The Bad News Is Good News for Democrats

[Nlighten1]

http://www.nytimes.com/2003/10/30/politics/30TALK.html?fta=y
By CHRISTOPHER MARQUIS

<blockquote>Iraq is a mess, the world resents America and its debt-burdened economy is an international embarrassment. That was the Democratic perspective voiced at a conference that ended here on Wednesday, that things could hardly be more grim.

"The bad news is, we're headed in the wrong direction" said Sandy Berger, President Clinton's last national security adviser. "The worse news is we can't afford it."

So why, then, was there a smile on Mr. Berger's jowly face? Why was John Podesta, the former Clinton chief of staff, standing in the wings and shouting "Tremendous!" into a cellphone? And wasn't that the commanding Richard Holbrooke, the former United Nations ambassador, who boldly took the podium? "I'm a liberal," he thundered, "and I'm proud of it."</blockquote>

Is this another "Wellstone's Funeral"? Does anyone know what conference this was and if there is film available? We shouldn't be suprised that this meme is being started. "Oh look the Democrats are going to offend the spirits of our dead patriotic soldiers to score political points."

[RichM]

1. IMO, "Bad News" will not be enough to help the Democrats.

Your suggestion that the "meme" is being started seems true. Via this mechanism, the worse things get, the more it helps Bush -- because the public will be instructed to hate Democrats for being ghoulishly desirous of bad news, & thus demonstrating how unpatriotic they really are.

[Mairead]

3. Right on, Rich

The very idea of the Dems reducing this mess to an occasion for political Schadenfreude turns my stomach a bit.

[Prodemsouth]

2. Tim Russert said this on Don Imus caught a glimpse of it when he was on.

didn't suggest it - but said bad news helps the party out of power only natural- we should shot back that we are not gloating but outraged by the news.

[tsipple]

4. Another Snarky Article

I wish the New York Times would get the "attitude" out of its so-called news reporting. Save it for the editorial page.

[StClone]

5. It wasn't Wellstone's Funeral CHRISTOPHER MARQUIS!

It was the Wellstone memorial that the well-paid Right wing gremlins weaved into a hit on Progressives/Libs/Dems. So, is this another "Wellstone's Funeral"? Obviously not! We smile at bad news? Hardly.

What we smile at is that we were RIGHT. Good news is good news to Republicans because when times are good the Conservatives can stir the latent masses with there ever-fearful nature. When bad news happens, and it seems to do so more so under Conservative regimes, Dems shake their heads and hope for the best and find SOLACE in the fact our ideas are better.

As James Carville says: "to live like a Rebublican you have to vote Democratic!"

[Nlighten1]

6. kick

Does anyone know what event this article is talking about?

[E Pluribus Unum]

7. I agree that bad news is good news for dems.

I also believe that good news (good economy, success in Iraq
if it happens) is bad for dems. I also believe that it was a mistake to have manuvered ourselves in to this position.

[wuushew]

8. We weren't manuvered into it voluntarily...don't underestimate Rove

Also note how there is no equivalent right-wing situation. Eight years of peace and prospertiy did not destroy the power of the GOP.