Gary Mendoza
November 11, 2003

Last week, the sound of teeth gnashing within the Democratic establishment was deafening.  First came the report that the U.S. economy grew at an annual rate of 7.2% during September 30 quarter, the highest growth rate in 19 years.  A few days later, the Labor Department reported that more than 125,000 new jobs were added in October and the jobs growth numbers for both August and September were increased significantly.  Even worse, most commentators cited President Bush’s tax cuts as a significant factor in the economy’s rebounding strength.  

Since the Democratic presidential candidates have all argued that the President’s economic policies were a “dismal failure”, the growing evidence that these policies are working was very distressing.  The increasing signs of an economic rebound have also made the Democrats’ cornerstone economic proposal, raising taxes, appear even more out of step.

Unless the economy defies the expectations of nearly all economists and turns sour over the next 12 months, the Democratic candidate for president may be compelled to focus on national security issues, terrain that has not been hospitable for Democrats for more than 30 years.

Up to this point, America’s policy in Iraq has dominated debate in the Democratic primary.  It is hard to believe, however, that this debate will leave the Democratic nominee in a strong position to take his national security case to the electorate at large.

In the Democratic primary, contempt for President Bush is the coin of the realm.  By making it clear that he’s the most angry Democrat, if not the most thoughtful, Howard Dean has propelled himself to the head of the pack.  Whether or not he captures the nomination, his ascendancy has increased President Bush’s reelection prospects.  

Gov. Dean’s Dukakis-with-an-attitude persona and policies may set Democratic activists’ hearts aflutter, but there’s little reason to believe they’ll have anything close to the same appeal to the general electorate.  More importantly, his early success has forced his Democratic rivals to adopt positions that will be difficult to defend during the general election.

While Dean and the other Democrats seem to believe the United Nations should decide what’s in America’s national security interests, I doubt most Americans do.  Dean and the other Democrats want America to withdraw from Iraq as quickly as possible (note that nearly all the Democratic candidates opposed the President’s $87 billion proposal to back-up our troops in Iraq and fund Iraqi reconstruction).  Most Americans recognize that we have a tough and dangerous job ahead in Iraq that must be completed successfully.  While all of the Democratic candidates rail against the US Patriot Act, even though many voted for it, many Americans share Senator Diane Feinstein’s view that the scare stories are mostly hype and that America must remain vigilant in our ongoing battle against terror.

While sharp differences with the President’s policies are expected in a high-stakes political campaign, there are signs the Democrats’ desperation is pushing some over the edge.  Within the last week, the Democratic National Committee seemed to celebrate the downing of a Chinook helicopter in Iraq that killed 15 Americans.  After the shootdown, the DNC’s official website included the following—“Morning all.  It occurred to me that all the bump that Bush got late last week from the economic figure went up in flames yesterday with that helicopter”.  Most Americans would rightfully be appalled to think that the Democratic Party’s national leadership, rather than mourning the loss of 15 Americans, is trumpeting the political upside associated with this tragedy.

Again this week, the Democrats’ plan to use the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence as a partisan vehicle to attack the President came to light.  Democratic Sen. Zell Miller and former Democratic Senator Bob Kerrey, among many others, strongly condemned this brazen effort to put electoral politics ahead of America’s security interests.

Politics ain’t beanbag, and both parties can throw a tough punch.  Right now, the Democratic presidential candidates should worry that their efforts to capture the nomination are undermining their ability to appeal to voters who, after September 11, are more concerned about attacks on America and less inclined to revel in attacks against the President that celebrate bad news and undermine America’s security.

Contact Gary Mendoza at: garysmendoza@yahoo.com

Gary Mendoza is one of the most prominent Latino Republicans in the nation.  In 2002, he was the
Republican candidate for California Insurance Commissioner.  Mr. Mendoza previously served as Deputy Mayor of Los Angeles under Mayor Richard Riordan.  He
also served as California Commissioner of Corporations under Governor Pete Wilson.
 
 

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