Happy April Fools

The Case for National Security Democrats

Believing that the Democratic Party must reembrace the Liberal, pro-democratic internationalism and pro-defense philosophy of its golden era (Wilson, FDR, Harry Truman, JFK, and LBJ), I would like to provide URLs for some articles by National Security Democrats:

http://hnn.us/articles/9569.html (Why its Time for Truman Democrats by Rachel Bolton and Matthew Spence)

http://www.fpleadership.org/exec/content/111-169-190-index.htm (Can Dr. Dean Cure Dems' Worst Illness? by Gordon M. Goldstein and Jonathon D. Tepperman)

http://www.opinionjournal.com/editorial/feature.html?id=110003520 (What Would Scoop Do? by Donna Brazille and Timothy Bergreen)

http://www.ndol.org/ndol_ci.cfm?kaid=450004&subid=900020&contentid=253152 (Our National Security Challenge: An Open Letter to Democrats by Sen. Evan Bayh, Rep. Jim Cooper, Rep. Arthur Davis, Rep. Adam B. Schiff, Rep. Ellen Tauscher, Bob Kerrey, Will Marshall, James P. Rubin and ten other Democratic luminaries)

http://www.prospect.org/web/page.ww?section=root&name=ViewPrint&articleId=9214 ( Disconnected by Matthew Yglesias)

I do not agree with absolutely everything in the first article on the list, "Why Its Time for Truman Democrats," but I agree with almost all of it. I would like to provide some excerpts:

Democratic Predicament: "On the morning of November 2, 2004, Americans gazed upon a dangerous world. Iran and North Korea, implacable enemies and terrorist financiers, were on the cusp of becoming nuclear powers -- if they were not already. The 9/11 Commission had declared our intelligence system broken. Civilians were being kidnapped in Afghanistan, Americans vacationing in friendly countries were stunned by the vehemence of anti-Americanism, and staunch allies were forced by domestic opinion to pull their troops from serving alongside our own in Iraq. A four-year record of such foreign policy should have been a gift to Democrats. Instead, the election turned on two issues: national security and values -- and Democrats lost."

"The fact that the incumbent president could win with such a record speaks to the dire situation Democrats face in national security. The problem is not new: since the late 1960s, polls show increasing American distrust for Democrats on security issues. But it is now urgent. Democrats owe it to the American people to provide a serious alternative to Republican policies that are making us less safe."

The Strategy: "The first step in our vision is to accept the crucial role that American hard security plays in creating a world where people can thrive and opportunity can grow in safety. In countries worldwide, our armed forces provide the deterrent that creates peace and enables people to thrive without fear of war. Intelligence is essential to meeting the terrorist threat with the most minimal bloodshed to ourselves and to those living in states where terrorists hide. Strong military and intelligence services also provide teeth to our diplomacy; it is this threat of force that gives our diplomats strength when we stand up to governments that abuse the human rights of their people. We cannot use our military frivolously. But we must understand that weakness invites aggression. ..."

"Second, we need to expand democracy, and the economic conditions that enable liberty to flourish. Democratization is not an American imperial venture. It is the essential counterpart to promoting human rights. ... Not only is liberty a moral good. It is now essential for international security. Authoritarianism breeds the anger and hopelessness that radical leaders can exploit for terrorist recruitment. American support for these regimes turns this anger against us. People do not easily forgive a country that has handed their government the stick with which they are beaten."

"Democratization through force -- the neoconservative way -- does not work, and is not morally justifiable. Stable, liberal democracies do not emerge from the barrel of a gun, nor do they emerge from pushing overnight revolution. They grow from what de Tocqueville termed 'habits of the heart': ways of thinking, behaving, and contributing to the public sphere. As Vaclev Havel and the other playwrights and poets who pushed down the Berlin Wall can tell us, liberty grows when people within a country become citizens, when they choose to take responsibility for their own societies. America has a duty to help these individuals free themselves."

"Third, we must reinvigorate strong, standing security alliances. When Truman formed NATO, he did so in the belief that 'no one nation can find protection in a selfish search for safe haven from the storm.' In a world where terrorists can hide in any country, where the arms trade is worldwide, and where illicit financial transactions are global, our security lies in convincing the world that we share a common threat. We cannot build a fortress around America; there will always be chinks in our armor. Instead, we must build a worldwide net with our allies that will capture terrorists and smuggled weapons wherever they are."

"Fourth, achieving our foreign policy aims requires us to pay heed to the opinion of the world, to act with legitimacy. When we disdain the norms of the rest of the developed world, we create a dangerous situation in which other nations wish us ill. While they cannot balance against our military, they can fail to cooperate in our alliances, undermining our efforts to present a strong, united front against terrorism. We already see such dangerous balancing behavior in dealing with Iran, North Korea, and Israel. We cannot force other countries to assist in our security unless we are willing to honor the rules we wish them to follow."

"Fifth, we must reduce protectionism at home, while being more generous and strategic with development aid abroad. Free trade and development aid are two sides of the same coin, tools of national security that fight state weakness, poverty, corruption, and social breakdown -- problems that terrorists exploit to strengthen their support. Promoting free trade is also a means for breaking authoritarian regimes' control over their economies and societies. ..."

The only portion of this article with which I disagree, to a degree, is this last point. I believe in free, but fair trade. I believe that we should increase our foreign aid to struggling democracies. I draw the line at countries like Red China, which is anything but a democracy and which engages in large-scale trade cheating, currency manipulation, and wholesale dumping of products on the U.S. market at the expense of entire U.S. industries. I do believe that we should seek to integrate Red China into the modern capitalist, market-oriented global economy in order to foster the creation of a pro-democratic middle class there and dull Red China's hegemonic and imperialist designs. However, I do not see that this is what is happening. Red China is becoming a major U.S. creditor and will have growing financial leverage over us, it is not playing by the rules of a market economy, it is threatening democracy in Taiwan, and posing a growing geopolitical threat to the US and its allies.

Political Items of Interest (Part I)

-- Maine: Democratic Maine Governor John E. Baldacci signed legislation protecting gays and lesbians from discrimination.

-- New Hampshire: In New Hampshire, three-term Democratic State Senator Peter Sullivan has filed papers to run against Republican Congressman Jeb Bradley in New Hampshire's 1st Congressional District.

-- Vermont: Vermont Republicans considering a challenge against independent Senator Jim Jeffords reportedly include Lieutenant Governor Brian Dubie, former State House Speaker Walter Freed, and a retired Air Force officer by the name of Greg Parke. Parke went down to defeat in his 2004 attempt to unseat Socialist Congressman Bernie Sanders, who caucuses with the Democrats in the US House. Democrats likely will put up no challenger against Jeffords, inasmuch as he already caucuses with them in the US Senate.

-- Massachusetts: The Massachusetts House approved a bill on Thursday that would give scientists greater freedom to conduct stem cell research. The State Senate already passed the bill. The House passed the bill by such an overwhelming margin as to override any veto by Republican Governor Mitt Romney.

-- Connecticut: In Connecticut's 2nd Congressional District, Joe Courtney is contemplating a rematch against Republican Congressman Rob Simmons. Courtney lost to Simmons in 2002. In 2004, Simmons defeated Democrat Jim Sullivan 54% to 46%. Courtney lost by exactly the same margin in 2002.

-- Rhode Island: In Rhode Island, now that Democratic Congressman Jim Langevin and Patrick Kennedy have declared that they will not run against embattled moderate Republican Senator Lincoln Chafee, the lone official challenger had been Democratic Secretary of State Matt Brown, who has held office for only two years. Nevertheless, former state Attorney General Sheldon Whitehouse apparently has now decided to enter the Senatorial race. Langevin had urged Whitehouse to get in the race when he dropped out.

--New Jersey: In New Jersey, Englewood Mayor Michael Wildes, a Democrat, is said to be considering a bid for Congress in New Jersey's 9th District should Democratic Congressman Steven Rothman decide to run for Corzine's US Senate seat.

-- New York: Democratic Senator Hillary Clinton hints that she will likely be the subject of a right wing Republican smear campaign if she should decide to run for President in 2008. Clinton says that she would face something similar to the "swift boat attacks" on Kerry, although this time focusing on scandals and (so-called scandals) from the Clinton years. This warning came in an E-MAIL to supporters, which did not focus on 2008, but rather on Clinton's reelection race. The Clinton Senatorial campaign says that Hillary is the Republicans' No. 1 enemy and that they will target her to mobilize the Republican right wing base and raise money.

-- Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani has become partner in a high-powered Texas law firm, which is opening an office in New York City. This firm, Bracewell and Patterson, employs a number of prominent Republicans and former Bush Administration officials. Bracewell and Patterson, which will be renamed Bracewell and Giuliani, numbers among its clients many oil, gas and banking firms. It once did work for ENRON.

--Also in New York, on Thursday, the New York state legislature passed the state budget on time for the first time in 21 years.

-- Pennsylvania: In Pennsylvania, Democrats are blasting Republican Senator Rick Santorum for having voted against restoration of $1 billion in funding for Amtrak Santorum, of course, will be facing Democrat Bob Casey in next year's Pennsylvania's Senatorial contest. Meanwhile, new DNC chairman Howard Dean lambasted Santorum this week as a "liar and right winger, who actually lives in Virgiania," as opposed to Pennsylvania.

-- Ohio: In Ohio, a number of Republicans are preparing to run in the special election to replace Republican Congressman Rob Portman in Ohio's 2nd District. President Bush named Rob Portman new US trade representative. Possible Republican candidates include Senator Dewine's son, Pat who is a former Cincinnati City Councilman; former Congressman Bob McEwen; Hamilton County Treasurer Rob Goering; and State Representatives Jean Schmidt and Tom Raga. The only Democrat rumored to be considering a try at the seat in this heavily Republican district is State Representative Todd Book.

-- Also in Ohio, Columbus Mayor Michael Coleman is the leading candidate for the 2006 Ohio gubernatorial race. Coleman, a New Democrat, could well face very controversial Republican Secretary of State Kenneth Blackwell.

-- Furthermore, Ohio celebrity Jerry Springer's radio show will be going national today on Air America Radio. (Note: Being from Ohio and being a Democrat, I hardly regard this as good news for the Ohio Democratic Party.)

-- Indiana: Republican Congressman Mike Pence is emerging as a leader among Republican fiscal hawks. Pence, chairman of the Republican Study Committee (RSC) in the House, has begun referring to the 100-member RSC as "a majority within the majority," leading some Republican members to believe that Pence may be plotting a bid for a leadership position. Pence has begun a PAC and plans to use it to funnel money to like-minded Republican candidates in 2006. The possible benefit to the Democrats is that this may increase infighting within Republican ranks in the US House.

-- Illinois: Governor Rod R. Blagojeveich is proposing tougher high school graduation requirements and is saying that he will seek to double the number of slot machines and gambling tables on the state's nine riverboat casinos. Blagojeveich says he needs another $300 million for Illinois schools.

Political Items of Interest (Part II)

-- Iowa: Republican Congressman Jim Leach and Republican Senator Charles Grassley made the Washington Post on Thursday by expressing skepticism about Bush's Social Security plan. Grassley chairs the Senate committee that is responsible for Social Security. Leach has refused to endorse private accounts. Leach quoted Grassely as saying that Bush's plan is in trouble.

-- North Dakota: Democratic Senator Byron Dorgan is said to be receiving a lot of attention from Republican colleagues, who have entered into talks with him about prospective drug reimportation legislation. Republican Senators Vitter and Thune are seeking Dorgan's support for their legislation, which is identical to a bill that Republican Congressman Gutknecht submitted in the House. Other co-sponsors of the Vitter legislation include Mary Landrieu, Jim DeMint, and Ken Salazar.

-- Montana: Republican Montana Senator Conrad Burns has gone on the offensive to counter charges that he acted improperly in his dealings with former Republican lobbyist Jack Abramoff, who himself has become enmeshed in scandals.

-- Missouri: John C. Danforth published an op-ed this week in the NY Times urging Republicans to remember that the Republican Party is more than the Religious right.

-- West Virginia: Freshman Democratic Illinois Senator Barak Obama helped raise over $630,000 for Robert Byrd's reelection bid.

-- Maryland: In Maryland, the race to succeed retiring Democratic Senator Paul Sarbanes remains up in the air with several Democratic candidates considering a bid. The best known of these Democrats is former Baltimore Congressman and former NAACP President Kwasei Mfume. Other Democrats mulling things over include Congressmen Chris Van Hollen, Elijah Cummings, Dutch Ruppersberger, and Benjamin Cardin. The leading Republican prospect is Lt. Governor Michael Steele, who may be hurt by scandals currently swirling about conservative Republican Governor Bob Erlich. In a Roll Call column, Donna Brazile seems to be calling on the DNC and DSCC to clear the field for Mfume, because she believes the fate of his candidacy will be a powerful symbol to the Black community and Black officer holders as to how the Democratic Party will treat qualified Black candidates in the future. Brazile neglects to mention that Cummings, of course, is also Black.

-- Virginia: In Virginia, conservative Senator George Allen is the subject of some gossip. Stuart Rothenberg believes that Allen may have high ambitions, including presidential ambitions. Allen, for course, ran the Republican Senate campaign committee, clearly garnering kudos from within the GOP. Frist, who is stepping down as Senate Majority leader reportedly with plans to run for President, has had a more mixed record in terms of pushing through the Bush agenda. However, current Virginia Governor Mark Warner could complicate things greatly if he runs against Allen in 2006, which would be much to the liking of many Virginia Democrats who would like to see the governor run for the Senate or President.

-- Also in Virginia, Democratic State Senator R. Craig Deeds has declared his candidacy for State Attorney General. Deeds may be the only Democratic candidate in the primary. Deeds pledges to crack down on gangs, domestic violence and child abuse. He is a supporter of the death penalty. Deeds appears to be following in the footsteps of moderate Democratic Governor Mark Warner, who has been seeking to moderate the image of the Virginia Democratic Party. Deeds likely will face Republican House of Delegates member Robert F. McDonnel in the general election race.

-- Mississippi: In Mississippi, Chuck Espy, nephew of former Congressman and Clinton Agriculture Secretary Mike Espy, is reportedly considering a primary bid against Democratic Congressman Bennie Thompson in the 2006 Democratic Congressional Primary in Mississippi's 2nd District. Chuck Espy has been a member of the Mississippi state legislature since 2000.

--Georgia: In Georgia, Republican Govenor Sonny Perdue is preparing to sign a redistricting bill that would make Republican Congressman Phil Gingrey's district less competitive for Democratic challengers and complicate re-election bids of Democratic Congressmen John Barrow and Jim Marhall. Barrow unseated former Republican Congressman Max Burns in 2004.

-- Also in Georgia, the state legislature has passed legislation requiring voters to present photo ID at polling places.

-- Utah: In Utah, former Atlanta Brave Dale Murphy is considering running against Democratic Congressman Jim Matheson in Utah's 2nd District in 2006.

-- Washington State: In Washington State, Republicans are still waiting for failed Republican gubernatorial candidate Dino Rossi to make up his mind as to whether he wants to take on vulnerable Democratic Senator Maria Cantwell in 2006. Another Republican reportedly considering making the race is former State Representative Rick White.

-- Texas: In Texas, Richard Morrison, Tom DeLay's Democrat foe in 2004, is making some news. Morrison is traveling to Washington next week to meet with members of the Democratic caucus. Morrison is already hard at work raising money for a rematch with the ethically challenged DeLay. DCCC Chairman Rahm Emanuel has said that he will give Morrison strong backing in 2006.

-- New Mexico: Some Democratic strategists, at least according to The Hill, surmise that New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson may try to use his chairmanship of the Democratic Governor's Association as a springboard for a 2008 presidential race.