The authors do not spare the rod on fellow Democrats. They claim Democratic officeholders do not have a spine:
"Here's what both sides of this false choice [moving to the left or to the middle] get wrong: the problem within the Democratic Party is not ideological, it's anatomical. We lack a backbone. Consider this book as an attempt to a spinal transplant."
I can't argue with that. Democrats are too wishy-washy. They act too often as pseudo-Republicans. It's time to fight back. The authors recommend negative attacks. It's time to fight for what we believe in.
According to the authors, Democrats lost the last presidential election because they did not have a simple message that is easy to understand. We did not have a story. We talked endlessly about issues - all good and wonderful issues - but nobody paid attention because they were not wrapped around a story.
After socking it to them, the authors proceed to show Democrats how to fight back, especially in the major areas where the Republicans won: moral values, national security and taxes.
Moral Values
The Republicans beat us by being against abortion. We should say that we are eager to reduce the number of abortions. We should use Clinton's mantra that they be "safe, legal and rare." Abortions decreased during Clinton's administration by 300,000 per year.
They were also against gay rights. Democrats wanted to allow "gays in the military." We should have and should now dwell on maintaining the civil rights of everyone. We should be in favor of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA). Civil rights for everyone, including gays, is a moral issue.
Then there is this business about religion. Members of the far right proclaim that God is a Republican. How is it possible to place Republicans and Jesus in the same sentence, when Jesus said:
"It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."
A good Christian helps the poor, not the rich. This is what Democrats do. Helping the poor is a moral value.
The authors point out how hypocritical Republicans are:
"FOX's entertainment division creates highly-profitable sleaze, and FOX's news division creates highly-profitable talk shows on which the hosts decry indecency in the entertainment industry. What a racket."
National Security
Democrats were blasted on national security. They need to reply by being tough on terrorism and by redefining the war on terror. They should call for America to lead the world with
"more focus on intelligence, covert action, stealth, special forces and - yes - allies."
Allies. Allies. Allies. They have helped us tremendously, as this exposition shows:
"It was our allies in Pakistan who arrested Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, the mastermind of the 9/11 attacks; Ramzi Binalshibh, whose help was behind the bombing of the USS Cole; and top al Qaeda operative Abu Zubaydah. It was our allies in the Philipines and Pakistan who led the arrest of the terrorist Ramzi Yousel. Our allies in France (and yes, they are our allies, despite the claptrap from the Republican right) gave us crucial evidence against the twentieth hijacker, Zacarias Moussaoui. Our allies in Germany helped us understand al Qaeda's Hamburg cell, where Mohamed Atta and other terrorists resided. The plain truth is, although America is the most powerful nation in human history, it cannot possibly defeat what some have called 'Islamo fascists who use terror' without the help of allies."
Tax Cuts
Republicans cut taxes and Democrats respond. Democrats should speak of their own approach to taxes. They should make it a moral issue. They should follow the plan of the Center for American Progress (CAP). Among its details 2 points stand out: All forms of income should be taxed the same and Abolish payroll tax. Let's help the poor and not the rich.
Progressive Patriotism
The authors summarize their recommendation under the banner of progressive patriotism. Let's have higher morality by helping the least among us, security by working with allies, taxes favorable to the poor and healthcare for each of us. They point out that 18,000 people die unnecessarily each year because they are uninsured for healthcare.
Under the rubric of progressive patriotism, they ask Democrats to "fumigate" Congress, aggresssively seek campaign finance reform and push for a program for achieving energy independence similar to our moon project.
It appears that Carville and Begala have given us "progressive patriotism" as a terrific name for an overriding story about Democratic goals. We should use "progressive patriotism" and contrast it with the "regressive patriotism" of the Republicans.
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