Democrats lack vision on national stage

by Nick Juliano

Well, it’s official. The Republicans are in complete control of the federal government for the first time in more than 50 years. As one of my professors reminded the class yesterday, “Hope you guys remember where you put your draft cards.”

Now, I don’t want to sound like the typical Democrat lamenting the evils of conservatism; pointing out the failing economy and warning against our country’s imminent march into war. However, this isn’t because I don’t want to just sound like another voice in the crowd. It is because there is no crowd in the first place.

The typical Democrat is not speaking up against the Bush administration. So fearful are they of being labeled unpatriotic or anti-American that the idea of playing the role of a true opposition party seems to have flown out the window. Bush and the Republicans have monopolized the war on terror to such an extent that they have been able to command media attention and divert the national consciousness away from anything other than Saddam Hussein. Forget about the state of social security, Forget about the faltering economy. Forget about the disappearing national surplus. Get Saddam. That’s the only message coming from the White House.

I’m not saying terrorism doesn’t need to be addressed, but the point is that there are countless other issues that should be on the national agenda and are nowhere to be found. And where is Tom Daschle through all of this? As senate majority leader he certainly ought to be in the spotlight more. He ought to be warning against rushing into war abroad before stabilizing the situation at home, but he has voted to support the president’s resolution on Iraq. He is playing politics, not wanting to step on any toes, and in the end we all have sore feet.

The emphasis on bipartisanship has done nothing but hurt the Democrats, and if they continue to play the “working across party lines” game, Bush will have carte blanche to implement every aspect of his national agenda. Bipartisanship cannot be used as a standard approach to all things political, and someone in the Democratic Party needs to stand up and say so. As long as there are differing opinions on important issues — which, though no one is saying so, is almost always the case — and as long as those in the minority get sucked into being bipartisan for the sake of getting things accomplished, their goals will never be addressed.

Beyond not playing along with the Bush agenda, Democrats need to work to advance an agenda of their own. Yes, Bush has soaring popularity ratings, but so did his father back in ’92 and we all know how that turned out. People are ready to approve of Bush because there is no one else with as loud of a voice on the national stage willing to speak up against him. The Republicans know how to handle keeping an agenda even when they don’t have the White House — in 1994 Republicans were able to rally behind Newt Gingrich to retake both houses of Congress and pursue their “Contract with America.” Now, eight years later, the Democrats cannot come up with anything to stop the Bush freight train of popular appeal.

Frankly, Democrats need someone to step up and take the lead in the party. They were spoiled throughout the ’90s having a charismatic Bill Clinton full of vision and ready to lead. Now, after the Monicagate scandal, it seems like everyone has given up. If someone doesn’t step up and start speaking out for issues beyond the Middle East it looks like America will have a rough road ahead. Now, where did I put that draft card?

—     Juliano, a sophomore journalism major, is currently looking for cheap flights to Canada. If you hear of any e-mail him at nj287801@ohio.edu