If you watched last week’s Republican Convention then you probably noticed the overwhelming presence of female leaders, delegates and speakers. Much of that was the result of a strategy engineered by the Democratic Party to make the Republican Party platform seem anti-female. While this electoral tactic has frustrated the Republican Party, it could prove fatal in the long-term should Democrats continue to bait gender issues at their convention this week in Charlotte.
With Vice President Biden set to address delegates tonight, and President Obama the following evening, both would be foolish to speak about the so called ‘War on Women.’ Why? Because over the last three years American’s have seen their economy stall, credit rating downgraded and when the convention began on Tuesday, the national debt will have rose to $16 trillion. To quote the Clinton ’92 campaign, it’s the economy stupid.
I’m not downplaying the ‘War on Women,’ just the politics being played with the issue. This week Democrats get to address the country and if the president wins re-election, and the economy falters in his second term, he’ll look foolish for using his re-nomination speech to attack the Republican Party platform on social issues. It will create the image that when Americans needed leadership, President Obama provided politics, and this decision could damage the future of the Democratic Party.
Writing this post, I’m reminded of Professor Harold Hill, the leading man/conman in the 1958 Tony winner for Best Musical, The Music Man. In the show, Hill comes to small-town Iowa and con’s the citizens into funding a brass band. The citizens hope that by following Hill’s lead, their town will find fame and glory. They completely disregard the fact that a band is the least of the town’s necessities and that Hill is simply distracting them.
Should President Obama and Democrats make social issues a focal point of the convention; they will be as guilty as the townsfolk in The Music Man by distracting the American people. After three years President Obama, not George W. Bush, owns this economy. On Friday morning the Department of Labor will release unemployment statistics for August. Should the news be sour, President Obama will look foolish having used much of his speech this week railing against the Republican Party’s social platform.
Marquee Politics 