DUers, I'm putting out the call again: GET. OFF. YOUR. ASS.

[derby378]

A long time ago, I said that I believed that the only way to retake the party from the forces of compromise and apostasy is from the ground up. We started in 2003-2004, but the effort got bogged down when the party establishment stepped in and started dictating terms. But in 2006, I said that we needed to start up this process again.

So, we got active. We got somewhat organized. And we handed Congress back to the Democrats.

And what did we get for our trouble? The Democrats on Capitol Hill caved in on Iraq funding to Herr Decider, complete with his miserable 28% approval rating. And they drove Cindy Sheehan, the anti-war version of Helen of Troy, away from the Democratic Party for good.

We grumbled, but we stayed organized and kept our eyes on the prize. We still had a Democratic President to elect.

So we engaged in one of the longest primary seasons I've ever heard of. The Obama and Clinton campaigns struggled hard against each other. But in the end, we had our nominee. And Obama won the Presidential election fair and square - the first man to do so since 1996.

But guess what? Our work didn't end with Obama's election. It only began. If you thought you could take a breather on January 20 when Obama was sworn in, you miscalculated badly.

There have been no torture prosecutions as of yet. The economy is still in a shambles. Our auto industry is against the ropes, its labor unions gasping for air. The banks who made the economy a mess are still making off like bandits thanks to government bailouts, resulting in the final exposure of trickle-down economics as a cruel joke. Meaningful health insurance reform is in jeopardy, with any hope of a public option facing stiff opposition from Big Insurance, which has revitalized extremist Republicans in hopes of forcing America into a compromised in which private insurance is forced upon every American. Our military presence in Iraq and Afghanistan, instead of decreasing, is now increasing, with Obama poised to deliver the demands of the military-industrial complex during tonight's speech at West Point.

Our party is stumbling like a punch-drunk MMA fighter, bracing himself for the eventual ground-and-pound. But if you're willing to get off your ass at long last, there is still hope.

I want every disaffected Democrat who is thinking of leaving the party to instead run for precinct chair, district chair, state delegate, justice of the peace, anything. Stack your county and state party organizations with progressive grassroots activists.

In short, I am once again calling upon you to DU the Democratic Party itself.

It's not that hard to do. I promise. Check your county party HQ and learn what forms you need to officially file to run as a candidate.

There are plenty of precinct chairs who are members of DU. I'm a precinct chair, too. I'm helping organize pro-gun Democrats who might have otherwise voted Republican on the strength of a single issue. And I almost single-handedly defeated a ridiculous motion to open Democratic county meetings with a sectarian prayer. I also serve as an election judge, so I'm able to make sure that everyone in my precinct who wants to vote will be able to do so in a fair and impartial environment.

And all of this because I got off my ass.

Who's with me? Together, we can send shockwaves through the Democratic Party establishment. We can become the party itself.

"You may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one..."

[Oregone]

1. Why bother?

Its a tough day to ask exhausted activist to further exhaust themselves with activism to no foreseeable end, for no foreseeable consequences

[Bluebear]

2. Unfortunately, I agree.

I am getting past done.

[patrice]

6. no surprise there . . .

:-)

[Bluebear]

12. Why are you such a grade-A asshole towards me?

[derby378]

3. Lao-tzu once said that the greatest journey begins with a single step

A lot of us haven't even taken that first step yet. Sure, we voted, but that's about it - we never got involved in the Democratic mechanism itself.

Ask yourself who you want to control the party - the DLC, the health insurance companies, or us?

[Oregone]

4. A single step to the couch

Its even greater with some shrooms and a loaded bong

[derby378]

5. Just for you...

Slap me Daft, we sat down in the back of the class
To seize knowledge we don't need, I forgot my late pass
But I'm early to a arival beatbox, you got raps?
Meet me on the football field, don't sleep on field, the quarterback
No one clapped when we locked in, it was removal of our class
But my flag got captured and I fell between the cracks
My tool for inspiration turned into a handicap
No matter how I tried, I just couldn't fill the gaps
Those whipper snappers, they got trapped, old chap
They lost the way, they never had the right map
Needed a sneak attack to slap the demons off my back
So I packed for the shtetl dreamed big I wouldn't settle
Put the pedal to the metal and returned to fundamentals
I'll never forget running through the hall with all y'all rebels
Roaming through the high land, young bucks invincible
Echoes in my brain, if kids report to the principal

Substance dulls the mind
Traife wine clouds the heart
You can't sew a stitch with one hand
While you're taking it apart
Bright lights might look nice
But they sure won't make you sharp
You can't sew a stitch with one hand
While you're taking it apart

Yeah, misty morning and my mum's a mess
To make matters worse, dog, my pops is stressed
Life is a test, make the grade or catch an F
Now death is all that's left to ponder
I wander off hoping to catch my breath
And hold it, mold my memories from untold scripts
And roll up in a tornado twist, now I'm certain
There's a pertinent reason I'm on this earth
Seasons change in White Plains, but we remain alert
When new school years appear, fools fear for a failure
And crawl away in tears
I play Popeye the Sailor and stay with spinach
We walk the halls with a grimace
Yeah they gossip in groups
I try to mind my business and tell the truth
For instance, I listen, see it all with basketball court vision
Ignoring ignorance in fields of fiction
We lean back in the calmest position
And embrace the honesty found within our tension
What's good?

Substance dulls the mind
Traife wine clouds the heart
You can't sew a stitch with one hand
While you're taking it apart
Bright lights make you blind
But they sure don't leave you sharp
You can't sew a stitch with one hand
While you're taking it apart

Trapped in the elevator of your mind
Is it real
What will you find behind the door
Your imaginations put you in a bind
Around you there's a cloud of gloom
Swallow the key, lock yourself in a room
Can't see outside of your universe
No more war, there won't be any more hunger
No jealousy, not even competition
Let go, release, you hold the keys
Time we evaporate into the breeze
We are nothing, we are something
Let go, release, you hold the keys
It's time we evaporate into the breeze
We are nothing, we'll be something
Welcome to the desert of my soul
You can stay if you like, there's room for one more
There's room for one more

[patrice]

8. Hey!! That's pretty darned good!! Yours?

I'm impressed, seriously, and I'm somewhat of a poetry buff.

[derby378]

9. I can only wish - that was WP by Matisyahu

There's a photo of him at the bottom of the lyrics for quick reference. :hi:

[patrice]

7. Many people do not understand, or they do understand and work against, the power of small things.

"Something":"Nothing" - It's an interesting dynamic.

[rockymountaindem]

11. On the contrary. Today is the perfect day.

If you're pissed off and nothing's going your way, maybe it's time you try to become part of the system and try to change it yourself. It seems like the only thing the progressive movement hasn't tried (since the days of LaFollette, anyway).

[tabbycat31]

10. K&R

and this has to be done on a state and local level too