Alec Wisner

Your analysis is spot on. But I don't believe that the Democrats showed any tactical acuity.

A few weeks ago, I had lunch with a close friend, a former Democratic assemblywoman. Her take was that, because of term limits, most Democratic assemblypeople were more concerned with greasing their transition to their next job far more than taking stands that might erode future financial support. Maybe.

But the fact is that, from the outset, there was never any doubt that the Republicans would not concede an inch - - they couldn't, as you rightly pointed out, at the risk f an overwhelming primary challenge. So where were the Democratic tacticians? While the Republicans were squealing about the evils of taxation, why wasn't the Democratic state party purchasing TV and radio time across the state touting the importance of the social programs that were at stake? Where were the public forums? Where was the public outcry? The issues, it seems, were framed by the Republicans, led by the Governor, on the assumption that taxes were the devil's work.

That is not to say that cuts were not inevitable, but at such time as concessions needed to be made, the Democrats would have been better positioned to portray the Republicans as completely inflexible and hard-hearted.

Part of the problem, I think, is that when the assembly is almost two-thirds Democratic, the few remaining Republicans are esconced in the safest imaginable districts, vulnerable only on their right flank. Many Democrats, on the other hand, sit in districts with a substantial number of Republican voters. Hence, the differential in how extreme a position each party is willing to take.

In the future, the Democrats will need to learn from their errors. They need to be unafraid to stand up for their philosophy and paint it in positive terms. They do not want infected people running around in public because they are not permitted medical care due to their legal status; they do not want armed criminals being released from our prisons due to overcrowding; and they do not want deny segments of our population access to education, leaving ignorant children on the streets with time on their hands and no future. The Democrats need to point out that all of this can be solved, but the choice is whether to continue lashing out at scapegoats or funding constructive solutions.

Having done this, having laid down the gauntlet, it will be easy for the Democrats from majority Republican districts to eventually lead the movement to compromise and leave the Republicans looking miserly and reactionary at the same time.

One can only hope.

Posted: August 9th, 2009 | Report This Comment