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Saturday, January 17, 2004

And now for that endorsement

It has become increasingly clear to serious observers of American politics that the Democratic Party will have no hope of renewal if it nominates a Democrat for president in 2004. And the clearest, bravest alternative is Connecticut senator Joseph Lieberman.

To have any prospect of winning back the hearts and minds of the professional political class in Washington, Maryland, and northern Virginia, the Democrats must make a final, decisive break with the demotic populism and so-called “grass-roots” organizing that has long entranced those among the party’s liberals who make a specialty of self-righteous delusion.  That means, among other things:

-- the Democratic nominee must have a strong record of creating innovative forms of corporate accounting that allow stock options to be treated dynamically, rather than being classed under the hidebound and antiquated heading of “expenses.” Only Lieberman has this kind of record, for only Lieberman has had the courage to break with paleoliberal tradition and allow companies such as Enron and WorldCom to reimagine the corporation so as to unlock shareholder value.  Yes, it is true that a few bad apples walked off with tens of millions of dollars while ordinary people lost their life’s savings.  But alone among the Democratic contenders, Lieberman knows that this is no time to play class warfare with the nation’s future.  Indeed, where Lieberman diverges most from his competitors on domestic policy is in his willingness to challenge entrenched party interest groups, the better to court the other party’s entrenched interest groups.

-- the Democratic nominee must be able to continue the important work of the Project for the New American Century even after the Bush administration has passed the torch.  When others chose obstructionism, appeasement, and demagoguery, only Senator Lieberman had the mettle to declare that there was “not one inch” of difference between himself and President Bush on Iraq-- and there is the hope that a President Lieberman, likewise, would have the exceptional vision necessary to see Ariel Sharon as a man of peace.  The tradition Lieberman represents is an honorable one, of supporting democracy or something more or less like it in some ways by whatever means are closest to hand, without hamstringing the moral authority of the United States with pettifogging questions about whether Iraq had “weapons” or a “weapons program.”

-- the Democratic nominee must be able to bond with Dick Cheney over the latter’s substantial success with Halliburton.  Lieberman’s honest and forthright debate with Cheney in October 2000 gave every indication that his admiration for the Cheneys goes well beyond his merely tactical alliance with Lynne Cheney in the fight to restore values to American culture.

-- finally, last but not least, the Democratic nominee must demonstrate a willingness to cite a wide array of sources, including the work of cyberjournalist Matt Drudge, in order to attack his Democratic rivals on Iraq.  Senator Lieberman’s recent criticism of Wesley Clark demonstrates that he has the intestinal fortitude to cross party lines and make new friends, just as it shows that he has the determination necessary to endure the scorn of Old Democrats calling his reliance on Drudge “opportunistic,” “misguided,” or “completely out to lunch.”

I further suggest that because Senator Lieberman looks and sounds so much like the unctuous, lugubrious Senator Palpatine in Star Wars, that we grant him emergency powers to marshal a Grand Army of the Republic, secure in the knowledge that he will lay aside those powers once the immediate crisis has passed.

And I have to admit that I wrote this endorsement with help.  All the italicized passages above were taken from The New Republic’s endorsement of Lieberman earlier this month.

Posted by Michael on 01/17 at 06:42 AM
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