All Things Reconsidered
December 18, 2002
by Alexander Washburn

Off to a Stellar Start

Needless to say, this space was entirely wrong on the Al Gore front. Serves me right for not believing the New York Post, even though I dub it the 'Paper of Record.' After his disturbing performance on Saturday Night Live-the hot tub scene with Chris Parnell alone had to cost Gore thousands of swing votes-it was clear that Al had overstayed his welcome on the American political and pop culture stage. Inside the Beltway, those who pretend to know something (but were completely surprised by Gore's announcement) are re-handicapping the 2004 Democratic primary.

A Marist College poll shows Dick Gephardt in fourth for the New York primary, behind Al Sharpton with Joe Lieberman leading the way and John Kerry second. My personal favorite Howard Dean didn't even register, but wait until people realize that he has the political moxy of Mario Cuomo and is a former New Yorker. Even if Dean were leading, polls this far out are worthless and as annoying as all these Top 10 of 2002 lists we are on the verge of being buried under. Truth is, Gore's withdrawal leaves us with the same Democratic frontrunner we had before his announcement: Nobody.

Hopefully, Gore's announcement, and the pending (if we're lucky) resignation of DNC Chairman Terry McAuffile, will be the final deathblow to the ever-entertaining Clinton-Gore juggernaut. And of course this pair of centrist-shifting, Lincoln-bedroom-selling Fleetwood-Mac fans leave the party in far worse shape than they found it. In the midst of an identity crisis and on the heels of a midterm ass-kicking of historic proportions, the Democrats lack the one good thing Clinton gave the party-vision. Of course, it wasn't exactly the vision I had in mind-more minorities in jail, lip service to early child initiatives, caving in on health care etc.-but it was vision nonetheless. Now is the time for Democrats serious about a more progressive agenda to seize the party and steer it toward its traditional focus on helping the people, and away from its Clinton-era incarnation as a more cocktail party-friendly version of the GOP. As Bill Maher said, the only difference between Democrats and Republicans is Democrats are funded by less scary special interests. The Jackass Party needs a leader who can make those differences profound again and offer up a vision not only for the party but for the country as well.

Of course, if the GOP continues to keep people like Trent Lott around Democrats could be led by Krusty the Clown or, worse, Al Sharpton, and still have the moral high ground. Lott has never been a favorite of the GOP - often seen as too compromising to the other side of the aisle, willing to make a deal in the name of getting something done. As Democrats line up and call for Lott's resignation, they should be wary of the alternative. Don Nickels is far from your friend and doesn't share Lott's, or former Republican Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole's, propensity for working out agreements. Nickels, who has the stink of political favors for high-dollar donors on him isn't going to be lining up to work with Senate Democrats. Not to say Trent Lott was, but at the end of the day, Democrats always knew they'd get something out of the racist redneck from Mississippi. The same can't be said for Nickels.

But hey, I've learned my lesson from last week, so I'm not saying whether or not Lott stays or goes. One important point to consider: regardless of whether Lott goes down, his statements will have a profound impact on Bush's judicial nominations. Lott personally recommended Charles Pickering for a lifetime appointment to the Federal bench. Pickering already has a lousy civil rights record that was used by the NAACP and others to help derail his nomination when the Democrats ran the show. Bush has made it clear, even before the November Blow Out, that he would bring Pickering and other rejected nominees like Priscilla Owen up again. With all of Lott's praises showered on Pickering, on top of his shameful record and his sworn enemies on the Left, this guy has as good a chance of being nominated to the Federal Court as 'Roger Dodger' does of getting an Oscar nomination for Best Picture.

(Alexander Washburn is a volunteer staff writer for 2 Walls Webzine.)