Disappointed in the democratic party

I am angry with the Democratic Party. This is not an easy thing for me to admit. I am the kind of Democrat who actually liked Al Gore, the type who got misty eyed during Bill Clinton's State of the Union speeches and misses him, flawed as he is, every time George W. Bush opens his mouth. Still, the Democratic party has been making a practice of disappointing its members lately, interpreting the need for national unity as a reason to become children at the Beltway grown ups' table: seen but not heard. In the interests of their own political success and our national discussion, it is time that the Democrats stop being excited just to be sitting at the table and start speaking up. All Americans, regardless of party, deserve that much.

Our political system is based on debate and contention. For as much time as we spend denouncing partisanship, the reality is that political parties play a valuable role in this country. Anyone who has ever sat through an economics lecture can tell you that competition leads to improvement. In the wake of Sept.11th, however, the political marketplace became a monopoly. Suddenly, every policy proposed by the Bush administration was acceptable, without the opposition and revision usually offered by the Democrats. The results have been horrendous. Civil liberties are being eroded, racial profiling instituted, and a war run with strikingly little direction. Meanwhile, Vice President Cheney is skirting his ties to Enron just as President Bush ignores the issues created by his irresponsible tax cuts. With the exception of a few muted complaints, the Democrats seem to be too busy cheering on the Bush administration to comment or care.

The State of the Union was, for me, the straw that broke the camel's back. Listening to George W. Bush denounce the "Axis of Evil," I was less appalled by the President's words — and his never ceasing smirk — than I was by the sight of House Minority Leader Dick Gephardt applauding those words as if he had written them. Gephardt seemed so enthused about the President's speech, one wondered whether he had switched parties and forgotten to tell anyone. After the speech, I kept waiting to hear some Democrat stand up and ask whether calling other nations, particularly those like Iran who have begun to reform, "evil" was really a wise move. I waited for some member of my party to ask whose idea it was to create this alliance among our enemies in the interests of rhetoric. I waited, but nothing came from the left side of the aisle. I should have known. After all, I and many other Americans had been waiting for questions to be asked about Administration policies since shortly after Sept. 11th, wondering when the Democrats would regain their nerve and some of their principles.

Party leaders seem to think that Americans aren't smart or capable enough to stand behind our President and question some of his acts at the same time. I am as patriotic as they come. I believe that war was the just response to the atrocities of this past fall. I feel strongly that security, at home and abroad, must be increased. But my love of my country does not mean that I have become deaf, dumb, and blind, that I am suddenly willing, as a voter, to believe in everything my President supports. There is room for both patriotism and criticism, particularly of the constructive variety, if only the Democrats would offer some.

In a little more than two years, this country will hold a presidential election. If George W. Bush is as popular as he is now, and the Democrats still lack a leader to offer the American people, the party I call home will suffer for its lack of fortitude today. But their political losses will be nothing compared to what we will have lost as a nation. The Republican Party, led by our President, has offered policies and plans since September. Not all of their proposals were perfect, but at least they took action. The Democrats must do the same. Senator Paul Wellstone, an outspoken liberal from Minnesota, has said that the major problem of his party is not a popular president but its unwillingness to, "advocate for what we believe is so important to the lives of people we represent . . ." Wellstone and his colleagues should follow the lead of the American people by stepping up and doing their duty for this nation. It is time for them to speak out and speak for us. Katherine Reilly is from Short Hills, NJ. She can be reached at kcreilly@princeton.edu.