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December 13, 2005
Typical Democrats
Leave it to the Democratic Party to want to fix something that works.
Again and again, the New Hampshire presidential primary has been a weathervane for Democrats, pointing in the right direction whether the party chooses to move in that direction or not. It has performed this service not just in selecting presidential nominees but also in guiding political philosophy.
Let’s recap, and I’ll comment only on the Democratic primaries I’ve witnessed during my years at the Concord Monitor.
1980 – A palace revolt, as Teddy Kennedy tries to unseat the incumbent, Jimmy Carter. Kennedy's candidacy proves to be the next-to-last gasp of the New Deal, and it is a weak gasp at that. Carter beats Kennedy without even campaigning. Lesson: The New Deal is dead. The Democrats need to move toward the center. They also need to stick with a winner, as the divisiveness of the nomination fight provides aid and comfort to Ronald Reagan.
1984 – Gary Hart upsets Walter Mondale. Lesson: The New Deal is dead. The Democrats need to move to the center.
1988 – Michael Dukakis wins in a crowded field. Lesson: The Democrats are learning the lesson, as they pass over Bruce Babbitt, who – literally – stands up for taxes, and Richard Gephardt, who appeals to the old FDR coalition, mainly the trade unions.
1992 – Despite a rollicking final stretch in which Bill Clinton takes hits on both womanizing and draft-dodging, New Hampshire sends him forth as the Comeback Kid. He joins a tradition of second-place finishers who, due to circumstances, are perceived as winners. Lesson: Voters – including Independents and Republicans – like a centrist Democrat who charms them, talks (and talks) the issues and hits back on the campaign trail.
1996 – Clinton rocks.
2000 – Wooden Al Gore limps past anesthetic New Deal throwback Bill Bradley. Lesson: Despite eight years of peace and prosperity, the party is in trouble again.
2004 – John Kerry sweeps away a large field. Lesson: Kerry’s flaws are obvious, but he’s the best the party has this time around.
Some of these results were bitter pills, but taken together, they’re impressive. They show the power of an engaged electorate – Democrats as well as Independents – to give the party precisely what it should be seeking in the first presidential primary: an honest critique of the candidates and guidance on direction and message.
Why would the Democratic committee examining the nomination process want to muck that up with a bunch of early big-state caucuses?
Because they're Democrats, I guess.
Posted by Mike Pride at December 13, 2005 10:35 AM
Comments
The Democrats have been for some time now pointing a gun to their feet and keep pulling the trigger over and over again. Now they are setting themselves up for a "nuclear option" without the help of the Republicans.
Posted by: Timothy Taussig at December 13, 2005 04:15 PM
I know NH likes its special place, but in the simple name of fairness it's time to give it up. Have you ever lived anywhere else? Why should NH get so much opportunity to determine the presidential nominee and not other places? It's actually fun watching politicians and editors kick and whine that NH deserves to be first, for a myriad of reasons they think matter. But nothing matters more than fairness. NH is not representative of the US, and I fully believe that any other state, who got the first primary, would find its citizenry just as engaged. So get off your high horse and give the first primary to someone else. It's more than time.
Posted by: Ben at December 14, 2005 10:33 AM
New Hampshire loves its tradition of holding the first presidential primary. However, I think it is the New Hampshire sense of humor that keeps the tradition alive. It is fun to watch all of the candidates shiver in your frigid temperature while secretly cursing the idea of spending so much time in a state that has fewer people than a number of the cities in the nation. I know your folks must enjoy every minute of it and will fight to keep the "honor".
Posted by: Bettie at December 24, 2005 07:25 PM