Editorial: Voters sound wake-up call

Thursday, Nov. 4, 2004 | 9:26 a.m.

The national Democratic Party consoled itself in 2000 with the fact that Al Gore won the popular vote and lost the electoral vote only after the intercession of the U.S. Supreme Court. The closeness of the race prompted little in the way of an introspective examination. Who are we as a party? What do we really stand for? How could we have lost to a one-term Texas governor with no national experience? How do we get our message across in the South and rural America? These questions seem not to have been asked by Democratic leaders, who concentrated more on the unfairness of the Florida fiasco than the weakening underpinnings of their party.

We can see all of this now, after Tuesday's significant victory by the national Republican Party, which re-elected President Bush and strengthened its hand in Congress. What can the Democrats turn to this time to console themselves? Yes, the electoral votes of a few hotly contested battleground states went to the Kerry/Edwards ticket. And, yes, there were many inspiring moments over the past year -- the Democratic primaries were exciting and the debates went well for Kerry and Edwards.

Yet when the counting was all over on Tuesday, it was the Republicans walking away with the top prize and enough victories in congressional races to begin near-total domination of federal policy. They will set the agenda for the war on terrorism, homeland security, energy, foreign policy, Social Security, spending, education, the environment and all other issues affecting American citizens and the world. The Democrats will have a say, but with both houses of Congress and the presidency now firmly in the hands of conservative Republicans they won't have much clout.

Even Nevadans, who stood to lose major ground in the fight against Yucca Mountain if President Bush won, cast a majority of their votes for the president. How could a state that twice voted for President Bill Clinton, a Democrat, and which had so much to lose over Yucca Mountain, vote both in 2000 and 2004 for President Bush?

This question, and variables of this question as it applies to the nation's rural areas and Midwestern and Southern states, now needs to be asked in earnest by Democrats. This time there is no consoling themselves about unfair balloting. The country is obviously pulling away from the Democratic Party. Is it because of a dearth in leadership? Because of the constant droning of right-wing radio talk show hosts repeating their simplistic (and hugely profitable) talking points over and over? Because Democratic candidates are more concerned about their incumbency than their party?

Whatever the answers, the Democratic Party needs to find out and begin once again connecting with its once-stable core of voters. With such Republicans as President Bush's brother Jeb waiting in the wings, we shudder to think about the demise of our competitive two-party system.