Do ideas still play a role in electoral success or is it all about money and organization?
Ideas matter, and Republicans are winning the war of ideas. The liberal movement has no strong answer yet to the network of conservative think tanks and the proliferation of conservative talk-show hosts and bloggers such as Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Bill O’Reilly, James Dobson, and Matt Drudge, who define the issues of the day and can energize millions of voters. Republicans are also using ideas—school vouchers, private social security accounts, African relief—to appeal to the conservative thinkers in both parties. The Democrats are starting to realize their deficits and have begun funding new think tanks, media outreach, projects, and magazines. But the Democrats have yet to develop a coherent policy alternative to many of the conservative initiatives, including Social Security “reform” and the war in Iraq. 6. The conventional wisdom is that the Democrats are going to make big gains in the November midterm elections. What’s your take? If the polls and broad public opinion decided e
