Apologia for Rants

First, let me apologise to you, “X”, for not responding directly and immediately to your objections to my latest rant. Your points, though I disagree with most of them, are absolutely valid and deserve more response than a “marginal” rating.

Second, writing and posting rants has always served to inspire me to take action. Parenthetically, I would hope that you and the others who have criticised this particular rant would take note of the fact that the “Vichy Dems” receive this rant treatment perhaps once every 10 rants. I do aim most of my verbal vitriol at the opposition. I won’t get into why I feel it necessary at times to turn the hose on my own party — if it isn’t obvious by now, no amount of explication will suffice. For the moment, let us focus solely on the charge made by you and a few others that writing and posting such screeds serves no purpose.

Third, and in answer to your initial question:

The expectation I have in composing and posting rants like this, voicing my complaints and frustration (to say the least) with my own Party members, is twofold.

1. To be heard by those people. Now, I do my fair share of civil, eloquent, succinct letter writing to the Democrats with whom I have severe problems. I also put my money where my keyboard is, so to speak. But at times, after receiving the standard form letter from one more politician thanking me for my opinion, my frustration reaches a boiling point. At such times, I feel the urge to throw up my hands in despair and give up the fight.

Instead, I write these little missives. They give vent to my overwhelming feelings of impotence — and in a forum such as this, they also serve to gather together a group of people who share my feelings. Thus, my feelings of isolation and despair are ameliorated and replaced with a sense of community and connection. And, considering the widely read status of a blog like this, I improve my chances of being heard by the objects of my complaints.

2. The other purpose in writing a rant like this is to spur myself (and, hopefully, others) to action. be it a letter written to one’s representative or a commitment to a Democratic primary opponent, whatever action one is inspired to take surely must be better than mere inchoate rage.

What a rant like this is NOT supposed to do: Actually affect change, all by itself. I do not expect the Democrats in question to read my rants and see the skies open up, struck by the epiphanous realization that they have been going at it all wrong and, by god, resolve to change their errant ways.

I understand your complaints. When Kerry was in the midst of his campaign, I was one of the more vociferous in the insistence on unity and solidarity and “Thou shalt speak no evil of thy Candidate.” Believe me, I got a lot of shit for that, and some here will never forgive me for it.

But it is 2005. Next year we see the chance to elect or re-elect worthy Democrats in the hope of affecting change. If we cannot voice our opinions and complaints, our demands and desires… NOW… when can we?

I no longer subscribe to the “Speak no evil of thy fellow Democrats” line. If we do not speak up, they will not change. If we do not make our demands heard, we will continue to receive the sort of treatment from our representatives that bothers us so. If we keep letting them do what they do, we will keep getting what we’re getting.

If nothing changes… nothing changes.

I am interested to hear YOUR suggestions regarding the sort of complaints voiced in these rants — and in the volumes of similar responses they garner.