Beware: You’ll have to read…not too many Hyperlinks of instant gratification.
Whether you support Phineas T. Bluster, fillibuster, or filibuster, there are lessons from the Activism occurring as late.
You see, in this modern world, everything is geared to the hyperactive. We react to our surroundings, and emerging memes. We come from an everday sort of commenting, joking around, making friends of those faceless nicks, to an all out assault on the outrage of the day. “Full speed ahead”. Stop Alito! The corruption!, etc..
The Republican side of the aisle has spent close to Forty years building their Network… without the Internet.
They bought businesses, they financed Media, they developed think tanks. They were at the Elk’s Club, and the VFW. They nodded to each other as they met on Church Night. Of course, that was the less evil side of their larval development. There was also the meetings behind closed doors at those same businesses, and clubs, not to mention, those closed doors at the Board of Commissioners, and State Boards of Elections. It was almost a Chinese way of looking to the long term. And now, they are in complete control, possibly longer than we hope, or plan.
So, What’s your point?
We have to continue speak out against the corporate takeover of our Country, we must continue to Fax, and blog (Damn, I hate that word), to write those letters on lined papers ( as Sen. Byrd has suggested, these had more effect on him), but more than that, we need to get back to the old Democratic Party. Not this modern facade of Centrist hogwash, not this “progressive attack everyone, and everything that doesn’t agree, but the old fashioned Tip O’Neil kind. He never forgot the name or face of a person he met.
Every Democratic Office had a Constituent Services that “rocked”. I don’t care what you say about nepotism, and inside pull, it worked. When Uncle Harry needed a job, he got it. When Aunt Mary was worried about her landlord, and the heat, she got the call to him from “someone”, and it was taken care of. The working class were protected, and connected to the politics of life. They knew someone, who knew someone, who could help, and that person was always a Democrat!. But that was then…. We have lost them. We have lost the working class.
The elitist progressive movement, even with all of its good points of ecological preservation, and honest government,etc. has become an aggressive affront to the local communities. When some local official is inundated with hundreds of phone calls, thousands of emails, over the local outrage du Jour, I’m sorry, but that old man (and they are all old white men) from the countryside, is just NOT going to react in most cases, favorably.
You can be an unabashed Liberal Democrat, a Centrist, a Progressive, yes, even a DINO, all in one person. The very old, and tiring joke, from Will Rogers, no longer applies. We are no longer that disparate mosh, rather, we are splintered. We are splintered into Caucuses: The Black Caucus, the Democratic Women, The Teens, Seniors, and Latino. Who speaks for the mean old Republican…sheesh, just about every other Republican on the planet. They are a machine. They are Borg. How did they get that way?
Consider the Voting machine fiascos occuring around the Country. We have BOEs, and BOCs reacting to citizen input like they never have before. JHC, I’ll bet half of them are just right proud of the fact that they have email now. With the aggressive campaigns to “inform” them, dissuade, or persuade them…they will react as all humans do…this way..no, maybe this way…nevermind… EFF IT, I’m just saying No.
We need to build from the very localist of local. We knew in 2000 how bad the problem of voting machines was…Oh sure we beat the blogs everday, cajoled the media, sent emails…but guess what? It didn’t work.
It starts with having a beer with the dogcatcher…go to your local precinct meetings, attend that function at the library…BUT not as a progressive, or some such. Bring the paperwork, or news item to show Bob the Mayor, or Jane the Commissioner. Tell the Plumber to pull up his pants, or you’ll vote Republican, and he’ll lose his benefits ( trust me, he’ll laugh). Do it well in advance. Plan now for 2008, and beyond. Go as an American. Go as a Democrat for the People…not a cause. Be Proud, unbowed.