JON CARROLL: "What do Democrats believe? Well, you know what Republicans believe. Well, Democrats believe the other thing. Democrats stand for a vision to be named later.
Poverty was not a secret before Hurricane Katrina hit. The plight of inner-city African Americans was not a secret before the storm hit. If Democrats had wanted an issue, that was always there. If Democrats wanted to stay on message, there was that message. It's not the only possible message, but it's a pretty good one -- and it's a message that reaches across ideological lines to the so-called 'values voters.'
Here's the first thing the Democrats should do. Stop taking the pundits seriously. Stop responding to every mini-flurry of gossip or speculation that eddies through the corridors of Washington. That is not real life. That is not what we care about out here in people-land."
We need another party. One that listens and is interested in what the people, not the corporations, want and need. This country is "spinning" out of control and the ones who are going to pay are the ones who can least afford it. This doesn't just apply to poor people. My definition of poor is if you make less than $18k a year in this country. Their definition of poor is if you didn't donate $20k to the cause. This is proving to be something of a surprise to middle America, who were under a totally different impression.
It is time for our Heartland to actually become the Heart of this great Nation and return to a time when we accomplish things instead of destroy, limit and judge. We do need a uniter, someone who can see both sides of the issue and communicate that while they agree and disagree, that they are not for sale, and whose only intention is to work for four straight years until we return to some semblance of reality.
It is time that the people elected actually work, instead of working to get reelected. Their job is to represent all of us, not just the people and corporations who gave money to their campaign. Or bought their house or flew the all over the world.
We're AMERICANS we can do anything if we set our collective will. We supposedly walked on the moon within 10 years of declaring it a goal. (Now we can't get there again until 2018?) With the internet, local television and hometown newspapers, a copy machine or your local Kinko's, the two party system can be circumvented. With enough "buzz" maybe it will get picked up as a fantasy story and get more exposure. A new party has to start somewhere. The Independent party hasn't worked, the Greens are a little too vegetarian and the Libertarians, while I agree with a lot of what they say, are a little too much or little, depending on your perspective.
What to do, what to do.
Hmmm... I'm not sure. The Democratic Party may not have had it's last hurrah yet. I believe it's still possible to chnage the party if an individual is able to mobilize a segment of the grassroots -- if successful, word travels, and more join the action. And the media would pay attention; they move in the direction the wind is blowing, and media coverage is critical.
ReplyDeleteLook at Howard Dean. He came almost out of nowhere and The fact that he was characterized as too 'passionate' about his politics by the Democratic establishment, not the "right" nominee to challenge Chimp in '04 -- and that he was pilloried for shouting Yah-hoo!, shows how threatened they were by the nature of his canadicy.
BTW, I wasn't a Proto-God From Beyond Space & Time For Dean; I was in favor of Kucinich, but in retrospect Dean was the kind of candidate, a feisty representative of Democratic values, the party needs. At present he looks as if he's muzzled himself, as he promised he would do.
There are very few Dems I respect at this point. If they continue to do nothing but play the Beltway game, then it's time to start thinking about a third party. We need a figure -- a Robert Kennedy or a Martin Luther King -- to stand up amongst the Democratic party and speak for all of us. Perhaps I'm asking for too much, but it is what we so desperately need.