Contrast this with Bill Clinton’s “ smart triangulation ” in 1992 – smart triangulation is indirect because it’s about reassurance not appeasement or pandering. Clinton famously attacked an untalented bigot and rap artist “ Sister Souljah ” for her anti-white hatred in the presence of the then kingmaker of the Democratic Party, Jesse Jackson, who was to say the least, not pleased. At the time, it was common for white Democrats to go into verbal contortions to avoid expressing criticism of a member of a minority group, no matter how morally outrageous the behavior that might be involved. Sister Souljah was an excellent foil for Clinton because her attitudes and views were more or less so indefensible as to be a “ straw man” on the issues of race relations. However, Southern whites took note that Clinton was not Micheal Dukakis or Walter Mondale and he was not going to knuckle under to politically counterproductive demands from Rev. Jackson or pretend that racist ranting from black crackpots was morally different from that of white ones. Indirect but very effective because it merged the outreach to disaffected Southern whites with the Democratic Party’s positive strengths by applying principles equally.

Never is a Party more at sea then during the political interregnum between its last dominating political master and the rise of the next. 2004 may be a rough year for the Democrats.

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