Me at Drezner’s place this morning. Italics are the person I’m responding to, and below it, my response. I’d like to say I’m shocked by his suggestions, here, but I’m really not, as you’ll see.
Don’t be surprised by volitility among the candidates. The number one criteria of a sizable number of Democrats (myself included) is who can win in November. All other considerations are secondary. Who has the best health care plan? Who has the best economic stimulus plan? Who has the best whatever? Who Cares! The important thing is to win.
Astonishing.
This strikes me as remarkably similar to the attitude displayed by Mario Cuomo some years ago, between the November election of Bill Clinton, and the inauguration. Cuomo was quoted as saying at that stage, ‘What I wanted is what (Clinton) has done’. Since he was not in office, yet, one can only assume Cuomo was speaking of Clinton’s winning the election.
But what exactly does that get, if the policies espoused by each candidate, don’t matter? It gets the only thing that matters to a Democrat; power. Power, one logically asks, to do what?
I mean, here we have it in black and white…(OK, two shades of gray) which policies are better for America don’t matter to these people. All they care about is their political party.
Is this what Washington warned us about in his farewell address?
