I know there is a political crisis. I have an accurate barometer. The needle on the barometer is driven by sensors attached to the height of the dishes in my sink, and the clothes in the hamper. I’m seriously behind on the housework folks. I’ve been riveted to the computer for like 48 hours. One shower. A few hours sleep. A peace meeting. But that’s it. The rest is watching the corpse of the Democratic Party rot before my eyes.
For me, the crisis started with the announcement that Democratic Congressional candidate Jim Marcinkowski would appear and answer questions at the Booman Tribune. I live in his district. I have a passing familiarity with politics. I wanted to be here to ask him some questions.
I did a little background research so I could be well informed. And it turns out that my Democratic front runner for the Congressional seat, to run against a virulent wing-nut (Rogers, MI-08), has been a life long Republican. He was a CIA agent in Nicaragua in the 1980s, when the U.S. was found responsible for war crimes against the country of Nicaragua.
I was more than a little freaked out. All I knew about the race before hand was that I had heard a rumor that there was a progressive professor that had considered running, that my past Democratic candidate, who was a good progressive man had decided not to run, and that Marcinkowski seemed to be the candidate “supported by the party.” My knowledge base for these things is fleeting and ephemeral. I wouldn’t be surprised to learn that any of my so-called facts in this paragpraph are rumor or even wrong. But that is what I knew coming in to the Booman Tribune appearance by Marcinkowski.
His answers to my questions bore out my suspicions. I could be wrong. But in my opinion he is a Reagan Republican who has cause not to like the current administration that outed his CIA friend. He should be running in the Republican primary. I would cross over and support him in his effort to oust Rogers. But he is not a candidate I could support. In any way. The best he could do is promise me that he is becoming, or has become, a moderate Democrat. But he couldn’t prove it to me by statements alone. So I can’t support him in any way.
So my angst about being a supporter of the Democratic Party, in any way, was stoked.
Late last night and this morning, I read about what has happened to Paul Hackett in Ohio. It is a travesty. There is a mini-revolution going on over a dKos. Because Kos has come out and altered history and said Hackett jumped into the race and messed things up and could never win. Basically, “Crashing the Gate” Markos has become a part of some Democratic Party machine that I don’t understand, but that I know exists because of the shadow it is casting over my life. [I’m not cross-posting this as Kos bashing, BooMan, because I just am not taking the time. Delete this if you want.]
My point is this. The Democratic Party is busted. Fucking corrupt. I don’t need to be inside to smell the rot. I hate organizations. I’m anti-social. Fuck. I’m an asshole. Okay. I accept it. I cannot lead people. But I can clearly see that this thing that some progressives have looked to is fucking completely broken. I’m done with it. I know many of you are, too. I will never give them another dime. I will never give them another hour. I will never give them another vote, unless I am absolutely convinced, by some individual candidate that he will be a true progressive. Call it idealistic. Call it misguided. Call it circular firing squad. Call it whatever the hell you want. That is just my opinion that I intend to act on personally.
Yeah. So what?
So this. Show of fucking hands. Roll call vote. How many people here say we need to be building a progressive party to replace the Democratic party? Conversely, how many here support staying with the Democrats as the only hope (I avoid my invective characterization)? One or the other. I would like to get a sense of where the site is at, so I’d like to hear from every person whose eyes have made it to this point on the screen. Why? Because I want to know if continued discussion of this issue is warranted or if I should STFU. I’m taking a mandatory break from this fucking computer.
