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The solution to the credibility gap

(Arlington County Democratic Committee)“I meant what I said and I said what I meant. An elephant’s faithful one hundred percent.”
Dr. Seuss, Horton Hatches the Egg (1942)

We must all be reminded from time to time that there are few lessons in life that cannot be learned from Dr. Seuss. Nowhere is that mantra more true than in politics.

This month, we witnessed what many viewed as a seismic shift in politics. We saw five-term Senator Arlen Specter washed out of office in a Pennsylvania Democratic primary, just months after he switched from the Republican Party. We saw two-term incumbent Senator Blanche Lincoln, a conservative Democrat known for her unpredictable voting pattern, forced into a runoff in the Arkansas Democratic primary. And we saw Rand Paul, a Tea Party Republican, upset his establishment-backed opponent in the Kentucky Republican Senate primary because the establishment candidate sounded too calculated.

The media has spun these results as a condemnation of incumbency, claiming that there is a sweeping feeling in this country that we should remove those in power and start over fresh. But I think there is another, simpler explanation lost in this media-driven narrative – that is, the public wants to elect people who stand up for what they believe in, and are willing to tell people why.

This year in Virginia, we are very fortunate to have some Democrats who appear to already have learned the lessons of Dr. Seuss. Most notably, in the 5th District, we are fortunate to have Congressman Tom Perriello running for re-election. Though Congressman Perriello won in 2008 with the smallest margin of victory in any congressional district in the country, he has not shied away from tough votes.

He voted for health care reform, legislation to address global warming, and the President’s economic stimulus bill not because they were popular, but rather because they were the right thing to do for his constituents. And he has since spent every waking minute going around his district to explain why these votes were the right thing to do, hosting more town hall meetings than any other congressman in the country.

As a result, an amazing thing has happened: people have turned out in waves to support him – many of whom have never supported a Democrat before – because he says what he believes, and stands by it.

As we move into a tough election season, Democrats everywhere should take this experience to heart. The change the public is clamoring for is first and foremost a change in attitude. They are looking for candidates who will say what they believe, and will stand by those beliefs as they ask for support at the ballot box.

Voters are not looking necessarily for someone they agree with all the time, but they are looking for someone whose votes they can understand and respect. Seventy years ago, Dr. Seuss reminded us to say what we mean and mean what we say. To be successful at the polls, this is a mantra to which we Democrats must always be faithful – 100 percent.