By the time John Kerry finished his acceptance speech at the Democratic convention, it was clear that this is not Jimmy Carter’s Democratic Party. Republicans have sometimes been accused of overemphasizing military power, but the martial images in Boston were thicker than at an Army-Navy football game.
Although the references to the nominee’s Vietnam experience were heavy-handed at times, they underscore a welcome development: The Democrats want to be taken seriously on national security, and they’ve taken some big steps in that direction.
Start with the platform. The Democrats traditionally give the highest priority to economic matters, but this one begins with a lengthy section on defeating terrorism and strengthening the military. A remarkable moment in vice presidential nominee John Edwards’ speech came when he declared, “We will have one clear, unmistakable message for Al Qaeda and the rest of these terrorists: You cannot run. You cannot hide. And we will destroy you.” And there was Kerry stepping to the podium, saluting and announcing that he was “reporting for duty.”
There was a time when Democrats were not entirely comfortable with flexing America’s military muscles and not very believable doing it. The ridicule of Michael Dukakis riding in a tank occurred mainly because it was so out of character. The Democrats constantly invoke Kerry’s combat credentials to make sure Republicans can’t depict him as a wimp.
This is part of a bigger transformation. Al From, founder of the centrist Democratic Leadership Council, thinks his group has succeeded largely in steering the party to the middle–a course that helped elect the pragmatic Bill Clinton. In From’s view, this convention was a showcase for “New Democrats,” who reject old-style big government solutions in favor of policies that stress opportunity and responsibility.
“The main debate in the primaries was whether to build on Clintonism or reverse it,” From says. “The Howard Dean strategy was to reverse it, and the voters said no.”
At the same time, Democrats are fighting many of their instincts. A news media poll found the convention delegates to be well to the left not only of the electorate, but also of most Democratic voters. The question is whether activists will be content with New Democrat solutions after the election, or if the party’s interest groups will see a Kerry presidency as a chance to stifle needed innovations that threaten their power.
That’s not the only problem. For all his criticisms of the administration’s handling of Iraq, Kerry has yet to offer a compelling alternative strategy. Should he be elected, he may find himself torn between Democrats who are ready to sacrifice for a stable Iraq and those who want our troops out at any price.
Still, it counts as progress that the Democrats have nominated someone who voted for the Iraq war resolution, welfare reform, No Child Left Behind and assorted free-trade measures. Walter Mondale may have trouble recognizing his old party at times, and that’s not a bad thing.
