The Conservative Convention
Andrew Sullivan apparently hasn’t been listening to Democrats much in the last few years. I suppose it’s not surprising. It’s so much more entertaining to listen to Republicans and the media talk about Democrats than to actually listen to them. And it’s rare to hear Democrats give speeches unfiltered by the yammering of pundits and stooges who tell you what you are supposed to think about it before it’s even delivered.
But, for at least a decade — and certainly in this election cycle — Democratic rhetoric has been hitting all the themes you are hearing at this convention. Sullivan notes self-reliance, opportunity, hard work, an immigrant’s dream, the same standards for all of us — and seems surprised that Democrats would say such things. (I would add tolerance, fairness, and compassion, among others.) Perhaps he never heard the phrases “…those who work hard and play by the rules,” or “our families have values. But our government doesn’t.” How about, “it’s time for a new approach that trusts people to make the most of their own lives and gives them the chance to do so.”
Some politicians do it better than others, to be sure. Those lines above are from Clinton and Edwards. Obama was very skillful at it also, as Sullivan notes. But, the themes are not new; they’ve been the staple of Democratic appeals since the early 90’s. It’s been many a year (if ever) since Democrats were standing on a stage anywhere shouting “bring down the state!”
Sullivan’s ongoing theme is that this Democratic convention is actually “conservative.” He seems to be preparing for the inevitable “I didn’t leave my party, it left me” rationale so perhaps it makes him feel better to think this. But, he is, of course, using the wrong word. This convention isn’t “conservative.”
It is mainstream.