Unholy Alliance

In the
ebb and flow of American politics, or of any truly free political system,
organized groups of shared-interest activists, known as political parties,
are born and die, as do their leaders.

Since before the Civil War, the Democrats and Republicans have alternated
in power as they became more institutionalized, more entrenched in the
halls of power, and fostered political families on each side of the aisle
bred to power and privilege. We sometimes forget that there is nothing
in the Constitution mandating
these
two parties,
or even the primacy of TWO parties, or even any parties at all. 

Let us also not forget that the currently dominant parties WERE once
part of the same party. Andrew Jackson, a Democratic-Republican from
Tennessee, was elected president in 1828. His party had great support
in the South and West.  And who can forget successful American parties
like the Whigs, Federalists, Know-Nothings (our personal favorite) and
Bull Moose parties?

At least since before the last election, several deep political thinkers,
prominent among them Joe
Trippi, have been predicting the demise of one
of the political dinosaurs who have dominated the American political
landscape for the past 150 years. Given the current ascendancy and dominance
of the Grand Old Party at all levels, it seems obvious which
of our present parties is headed to the dust heap of history.

The Dowbrigade is among those who feel that 2008 will be the swan song
of the Democratic Party as a viable counterbalance to the triumphant
Republicans. As to who will replace the Dems, we have our theory about
that as well. Only one organization could realistically challenge the
primacy of the Republicans – the Republicans themselves.

Since late last year we have seen the 2008 election shaping up
as follows: The Bush junta, aka the Evangelical Republicans, will nominate
Jeb Bush, with Condi Rice as VP.  Attractive ticket. Sure to lure
in at least a smattering of women and blacks, just on general principal,
like Clarence Thomas.

The Democrats, we thought, were going with Hillary and some Southern
pretty boy or macho he-man, and hope for the best.  We saw this
as the kiss of death for the Democrats. We predicted that in a
hotly contested three way race, she comes in third.

Why do we say a three way race? Because we see the real threat to the
ruling junta as coming from within its own party.  There are still
plenty of old-school Republicans who still believe in evolution.  In
fact, there are millions of honest Americans who voted for George Bush
and
who are starting to have some serious doubts about the conduct of the
wars, both the military operations overseas and the cultural war here
in the homeland.

They would be ripe for a rational Republican alternative, like, say,
Colin Powell and John McCain.  How’s that for a ticket? They might
actually win.  They could call themselves the Real Republicans,
or the New Republicans, or the Rational Republicans, and they would defect
from the Administration with a sizable piece of the party organization,
fundraisers, career wonks and droids, and rank and file grassroots organizers.

This is key, as we are convinced that the realities of the modern American
form of democracy make it extremely difficult if not impossible for a
band-new, startup political party to seriously compete at any but the
most local level (all politics may be local, but economies of scale come
into play at state or national levels).  See, for example, the Constitution
Party, the America First Party, the Reform Party, the Green Party or
our own party, before we became a Republican, the Natural Law Party.

So
it is much more likely  that we see a realignment based on a
schism within one of the massive existing parties, and with its surfeit
of power and internal contradictions, the Dowbrigade nominates the Republicans. Stranger
things have happened.

For example, see the following
story from the front page of today’s
New York Times, about an unholy alliance taking form in Washington between
Hillary Clinton and Newt Gingritch.

Mr. Gingrich, the former House speaker, has been working alongside the
former first lady on a number of issues, and even appeared with her at
a press conference on Wednesday to promote – of all things – health-care
legislation.

But more puzzling than that, Mr. Gingrich has been talking up Mrs.
Clinton’s presidential prospects in 2008, to the chagrin of conservative
loyalists
who once regarded him as a heroic figure. Last month, he even suggested
she might capture the presidency, saying "any Republican who thinks
she’s going to be easy to beat has a total amnesia about the history
of the Clintons."

What is this coy eyelash fluttering? Does Newt know that he is now as
welcome in Republican circles as David Duke? Is Hillary trying to capture
some of that Old Republican Magic by reaching out to Newt? Could a
potential alliance between these uber-opportunists somehow pull Hillary
out of third place in the three-way contest we outlined above? 

We somehow doubt it, but it would sure make things interesting in what
is already shaping up to be the most entertaining election at least since
the guy
with the
ears. At the very least, combined with Bill’s heartwarming adoption by Poppy Bush (making Bill and George into some sort of twisted quasi-brothers}, this fraternization is returning both parties to their roots and true nature – the Democrat-Republicans of Andrew Jackson.

In politics, as in most of life. it’s all in the timing. When will
the
"moderate"
Republicans
make their break from the Evangelicals? They will probably wait for the
Bushites to invade another country or overstep themselves domestically
before acting.  They can always manufacture a crisis and get Cheney
and Ashcroft to freak out and declare martial law, or outlaw hip-hop
music, or arrest Howard Stern and shoot down his satellite, or something
equally over-the-top.

So get a good seat, folks, the show is about to begin.

article from the New York Times