The Democrats’ Fantasy Island

With the race tightening in the final stretch, Democrats have begun to believe—for the first time since the Boston convention—that Kerry really will win. Their spirits are rising, their “get out the illegals” drives in full swing, their lawyers primed and ready. But what if they lose again after all? Few Democrats have been prepared to discuss this awful prospect in public. That is partly for reasons of decorum and partly because Kerry may well win—and where would the pessimistic strategist be then? But there are occasional brave cases of men who will put their future where their mouth is.

Todd Gitlin, professor of journalism and sociology at Columbia University, is one such. Writing in a recent issue of The Washington Monthly, he explored what the Left would and should do after a Kerry defeat. His argument was, essentially, that leftwingers should imitate the Goldwater conservatives after 1964 and embark on a long march through the institutions of the Democratic party. “Many of the young go-for-broke voters,” Gitlin said, “having failed to change the world in their first electoral outing, will be tempted to paint themselves into a gaudy Naderite corner . . . some of the far left will yield to fury, sullenness and despair. The Greens will recruit.” These futile ideological gestures will make future defeats even more likely.

About the Author

John O’Sullivan

John O’Sullivan is a senior fellow at National Review Institute and a contributing editor of National Review.

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With the race tightening in the final stretch, Democrats have begun to believe—for the first time since the Boston convention—that Kerry really will win. Their spirits are rising, their “get out the illegals” drives in full swing, their lawyers primed and ready. But what if they lose again after all? Few Democrats have been prepared to discuss this awful prospect in public. That is partly for reasons of decorum and partly because Kerry may well win—and where would the pessimistic strategist be then? But there are occasional brave cases of men who will put their future where their mouth is.

Todd Gitlin, professor of journalism and sociology at Columbia University, is one such. Writing in a recent issue of The Washington Monthly, he explored what the Left would and should do after a Kerry defeat. His argument was, essentially, that leftwingers should imitate the Goldwater conservatives after 1964 and embark on a long march through the institutions of the Democratic party. “Many of the young go-for-broke voters,” Gitlin said, “having failed to change the world in their first electoral outing, will be tempted to paint themselves into a gaudy Naderite corner . . . some of the far left will yield to fury, sullenness and despair. The Greens will recruit.” These futile ideological gestures will make future defeats even more likely.