Bai & the Benator
The New York Times > Magazine > Question for Ben Nelson: A Democrat Apart
I've gotta admit ... this little blurb of a submission is as close to total crap as I could have thought up. Matt Bai is among those writers that I go to as quickly as is humanly possible. Whether I think he's hit a home run or not with his story, he covers a good beat and gets good interviews with his subjects. As one who is genuinely interested in the inside baseball of partisan politics that Bai covers expertly, this little ditty doesn't do him or the Nebraska Senator justice.
We do, of course, get a few things that give me cause for concern for a Senator that I'm otherwise willing to defend among party loyallists:
Would you ever consider becoming a Republican?Somebody said not long ago that people don't always leave the party; the party leaves the people. So, recognizing that you never know what the future's going to hold, what might happen, you never say never. But am I considering it right now? No.
If you run for re-election in 2006, then, you're absolutely committed to running as a Democrat?
I have every intention, if I run again, to run as a Democrat.
If I may be so bold as to offer an elected politician any advice on answering such questions to the media ... THE CORRECT ANSWER TO #1 IS "NO." THE CORRECT ANSWER TO #2 IS "YES." As one who's endured a few pols of previous rooting interest switch teams, Nelson's answers do not exactly sit well with me.
Through all of the light banter that Bai and Nelson exchange, here's the one worthwhile Q&A of the whole lot:
How do you see the current direction of your party? Is it troubling to you?I think the party is challenged with getting ahead of the curve and defining itself, because its opposition has defined it. It's defined as though Democrats want to ban the Bible, burn the flag, promote same-sex marriage, rewrite the Pledge of Allegiance, take away everybody's guns and half a dozen other things that are typically to the left of most Americans. And I think that the new leadership, when it comes on, is going to have to reverse that image of the Democratic Party. That's a major challenge.
To Bai's credit, the question is well to the point of why an interview with Nelson would be worthwhile. To Nelson's detriment, he exposes for one and all that while his take is not incorrect, he's not exactly thinking up ways to be part of the solution.
Good morning. Ben Nelson made a mistake in answering the questions about a potential party switch the way he did. If Nelson truly intends to run as a Democrat, then he should not invite speculation about the possibility of him becoming another Rodney Alexander. Such statements will not help his fundraising among Democrats. I remember how angry I was at Alexander for switching parties. I had given Rodney Alexander quite a bit of money. Ben Nelson's description of the image problems of the Democratic Party, however, seem pretty accurate, unfortunately.
Accurate perhaps, but by repeating the false perceptions without stating what the Democrats really stand for (or at least his own version of what the party stands for) he's reinforcing the image problem.
RachelRachel -- You are right. Anybody who is negatively critiquing the philosophy and/or direction of the Democratic party ought to propose alternatives. I think Ben Nelson has done that in his actions and votes, not that I agree with him on everything. However, he did not do it here.
Moreover, Senator Ben Nelson leaves us a little bit in doubt as to whether he might "pull a Rodney Alexander," as I said above. Alexander went through several phases. He first waffled on his intentions. Next, faced with a backlash from contributors, he pledged loyalty to the Democratic Party. Finally, Alexander jumped parties and became a turncoat. I don't think Nelson is going to do that, but wouldn't want to take any bets.