The Progressive Truth

Friday, January 5, 2007

Former DNC Chair Bashes Kerry

Terry McAuliffe, the former Chair of the DNC, claims in his new book that Kerry's presidential run was "one of the biggest acts of political malpractice in the history of American politics." McAuliffe's book, "What a Party! My Life Among Democrats: Presidents, Candidates, Donors, Activists, Alligators and Other Wild Animals," goes on sale Jan. 23. More from Yahoo!:
McAuliffe criticizes the 2004 campaign that he was responsible for defending but ultimately lost to what he describes as a more organized Republican machine. McAuliffe calls the Kerry campaign gun-shy, distracted and incompetent.

McAuliffe said Kerry's camp was so afraid of offending swing voters that it didn't defend his record or criticize Bush. He said he was muzzled by Kerry's aides from assailing Bush's military record.

When Bush said in an interview on the first day that he didn't think the U.S. could win the war on terror, Kerry did not respond. The Massachusetts senator was windsurfing off Nantucket, unaware of the president's comments.

McAuliffe said he was "flabbergasted" to learn after the election that Kerry had $15 million left that he could have spent in the final push. "It was gross incompetence to hoard that money when the race was bound to be so close," McAuliffe said.

Kerry is no doubt an easy target for the right (and left) to attack. However, the right's obsession with Kerry is approaching some sort of clinical manifestation of a mental disorder.

Now, I admit I am sick and tired of the Kerry bashing (if you couldn't tell), but it's still refreshing to know that Democrats are not afraid to criticize their own. The right believes this is an imbalance or in-fighting. The right is not accustomed to dissent within the ranks. They get their talking-points and their little troopers/sheeple fall in line.

On the contrary, the left and their large tent allows for a wider range of opinions and stances. With that, the left is tolerant to dissent within ranks. This is just another example of why it's great to be Democrat, a leftist, a liberal, and a progressive. Digby sums it up nicely:
"I am a liberal because it is the political philosophy of freedom and equality. And I am a progressive because it is the political path to a better future. And I am a Democrat because it is the political party that believes in freedom, equality and progress."