A few days old, but still, this difference in approach is something that needs to be discussed, and I would like your collective take on more aggressive progressives.
*Cross Posted from My Left Wing, and at John Edward’s Website,(now hidden there, heh!) Progressive Historians, and Independent Bloggers Alliance.
I posted the beginnings of these thoughts in the Open Thread, but decided I was not done with the subject.
The video:
My original response is here, but I felt the need to expound.
Liberal leadership has learned one thing well. The slash and burn tactics (now known as “swiftboating”) by the far Right makes them walk on eggshells.
What they did not learn is that the Right really doesn’t care who it pisses off.
Americans like to be pissed off.
If they employ the tactics of people like Coulter, Limbaugh and O’Reilly, they know someone will be offended… but others will enjoy that righteous-feeling indignant bullshit spewing.
It works. It employs the “tsk tsk” factor of the religious right (defined by me only as the very fanatic sector) who love to give anyone their comeuppance.
So they move the Overton Window merely by expressing the wildest accusatory *vindicatives (*Dianeism word) they can, and making it palatable by repetition.
Anyone who stands strong against their agenda is ridiculed, called Unpatriotic and bullied into submission. Americans see the bullied left cower and retreat to these tactics and begin to believe the meme of “cut and run cowards”. Gore was a perfect example. A man suited well for the job lost respect even among those of us who liked his message for not having the balls to stand up & demand his election be honored.
Americans do not suffer a coward.
Then they line up a strong “Daddy” figure to make it all okay for us. Works every time. They can even get the village idiot elected by means of likability and strong use of sound byte cliche’s. Sound like you have unbreachable commitment and you win.
Remember this? Remember COURAGE?
Now is the time for someone to Stand and Speak to the ideal of doing the Hard Thing because it is the Right Thing.
It was not enough for John Edwards to speak about ending the war. Not enough. He opened the door to the Right to abuse him, without speaking boldly ala Kieth Olbermann, that the ONLY Patriotic thing to do is stop bleeding our nation, both literally and figuratively by staying in a failed and ill-chosen war.
Americans are angry, have been angry for so many years now, it is turning into apathetic feelings of hopelessness. Many of us here are writing less in the face of complete disillusionment with our Elected Representatives. May I say that again, lest they forget?
You are elected to REPRESENT US, that is your job, and you are failing miserably, Washington.
Over 70% of the people want out of this war, yet still our representatives cower in the face of actually saying so!
I’m sorry, but the one who can tap this, the one who captures our attention will speak for us, thus:
WE ARE MAD AS HELL AND WE AREN’T GOING TO TAKE IT ANY MORE!!
Address it, Mr. Edwards, or lose smiling. Show your rage, show you feel as betrayed as we do. Or lose. Until someone stands for us, we will not show at the polls, will not vote for more of the same, we will “waste” our votes on Independents who actually speak for us in protest.
You know what we want?
1. Out of the War.
2. The Constitution not to be “A Piece of Paper”.
a) habeas corpus
b) illegal search and seizure
c) civil rights
d) no torture
3. An Economy without the yoke of trillions spent elsewhere in an unwinnable conflict.
4. Infrastructure. Katrina is still not resolved.
5. Rights over our own bodies, Roe v Wade
6. Gay people to be treated as human beings under the law.
Get my drift? Are you shaking in your boots for fear of all/any of those touchy issues? Good, because so are they! Were they NOT, they would not fight against them so vehemently.
The man (or woman) who will win our hearts and perhaps reclaim our country’s pride will stand.
Will Stand, not because it is easy, but because it is Hard, and the Right Thing to Do.
They will stand and say,
They will stand and say “I will HONOR this CONSTITUTION, not make a mockery of it, and you shall not fear your own government. I am not the Decider, YOU ARE, and I will honor YOUR wishes, and allow the system of checks and balances to work as Our Founders intended. I will not be a dictator.
I will bring our wearied soldiers home, to stand ready to protect you from the Real Dangers that are. I will not spend their salaries on private Mercenaries who are robbing this country blind.
Americans have spoken, and I speak for them when I say, the Right Thing at this time is to leave Iraq. It is not our battle and weakens our ability to protect ourselves by overextending ourselves there.
I am brave and strong and will guard our ports and honor GOOD intelligence. That is the best way to protect us, not creating more terrorists by our interference in a civil war.
I will protect the poor from exploitation, and stand for their rights in face of a disaster.
While we each have the right to Worship as we choose, and do as our morals dictate, America was founded on Freedom, and I uphold the Freedoms for All Americans, and their right to pursuit of happiness. The hard choice, the right choice is to allow people of any orientation choose partners and commit to them as they choose. To allow women the choice of their own reproductive rights. Americans don’t dictate others lives. It was not so long ago, that we left another country for the right to do as we chose, religiously, so we must not infringe on other, whether or not we agree with them. Americans LOVE personal Freedom.
A Real American Leader will not sneak into your private affairs. A True Patriot does not break laws himself, and does not lower the American Way to that of torturers and bad guys. We wear the White Hat and Do the Right Thing!
He stands for the good of all of you, not just the wealthy. He will not stand idle while you lose your homes crying “NO TAXES” that in reality mean only for the wealthy.
We are the richest nation in the World, yet most of you are without health care, or the financial burden of said health care is crippling you; both privately, and in global competition for YOUR jobs by nations with health care.
I hear you America, and stand beside you, for you and at YOUR SERVICE.
*************************************
Until this happens, we all lose.
Until someone speaks for us, the boogeyman wins. Our collective frustration will follow he who stirs our blood, as always, for the right reasons or the wrong ones.
Its time for someone to speak to the roots and solutions, the REAL reason for our collective anger and fear.
For Americans are angry, and he who channels this Righteous Anger will win.
Come out swinging for once, and America will follow.
It is Time.
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out of the people running *so far* I think Edwards is the closest to my ideals (& yours)
I agree the 2 min ad should have had more passion BUT it was a Very Bold step to even take out that ad, doncha think?
I’ve been following the diaries @ the Orange place, especially those of ‘be inspired’ (and she is Very Inspiring!) Many of Edwards speeches are linked there and he does seem to have the passion you speak of on many of them. Maybe you should see them?
I had come up with a list of ideas that I’d like, my ‘ultimate fantasy candidate’, before I started reading those candidate diaries:
a return to seeing the potential of the people & the country
No money from corporations
Use a portion of campaign funds to help real people
(word of mouth is best advertisement)
Get real about poverty line by putting congress & all associated employees on no benefits @ minimum wage
All lobbying money goes to fund education, from K-college.
Community service as payback for higher degrees (lawyer, doctor, etc)
Real fines for environmental catastrophes (oil spills, etc) plus environmental clean-up costs.
Real jail time for white collar/corporate criminals & confiscation of ALL assets (Enron, dirty politicians)
Guess who comes nearest my fantasy candidate?