ROGER SIMON COLUMN
JANUARY 31, 2005
WASHINGTON - - I recently sat down with Terry McAuliffe, the outgoing chairman of the Democratic National Committee. This is part of our conversation:
Me: What is the state of the Democratic Party today?
McAuliffe: On March 10, 2004, when John Kerry won the nomination, the party was more unified and in the best financial shape we have ever been in the history of our party. Now, it took four years to get there. When I came in this job, as you know, we were $18 million in debt, we had a dilapidated headquarters, we were spending millions of dollars a year leasing space around town, we no data file, no voter file. We're not like that today. We are now an institution that this year will raise $100 million. We will raise $75 million through small donors. And we have no debt, not an ounce of debt. We have state-of-the art technology, radio facilities, television facilities. We now have the tools. But money doesn't win the elections
Me: So what do the Democrats have to do to win elections?
McAuliffe: We need to go in with very specific messages, into the churches, into those Red States and talk to people. We need to talk to military families about military pay. We need to go in and talk about an immigration policy that the Democratic Party stands for. We need to do this in traditional Republican areas, so they understand where we are on these issues. There are Republican women who are pro-choice and we've got to go in with a message and talk to these people on the issue of choice.
Me: Didn't the Democrats do that in 2004?
McAuliffe: We need to go neighbor-to-neighbor. We can't hire people to go into these states. We can't do that anymore. We've got to have coffees in homes and bring people in.
Me: Why do you think Kerry lost?
McAuliffe: We can't over-analyze this election. I think there's a tendency to always do that. Ninety percent of it was the war on terrorism. After 9/11, when those planes went into those buildings, the die was cast. It made it very difficult (for Kerry to win.)
Me: What were some things the Kerry campaign should have done differently?
McAuliffe: At the convention, there was not enough of an attack on Bush. I mean, every reference to George Bush was taken out of my speech.
Me: Do you have anything positive to say about President Bush?
McAuliffe: I congratulate George Bush. He won the election. I said that to him when I saw him at the Clinton Library.
Me: Wasn't there some reason he won besides Sept. 11?
McAuliffe: Obviously, a huge piece of electability is connectability to the voters. They've got to like you; they've got to feel comfortable with you, and they liked George Bush. They liked him! People have got to feel comfortable with you. They want to be able to say, you know, 'He's a nice guy.'