We are going to have to take over the
Democratic Party from within. I don’t agree with people that think the party is dead or worthless. I look around at what we are doing here in Philadelphia, I look at the momentum still steaming along from the Dean campaign and the meet-ups, I look at how much influence the blogosphere has obtained…and I have to conclude that the Democratic Party is being revitalized. But, we are dealing with some serious obstacles. Our biggest obstacle is the influence of the Clintonistas, the DLC, and
Dems with major ties to the military-industrial complex and other big anti-regulatory corporations. We can see this in the loathesome Adam
Nagourney’s latest piece, Hey Democrats, Why Win?
Look at these condescending idiots:
“The most politically advantageous thing for the Democrats is to pick up 11, 12 seats in the House and 3 or 4 seats in the Senate but let the Republicans continue to be responsible for government,” said Tony Coelho, a former House Democratic whip. “We are heading into this period of tremendous deficit, plus all the scandals, plus all the programs that have been cut. This way, they get blamed for everything.”
But the worry among some Democrats is that a thin majority breeds not compromise but inaction, and that could turn off voters just as much as single-party rule has. Republicans, on the other hand, would get a welcome reprieve, said Martin Frost, a former House member from Texas who has led the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.
“They don’t have to worry about passing anything,” Mr. Frost said, “and it gives them freedom to be critics. There’s a certain liberating aspect of being in the minority in the short term, but I don’t recommend it in the long term.”
Another worry is whether some Democrats would use their power in what could be perceived as payback against Republicans. Party leaders like Nancy Pelosi, the House minority leader, have talked of investigations into allegations of malfeasance across all parts of the Bush administration.
Some Democrats argue that such investigations are long overdue in order to expose and correct a pattern of abuses by the administration. But others differ.
“Revenge — that’s what we have to avoid,” said Joe Andrews, a former chairman of the Democratic National Committee, adding that it’s dangerous to talk “about what are you going to do to the guys you beat, as opposed to what are you going to do for the people.”
“If the first thing that happens is a series of investigations, or committee restructurings, it will clearly sour people on the party and make it more difficult to win in 2008,” he said. “As a practical matter would Democrats be able to restrain themselves?”
Bob Kerrey, the former Democratic senator from Nebraska who is president of the New School, put it another way.
“It’s going to be very difficult to lead, because the loudest voices in both parties will be those that feel the strongest about their certitude,” he said. “That’s going to be the left: Impeach him! Investigate him!”
It’s okay to say these things if you are retired. I doubt Chuck Schumer and Rahm Emanuel would be imprudent enough to make these kinds of statements. But I don’t doubt that they feel the same way. They want to win, but they don’t want to win if it means the angry left will force them to hold hearings and investigations that will create a giant mess and (somehow) jeopardize the Dems chances of winning the Presidency in 2008.
They like to call us the ‘loud left’ or the ‘looney left’ or ‘the radical fringe’ or the ‘Michael Moore wing of the party’. It is total bullshit. We are progressives that want accountable government, with oversight, with rule of law (yes, in proportion). We want serious reforms to root out the corruption in Washington and to give the people more of a say in what kind of laws and policies and priorities are passed and pursued by our elected officials.
And we are not going to get it so long as we let Rahm Emanuel and Chuck Schumer pick our candidates, shut down primaries, and pay for it all with corporate and other monied interests’ money. We just can’t tolerate this after 2006.
We need a party within a party. We need progressive Democrats to run in local, state, Congressional, and even some Senatorial primaries, and we need to create a small donor base that is independent of the DSCC, DSCC, and the DNC. We need our own media and campaign consultants. I’ll be pushing this idea at Yearly Kos. Because we can’t tolerate the attitude of the old guard. Now that the people have a voice, they need the tools to take their fair share of power.
