The Dog and the Bone

The Dog and the Bone
China Post Editorial
by Bevin Chu
March 31, 2009

A dog was carrying a bone over a bridge. Looking down into the water, it saw its own reflection, which looked like another dog carrying another bone. Wanting the other dog's bone as well as its own, the dog opened his mouth to bark at it. But in doing so, dropped its own bone into the river, where it was lost forever.
-- Aesop's Fable "The Dog and the Bone"

The dog in our political allegory is Ma Ying-jeou. The bone in the dog's mouth is the 58% majority of Pan Blue voters who gave Ma Ying-jeou his stunning landslide victory in March 2008. And last but not least, the reflected bone in the water is the 42% minority of voters whose votes Ma Ying-jeou was unable to win over no matter how hard he tried.

Ma Ying-jeou wants a second term in 2012. Red Shirt Army leader Shih Ming-teh thinks Ma Ying-jeou wants a second term so desperately he can think of little else. As Shih Ming-teh put it, the Republic of China has no president. It has a presidential candidate running for re-election.

In fact, the 58% majority of Pan Blue voters who gave Ma YIng-jeou his historic and unprecedented landslide in 2008, would like nothing better than to give him the second term he wants so desperately.

The problem is, Ma Ying-jeou isn't making it easy for them. In fact, Ma Ying-jeou couldn't be making it harder.

Why?

Because Ma Ying-jeou is convinced he won the 2008 Presidential Election by means of "triangulation."

According to Bill Clinton political adviser Dick Morris, who coined the term, ''Triangulation is a process of taking the best ideas from each party and combining them into a coherent policy and program. It is not just splitting the difference, but molding a creative synthesis which rises above the doctrine of either party.''

Translation: "Broaden your appeal on the backs of your own party faithful."

Triangulation worked for Bill Clinton. But many rank and file Democrats believe triangulation has eroded the principles of those who use the strategy and more importantly, led to one election defeat after another.

In 2000, Al Gore called for larger tax cuts than George W. Bush. Gore's attempt at triangulation was perceived as an admission that Bush was right.

In 2004, John Kerry declared, "I did vote for [the Iraq War] before I voted against it." Kerry's attempt at triangulation was perceived as an admission that the war was justified.

The Democratic Party leadership, by pandering to "conservative swing voters" and neglecting its liberal core supporters, merely strengthened the ideological hand of the Republican Party, in turn held captive by the Christian fundamentalist right.

Ma Ying-jeou and the KMT leadership, by pandering to "Pan Green swing voters" and neglecting their Pan Blue core supporters, merely strengthens the ideological hand of the Democratic Progressive Party, in turn held captive by the Taiwan independence fundamentalist right.

Ma Ying-jeou believes he can get away with neglecting his Pan Blue core supporters because they are captive voters who have no where else to go.

But Ma Ying-jeou's poll numbers tell a different story. According to Global Views Magazine, by October 2008 Ma Ying-jeou's approval rating had plummeted to nearly 20%, from a high of nearly 80%.

Ma Ying-jeou's belief in triangulation is a dangerous delusion that could cost him a second term. More importantly, it could cost Republic of China citizens their best hope for an economic rebirth and long term peace.

Barack Obama spoke out against Gulf War II even though his handlers told him it was a mistake. He said "We've had enough of triangulation and poll-driven politics. That's not what we need right now." He said he did not want to "enter the United States Senate already having compromised on core principles."

Ma Ying-jeou, the bone in the water, "Pan Green swing voters," is an illusion. Yellow Dog DPP supporters would vote for a yellow dog before they would vote for a KMT candidate, especially a "mainlander."

The bone in your mouth, your Pan Blue core supporters, is real. Fulfil the promises you made to them during your election campaign, and you will have all the votes you need for a second term.