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Edited on Thu Dec-17-09 04:42 PM by Lyric
The problem is that we have Republicans with a (D) after their name in Congress right now; conservative wolves masquerading as Democratic sheep. And how did they get there? We invited them in, and now we defend/protect them because they have (D)'s after their names. We pretend that it's all about having a "big tent," but it's really not. It's about WINNING. The only line in the sand that we have left is the one that separates a DINO from an R--in other words, just a letter after a name.
We have assumed that, because Republicans kept winning elections, that the American people WANTED conservatism. But we were wrong. It's not that there are more conservatives and moderates; it's that they are loud, and we are weak. We don't fight for progressive values. We don't do a good job of standing up for what we believe in. More than anything else, Americans want leadership, and we simply do not provide it. And because we weren't providing it, people turned elsewhere, or just decided to stop voting altogether.
I believe that if we bring the strength back, we'll win back the voters. I don't think that polls and surveys are accurate predictors of voter behavior in regard to this, because people do not always consciously realize WHY they've drifted into being Republicans. They just know that the recent waves of Democratic leaders have left them feeling vaguely icky, like something was missing. That something is strength, and the willingness to risk their own well-being for the sake of doing what's right for the people they serve. We don't have that anymore. We haven't had it for a very long time.
There is only one way to GET that strength back, and that is to stop trying to please everyone and start governing for the best interests of the nation. We have to stop being afraid of big changes; if a big change is the only way to fix a problem, then we must be brave enough to DO it, and to hell with the political risks. Not only do we fail to listen to The People, we also fail to read between the lines and see what the deeper problems truly are. When people cry out that the healthcare mandate will be too expensive and unpopular, what they're SAYING is that their jobs don't pay enough. They aren't financially secure enough. They are fearful and uncertain because they see another burden coming, but no strong leadership there to help them bear it, to assure them that the the government WILL NOT let them go under, that there will always be a safety net there should a plan fail.
We removed every bit of safety netting underneath our working-class and middle-class tightrope walkers, and then we ponder like idiots, wondering why they're voting out of fear. Republicans give them a sedative for that fear--someone they can blame. Immigrants, big government, liberals, gays, reformers, black people, subversives, communists--all groups of people who serve as scapegoats for the sake of pulling people over to the Republican side of the aisle. We offer them NOTHING. We expect much of our people, and we fail to offer strength and determination in return to assure them that everything's going to be okay. We talk tough on TV, and then the American people see us fall apart live on Fox News, CSPAN, and CNN. We look like noobs who have no idea what we're doing. The Republicans are doing the wrong things, but they're strong and dedicated about it. They'd drive the country off-track by a thousand miles, but their strength of purpose is powerful enough to convince people to vote for them because at least they seem to be SURE about themselves, and willing to accept mistakes. And what of us? We can't even decide WHICH direction to go, much less band together and actually GO there. We are unwilling to appear like we're willing to make a mistake--and thus, by being afraid to act like leaders and take the big risks necessary to govern well, we make the biggest mistake of all, and we LOSE people.
We are not dictators. That is not what I am suggesting, even though I know someone will try to spin that strawman. But if we are elected to LEAD, then we must LEAD. That requires the bravery to choose a path, take it, and be willing to be WRONG. And if we're wrong--the strength to turn back around and find the CORRECT way. Of everything I said above, I am absolutely certain that, if given the chance to air their fear and grief, if convinced that their leaders really CARED and were really LISTENING, they would tell us these things themselves. It would be a most cathartic thing to experience, and the relief of The People--They're listening to us! they care!--would be palpable in the air.
You know what *I* think we should do? Go on national TV and tell people that we intend to extend Medicare to all Americans, with the poorest ones receiving it for free. Tell people that it's time to try something new and daring, and tell them that IF we're wrong, and IF things go badly, we are willing to reconsider our decision later and try something else. Give a timetable of ten years--one decade to see how it works out. Make it a trial, not an ultimatum. But make it a trial of something we BELIEVE in, as opposed to something that looks indecisive and weak. Get the message straight; go directly to the airwaves and TELL the American people that THIS is what we want to do. Tell them that we are willing to TRY the big changes. That we are willing to truly fight for the best interests of our people.
If the Republicans and DINOs won't stand with us and serve the people rather than the corporations, then go to the people and tell them that our Founding Fathers did NOT intend for Senate decisions to require 60 votes to pass. Tell them that although the Senate can make its own procedural rules, those rules should NOT be permitted to circumvent or nullify what the Founding Fathers framed in the Constitution. If the Fathers said that a majority (51) should rule, then no Senate rule should be permitted to change that basic, structural fact. Then change the rules of the Senate to respect what the Constitution says. Re-write ALL rules that conflict with the Constitution's intended structure for Congress.
We don't talk to the people enough, and we should change that. We can no longer afford for our elected Democrats to be seen as a bunch of weak-kneed, indecisive tinpot tyrants who have little to no contact with, or respect for, what the people they serve really need. If we refuse to provide the leadership that people need so desperately, then the Republicans WILL--and they'll destroy the nation in the process.
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