2008 Woodie Awards
All Politics Can Be Local
Joshua Benesh
Issue date: 10/30/06 Section: Opinions
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As the midterm electoral contest heats up, with more and more of our precious commercial time being dominated by campaign ads, it seems the Republicans are heading for disaster.
Far beyond the historical seat loss that the party of the President is burdened with, the GOP has managed to all but seal its election fate through a fundamental mishandling of national issues, a threat generally far from detrimental in the constituency driven and local benefits oriented world of electoral politics that has emerged in the United States.
It may have been Speaker Tip O'Neill that first coined the phrase "All politics is local," but the Democrats' tactical dismissal of that mantra has proven more than effective.
In the Missouri senate race, none other than Michael J. Fox is playing off that familiar turn of phrase to advance the local importance of a national issue.
Claire McCaskill, Democratic candidate in the Missouri race, has managed to synthesize the very national issue of stem cell research into the key factor in the Missouri senate race. It is a point at which she and her conservative opponent diverge. Unfortunately for the GOP, it is a platform of overwhelming unity in favor of the Democrats.
Beyond the tactical elevation of national issues to locally significant events, the news cycle and the mishandling of circumstance have also managed to spell doom for the Republicans. The foremost of which is the orientation of individual candidates relative to President Bush.
The mass confusion that results, a desperate attempt to maintain the carefully balanced and increasingly diverse Republican constituency, may simply prove too much to bear and send groups running for any alternative.
The overwhelming lack of presidential popularity means the boost that can result from proximity is nowhere to be found, leaving nothing for Democrats to do but sit back and enjoy the folly.
The problems of the presidency spill into the midterm election in areas far beyond simple popularity.
Far beyond the historical seat loss that the party of the President is burdened with, the GOP has managed to all but seal its election fate through a fundamental mishandling of national issues, a threat generally far from detrimental in the constituency driven and local benefits oriented world of electoral politics that has emerged in the United States.
It may have been Speaker Tip O'Neill that first coined the phrase "All politics is local," but the Democrats' tactical dismissal of that mantra has proven more than effective.
In the Missouri senate race, none other than Michael J. Fox is playing off that familiar turn of phrase to advance the local importance of a national issue.
Claire McCaskill, Democratic candidate in the Missouri race, has managed to synthesize the very national issue of stem cell research into the key factor in the Missouri senate race. It is a point at which she and her conservative opponent diverge. Unfortunately for the GOP, it is a platform of overwhelming unity in favor of the Democrats.
Beyond the tactical elevation of national issues to locally significant events, the news cycle and the mishandling of circumstance have also managed to spell doom for the Republicans. The foremost of which is the orientation of individual candidates relative to President Bush.
The mass confusion that results, a desperate attempt to maintain the carefully balanced and increasingly diverse Republican constituency, may simply prove too much to bear and send groups running for any alternative.
The overwhelming lack of presidential popularity means the boost that can result from proximity is nowhere to be found, leaving nothing for Democrats to do but sit back and enjoy the folly.
The problems of the presidency spill into the midterm election in areas far beyond simple popularity.
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