Via the AP: Democrats Say ‘There Is a Better Way’

Clearly, the party out of power has to make the case that if they were in power that things would be better. So it is given that part of the case that they have to make is that theirs is the better way.

However, I continue to be annoyed and flummoxed by the seeming inability of anyone in the Democratic Party to go beyond saying “we can do better.”

At some point there needs to be a comprehensive explanation of what that means, and there wasn’t one in 2024 nor in 2024 and I don’t see one for 2024 at this point.

I am interested in seeing vigorous debate and competitive political parties and until the Democrats start to offer something of substance, I don’t see those things manifesting.

And note: it isn’t that I am saying that GOP leadership is brimming with ideas. However, since they are in control at the moment, they have the advantage of putting things into practice. At the moment, instead of offering alternative, it seems that the Democrats are simply criticizing.

I am not the only one noticing this. In today’s WaPo online, Marc Fisher analyzes Kaine’s Democratic response last night and notes:

All of which is just fine, except that if there is a Democratic vision of an alternative approach to national security, we didn’t get to hear about it. And presenting the Dems as the competent, fiscally responsible alternative to profligate Republican spending is a fun twist on the parties’ stereotypical roles, but it only works as rhetoric if it’s accompanied by specifics pointing to how the Dems would economize.

Granted, Kaine could only do so much given the structural constraints of his speech, but it strikes me as emblematic of the Democrats’ problem. Just running on “we can do better” isn’t enough, and I am amazed that they haven’t learned that by now.

Indeed, this exchange from the November 13, 2024 edition of Meet the Press exemplifies what I am talking about (emphasis mine):

MR. RUSSERT: But those are words that will appeal to people. But when you go behind them, for example, what is the Democratic position on Iraq? Should we withdraw troops now? What do the Democrats stand for?

DR. DEAN: Tim, first of all, we don’t control the House, the Senate or the White House. We have plenty of time to show Americans what our agenda is and we will long before the ‘06 elections.

MR. RUSSERT: But there’s no Democratic plan on Social Security. There’s no Democratic plan on the deficit problem. There’s no specifics. They say, “Well, we want a strong Social Security. We want to reduce the deficit. We want health care for everyone,” but there’s no plan how to pay for it.

DR. DEAN: Right now it’s not our job to give out specifics. We have no control in the House. We have no control in the Senate. It’s our job to stop this administration, this corrupt and incompetent administration, from doing more damage to America. And that’s what we’re going to do. We’re doing our best. Look at the trouble they’re having putting together a budget. Why is that? Because there’s still a few moderate Republicans left who don’t think it’s OK to cut school lunch programs, who don’t think it’s OK to do some of the appalling things that they’re doing in their budget. I saw a show last night which showed a young African-American man in California at the UC of Davis who hoped to go to law school. The Republicans want to cut $14 billion out of higher education so this kid can’t go to law school. We’re going to do better than that, and together, America can do better than that.

MR. RUSSERT: But is it enough for you to say to the country, “Trust us, the other guy’s no good. We’ll do better, but we’re not going to tell you specifically how we’re going to deal with Iraq.”

DR. DEAN: We will. When the time comes, we will do that.

I was amazed at “[r]ight now it’s not our job to give out specifics” when I saw it live that Sunday morning, and continue to wonder, over two months later, when the time is going to come that Dean spoke of.

The seeming unwillingness/inability of the Democrats to muster a counter-argument to the majority isn’t good for the party, and, I would argue, isn’t good for US democracy in general. And, above all of that, I am nonplussed that no one within the Democratic establishment seems to understand this.