January 25, 2004

Bush Speech Opens Re-Election Drive, Dean Implodes

The presidential election campaign is hard upon us and will not let up until Nov. 2. Buckle your seatbelt.

Voters don’t concentrate on issues and candidates until Labor Day. Nonetheless, political junkies are working up a full head of steam. The Iowa Democrat caucuses and President Bush’s state-of-the-union preliminaries have been duly digested.

W’s speech was pro forma campaign rhetoric -- as required of a president seeking reelection.

He avers that his first-term bold initiatives are bearing fruit. All economic indicators are up sharply. Government social services have been expanded. The War Against Terrorism is a spectacular achievement. A second term is needed to complete the peace and prosperity programs well started.

The State of the Union address was a tedious 62 minutes – 20 minutes longer than planned because of  jumping-Jack ovations by Republicans.

One cannot accuse Democrats of prolonging agony. They were glued to their seats. On cue from TV cameramen, Sen. Kennedy signaled his displeasures by scowls and head shaking. Sen. Clinton obliged with smirks.

The president’s speech was notable in that he  didn’t mention abortion. That issue became moot with congressional action prohibiting partial-birth infant murder.

Most startling was his strong stand against homosexual marriages. He applauded the Defense of Marriage Act -- signed in 1996 by President Clinton -- which "protects marriage under federal law as the union of a man and a woman."  

Bush wowed conservatives with his follow up: "Activist judges, however, have begun redefining marriage by court order without regard for the will of the people and their elected representatives.  

"If judges insist on forcing their arbitrary will upon the people, the only alternative left to the people would be the constitutional process. Our nation must defend the sanctity of marriage," he declared.

A Constitutional Amendment is radical surgery. e.

Last week was dismal for old-line liberals. Not only did Bush pre-empt their favorite issues, their leading general – Rep. Richard Gephardt – threw in the towel.

After finishing fourth in the Iowa caucuses he once dominated, he tearfully declared he was withdrawing from politics.

This is a loss to the political process. He is a bona fide liberal, but as a moderate he was able to work with both sides of the aisle and get things done. He led Democrats in the House for 30 years – often as Speaker.

Though I am accused of being  – gasp! –  a conservative, regular patrons of this space will remember that last August I publicly confessed to "respecting" the Missouri representative.

Readers also may recall my Nov. 2002 piece headlined: "The day that Democrat liberalism died." After losing four seats in the House, Gephardt resigned at that time as Minority Leader.

I wrote then that liberalism would be around awhile longer, but its life force was ebbing. Now it must be acknowledged that Roosevelt-ian style "tax and tax, spend and spend, elect and elect" is moribund and should be given a decent burial.

The implosion of presidential wannabe Howard Dean in the Iowa caucuses is a de-facto requiem for old-style liberalism.

Pillars for liberalism the last 75 years were labor unions representing manual workers – such as those for automobile factories and coal mines.

Technology and global-ism has shifted U.S. union majority to government employees, teachers and other service-sector workers. These, however, are not liberal militants capable of shutting down the country.

Dean, former governor of Vermont, at one time was front-runner in Democrat polls as the liberals’ liberal. Now he is struggling to keep up with pretend-liberals Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina.

Dean gets his mouth going before his brain is in gear. He would be a push over for Bush. So much for Internet nutcases. Dean made a mistake in wheedling endorsements from liberal has-beens.

Kerry would be more competitive. But he is vulnerable, considering his shifting stances on the war and economy. Wanting to be president is no substitute for qualification.

Edwards, a young and handsome candidate in the John F. Kennedy mold, might pull more votes from Bush’s solid South than any other Dem candidate.

However, the South knows Bush. He is their friend. And Edwards is no Bush.

 PARTING SHOTS

Howard Dean has a new campaign slogan only web surfers understand:

 "Arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrragh?"

 * * *

Carol Mosley Braun has dropped out of the Dem race – enabling Dennis Kucinich to move up to last place.

Lindsey Williams is a Sun columnist who can be reached at linwms@lindseywilliams.org