There has already been a glut of post-election analysis, and I add to the excess only because there is an elephant in the corner that nobody is talking about.
There is a disconnect between the sentiments expressed in John Kerry's concession speech and the feelings expressed by Kerry supporters over the past week. Kerry hit all the right notes in calling for national unity and cooperation. The average Kerry supporter, on the other hand, seems to feel that unity is a mirage — that the other side is so extremist, depraved or just plain dumb that there is really very little hope of "coming together" as one nation. The flurry of interest in moving to Canada is mostly jocular, but there is a kernel of reality to every joke. Many Democrats freely and bitterly admit that they just don't feel "at home" any more in the United States.
During the Democratic Convention, Senator-elect Barack Obama warned his party of the pitfalls of "slicing and dicing" the nation into red and blue states. A week after the election, it is clear that many of the rank-and-file have ignored his advice. The cynical conviction that there are and always will be two Americas — a red and a blue — is an absolute obsession of a vocal faction of the Democratic Party. Defeated Democrats look at the wall of red in the middle of the country and say to themselves: These people are just not my people; they embarrass me, they disappoint me, they are incomprehensible to me.
Caricaturing and stereotyping Bush voters is ultimately counterproductive. Before long, Democratic party activists must realize that feeling alienated from one's countrymen does not achieve one iota of good for the poor, the elderly, the sick or the environment. In its haste to write off half the nation, the Democratic base has also written off the next four years.
Think I'm too hard on the Dems? Try this brief thought experiment. If you are a disappointed Kerry supporter, answer the following question: What is your fondest hope for the second Bush administration?
If you are like most folks I've spoken to, you might say: "I hope that people in those red states finally come to their senses."
Now, how do you expect that will happen?
"Well, I guess things will get bad enough that people just won't be able to take it anymore."
Huh? Your fondest hope is that things will actually get worse for your country?
If this conversation sounds remotely familiar, it should be perfectly obvious why we Democrats are in trouble. We come across as the sort of people who can't wait to say I told you so.
But would it really be so outrageous for a Democrat to hope that life might get better for Americans over the next four years?
Most Democrats I know dismiss the idea out of hand. They assure me that nothing positive can happen until Washington has been purged of Republicans. In the meantime, it would be unthinkable for Democrats, as the minority party, to actually achieve any sort of progressive reform.
The costs of this sort of defeatism are perfectly clear. Every time a Kerry supporter rants publicly about how the next four years are going to be absolute hell, the party loses credibility. Alarmism may work for ideologues, but it will not impress independents.
But isn't it the job of the opposition party to alert the country to the danger of the ruling party's policies? Fair enough. But it's also the job of the opposition party to do its part to govern effectively. As far as most voters are concerned, Democrats do still participate in the federal government. The minority party may not just throw up its hands and disclaim responsibility for what happens over the next four years. Democrats may not stand aloof in righteous self-pity and say to the "red" part of the country, "Now look at what you've done." At least, they can't do that and expect to win.
Instead, Democrats must articulate positive goals and strive to achieve them. Introduce progressive bills and fight for the votes of moderate Republicans. Prove to the country that the party is working harder to pass productive legislation than to win seats in 2006. Right now, the Democratic party's message is passive aggressive: "Until you give us more power, there is absolutely nothing we can do to help you." What a puerile thing to say! The Democratic party needs to stop threatening the nation and start working for it. Jeremy Golubcow-Teglasi is a religion major from Potomac, Md. He can be reached at golubcow@princeton.edu.
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