This week establishes beyond doubt that the McGovernite wing of the Democrat party is
in charge. The traditional Democrat core of limousine liberals, government-dependent poor, grievance groups, ardent
secularists and the cultural elite have been supplanted in influence by the Internet Activists. Catholics, evangelicals,
Southerners, the white working class and lower middle class are no longer welcome. When the McGovernite crowd last
ran the party in 1972, they produced four defeats in five presidential tries, the only exception being Bill Clinton
who dragged the party back towards the middle.
The history of the radical left is not a proud one. Primarily, that is because the radical left is willing to align
itself with totalitarian movements such as International Answer. Party regulars, current officeholders and blue-collar
Democrats are shoved aside in the radical formula. These are not the views of an opponent but of a colleague. Peter
Beinart of the New Republic has voiced his concern in writing and speeches for several years. He fears for his
party when it becomes soft on totalitarianism. The remains of the soft-on-communism Henry Wallace crowd from World
War Two are still scattered about, ready to be tripped over. Their heirs still have cabals within the bureaucracy
since they have been hiring each other for decades.
All of this background is helpful in understanding the intensity of the coming battle over the nomination to the
Supreme Court of Samuel Alito, Jr. The radical Democrats are using the Alito vote to attempt to weaken the Bush
administration and bring on at least a regime paralysis and at most a change in administrations. Their goal is
to have Bush impeached.
The radical Islamists attack weakness and run from strength. To respond to 9/11, America had to consistently provide
convincing evidence to the world and especially the radical Muslim world, that America (1) has the stomach to go
to war; (2) is willing to commit to decisive victory and (3) will stay the course. The current Democrat and radical
left attacks are designed to create doubt and uncertainty about the American presidency and undermine his solution
to 9/11.
Any President of any party faces the daunting task of keeping the presidency strong and decisive as time wears
on. Foreign perceptions of the presidency matter. Does anyone doubt that the actions of Iran indicate that they
believe they don't have much to fear from the United States? Does anyone doubt there is a price to pay in the future?
At the moment, President Bush cannot even begin to think about neutralizing the left or holding the political center.
Nothing is possible if the right deserts him. The Miers fiasco must be overcome first. Made when the Fitzgerald
grand jury was still out, the damage done by the decision to bring forward a candidate acceptable to the Democrats
will not be fully overcome until Judge Alito is installed in office. As time passes, the limited grand jury indictments
will become about as important as Michael Jordan's baseball career. The left had hoped for so much more.
For the radical left to succeed, they must extend this cycle of disenchantment. According to analyst George Friedman,
the world is sensing weakness. The objective power of the United States is less of a threat to them when the leadership
is perceived of as being paralyzed from failure. Who benefits from a cycle of paralysis? Iran and its ally Russia.
China. The totalitarian forces in Iraq and the Middle East. The domestic establishment left seeking to preserve
the status quo until they return to office.
Presidents have power when they are perceived to have power, says Friedman. George Bush is in danger of being perceived
as in command of the White House but not of the nation. He has not lost his presidency yet but he is close to it.
To recover, Bush and the Republicans need a decisive domestic victory.
Therefore, the intensity of the Alito opposition goes beyond selecting a judge. In fact, Alito is superbly qualified
and has twice in the past been unanimously confirmed by Democrat-controlled Senates. The irrational exuberance
is created by the notion that George Bush is sufficiently weak to attack without having to pay a price.
The storm of the next two months goes far beyond a single judge, even a lifetime appointment. David Horowitz notes
that the intensity comes from a Democrat party trying to gain power when that they have defected from a war that
they themselves authorized.
But then, they have done it before. Ask those who allied with America in Vietnam.
11/04/05
