Op-Ed: Democrats Won't Win Unless They Connect With Average Voters

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In theory, the Democrats should be riding high politically. Everything is falling into place for them. We are bogged down in Iraq and Afghanistan with no clear site regarding the outcome of those expensive and tragic wars. The economy is in a recession although it technically doesn't qualify for one as yet. However, many ordinary citizens who aren't wealthy or economists believe that we have been in a recession for several months. The price of energy is sky high and rising uncontrollably. The United States has a mortgage crisis with a record-number of foreclosures. We have huge budget and trade deficits. Many people are depressed and angry. The situation is starkly similar to the Spring of 1980 when the American people were extremely upset with President Carter regarding the economy and the Iranian hostage crisis.

However, speaking in a practical political sense, things aren't going well for the Democrats. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama are bickering over their past associations and comments. Many people want them to focus on the issues rather than personalities. Meanwhile, John McCain, a supporter of the current Iraqi quagmire not to mention free trade and open, unlimited immigration, is currently tied or leading in the polls against either Obama or Clinton. This shouldn't be happening but it is and the Democrats are in trouble.

Why is this happening? One of the reasons is the liberal elite within the Democratic Party. They are rearing their ugly heads once again. Take, for example, the discussion about race in this country. Bill Clinton was roundly criticized for saying that Barack Obama is winning the black vote in South Carolina. Why is that racist? It's essentially a true statement.

Regarding Barack Obama, it's politically incorrect to analyze him closely without being accused of racism. Obama is a product of liberal elitism. He has been groomed to lead. He was chosen by John Kerry to give the keynote address at the Democratic National Convention in 2004. He became a community organizer in Chicago and enlisted David Axelrod as his presidential campaign manager. Axelrod was previously a strategist to Chicago Mayor Richard Daley. Obama got the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate in 2004 and won largely due to the Chicago political machine.

Why is Hillary Clinton having so much trouble now? There are a myriad of reasons why but this is one of them: ''The party's liberal-elite side resents Bill's performance, especially his move to the right after winning the White House but then losing Congress in 1994.''

Reagan and Clinton were successful presidents because they didn't succumb to the elites. When push came to shove, they rejected it because they wanted to survive politically. Also, it didn't hurt that they had strong, charismatic personalities. Democrats won the 2006 midterm elections because they connected with average voters. If Obama or Clinton run like Dukakis and Kerry, the Democrats will lose when circumstances are in their favor.