Beware, liberals, progressives, Democrats and Independents….

I first wrote this blog about two years ago. At the time, Karl Rove and the Republican Party seemed indomitable. Fortunately, Rove and the Republicans have gone into remission. But, much like cancer, we must constantly guard against any recurrence, and if the Rovettes reemerge, quickly bring to bear all the antidotes available to drive the forces of the Right into oblivion. Be warned, Rove continues to lurk behind the lines, a ready reserve to join the battle of 2008.

I believe debate is a wonderful thing. We should all contribute our point / counter-point arguments on issues of importance…Democrats, Republicans, Independents, alike.

Unfortunately, for America “debate” is not the method that is carrying the day.

The Republican Party (Karl Rove as its orchestrator) has learned an important truth. The country is divided into roughly equal parts of left, right and middle.

The Right is able to marshall its forces into one coherent voting block by invoking certain triggers (gay marriage, God, liberal, unpatriotic, raise taxes, cut and run, gun take away, etc.) that consistently bring out the Right-wingers to march in lock-step against the Left throughout the election process. The Right is able to express its deepest thoughts and strongest convictions in two to three word bumper stickers.

Rove’s, and the Republican Party’s approach is calculated to drive voter apathy in the non-believer while it acts as red meat to the Party faithful. It is a perfect strategy for getting a candidate elected. If the Democrats, the center and the left fail to heed the warnings of previous years, the Democratic Party can easily go down to defeat in 2008.

It doesn’t matter to Karl Rove that 66% of the public loathes what the Republican Party stands for…his job is to market the turd that he carries around in his four-color box. His role is to turn out all thirty or thirty-five percent of the people that the lock-step, Republican Party owns. In the process, Rove is happy if he attracts some of the middle or if not attracted that he, at least, infects the center / independents with a sense of apathy that causes them to stay home on election day.

Rove is a genius at what he does.

The Middle (Independents) are rudderless without an obvious or apparent leader and few thought-out, defined positions on most matters…just not fully Left, nor fully Right…an unreliable and uncertain partner in most elections, one without strong, steerable partisan views but one that can help or hurt on specific, well defined (magnet) issues. Centrist and independents reject many of the core messages of the Right and the Left. From Rove’s perspective, he would rather poison these people on the process and not take a chance that he may be able to attract  the support of this undisciplined group. It is too difficult to predict whether the middle will lean to the left, lean to the right, or just remain on the sidelines. If the center is not a guaranteed Republican vote, Rove would rather eliminate the possibility that some or all will vote for the Democratic candidate.

The Left (Democrats) being democratic go for the “big tent” approach. On the surface, everyone is welcome in the Party. Each is welcome to his or her own ideas as long as they fit into the loose framework of democratic and Democratic ideals. Consequently, the Party is a Party of many uniquely different people / ideas.

The Democrats are thinkers.  They love their own policies, philosophies, and views. Democrats believe that their ideas are universal ideas and welcome all to join-in. They believe that they can win everyone over to their (the Democrats) point of view. Consequently, Democrats speak in big ideas, intellectually fashioned programs, analyzed and nuanced actions to make life better for all Americans, the peoples’ of the world.

Much debate transpires within the Democratic ranks…many ideas are exercised.  Some are rejected by the masses; others evolve and are embraced as ideals / goals of the Party at large.

Unfortunately, the ideas, ideals, and goals of the Democratic Party are not often structured into “lock-step” marching orders that lead and direct the Party soldiers throughout a campaign (and in today’s world the entirety of the reign of a President like George W. Bush, from the day he first announced throughout the entire reign, it is all the campaign). Democrats are expected to think for themselves, not just follow mandated from on-high Party dogma. Democrats, to their great disadvantage with today’s electorate, have failed to characterize each of their respective views in one or two word phrases that are code-word triggers for Party members to act in a way-certain.

Consequently, the Democratic Party approaches any election day with a variety of complex ideas for voters to contemplate but no clear-cut instructions on voting. The Democrats have few “code words” that evoke a level of passion that equals millions of radical evangelicals listening-in on thousands of Sunday morning gay-bashing sermons.

Democratic candidates are usually bright, engaging to talk with, and learned in their professions. If elected, most can and will do an intelligent and beneficial job for our people, our society and the world. But the problem is that bright, energetic people don’t get elected.

The perfectly rounded and tapered (if somewhat smelly) candidate, a product of better marketing strategies too often prevails. When you break it down on post-election morning, you can only marvel and exclaim…Ol’ Karl, if nothing else, is one hell of a marketing manager. He is able to package any turd into a viable candidate for any office.

Thoughtful debate!  The Party better field a marketing team with the strength and the mandate to out-Rove, Rove and/or his decendents. Else the 2008 elections will come under the Rovian spell and will be lost to an engaged Right.