The Need for a New Voice
The Democratic Party has ceded the issue of our nation’s security to the Republicans, who have successfully used it to undermine Democratic candidates and officeholders.
Believe me, the Democrats don't need the Republicans to undermine, they do an adequate job all by themselves.
It was not always this way. Throughout much of the last century Democrats were the party of strong defense and muscular internationalism, while Republicans were the party of isolationism. Democrats guided America through two world wars and were the architects of our policy of containment against the Soviet Union. From Franklin Roosevelt’s insistence on the unconditional surrender of Nazi Germany and imperial Japan in World War II, through Harry Truman’s refusal to acquiesce in the North Korean invasion of the south or the Soviet attempt to starve the western powers out of Berlin, to John F. Kennedy’s steely-eyed showdown with Nikita Khrushchev during the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Democratic Party met the great challenges of fascism and communism. The American people agree with us on so much, but they believe that we are weak and indecisive when it comes to defending our nation.
A belief well-grounded in fact, I may add.
No matter how compelling our positions on the economy, health care, Social Security, the environment, and privacy, if voters continue to see us as feckless they will not listen to our message next year and will reelect George W. Bush. As we prepare to mount our challenge in 2004, Democrats need to return to the principles of Roosevelt, Truman, Kennedy, and — yes — Bill Clinton,
O.K. you had me nodding my head until this unwarranted insertion.
bold leaders who understood that only by confronting threats abroad, could our party achieve its other great mission of expanding equality, opportunity, and progress here at home. In order to close the "security gap" Democrats need a new approach to national security that will both address the national security challenges facing the United States in the 21st century and help to rebuild the confidence of the American people in our party's ability to keep us safe. |