I wanted to comment on the election for Duke Cunningham's congressional seat. From my reading, I did not get a sense of the Democratic candidate's position on the immigration issue. This is a prime example of both the Republican strategy for '06 and a deficiency in Democratic values and/or tactics.
Middle Americans are against amnesty, guest worker programs, and for a fence to stop illegals, yet it would seem many Democratic candidates hold a different position. They talk of providing social programs for illegals, positively about guest worker programs, etc. The White House's sudden shift to the immigration issue was intentional for this California special election seat. It was a test case: Can Republicans, given their continuous failure, win elections? The answer they received from the voters was YES if they target a wedge issue that Democratic candidates are on the wrong side of with the general public.
What image does it give the American voter when Democratic candidates say to the American people, you should burden yourself and the country with the financial responsibility of illegal aliens. Add to that the back drop of job insecurity many Americans feel with foreign outsourcing. Democratic leaders must finally come to understand they must reflect middle American values and not believe they can impose their own and win.
In 2004 the gay marriage issue was divisive among Democratic candidates and middle American voters. We are now suffering four more years of additional decay to American life under the Bush administration. Was the democratic stance on gay marriage the result of a vocal well connected minority? Yes. Is the democratic stance on immigration equally mis-guided? Yes.
Middle American Democrats must stand up to our vocal minority and say your position is out of the mainstream and does not warrant losing an election over. Does access to gay marriage really improve life for the vast majority of Americans? The answer is NO. Middle American Democrats must retake control of our party or Republicans win, and that, America can not afford.
Kim Kendall
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The above is posted with permission of the writer. Posting of entries on this blog does not necessarily reflect the views of MCDAC or any of its members.
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I disagree with your assumption that Dems lost in 2004 because of their stand on same-sex marriage, and what "middle America" believes about gay marriage, and the following hypothesis about illegal immigrants.
The 2004 Democratic party platform stated support for "all families." It did NOT state support for gay marriage or even civil unions for same sex couples. But, as with the so-called Swift Boat Veterans for Truth attacks on John Kerry's Viet Nam experience, the Democrats were not able to clearly state their position or clearly state how the Republicans were distorting their position.
Most Americans believe that gay and lesbian Americans deserve the same rights as heterosexual Americans - they just are unsure about using the term "marriage." But if you ask specifics - should gays and lesbians be protected from discrimination on the job, should committed gay and lesbian partners be able to visit each other in the hospital as "next of kin," should committed gay and lesbian partners be able to keep the house if their partner dies without paying estate taxes, etc, - most Americans agree that those are rights that all Americans deserve. As with most "wedge issues," the response depends upon how the question is asked.
I also take issue with you scapegoating the gay and lesbian community for the 2004 losses by Democrats. I have to chuckle at your description of the gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgender community as "a vocal well connected minority." As someone who can currently be legally fired here in Ohio simply for the fact that my sexual orientation is not heterosexual, I don't see myself as "well-connected." Vocal, yes. And I will remain vocal at least until I have my basic civil rights protected and have the same recognition and support for my family that heterosexual Americans do.
Blaming Democrats' losses on gay marriage or illegal immigrants only plays into the hands of right-wing Republicans, who themselves are WAY out of the mainstream and can only win by focusing the media and voters on issues that are emotional but do not truly affect them. Democrats will win by clearly stating our values - quality public education for ALL Americans, quality health care for ALL Americans, equal opportunity for ALL Americans - and make it clear that ALL Americans include our gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgendered brothers and sisters, and our working class brothers and sisters, and our brothers and sisters in poverty, and not only our brothers and sisters in the top 1% in annual income.
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