Dems on Dems

There are a couple of well-considered blog posts from some presumably Democratic bloggers about the Democrats seeking their support for the presidency on this lazy and beautiful Saturday afternoon. First up is Jerid at Buckeye State Blog on the big Hillary Clinton dinner going on right now in Columbus:

The Dispatch had a writeup this morning on the Dinner. Looks as if they’re claiming 3,200 tickets have been sold, but the number I’ve heard is a little higher. Interestingly, the article brings up the ‘94 Burch campaign and juxtaposes the position the party is in now compared to that of 12 years ago when the ODP nearly lost major party status. A theme we’ll hear for quite some time is how folks have hope and trust in the party again. Unlike the feeling imparted over 12 years ago following the Burch campaign, Ohio Dems feel strong, like we should be taken seriously now. I agree - but with a caveat.

We didn’t win in ‘06 because of the Ohio political environment. We won because of the Ohio atmosphere, the national scene, the war, our candidates, our hard work, and because folks had legitimately been turned off from Republican philosophy and their lack of ideas to move our country forward. Some of those factors will be present in ‘08, some won’t. The “take home” is that we’re not entitled to anything right now.

It wouldn’t be the first time that a sense of entitlement has thrown a party a defeat. Indeed, that’s one of the main causes of the Republican’s defeat in ‘06- that and Iraq. I pointed to a Quinnipiac University poll a few weeks ago which showed that despite self-identified Dems outnumbering Reps in Ohio, Republican presidential candidates are favored over Democrats in Ohio. So certainly the Democrats, if they’re smart, should rely on nothing like momentum. The early goings on among state Dems, with controversies small and large swirling around AG Marc Dann and Frankie Coleman, might quickly kill any momentum that might exist anyway. The general public who don’t pay as much attention to politics as Right Angle Blog or Buckeye State Blog do all too easily come to the conclusion that they’re all the same anyway. I guess that’s saying something about the wisdom of crowds.

Lisa Renee at Glass City Jungle participated in an alleged conference call with John Edwards. I say “alleged” because the conferring was all one-way, which hardly seems like a conference at all:

First disappointment appears that I’m not actually going to be able to say anything, but just listen. I’ve been listening to some pretty icky canned music for the past five minutes waiting for the phone conference to begin.

I have severe doubts about the purpose of these blogger conference calls. I suspect that they exist primarily to massage bloggers’ egos in the hope that it will cause the bloggers to generate positive buzz about the candidate because “he gets it”- the importance of bloggers, that is. Lisa Renee didn’t fall for it, which I can only hope someone will say about me in the unlikely event I am invited to one of these public relations events.

…the best way to support our troops is to end this war, we aren’t waiting for the election.

He said this is far more important than politics that americans have their life on the line every day in Iraq.

That was basically it…

Honestly? I’m very disappointed. I realize the stop the war issue may be the primary issue for people out there but I’m worried about the lives of the rest of us here, right now today, in the United States of America. I realize the cost of the war to our country from a loss of lives and a financial one but the reality is Congress doesn’t have the votes to stop the funding, and I want to know what next? What would happen tomorrow if the President decided to “fold” under the pressure of all of those demanding the troops be pulled out of Iraq. What plans are there? Sure it’s a very noble idea to promote the message that the best way to support the troops is to bring them home now but what happens when they get home? As nice as it sounds, bringing the troops home is not a magic wand fix for our nation or even for Iraq.

I’m glad at least one person on the left is asking this question, which coincidentally I asked a few days ago. What then? Do we leave the majority Shi’a to cleanse the country of Sunnis? And what of the Kurds? Does the US simply abandon them because it becomes politically expedient for us to do so? In my opinion, that would be a shameful black mark on our country. When the US pulled out of Vietnam, it might have been a relief for us, but it began a period of slaughter in Vietnam that few want to recall today. It’s one of the few comparisons between Vietnam and Iraq that no one on the left wants to make.

So anyway, good reviews from me. Let’s all keep it up, on both sides.