Wonderful editorial in the Wall Street Journal today that spins out one of my favorite conceits – that there is no difference between the Mafia (the mob, la cosa nostra, call it what you will) and party politics. The details are very much American politics “inside-baseball”, but I have no doubt that a similar column could be written in England or elsewhere. A taste:
Al Gore’s grandly public endorsement of Howard Dean last week confirms my view that the easiest way to understand the Democratic Party today is by watching “The Godfather.”
I think of Bill Clinton as the Don Corleone of the Democratic Party. In the organization, there is no one above him. Terry McAuliffe is his Tom Hagen, who talks to the outside world. I leave it to others to fill out the rest of the cast.
It has been talked about among the cognoscenti for some weeks now that the new Dean organization, if he secured the nomination, would challenge the Clintons’ control of the party apparatus, meaning mainly the cash flow from contributors and the unions. But I thought it more likely that if Mr. Dean got the nomination, he would be visited over a table in a nice restaurant, the Palm in Washington, by Mr. McAuliffe and Harold Ickes, who would explain that he could win the presidency with them, but not without them.
With this understanding, an alliance of partners would result. The old organization and its traditional sources of income–the patronage mills, the government contracts, the public-bond issues, the legal jobs–would survive, and Mr. Dean’s people would be given significant control, maybe half. Now it’s not so clear that Howard Dean needs to cut a deal with the Clinton factions, because maybe the factions aren’t so close to the Clintons anymore.
I have long suspected that by far the most important aspect of the current Democratic primary is the internal struggle for control of the party that it is part of. Howard Dean has never liked the Clintons, who now control the party, and owes them nothing – he has his own internet-based grassroots and fundraising machinery. If he wins the nomination, he will become the new head of the Democratic Party, displacing the Clintons.
The Clintons have to oppose Dean because they don’t have any hooks in him – if you don’t understand this, you don’t understand power politics at all. The Clintons have always been the primary motivator behind the Stop Dean movement. They must maintain their control of the Democratic Party, or Hillary’s Presidential ambitions will come to naught. Wesley Clark, the quintessential Stop Dean candidate, is wholly a creation of the Clintons. The Clintons aren’t concerned that Dean will win the Presidency and prevent Hillary from running in 2008 (as the incumbent, Dean would be almost impossible for Hillary to challenge). They are concerned that Dean will win the nomination and control of the party, so that they will lose their only remaining fingerhold on influence, and the wealth and power it brings.
I regard the Clintons as a cancer on my country, and so, even though I think Howard Dean would make a dreadful President, I am all in favor of his winning the nomination.
Hmm, I don’t know, I think I’d rather have a Clinton (Bill, not Hillary) headed democratic party. When compared to Dean, Clinton seems like a voice of pure sweet reason. Relatively speaking of course, its kind of like saying Castro’s a nice guy….when you compare him to Stalin.
Scuttlebutt also has it that this is a scheme on the part of Al Gore to challenge Clinton for the capo di capi title.
Then James Carville is the Cajun Luca Brasi? And the Dem nemesis is George W. Barzini?
Yeah, Fionna, Gore is majorly pissed at the Clintons, who stiffed him from taking over the party when he was the nominee in 2000.
Gore’s decision to endorse Dean a few blocks from Clinton’s office in Harlem was a major insult.
Robert,
Thank you for that post. Fascinating, yes even to a furr’ner like me.
Strange. I always thought of it in terms of LOTR. 🙂 Perhaps I’m the oddball.
Sauron = Bill and/or Hillary Clinton
Nazgul = Clintonistas
Leader of Nazgul = Terry McAuliffe
Orcs = regular Democrats
Saruman = Howard Dean
Uruk’hai = Dean Democrats
The One Ring = Control of the Democratic Party
Frodo = Dubya 🙂
Samwise = Cheney
It’s a bit odd but amusing to me. And who is Gollum?
Wesley Clark of course. Who else?
If Dean does win thet nomination and wrench the party away from the Clintons, it’ll probably be a bit like when Reagan came out of nowhere in 1980 and was propelled by his grass roots base into control of the party. The GOP has been much more individual donor driven since then, and if Dean wrests the Dems from the Clintons, I’d expect to see his grassroots internet money machine melded with the current party apparatus (if he ended up beating W, which I wouldn’t bet on, his control would of course be insured. )
Reagan literally shocked the hell out of much of the GOP establishment by having supporters mobilize out of nowhere and show up at caucuses, grabbing the party machinery precinct by precinct. He got the base out with a short, clear platform; GOP activists got registered members who’d never been directly involved with the party to show up to party caucuses.
If Dean pulls such moves (not sure how comparable Dem. internal party structure is), then you’ll know he’s playing hardball with the Clintons. If he doesn’t, then his only real chance to grab all the party machinery will be if his Internet supporters actaully carry him to victory in Nov., then it’s of course a done deal (heh, instead of head of Party being PM, the President is automatically head of Party here. We like it backwards in the US! 🙂
— internet-based grassroots and fundraising machinery. If he wins the nomination, he will become the new head of the Democratic Party, displacing the Clintons.–
The Prof links to Drudge – moveon.org was soliciting international funds to help defeat W – a no-no in US politics.
The comparison to a crime family is perfectly fitting for the Democratic Party of today.
Clinton, arguably the most corrupt president in American history, is indeed reminisicent of a mafia boss. His actions in controlling the party through Terry McCauliffe just proves this even after he left office.
Dean is just a far-left wacko that have captured the wacko sentiment among the extreme leftist block of the Democratic Party. If he does win the nomination, (which is likely at this point), he will not only bring the party down in flames, but also destroy the Clintonista strangehold on the party.
Neither Dean or Hillary will ever become president, that is as certain as the sun rising. So regardless of what the outcome is in this internal party struggle, the Democratic party is becoming the perennial minority.
Johan – as nice an idea as that is, don’t count the Dems out so easily. They’re in a bad spot right now, and there are tough times ahead in correcting that, but it doesn’t mean we can be sure the Clintons/ Dean will never win. It’s possible, if not likely.
As Han Solo said “Great kid! Don’t get cocky!”
Re: MoveOn.org/Dean/Clark collecting international funds.
It’s understandable from a human perspective, but criminal none the less. Naturally people outside of America are affected by the policies and action of the US President, and so they want to be involved in choosing him. Also naturally, under-dogs are always looking for all the help they can get.
But when you’re running for President of the USA, you answer to the people of the USA, and us only. We’re jealous that way. Internal special interests are bad enough. Foreign special interests are right out.
I’m not sure what the exact consequences of soliciting money from foreign donors is, but this could do Dean and Clark significant damage if it pans out.
Of course, the people whose vote they’re trying to get often think the UN and the “International” opinion is more moral than the American one anway, so maybe it won’t.
You underestimate Clinton’s power among Jewish money people.
“But honey, if Monica willingly did it for the President….”
Perhaps closer to reality than the WSJ piece intends … according to Robert Littell’s account in “The Company”, loyal Chicago Democratic campaigner and feared Mob boss Sam Giancana arranged to help his president out with the Bay of Pigs plan when asked to do what the administration could not: whack Castro before the battalions hit the beach. The deal was brokered by Rosselli, according to this account.
A special,fast-acting poison was disguised as Bayer aspirin and a waiter at Fidel’s favourite restaurant paid to do the deed, according to the story.
But someone in on theplan tipped off Castro (probably via the Russians). The waiter was hit first. Then, years later, Giancana was shot in the face seven times through a pillow in his bed and Rosselli vanished (apparently to sleep with the fishes). And what did Capo Fidel warn JFK earlier: “if US presidents try to destroy the leaders of sovereign countries, they should not be surprised if they come under threat themselves.”
Makes you wonder, eh.
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