Dems fight labels
"Don't underestimate our ability to blow it," he said.
There is a reason Democrats are on edge. They have lost so many elections where it seemed they were running with the wind, the phenomenon is known in political circles as Democrats "embracing their inner-defeatist." (Watch the 'wuss factor is real' -- 1:39 
)
Herewith the proof: Democrats have been the minority on Capitol Hill for most of the past 12 years.
When George W. Bush leaves office in January 2009, Democrats will have occupied the Oval Office just 12 of the previous 40 years.
In the past two election cycles, Al Gore and John Kerry lost the entire South and most of the Midwest and West.
As part of our election series "Broken Government," CNN asked self-identified Democrats around Miami, Florida, Chicago, Illinois and Los Angeles, California, how they view their party. It was word association, "I say Democrat, you say ... " Not scientific, but instructive.
Here is some of what we heard:
&http://rss.cnn.com/~r/rss/cnn_allpolitics/~3/40939292/http://rss.cnn.com/~r/rss/cnn_allpolitics/~3/40939292/#8226; "Disorganized"
&http://rss.cnn.com/~r/rss/cnn_allpolitics/~3/40939292/http://rss.cnn.com/~r/rss/cnn_allpolitics/~3/40939292/#8226; "Afraid to take a stand"
&http://rss.cnn.com/~r/rss/cnn_allpolitics/~3/40939292/http://rss.cnn.com/~r/rss/cnn_allpolitics/~3/40939292/#8226; "Not giving us anything better to look at"
&http://rss.cnn.com/~r/rss/cnn_allpolitics/~3/40939292/http://rss.cnn.com/~r/rss/cnn_allpolitics/~3/40939292/#8226; "A little soft"
Such views were so widespread, we began to key in on a single question: What is wrong with Democrats?
See what Democrats say about their own party)
It basically boiled down to a political history through which Democrats are seen as weak on defense, dismissive of rural and Southern culture and out of touch with white middle-class voters.
Some of the problems are more than three decades old. That took us to Mitchell, South Dakota, for a visit with George McGovern, the Democrats' 1972 presidential nominee.
McGovern ran for president with a call for an immediate pullout from Vietnam. He was tagged as weak on communism and lost the election.
A bona fide World War II hero who won the Distinguished Flying Cross, McGovern said maybe he should have played up that part of his resume.
"I know the term 'McGovernite' is used as a swear word," he told CNN. "So be it."
The Democratic Party still struggles to shake "the wuss factor."
Think: Max Cleland, the former senator from Georgia who lost two legs and an arm in Vietnam. He was defeated in his 2002 re-election bid in a brutal campaign that featured an opposition ad questioning his commitment to protecting the nation.
We caught up with Cleland to reflect on his loss and his party. Things will be different in this election, he promised.
"We're not going to let them get away with it," he said. "This time we're fighting back."
Save |
Print | E-mail | Most Popular 
