It’s amazing to watch the cat fight going on in the Democratic Party.  As bad as it is on the Republican side, at least the GOP is having its’ fight over legitimate issues and the future of the Conservative movement.  The Party of Lincoln is in the throngs of an epic battle between the Reagan conservative wing and the more moderate wing that now seems to support the distinguished Senator and honored war veteran John McCain.  
    In contrast, the Clinton machine is playing the hard ball politics it is well known for.  For some odd reason, the mainline democratic party is all in a tizzy over the Clintons using these same tactics on other Democrats - And I thought only Republicans eat their young.  
    Many of the old guard progressives including Kennedy and Kerry are so upset they are now openly supporting Obama.  The fact of the matter is the Democratic Party created the Clinton machine and now it now has no idea how to slow it down.  Much like parents who are unable to lay down the law for their spoiled child, democrats are dumbfounded by Bill Clintons’ frequent temper tantrums.
    Bill Clinton is that crying child on the subway, the elephant (or should I say donkey) in the room, the Godfather of the Democratic Party willing to go to the mattresses when need be.  Unaccustomed to being challenged, Mr. Clinton does not seem to care who he throws under the bus in his quest to return to the White House (oh ya, it is she who wants to wear the pants in the oval office, of course, he often didn’t have his on when he was running the country).  
    What is so amazing about the problems facing the Democratic Party is that they were completely avoidable.  In their quest to prevent the Republican Party from scoring a relatively short term political victory back in the 1990’s, democrat after democrat sold their souls to protect Bill Clinton.  
    We all heard the same diatribe, “It’s a private matter,” “It’s just about sex,”  “he didn’t lie,” and the ever present drum beat, “it’s a vast right wing conspiracy.”  Well, if you’re the President, nothing is a private matter, it was never about sex, he did lie, and there was no right wing conspiracy – the charges were in fact true.
    Regardless, even if all of those claims by the Clintonistas had a shred of truth to them, the choice to protect the Clintons at any cost is the reason why the Democratic Party is having its’ own private little war. While I would like to personally thank the Clintons and their gaggle of defenders, this round of Democratic angst could have been prevented.  
    As much as the DNC likes to blame Bush and the Republicans for the Red vs. Blue mentality that has become so pervasive in American politics, it is largely the fault of the Democratic Party.  Unlike the RNC, whom, when faced with the prospect of protecting a beleaguered President against a mountain of criticism for the clearly illegal actions of his underlings collectively proclaimed Nixon a Dead Man Walking, the DNC chose to circle the wagons and take a bullet in the name of protecting their boy.
    When Nixon resigned, he left a disgraced man, and I think he knew it.  Clinton refused to leave, thumbing his nose at the Office of the Presidency and all of us.  He too was a disgraced President, but refused to admit it.  Instead he made it his calling to rewrite history; much in the same way Mrs. Clinton now tries to rewrite history to emphasize her role in the Mr. Clinton Presidency.  
    In their deal with the Devil to save Mr. Clinton, Democrats failed to consider the implications of their actions.  Just as the parent who thinks they are doing the best for their child by not setting strict, or in this case any boundaries, Progressive leaders truly believed they were serving the interests of the Party, and by extension the country by letting the petulant President have his way the both Monica and the DNC donkey.
    Had they chosen a different path, perhaps the road less traveled but once by the Republicans, it seems likely the Democratic Party would be in an entirely different situation.   Rather then continue to play the role and service Mr. Clinton, perhaps it would have been better to choose the path to redemption.  While painful at first, in the end, this road only makes us stronger.
    That pain clearly would have been tough to swallow.  Throwing Clinton under the bus the way the GOP did to President Nixon would have seemed dreadful.  However, just like any good medicine, in the end, the DNC would have been stronger and healthier.
    If, in 2000, had Mr. Bush been in a battle against an incumbent Al Gore, it would have been a much tougher struggle.   It may very well be that Republicans would be going up against a sitting Vice President in 2008.  This without the drama of Bill and Hill show.  Sure, things still look better than 50/50 for a Democratic President in January 2009, but without the Clintons in the picture the DNC may well have been in a stronger position.  Heck, if certain media reports are true, McCain may even have been in contention for the DNC nomination in 2008.
    Of course, given the drama in the Republican Party these days, the rampage of Mr. Clinton may be the best thing going for the GOP.  As long as he continues to stir up trouble for his beloved Hillary, the Grand Old Party can get by, despite its growing pains.  If, as seems to be happening, Hillary can strap a muzzle on the former President, and the main stream media turns its attention away from the Clinton Parade towards the Battle for the Heart and Soul of the GOP, the disheartened conservative base may continue to flee in droves and a progressive president may be all but guaranteed.
    It's hard to imagine we have heard the last of BIll Clinton.  If Hillary earns the nominations, we can probably look forward to more of the Mr. Bill Show.  It seems unlikely that anyone, even Mrs. Clinton will be able to convince the former President to shove a sock in his pie hole for very long.  That could bode well for the GOP.  Despite Conservatives distrust and perhaps even dislike of Senator McCain, the Clintons may very well be the unifying force behind a GOP victory in November.  If  Mrs. Clinton falters, Obama may prove unstoppable, especially if large numbers of conservatives bail on Mr. McCain. 

We can only hope for more Bill Clinton.

                Everyone in this campaign has picked up on the “Change” bandwagon.  Unfortunately, no one is a true advocate of change.   The Democrats talk of change, but what they really want is a return to the old ways of big government, big spending and big time failures to affect any real change.

                1960’s era liberal great society programs failed to improve the lives of the poor.  In fact, the plight of the poor had started to improve before such programs were put in place.  After a short-lived improvement, long-term failure set in.  Today, most inner cities are dangerous pools of decay featuring failed schools, and lost hopes.  Generational poverty has created a class that, unless real change no party is willing to commit to happens, has no hope, no future, and no chance of living the American Dream.

                Many Urban Affairs academics advocate a greater centralized, European style government solution to inner city problems.  However, it is those very types of programs implemented in the 1960’s that has led to this new crisis in urban America. 

                Unfortunately, it seems that the GOP may also be caught in the web of “change” with the apparent rise of McCain.  Rather than looking toward small government, low taxes and decentralization, the electorate seems committed to move the party towards the populist, European, ”take care of me” mentality.  If this continues, January 20, 2009 may come to known as the day America went back to the future.

More later