Back around the time it became apparent that Obama had the election sewn up, I stated that the biggest difference between Bush and Obama for activists …would be what we were allowed to do.
Since all of our efforts at the time were necessarily about taking Bush down, and pushing the Dems to do so, we couldn’t accomplish much on advancing Progressive/Liberal causes. Especially in the political atmosphere of the time.
But then the election came and not only was Obama FAR more interested in kissing Republican ass in his fever dream of bipartisanship than in listening to the Left. Add to that the Obamacrats acting like applying political pressure to a democratic President was some sort of religious hereticism and blasphemy, and we STILL couldn’t get much done.
But now the tide is STARTING to turn. The Obamacrats can no longer claim that Obama is playing eleventh dimensional chess, they can no longer even pretend that Obama has “got this” (even though they are VERY good at pretending) and Obama himself is starting to actually take on the Repubs instead of pandering to them…to try to get even ONE Repub vote for some watered down POS legislation that wouldn’t wok anyway because the Dems had pre-compromised and capitulated anything meaningful away.
And as that tide starts to turn, it will raise the boats of the activist Left.
The political and social environment will FINALLY be conducive to activism….just as a rise in Populist anger and rejection of the status quo starts to explode in the run up to the ’10 elections.
That will make the message of the Left even more powerful as a counterpoint to the teabaggers and Old Elephants….and the Rahm style of politics, i e catering to the Corporate Wing of the Party and insulting the Populist wing.
So our opportunity to start working in a positive (relatively) political and social atmosphere is ALMOST here.
The question is then, what do we do about it? What are our priorities, what is our agenda, what will be our strategy and tactics and most importantly…..what will WORK.
Imo, the cornerstone of all efforts simply must be pushing towards, if not at all times directly for…Public Financing of elections and an end to Corporate Personhood. Adding in a healthy dose of Class War for spice, lol
With an emphasis on, as the Repub Denialism is discredited…that whole “saving the planet” thing.
What do you Dirty Fucking Hippies think? What are our priorities, what is our agenda, what will be our strategy and tactics?
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I think we need to work on our secret handshake and codebook.
;-}
okay okay Ill try to get serious.
certain people are mad. Very mad. And I’m both worried and at the same time among the angry.
The Democrats have to get certain things done this year. Not all of it because it all cannot be done. What upsets me about the general state of the Democratic pumping center is that they seem to think these are ordinary times with ordinary congressional and government strategies sufficing, and that coming back to the base empty handed on a passel of issues is an option.
The sensation of major progress at least is not optional. This year. Before the 2010 elections.
And the same roadblock is always offered up which is that the Republicans won’t let the Democrats do x, y or z, often because of the filibuster. But coming back to the base empty handed for 2010 is a sure fire strategy for defeat and for getting a one term president.
Bottom line, what has to be done is to eviscerate Republican obstructionism in a responsible way in the Senate so as to limit the ability of the minority party to resist, forever, the agenda of the other side.
And that this evisceration is done with the full bore acknowledgement of the Democratic leadership, including Congress, Obama and the DNC that this beating back of the obstructionism is taking priority so that other things can be done.
Once this is accomplished (and again it is not optional), then the Democratic Congress has to move forward on campaign finance reform, DADT repeal, and certain basic steps to alleviate pressure on working families in terms of jobs and health care. Even if these things are small and not all encompassing, they have to get done.
It’s the sensation of progress, not its full bore achievement, that one needs to look at in a political sense — the sense that the Democrats are doing things for their constituents. And that can’t be hot air, it has to be full of actual things.
on the progressive agenda. It may well be starting to have an effect since Sen Specter is now proposing reconciliation as a solution to passing HCR. I haven’t looked lately but I believe there are the 50 votes to get this through with a public option or an expansion of Medicare, which I think is the best solution because it’s already in place and working.
I think many voters and even representatives like Specter, who may just be trying to save his job, are seeing that bipartisanship is nonexistent. The message sent by the voters of MA was loud and clear, even if Obama and the Democratic leadership don’t want to admit it. We, the DFH voters, are not happy with change that isn’t.
I’m with not sending a penny to the DNC and only donating to those candidates that support a progressive agenda and live up to their words. I am all for calling, e-mailing and sitting in my House Blue Dog’s office to remind him why many of us voted for him and getting my neighbors to do the same. Lots of Republicans here are as fed up with the grid lock in DC that is hurting them, too/
I was “bad” this morning. I challenged two of our detractors to “moderate” themselves and their friends and refrain from taking the comments in diaries down the personal invective, pie fight, flame war path. Needless to say, it was a waste of time with them and their supporters but I think some on our side are seeing the futility in engaging with them. I think the best tactic now is not responding to their comments no matter how ugly they get and asking those who do to stop.
I will be back in the NYC Feb 13. I will miss the warm weather and the people here but our managers here want those of us who were here the first week to rotate out, go home and be “normal” for a while. Harder than you think
As long as the Democrats think that progressive voters don’t have a viable alternative available to them in the ballot booth, they’ll continue to take us all for granted. We should seek ballot access liberalization, fusion ticketing, and voting system reform (such as IRV, range or approval voting). In many states, this can be done by initiative/referendum.
Massive public funeral for all things carbon footprint. If you ever want me to love the enviornment again and regain my support for it the global Bernie Madoff bank idea has to face the firing squad.
Competent people NOT attached to ANY prior government administration will conduct a new investigation into the events of 911.
The Federal Reverse will be nationalized. No officers may have membership in any globalist organizations.
NASA will provide full disclosure on events and discoveries made in the last 60 years.
Direct to consumer drug ads are now banned immediately.
Since there are no jobs for anybody the government/industrial immigrant subsidy consortium will be ended by making government provide services in English only.
Homeland Stupidity is hereby dissolved, Patriot Acts repealed and NSA monitoring equipment destroyed.
Sarbanes-Oxley is repealed.
NAFTA, GATT repealed.
Military intelligence retasked to the specific aim of enforcing ethics in the Davos jet set of corporate dweebs.
Has been captured by the Teabaggers,…….they even started a party! They get all the media coverage, but Progressives have not been able to capitalize on that very real populist anger.
Though I agree the cornerstone for REAL change is public financing of campaigns,……heck I ran a grassroots congressional campaign in Florida myself against entrenched party/lobbyist interests,……. I wish we could at least fight for Medicare for ALL.
This would appeal to Republicans as well as Democrats because EVERYONE loves Medicare.
Even the doctors prefer treating Medicare recipients over the hassle of private insurance patients.
that were not the left of the left or even the fringe, were not purists but extremely pragmatic given the political reality. Electoral machine politics is running full tilt into territory that they are not going to be able to meme away or pass off on the Republicans or call moderate and centrist. Grayson has it right when he says the voters don’t care about party, ideology or left right center. Populism is on the rise with good reason, after what the Bushies did the Democratic administrations governance is surreal. There is no relief in sight just more of the same. Obama himself stated this in his facing down teh stupid in Baltimore. Not much difference between us says it all.
I say the ball is in their court and they better start listening to the people and stop listening to the so called center they have cooked up. They will continue to implement the same policies using the same excuses and people will not buy it. Rhetoric can’t cover up what they are in reality doing. So it seems to me we ought to stop fighting the party loyalists as though we were ‘the enemy of the good’. It is a waste of time to try and get the cowardly to accept the fact that participation in democracy is needed. The main problem we have is with our lack of product so to speak not our framing. The Democratic leaders are refusing to govern for the people. What do we have to offer the populists other then sharing their outrage?
The most important immediate step that needs to be taken was one that kos offered last night on KO, end the filibuster. It is another myth they use to get away with one party no difference rule. Majority rule is essential to a Democracy. They know this can be stopped but they refuse as it gives them cover to serve their masters. That would knock down another false barrier and either get something done or at the least show them for what they are.
I had missed it until yesterday, as I don’t usually read the Wall Street Journal. This was published about six weeks ago:
Rahm Emanuel: Don’t Worry About the Left
Regulations (across the board but especially finance and health and fair trade)
Jobs (with an attempt to get jobs that have been outsourced back here to the U.S. and an emphasis on developing green industries – any funding from the govt. would require manufacturing to be done here)
Progressive taxation – Bush tax cuts expiring, and considering some other taxation of the wealthiest few percent, elimination of some corporate welfare programs)
Wars – get out, stop spilling blood and treasure
Restoring power to the people (agree with buhdy’s priorities on corporate personhood; emphasis on pressuring and exposing the House of Lords and transforming them back into part of a coequal branch of govt.)
There are so many critical issues, it’s too hard to prioritize. My biggest fear right now is that people can, very understandably, tend to make really bad choices when they are lacking (or have legitimate reason to believe they will be lacking) the security of the basic things in life, like housing, food, education, a job, etc. and they make poor judgments in choosing leaders. I am afraid that if there is not another place for dissatisfied citizens to go, they will head for the Tea Part movement or something similar. There has to be a faction of the party, or an independent party (not necessarily at the national level, start at local/regional levels) that attracts people who really want their government to work in their best interests.
Nothing will improve until our politicians are once again answerable to their constituents, not the rich and powerful.
The real war is not between the left and the right. It is between the average American and the ruling class. If we come together on this single issue, everything else will resolve itself. It’s time we took back our government from those who would make us their slaves.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/…