by Dean Hartwell
Recently, I heard that President Bush raised more money this year
for the 2004 election than all of the Democratic candidates combined for the
first quarter of the year. It reminded me of the biblical story of David
and Goliath.
The
ten-foot tall Goliath of the Philistines terrorized David’s people, the
Israelis. He dared King Saul of
When no one else volunteered, little David stepped forward.
He took only a slingshot and five stones to fight Goliath, who was armed with a
sword. Catching the giant completely by surprise, David unleashed a stone
and struck Goliath in the forehead. The giant fell, allowing David to
take his sword and behead Goliath with it.
How does this story relate to the politics of the upcoming
presidential contest?
The Democrats can learn a lesson as they prepare to battle for the
right to take on Bush, a giant of a fundraiser. The Democratic nominee
need not be the best candidate at fundraising. He or she must instead be
the best prepared, the most able to adapt to changing situations, and the
quickest at seizing opportunities to advance.
Preparation means having a coherent set of ideas to discuss, much
like David’s five stones. Ideally, the candidate can articulate the ideas
with depth and clarity. Many Democratic candidates have criticized
President Bush for going to war against
Since the winds of politics frequently change, the Democrats must
be prepared to make adjustments in the same way David abandoned his sword and
selected his slingshot. They should remember Franklin Roosevelt’s
decision to speak to the public on the recently invented radio. They
should remember John Kennedy’s push for the first televised presidential
debates, which helped propel him to a close victory over Richard Nixon.
In this campaign, they could adapt to using the Internet, which has developed
into an effective way to distribute campaign information and to raise money.
In terms of opportunities, the Democrats, like David, should take
advantage of the enemy’s mistakes. Goliath made the mistake of
underestimating David and failing to duck when David’s rock flew toward
him. Bush may not make the mistake of underestimating the Democrat, but
may blunder by failing to give the public a full explanation as to why he
insisted that the
The Democratic nominee can win the next election by following the
David strategy. Despite the strong possibility of being outspent, the
Democrats have some advantages: they lead in holding opinions closest to what
the voters hold, the poor economy may continue to haunt President Bush and the
deficits cast doubts upon Bush's ability to manage the budget. It remains
to be seen if one of the candidates can step forward like David and take
advantage of these factors to make a victory happen.