Sosnik: Americans Desire Sense of Community
This week, the DNC's Podcast hosted Democratic Strategist Doug Sosnik, author of the new book "Applebee's America: How Successful Political, Business, and Religious Leaders Connect with the New American Community." In his interview, Sosnik outlines themes from his book, including Americans' desire to restore a sense of community which has been lost in the recent years. He criticizes President Bush for squandering opportunities to bring Americans together in the current climate of political partisanship and divisiveness.
"I think people are clearly now much more inclined to be part of something larger than just themselves. They want to be part of a community and that is one of the great failures of the Bush presidency. Not only did he not bring this country together as one as President, but he didn't even try. He had three of four opportunities to lead this country after winning a very divisive election in 2000 and he never even made the effort to bring the country together," said Sosnik.
Sosnik also discussed "gut value connections," personal connections politicians make with others that lead to their success. He says President Bush's handling of Hurricane Katrina ruined his ability to connect with the hearts and minds of Americans, and he may never regain their support.
"I think the last straw for most people in this country was Katrina - his inability to lead a government to respond to Katrina, his insensitivity about the problems for the folks in Louisiana at the time. If you look at the polls since Katrina, which has now been over a year, they largely have been consistent. I think for the most part, people in this country have made their mind up about George Bush and I don't think for the vast majority of this country will ever revisit how they feel about him and I don't think he'll ever regain their support level," said Sosnik
To listen to the Podcast, click here.
The DNC's Podcast, a brief audio broadcast that listeners can download for play on portable music devices or on computers, gives listeners a chance to regularly hear from party leaders, newsmakers, strategists, policy makers, and the grassroots of the Democratic Party.
