New at Reason

Julian Sanchez | April 28, 2005

What's worse than Republicans trying to play hep for the kids? Dems fronting like they're filled with the holy spirit. Jesse Walker discovers the "inverted Poochie effect."

Comments

|4.28.05 @ 12:23PM|#

If the Democrats could find a candidate who wasn't a charisma vacuum, they could have won the last two presidential elections. Look at how close they came with Gore, and Kerry.

|4.28.05 @ 12:36PM|#

David-

Whatever else might be said about the last 2 elections, you make a damn good point. When those 2 guys get 49% or so (depending on which recount you believe), how hard would it be for somebody with even 5% of Clinton's charm to crack 51%?

|4.28.05 @ 12:41PM|#

Same old song, different instruments.

First we had "soccer moms", then it became "security moms." What's next, "blue nose moms?"

Lousy legislation is sure to follow the pandering. The Patriot Act assuages the fears of the "security moms." The pols will need something to show the "blue noses" that they're doing something.

Maybe time to invest in stake and match manufacturers.

R C Dean|4.28.05 @ 12:43PM|#

how hard would it be for somebody with even 5% of Clinton's charm to crack 51%?

Pretty effing hard, would be my guess, since even Bill never managed it himself.

|4.28.05 @ 12:43PM|#

Clinton, policy issues aside, at least seemed like he'd be an interesting dinner guest. Whether on not it should, that stuff counts for something in elections.

|4.28.05 @ 1:06PM|#

R C Dean-

Good point. My bad.

|4.28.05 @ 1:36PM|#

Jesse - hopefully you aren't still bitter about those mistakes...they were very minor! :)

I loved hearing my friends convincing themselves that they liked Kerry just because they wanted to see Bush out so bad.

Matt Ginivan|4.28.05 @ 1:40PM|#

Rise of the Religious Left at Princeton. While it is certainly vomit-inducing to hear Hilary suddenly announce that she's "always been a praying person," Cornell West argues quite convincingly that the liberal left has an obligation to appeal to religion. And while I disagree with Professor West on political issues, I don't believe he does anything just for the sake of political expediency.

|4.28.05 @ 2:07PM|#

I agree, Matt. Christ himself was the ultimate liberal.

|4.28.05 @ 2:10PM|#

The Dems have found God and the Repubs have found Government.

And people ask me why I don't vote.

I will now retire to my culture-war fallout shelter stocked with booze, bud, porn and South Park DVDs.

Somebody please knock when the great awakening is over.

|4.28.05 @ 3:30PM|#

thoreau, not your bad. You've been folding like a metal chair all day.

Clinton didn't crack 51% BECAUSE THERE WERE STRONG THIRD PARTY CHALLENGERS IN BOTH OF HIS ELECTIONS.

|4.28.05 @ 3:32PM|#

'While it is certainly vomit-inducing to hear Hilary suddenly announce that she's "always been a praying person,"'

When did "suddenly" start to mean "consistently with ones actions for decades?"

|4.28.05 @ 3:56PM|#

Joe beat me to it, but I think it's pretty important to note that getting 49% in a 3-way race is more impressive than getting 49% in a 2-way race.

mmm, 3-way...

|4.28.05 @ 4:23PM|#

I'd go so far as to say that getting 49% in a three way race is more impressive than getting 51% in a two way race.

|4.28.05 @ 4:52PM|#

joe,

I don't think 'suddenly' means that, but the word 'always' sure does imply it!

|4.28.05 @ 5:22PM|#

The Dems have found God and the Repubs have found Government.

Exactly. And in a battle between God and Government God always loses (at least in this world).

I predict even more Big Government from the GOP over the years to come.

Larry A|4.28.05 @ 5:27PM|#

Joe: [When did "suddenly" start to mean "consistently with ones actions for decades?"]

It's called "coming out of the closet." Like Bill announcing that he really did--you know--with that woman back then, but that--you know--isn't really s*e*x.

Or the revelation during the 2K election that W had a youthful DWI that had been expunged.

Both of those announcements seemed fairly "sudden."

Larry A|4.28.05 @ 5:31PM|#

What I keep noticing in the "we have to restate our message" process is complete denial that there might be lots of folks who do understand what the Democrats stand for, and don't like it.

|4.28.05 @ 6:09PM|#

Joe beat me to it, but I think it's pretty important to note that getting 49% in a 3-way race is more impressive than getting 49% in a 2-way race.

That's one way of putting it. A more accurate way is "in the 1992 and 1996 races, both major-party candidates were so unimpressive that a third-party candidate was able to win a large percentage of the popular vote".

It isn't like God came down from Heaven and decreed "in 1992 and 1996 there shalt be 3 candidates; in 2000 and 2004 there shalt be two". Minor-party candidates ran in every year. Clinton didn't receive less than 50% support because Perot did well -- Perot did well because less than 50% of the country wanted Clinton to be President, even fewer wanted Bush to be President, and fewer still wanted Dole. You're confusing the effect with the cause.

|4.28.05 @ 6:14PM|#

What I keep noticing in the "we have to restate our message" process is complete denial that there might be lots of folks who do understand what the Democrats stand for, and don't like it.

Yep. Clinton won the moderate vote not mostly because he was charismatic, but because he was -- after the health care spanking and Hillary hiding -- moderate.

Both Gore and Kerry moved back toward the left, courting old labor and the poor: two voting blocks whose numbers are dwindling as the society becomes less rust-belt and more rich in general.

Clinton showed the Democrats the way. Gore and Kerry failed to follow.

It's somewhat discouraging to see Clinton v2.0beta lean toward the religious crowd. She should be following in Bill's footsteps and going for the near-side moderates rather than the far-side moralizers.

|4.29.05 @ 12:48AM|#

It's bad enough that we have right-wing loons using "God" as an excuse to censor the media and control our sex lives. Is it any better to have left-wing loons use "God" as an excuse to expand the welfare state?

I don't think so. Jesse Jackson is as big an flim-flam man as Pat Robertson.