The Offspring Survive By Eating Their Host

Matthew Yglesias has ref’ed a story in The New York Times about why the Democrats lost the recent election. They lost because it did its job in the previous century -- see Democrats: Mission Accomplished, You Loose. And if the curse of the second term holds true, an event for which Bush seems to be setting his administration up, the democrats may be able to move into the White House in 2008.

Of course that is a long time and a lot will happen before the election comes around. Liberalism is on the outs right now; care for the externalities of the environment has lost its cool; and cause for the disenfranchised has lost support when applied to gays. At this time in the previous century, did the struggle for a decent wage and working conditions cause the same animosity as the fight for the rights of a gay person or a woman to her own body? Riots and killings occurred then, and those in power feared the loss of position and wealth should the masses rise and take power. But the country was not brought down, the economy weathered the Great Depression and everyone benefited from a society of decent wages and working conditions. What was liberalism 100 years ago is now the status quo.

When the forces in power ignore and exploit enough people, the Democrats main regain the votes needed to win. In the up coming mid-term election, the cause for Baby Boomers’ retirement could be a winning issue. Looking at history, Democrats have never held power for long. The exception being the period of FDR’s presidency, which included the recovery from the Great Depression and the run up to World War II. My advise to Democrats is look around for a fair-haired, populist governor for any non-New England state. It may not be right, it may not be fair, but as the Bushies have reminded us, it easier to exercise you agenda from with in the administration.