entitled "Democrats Scratch Their Heads", I wrote: "Today's the day when Kentucky Democrats should have been cheering Governor Beshear's inauguration, but instead some of them were left wondering what exactly the new administration was elected to do in office." Brown responded in a comment to my piece by arguing that Beshear's inaugural speech on "Kentucky’s Next Frontier" had somehow filled the void of Democratic ideas acknowledged in Brown's refreshingly honest piece:
I give Governor Beshear kudos for crisply articulating what he envisions Kentucky becoming under his leadership. From yesterday’s inaugural speech, Governor Beshear describes what he calls Kentucky’s Next Frontier:
A frontier of imaginative solutions;
A frontier for new technology and new industries;
A frontier that protects the environment, while creating opportunities;
A frontier that attracts entrepreneurs, tourists, retirees;
A frontier that keeps our own graduates right here at home.
Beshear apparently was borrowing from the rhetoric of JFK's "New Frontier" speech from the early 1960s. With all due respect, the Democrats really should offer something newer and more concrete than almost 50-year-old platitudes.
In his blog Brown had bluntly posed the conundrum of Democrats who are plumb out of ideas:
Republicans, it’s said, can put their core beliefs on a bumper sticker. Smaller government. Lower taxes. Family values. We can spend all day listing the deviations from these values, but give them their due: Republicans have done a better job defining themselves than we have done defining ourselves.
Brown went on to urge Democrats to answer: "How would you define the core principles of the Kentucky Democratic Party as we approach a new era of Democratic leadership?"
Governor Beshear has had a month now to think of an answer to Brown's question, and judging by his State of the Commonwealth address delivered this evening, he needs to think some more.
As Jill Johnson Keeney (one of the good journalists at The Courier-Journal) writes:
Well, Gov. Steve Beshear just delivered a report on the state of the commonwealth, and the only bold statement he made is this: "Frankly, the state of this commonwealth is not acceptable."
He told us he would never hesitate to express what he believes; he told us that it's time for leadership and bold action; and he told us that re-engineering Kentucky's economy from within must be among our highest priorities. And he said, "Ideas are the foundation of any new economy."
But he didn't offer one idea; he offered no new initiatives. That is amazing: In the State of the Commonwealth address, governors generally overpromise what they're going to do. Gov. Beshear promised nothing but to work on ethics reform and to only raise taxes as a last resort.
Keeney notes that even the Democrats were underwhelmed by Beshear's speech. "Several called the speech 'a little bland' or 'not much there,'" she reports. They must still be scratching their heads.
Please note: The postings of "G. Morris", written by John K. Bush and which end in 2016, stated his views as of the dates of posting and should not be understood as current assertions of his views. The postings, which have not been altered since they came to an end, remain on this blog to preserve the historical record. In 2017, Mr. Bush took a position that precludes further public political comments or endorsements. He will no longer be contributing to this blog.
Showing posts with label Democrats. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Democrats. Show all posts
Monday, January 14, 2008
Saturday, December 22, 2007
Twas the Night Before The Holiday That Must Not Be Named
Twas the night before the unmentionable day, when all through the House
Not a Yarmuth was "present", nor in the Senate, Bill Clinton's spouse.
The new laws were to be signed by the President with care
In hopes that troop funding soon would be there.
The Iowans were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of caucuses danced in their heads.
And Mama Pelosi in 'kerchief, and Dingy Harry in cap,
Had just settled their brains for a short winter's nap.
When out on the Internet there arose such a clatter,
I turned on my computer to see what was the matter.
Away to Windows I flew with Adobe-like flash,
Clicked on Explorer and started to gasp.
The approvals of Democrats had fallen so low,
Gave the lustre of hope to a news day so slow.
When, what to my wandering eyes should appear,
But a guacamole green hybrid, with passengers in donkey gear.
With a Nobel-Prize driver, such an inconvenient bore,
I knew in a moment it must be Al Gore.
More rapid than a sailor's the Demo-blogs' curses came,
And Howard Dean whistled and gave a shout of each candidate's name.
"Now Edwards, Kucinich, now Oprah, you vixen!
Osama -- Ted meant Obama -- at least he didn't call him Nixon!
To the left of the voters, to the left of them all.
Now dash away! Dash away! our hopes for next fall!"
Though Democrats blamed Bush after the wild hurricane blew,
Louisianans knew better, electing a Republican governor brand new.
So out on the Demo-blogs the cursers they stewed
And made a bad pun on Petraeus, and wrote something lewd.
And then, in a twinkling, I heard a sound in the Senate chamber,
I feared what might lurking, could the Republic be in danger?
As I drew in my head, and was turning around,
To the podium a Democrat sprang up with a bound.
He was dressed like a Senator, from his head to his foot,
But his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot.
For he was the one who had been left behind
To convene a recess session lest recess appointments be signed.
Without a pledge or a prayer, he went straight to work,
Convened and adjourned before anyone could call him a jerk.
And laying his finger aside of his nose,
And giving a nod, poof! The session was closed.
He sprang to the hybrid, giving the media the slip,
And away they flew like Columbia Democrats on a Kentucky road trip.
But I heard him exclaim, 'ere he drove out of sight
"I would say Merry Christmas, but it sounds too religious right!"
Please note: The postings of "G. Morris", written by John K. Bush and which end in 2016, stated his views as of the dates of posting and should not be understood as current assertions of his views. The postings, which have not been altered since they came to an end, remain on this blog to preserve the historical record. In 2017, Mr. Bush took a position that precludes further public political comments or endorsements. He will no longer be contributing to this blog.
Not a Yarmuth was "present", nor in the Senate, Bill Clinton's spouse.
The new laws were to be signed by the President with care
In hopes that troop funding soon would be there.
The Iowans were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of caucuses danced in their heads.
And Mama Pelosi in 'kerchief, and Dingy Harry in cap,
Had just settled their brains for a short winter's nap.
When out on the Internet there arose such a clatter,
I turned on my computer to see what was the matter.
Away to Windows I flew with Adobe-like flash,
Clicked on Explorer and started to gasp.
The approvals of Democrats had fallen so low,
Gave the lustre of hope to a news day so slow.
When, what to my wandering eyes should appear,
But a guacamole green hybrid, with passengers in donkey gear.
With a Nobel-Prize driver, such an inconvenient bore,
I knew in a moment it must be Al Gore.
More rapid than a sailor's the Demo-blogs' curses came,
And Howard Dean whistled and gave a shout of each candidate's name.
"Now Edwards, Kucinich, now Oprah, you vixen!
Osama -- Ted meant Obama -- at least he didn't call him Nixon!
To the left of the voters, to the left of them all.
Now dash away! Dash away! our hopes for next fall!"
Though Democrats blamed Bush after the wild hurricane blew,
Louisianans knew better, electing a Republican governor brand new.
So out on the Demo-blogs the cursers they stewed
And made a bad pun on Petraeus, and wrote something lewd.
And then, in a twinkling, I heard a sound in the Senate chamber,
I feared what might lurking, could the Republic be in danger?
As I drew in my head, and was turning around,
To the podium a Democrat sprang up with a bound.
He was dressed like a Senator, from his head to his foot,
But his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot.
For he was the one who had been left behind
To convene a recess session lest recess appointments be signed.
Without a pledge or a prayer, he went straight to work,
Convened and adjourned before anyone could call him a jerk.
And laying his finger aside of his nose,
And giving a nod, poof! The session was closed.
He sprang to the hybrid, giving the media the slip,
And away they flew like Columbia Democrats on a Kentucky road trip.
But I heard him exclaim, 'ere he drove out of sight
"I would say Merry Christmas, but it sounds too religious right!"
Please note: The postings of "G. Morris", written by John K. Bush and which end in 2016, stated his views as of the dates of posting and should not be understood as current assertions of his views. The postings, which have not been altered since they came to an end, remain on this blog to preserve the historical record. In 2017, Mr. Bush took a position that precludes further public political comments or endorsements. He will no longer be contributing to this blog.
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Democrats Scratch Their Heads
Today's the day when Kentucky Democrats should have been cheering Governor Beshear's inauguration, but instead some of them were left wondering what exactly the new administration was elected to do in office.
Former Secretary of State John Y. Brown III suggests this reaction of Kentucky Democrats in his guest blog at BluegrassReport.org. He writes:
The inescapable feeling in the air these past few heady days is that the Democratic Party in Kentucky is entering a new era--a realignment , if you will, that is adjusting itself to the political realities of the present and forging a vision that can best cope with our uncertain and fast-moving global economy. There! That’s a shining example of a Democratic handicap: defining what we stand for in language that’s too vague, too verbose, and too grandiose.
In the Weekly Standard, Professor James W. Ceaser of the University of Virginia diagnoses a similar linguistics problem for the national Democratic Party:
Today, the Democratic party mainstream has its values, its instincts, and, as usual, more than its share of 10-point programs. It even has its "isms," represented by its leading troika: the pragmatism of Hillary Clinton, the idealism of Barack Obama, and the populism of John Edwards. Yet its intellectual reservoir has shown itself to be lacking in depth and confidence. Today's Democratic mainstream is no more willing or able to stand up to the party's present leftist insurgency than the older mainstream was to stand up to the New Left. The tenor of the current left is best captured by something Lionel Trilling said in 1949 about conservatives: They do not "express themselves in ideas but only in action or in irritable mental gestures which seek to resemble ideas."
Trilling's criticism is no longer apt for conservative Republicans, as Brown's commentary implicitly acknowledges. He writes that over "the past three decades", the "Republicans have consistently bested Democrats" with "clarity of message":
Republicans, it’s said, can put their core beliefs on a bumper sticker. Smaller government. Lower taxes. Family values. We can spend all day listing the deviations from these values, but give them their due: Republicans have done a better job defining themselves than we have done defining ourselves. Some would even argue that we’ve allowed Republicans to define us.
In contrast, as Professor Ceaser explains, the national Democrats are "being bullied by a network of techno-thugs, spearheaded by MoveOn.org", and their message is increasingly driven by "the progressive coalition of billionaires and bloggers" whose tone of discourse is typified by "MoveOn's recent New York Times ad assailing General Petraeus as 'General Betray Us.'"
Professor Ceaser describes these bad punsters and their bankrollers:
The big money men and women--what the left used to call, back when it framed matters more astutely, the "obscenely wealthy"--are mostly people who have made their fortunes recently. (George Soros, the godfather of the movement, is an exception.) The last thing these newly rich would wish to be called, however, is nouveau riche; they are bobo billionaires who profess to regard their own fortunes with nonchalance. Steven Gluckstern, for example, who helped bankroll the Democracy Alliance--a new organization to fund the rebuilding of the progressive infrastructure (dues $200,000 a year for five years)--told Bai, "I don't really care about money. I mean, I like it. You can do fun things with it. You can give it away." All in this progressive money set, which includes some of Hollywood's more modest donors, follow the new progressive formula of buying political influence while decrying the influence of money in politics.
The allies of the wealthy, the bloggers, are the coalition's hit men. Almost all are males in their thirties. The two most prominent, "Markos and Jerome" (Markos Moulitsas Zúniga of the Daily Kos and Jerome Armstrong of MyDD), gained their fame and won their political clout by latching onto Howard Dean's candidacy in 2003 and using the Internet to help create the "Democratic wing of the Democratic party." Their websites not only constantly abuse thought, but show contempt for intellectuals, even while gaining influence among them. The language is often violent and vulgar. The moving spirit of the Daily Kos is one of anger and resentment, which, when not directed at Democrats who dare to stray from the wing line, is directed at the president, the vice president, and the Iraq war.
These are the role models for the Daily Kos wannabes at Kentucky's left-wing blogs. Their venom, however, cannot substitute for ideas to govern society. Hence, for mainstream Democrats such as Brown, the question remains: what exactly do the Democrats stand for? Good luck answering that one.
Please note: The postings of "G. Morris", written by John K. Bush and which end in 2016, stated his views as of the dates of posting and should not be understood as current assertions of his views. The postings, which have not been altered since they came to an end, remain on this blog to preserve the historical record. In 2017, Mr. Bush took a position that precludes further public political comments or endorsements. He will no longer be contributing to this blog.
Former Secretary of State John Y. Brown III suggests this reaction of Kentucky Democrats in his guest blog at BluegrassReport.org. He writes:
The inescapable feeling in the air these past few heady days is that the Democratic Party in Kentucky is entering a new era--a realignment , if you will, that is adjusting itself to the political realities of the present and forging a vision that can best cope with our uncertain and fast-moving global economy. There! That’s a shining example of a Democratic handicap: defining what we stand for in language that’s too vague, too verbose, and too grandiose.
In the Weekly Standard, Professor James W. Ceaser of the University of Virginia diagnoses a similar linguistics problem for the national Democratic Party:
Today, the Democratic party mainstream has its values, its instincts, and, as usual, more than its share of 10-point programs. It even has its "isms," represented by its leading troika: the pragmatism of Hillary Clinton, the idealism of Barack Obama, and the populism of John Edwards. Yet its intellectual reservoir has shown itself to be lacking in depth and confidence. Today's Democratic mainstream is no more willing or able to stand up to the party's present leftist insurgency than the older mainstream was to stand up to the New Left. The tenor of the current left is best captured by something Lionel Trilling said in 1949 about conservatives: They do not "express themselves in ideas but only in action or in irritable mental gestures which seek to resemble ideas."
Trilling's criticism is no longer apt for conservative Republicans, as Brown's commentary implicitly acknowledges. He writes that over "the past three decades", the "Republicans have consistently bested Democrats" with "clarity of message":
Republicans, it’s said, can put their core beliefs on a bumper sticker. Smaller government. Lower taxes. Family values. We can spend all day listing the deviations from these values, but give them their due: Republicans have done a better job defining themselves than we have done defining ourselves. Some would even argue that we’ve allowed Republicans to define us.
In contrast, as Professor Ceaser explains, the national Democrats are "being bullied by a network of techno-thugs, spearheaded by MoveOn.org", and their message is increasingly driven by "the progressive coalition of billionaires and bloggers" whose tone of discourse is typified by "MoveOn's recent New York Times ad assailing General Petraeus as 'General Betray Us.'"
Professor Ceaser describes these bad punsters and their bankrollers:
The big money men and women--what the left used to call, back when it framed matters more astutely, the "obscenely wealthy"--are mostly people who have made their fortunes recently. (George Soros, the godfather of the movement, is an exception.) The last thing these newly rich would wish to be called, however, is nouveau riche; they are bobo billionaires who profess to regard their own fortunes with nonchalance. Steven Gluckstern, for example, who helped bankroll the Democracy Alliance--a new organization to fund the rebuilding of the progressive infrastructure (dues $200,000 a year for five years)--told Bai, "I don't really care about money. I mean, I like it. You can do fun things with it. You can give it away." All in this progressive money set, which includes some of Hollywood's more modest donors, follow the new progressive formula of buying political influence while decrying the influence of money in politics.
The allies of the wealthy, the bloggers, are the coalition's hit men. Almost all are males in their thirties. The two most prominent, "Markos and Jerome" (Markos Moulitsas Zúniga of the Daily Kos and Jerome Armstrong of MyDD), gained their fame and won their political clout by latching onto Howard Dean's candidacy in 2003 and using the Internet to help create the "Democratic wing of the Democratic party." Their websites not only constantly abuse thought, but show contempt for intellectuals, even while gaining influence among them. The language is often violent and vulgar. The moving spirit of the Daily Kos is one of anger and resentment, which, when not directed at Democrats who dare to stray from the wing line, is directed at the president, the vice president, and the Iraq war.
These are the role models for the Daily Kos wannabes at Kentucky's left-wing blogs. Their venom, however, cannot substitute for ideas to govern society. Hence, for mainstream Democrats such as Brown, the question remains: what exactly do the Democrats stand for? Good luck answering that one.
Please note: The postings of "G. Morris", written by John K. Bush and which end in 2016, stated his views as of the dates of posting and should not be understood as current assertions of his views. The postings, which have not been altered since they came to an end, remain on this blog to preserve the historical record. In 2017, Mr. Bush took a position that precludes further public political comments or endorsements. He will no longer be contributing to this blog.
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