I wonder what Mickey Kaus thought of the Democratic Iowa “Black and Brown” debate – in itself an example of the kind of special interest group pandering that has now returned to dominate the Democratic Party. There wasn’t a nano-second in which any candidate said anything to suggest that minorities can do anything to benefit themselves without more government help, more money and more white condescension. The crowd lapped it up. Joe Lieberman couldn’t even bring himself to oppose reparations. Not affirmative action. Reparations! You’ve come a long way, Joe. Long gone is the Clintonian art of giving a damn about race without resorting to paleo notions that all whites are at fault and all blacks are victims. In that kind of context, it’s no accident that Al Sharpton becomes the moral arbiter. His use of the race-card against Dean had me bolt upright, and was an indication of what could happen if Dean gets the nomination. There’s no guarantee that Sharpton will support the nominee, or won’t demand embarrassing, election-losing concessions from the platform if he does. He’ll also get a big speaking slot at the convention – or use the negotiations as more street theater. It truly is back to 1988 – as farce. But unlike 1988, the Democratic nominee will not be able to shun Sharpton. The Dems are now dependent on massive black support just to be competitive in many states – which gives Sharpton more leverage than even Jesse Jackson once had. One thing we have learned from this campaign is that the Clinton policy make-over of the Democrats now has only one standard-bearer: his wife. For the rest, it’s that ’70s Show, with post-industrial populism thrown in.
QUOTE OF THE DAY: “Mr. Clinton was doing well. The party lost. Gingrich killed us in ’94. ’96, under Clinton, we didn’t regain the Congress … in ’98. We didn’t regain it in 2000, we lost it all in 2002 when we were demolished. We lost everything as a party. Bill Clinton won the party, and Bill Clinton may not have won it had it not been for Perot. That is my point. Centrism killed this party. People are saying, well, Sharpton and progressives killed the party. The party is dead. I come to help start the resurrection.” – Al Sharpton, on WUSA in Washington. On this, at least, Sharpton agrees with Rush Limbaugh.
The Dish 