Ah yes, the fabled liberal netroots. Whatever else “we” are, the most important thing we represent to the Democratic party is a constant source of “free” money in the form of contributions. Contributions to Presidential candidates, to various Senators and Representatives’ Political Action Committees, to the DNC, the DCCC, the DSCC and to individual candidates. I should know. Half my spam these days comes from Democratic politicians requesting my credit card number, or my check, preferably in an amount larger than $100. True, it does get worse during an election year, but since 2008 is the “big one” with the Presidency up for grabs, the calls for cash have started earlier and earlier.
Now, why do I call it “free” money? It certainly isn’t free to you or me. But it is “free” to those who receive our contributions because they come with “no strings attached.” We aren’t corporate lobbyists who can take possession of a Congress person’s ear hole anytime they want. We aren’t “fat cat” donors or Hollywood celebrities like Barbara Streisand, who can call up their favorite Senator (or two, or three) whenever they feel like it and demand that their voice be heard on whatever is their pet issue of the moment.
No, we are the free money people. Our emails receive automated replies, not personal ones. Our phone calls get stuck in easily deleted voice mail caches, or if we’re lucky, half listened to by some young staffer who probably thinks what we have to say is a big fat waste of his or her time. And the reason is because we can’t contribute enough money in our pay to play political system to earn us any real access.
Which is why, despite our millions of votes for Democrats last Fall, our activism on behalf of Democrats, and our millions of dollars of contributions, no one in the Democratic Party bothered to listen to us last week when the Democrats unilaterally surrendered to President Bush on the funding for the war in Iraq.
The single biggest reason Democrats won control of the House and Senate was their pledge to change the direction of the war in Iraq. Well, they didn’t change it, Bush did with his “surge” plan which is now killing more American soldiers each month even as there is no let up (so far as we can tell from censored media reports) in the levels of death and destruction which the Iraqi people are continuing to endure.
The Democrats gleefully took our money. They gladly accepted our volunteer efforts. And they rejoiced in our votes which gave them control of both houses of Congress for the first time in over a decade. Then they slapped us in the face, told us to shut up, and tried to make lemonade out of the bags of stale urine they dumped on our heads after they voted to give Bush every damn thing he wanted without a single relevant concession on his part.
Okay, that’s fine. Nobody said politics wasn’t a dirty game. But no one said we have to keep paying for being mistreated and abused by the party that putatively represents our interests, either. So here’s my recommendation to you:
STOP SENDING DEMS YOUR MONEY!
I mean it. Stop all contributions. And after you do, send them emails or call them on the phone and tell them you will no longer contribute to any Democrat or Democratic organization or political action committee, ad nauseam, until they stop funding the Iraq war. That’s what I am going to do with respect to the Democratic National Committee, the only Democratic organization I contribute to on a regular (i.e., monthly basis). I send them a monthly amount via my credit card every month. But no more.
Look, I understand that Democrats can’t get much of their agenda, if anything, passed so long as George Bush can veto their legislation. They can’t pas universal health care, for example, or a bill to start limiting our use of fossil fuels by putting caps on carbon emissions. They don’t have the votes to override a veto by Bush. So I won’t hold them accountable for not passing much needed progressive legislation.
But funding the Iraq war doesn’t require passing legislation. All it requires is NOT PASSING a BILL to FUND the WAR in IRAQ. Or keep sending the same bill back to Bush which mandates a withdrawal of US troops and make him blink first. But they couldn’t do that, despite the fact that 70% of Americans disapprove of both Bush and his handling of the Iraq War.
So let them drink tea and eat cake without my hard earned dollars paying for their privileges. And without yours, and yours, and yours … etc. Because maybe then they’ll finally take us seriously and pay attention when we tell them to:
SUPPORT THE TROOPS — BRING THEM HOME. NOW!
Period. End of discussion.