Posted May 12, 2005

     South Boston Online has used this title for certain of our editorials in the past. So, in a sense, here we go again, also.  That remark originated with Ronald Reagan, who used it against Jimmy Carter and his platform wonks during the 1980 Presidential campaign.

     In this editorial, we have a few comments to make to the Democratic Party, both at the state and the nationals levels.  These comments will echo some things we said about the Democratic Party in the past, long before their defeat in 2004.  They were triggered by recent news items, particularly the Herald editorial on last Monday, May 9, “Listen to lunchpail (sic) Dems”.

     The Herald editorial restated something we had maintained well before the 2004 elections:  the Democratic Party is steadily losing membership because the Democratic leadership continues to pander to “one-issue” constituents – all of them.  In doing so, the Party has appeared to forget its prime majority constituency – working men and women.

     It’s not that Online objects to any specific issue.  It’s a free country, after all.  In the Herald editorial, it was gay marriage, which we take no position on.  In the recent past, another Democratic “one-issue” plank had to do with drivers’ licenses and tuition breaks for illegal immigrants.  Since everyone in the Online office comes from first-, second-, or third-generation immigrant stock, we can hardly be anti-immigrant, but we certainly knew (along with everyone else) that this was a highly unpopular issue.

     Yet, the Democratic Party (for reasons known only to its liberal, leftish leaders) continued to push for legislation on this issue.  And they did that, knowing their legislation would never, ever pass.  Go figure.

     The Democratic Party is being led by around a half-dozen individuals with “agendas”.  Supporting unpopular causes is courageous, even commendable, but the Party is losing membership over them.  As a result, the Party is rapidly becoming what European voters call the “loyal opposition”.  This is a polite term for political parties that talk loudly, but never hold any real elective power.

     Multi-party politics is typical in much of the rest of the world.  There’s room for many issues.  Here in America, there are only two parties, so the arithmetic is much simpler and harsher:  If you lose a major constituency, then you won’t be elected.  To anything.  Ever.  That’s what has been happening to the Democratic Party.

     And we’ll repeat that the major Democratic constituency is working men and women.  Where are they nowadays?

     By the way, we feel the same way about far-right Republicans and the damage they are doing to their own Party.  So why are we editorializing about the Democratic Party?  That’s easily answered – many of our readers are Democrats, and we feel obliged to share our opinions concerning Democratic leadership with them.  If you are a registered Democrat and you agree with our opinions, then we suggest you tell your elected officials how far their Party has strayed from effective elective politics.

     Also by the way, how do you feel about being called a “lunch pail”?