Tuesday, September 07, 2004

I realize that Michael Moore has warned Democrats from giving in to panic and begin the self-critical and blame domino fest, however I just can’t resist. Trust me, I absolutely understand that this race is FAR from over and anything can happen in the next two months, but at least a few things are already fairly clear.

One, which I have felt strongly about for a long time, is Terry McAuliffe should have been relieved of his duties years ago. Granted, he’s a big-time fund raiser, but that doesn’t mean he should be rewarded with calling the strategic and tactical shots for the party. He should be assigned responsibilities that deal with his expertise: raising money.

My feeling has always been that he’s simply not Karl Rove-ian enough. Do I mean purposefully evil or willing to do anything to win? No. But what I do mean is someone who can go for the jugular, who can conduct the extensive science (yes, science) to figure out what works when it comes to winning elections (Rove is a pro at this), who does not have to be the TV-friendly nice face with pearly white teeth for the DNC but instead more of an in-the-trenches, brilliant, and fiercely competitive force. We just don’t have that with Terry. Oh no? Don’t believe me? Just watch him on TV – he’s about as soft as it gets concerning his “stinging” commentary. He just doesn’t have it in him.

As The New Republic wrote after the 2002 elections, which were a debacle for Democrats:

Most importantly, McAuliffe has been an abysmal party spokesperson. There could be no finer coda to the McAuliffe era than his election night performance on CNN when, with the returns already indicating a GOP landslide, he proclaimed, "I think it's going to be a very good night for Democrats."

Granted, you can’t hang everything on one person, but unlike Bush, you have to start somewhere when enforcing accountability and McAuliffe is an obvious, and overdue, target -- irregardless of what happens in November.

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