The New York Times Opinionator blog aggregator has detected a nascent revolt in the Democratic party. The Times is only 18 months late. The PUMAs were ahead of the curve the day the DNC RBC knifed its own voters and installed Barack Obama as the nominee over the objections of slightly more than half of the Democratic primary voters. I’ll get back to why this moment was important. The Opinionator follows up on this week’s off-off-year election results and reports that it appears that the Democrats are losing their far left flank.
(First, they came for the so-called “Reagan Democrats”, then they came for the women and the gays.)
Can I just say what a stupid narrative this is? Sometimes, I read this crap in the paper and I think, do these reporters just take dictation from Rahm Emannuel or do they make this $^&* up to conform to their view of the world where things have to go into neat little boxes?
What the hell is the far-left anyway? If you believe that equal treatment under the law should apply to all citizens regardless of gender, marital status, sexual orientation, age, race, creed or disability because they are all persons born with unalienable rights, that is hardly a “far left” position. Isn’t that a uniquely American position? Didn’t we all pledge allegiance to the flag that promised “liberty and justice for all”? And if that is true, doesn’t that put us on the side of everything that is good about America and those that oppose those things horribly mislead?
My idea of “far-left” is based on my childhood impressions of news reports of the Weather Underground and defenders of Karl Marx. Far lefties, to me, are people who are rigid ideologues who want to enforce some strange form of a socialist utopian nanny state on the rest of us. And I am referring to a REAL communist-socialist state, not some bizarre Republican misinterpretation of one. Far lefties are militant pacifists. They hang out in trees and feed their children macrobiotic organic fruititarian diets. They are green Martha Stewart’s who think everyone has time to grow their own clothes and walk to work. They’re people who can’t be reasoned with. They’re oblivious to real life and are as fundamentalist in their world view as the religious right.
The closest I can find to a far-lefty these days is the Obot who still thinks that the main problem plaguing the country right now is the issue of race. Where have these people been in the last year? Did they miss that sincerely awe inspiring election of the first African-American for president? Don’t they know what the unemployment rate is? Have they tried to find jobs lately? Feed their kids? Pay for a doctor? Save for college? They’re stuck with the mindset that we are not finished with their teachable moment on race as if all other oppressed demographic groups don’t have grievances that need to be addressed. If only we would let go of our prejudices, which for the most part do not exist on the center-left, President Obama could get on with his job and we’ll all be happier. Anyone who opposes Obama doesn’t have a legitimate reason for doing so. They’re just racists or stupid old women. That’s the far-left. They are so stuck in the weeds of their own perfect world they are incapable of seeing the floor torn out from beneath their feet by the big business friends of Obama who installed him in office.
Let’s talk about those big business friends of Obama. They were in control of the primary and general election season last year. I think we can all see that in retrospect. Raise your hand if that isn’t perfectly clear to you by now. Their massive infusions of cash bought the Democratic National Committee, which unbeknownst to the average voter was up for sale. The Democratic National Committee violated just about every principle it stood for in order to install Obama as the nominee including dumping millions of Hillary Clinton’s voters. I’m going to keep harping on this until the Times boys get it. The party dumped its base last year. That is why there is trouble brewing in the party. Some of us have left the party over what happened last year. You just didn’t see it in the presidential election because the economy tanked.
Apparently, that “some of us” made the difference in NJ. It isn’t that there were so many more voters voting Republican in NJ. There weren’t. It’s that Democrats just didn’t turn out or that the truly disgusted ones, such as myself, voted for a fiscally responsible, socially liberal Chris Daggett. Now, some may argue that Corzine lost due to local issues. And that is true. But the reason he was such a failure at resolving local issues is because he is typical of the kind of Democratic politician we’ve become accustomed to voting for in the Democratic party. He is beholden to the status quo and big money, a compromiser, an incrementalist, insufficiently bold, doesn’t look out for the middle class and all too willing to ignore the voters when their will is inconvenient to him.
Who does that sound like?
The party has lost its way and now that enough of its voters know that the party is no longer listening to them, there have been defections. And let’s not mistake who the defectors are. Most of us are FDR, Clinton style Democrats, moderate to liberal but hardly “far-left”. We’re in Paul Krugman’s camp. Recently, some of the feminist Obama supporters have woken up and smelled the coffee. We welcome them and only regret that they weren’t paying attention last year when references to abortion and reproductive rights were scrubbed from Democratic candidates web sites. (Read past the quote) They ridiculed the PUMAs last year. They’re starting to sound just like them now. Gay voters have been wary of Obama since he rolled out Donny McClurkin but many fell prey to the “Obama is an historic candidate but Hillary Clinton is an old bitch” propaganda. Do they now regret their over the top rants against her? Is it possible that she was just a legitimate candidate who stood for traditional core Democratic principles and was not sent by Satan to rain on Barack Obama’s glorious golden specialness? Is it possible that her supporters deserved to be treated like persons and their votes respected?
The party’s civil war started the day the RBC tossed our votes out, May 31, 2008. The day they made one candidate’s voters more equal than the others, the day they violated every principle they had over voting rights, the day they selectively broke and enforced their rules and decided to not listen to their voters, and got away with it, was the day the party started down the path to disunity. It only took some time before the Obama cheerleaders realized that they had given the party permission to completely ignore them in the future. And now the party should not be surprised that they have a civil war on their hands.
Bring. It. On.
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Filed under: Democratic Party, LGBT rights, Liberalism, NJ Governor's race 2009 | Tagged: Civil War, Democratic Prty, Equality, gay marriage initiatives, race, reproductive rights, Voting Rights |
The Confluence 
They don’t get me back until they end the caucus system of selecting candidates and award delegates by the amount of votes received by a candidate.
That’s exactly what I said to the Democratic Party District Chairman who was trying to tell me that I’m still a Democrat at heart and that I should come back and work within the system.
yup, and they get the corporate money out of the races too… corporations are NOT people
They will NEVER get me back. I will NEVER forgive them. I can’t forgive the abuser who NEVER stood up to say “stop” Hillary Clinton is one of us when they were calling her an f’ing whore, a bitch, etc. etc.
Even worse, they fueled the attacks with memos to the press, including the repellent accusations of rac*sm against two people who have worked to support minorities for decades.
And they accused us by extension. Not a very good way to run a party but we tried to warn them. If they think they are going to get rid of the base so easily because they are planning on young, naive voters with lowered expectations to take our place, they should take a good hard look at the how the Republican party is struggling with their religious right conservative base. We liberals are a lot younger than the winger nutcases and we’ll be around for a LOOOOOOONNNNNG time.
& that’s exactly the point Ickes made on 5/31/08: “if this is your idea of unity, taking delegates from a candidate and breaking your own Charter is a strange way to start down that path.”
Let’s see—those young toots and the AA’s that helped surge the one—how is that working for them? Oh yeah, those are the ones who failed to show up in NJ and the younguns have an unemployment rate of 27% and the AAs just over 15%. And how about those Sr. Citizen FDR holdovers who have been loyal Dems forever and especially since Medicare. Oh yeah, they are scared and pissed because who is cutting their benefits? Oh, that is not GWB behind the curtain taking away the bennies, why it’s O and the Dems!
They (DB and others) actually told me to go away and not be part of the Democratic party. That I wasn’t needed. That I was the past and not part of the new Democratic party. I took the hint. I’m not in the Democratic party.
Kind of hard to come back from that. Obviously the only way I’d consider it is if those very people, DB, Obama, main Obama staff, RBC, many DNC leaders are all expelled from the party. Too big of a requirement. Too bad.
Independence feels good. Just say no to parties. None give a rats ass about you, I say return the favor.
Amen!
“Independence feels good. Just say no to parties. None give a rats ass about you, I say return the favor.”
For me, that’s the profile of a true PUMA. Trying to impose conformity on, or imagine a monolithic vision of, a movement named Party Unity My A?? seems oxymoronic.
I’m a PUMA because I don’t follow any “party” line, but am passionately concerned about the political future of the US.
Hear, hear.
Hillary was the real liberal / progressive candidate in 2008, not Obama, who was Wall Street’s guy all along. Too bad so many Obama supporters weren’t paying attention during the primary. We tried to warn them.
a good deal of the Obama supporters were only voting for Obama who seems to have the world’s shortest coattails … they only came out for him and they probably won’t come out again …
Apparently messiah worship is a fickle thing.
I hope so!
Exactly!
This is the best post I have read in a long time. Maybe ever, although your Senate Ladies Auxiliary post still ranks as my all time favorite.
You are right on with your definition of the Far Left. The goal of the Far Right as been to move the center so far to the right that reasonable people and positions will be considered “Far Left”. We haven’t moved to the left, we are right where we have always been, and we can’t allow the Far Right to reframe politics.
With your permission, I’m going to print this post and hang it on my fridge.
They forgot that we are a Democratic Republic and that every vote must be counted to be genuine.
Hillary received more votes than any other candidate in a primary ever, yet they totally disenfranchised us – if I’m not mistaken that is against the law in America.
I’ve been waiting since last May for someone to blow the whistle.
Thanks, RD – this is a great post that should probably go to the Times publisher’s personal home address
How candidates are selected is up to the party.
Caucuses are a legal means easily abused as we have seen but legal.
That the Democrat party has seen fit to continue with them means they don’t really have our interests at heart but will continue to select the ones they want at the top.
Someone, yesterday, made a comment about how right wing churches, would take over caucuses and get their candidate in.
Obama must have been taking a page from their book.
That happens all the time in district races, school board etc
That was me — and yes I do believe 0 took a page from religious right on how to take over a party. I saw the take over at the caucus. I will NEVER forget nor forgive.
I won’t either. The primary–and by extension, the general–was stolen.
Well, they aren’t getting any more of my money or time to install their favorite candidate.
I am remembering with particular distaste how Nancy Pelosi’s “political” daughter –a delegate to the Dem convention (I’ve blocked her name) would switch how she planned to vote at the convention depending on whether the criterion suited the elevation of The One (“A gift from God” according to Nancy P. ). Daughter was going to vote for one with the most delegates or the one with the most votes, and whatever it was at the moment was whatever had been awarded Obama.
I wrote letters to her daughter because she was a superdelegate. IIRC, her name is Christie or Christina Pelosi.
Bringing this up from down below as it fits perfect with your essay (which is wonderful by the way
******************************************************
Chris Britt captures a national sentiment with an artist’s pen:
Yep, pretty much. I went into that voting booth and after searching for Daggett’s name, I punched that button so damn hard the enclosure shook. Then, I found every woman on the ballot and voted for her, unless she was a Republican.
Very satisfying.
I voted for every woman.
I’ve thought about that and I think the only way we can make absolutely sure that the third party candidate is on our side is to create a legitimate third party and pick the candidates ourselves.
I thought that we could do this from the Democratic Party but the machinery is too entrenched. There really is no other option than a third party. People need real choices.
I’m just not buying into the party concept any more. I don’t think it functions or really can. I’m ignoring party or lack of party labels now. I do a bit of reading and research, and try to pick the best person. Mostly. I have to admit sometimes I want to vote someone out because they could have done better — the naughty behavior treatment.
I agree RD. 3rd Party is a real long shot and in the past I have said, “won’t work”. But I am of a very different mindset today. And I think we should call it just that
“The Third Party”
Click to access 8a738445026d1d5f0f_bcm6b5l7a.pdf
I think what now passes for the Democratic Party IS a 3rd party. The “Unity Party” disappeared and it’s main players re-emerged as big time Obama pushers. The successful high-jacking of the Democratic Party is, IMHO, the greatest story never told.
Likewise, voted for the women, especially the judges who are supposed to be non-partisan. (and they won!) Back in 1977 when we celebrated our Bicentennial, a CMU grad pointed out that we are running out of life expectancy for our civilization and that we will be showing signs of decline before being altogether replaced. At the time, a college senior, I was confident that the Women’s Balancing Replacement American Revolution would merely redistribute the Power, not the wealth. Ya’ll proved me right and made me proud!
George Washington once commented on the evils of a party system. Frankly, both parties should be disbanded. Allowing people to band together politically only creates avenues for special interests to form.
Personally, I believe in less government. More government will only result in the majority oppressing the minority.
ugh, that america blog piece is disgusting. Unfortunately I have a gay friend who fell right in to that thinking.
I was banned there sometime a few months ago for telling them Obama doesn’t like gay people. I told them they had been played. I guess they didn’t want to hear it.
No more so that the rest of the kool-ade drinking fools that took their cheap shots at the Clintons.
People like this won’t apologize, ever.
I will never forget his answer at Saddleback with his buddy Warren re: gay marriage:
“Uh…uh…uh…the thing is, between a man and a woman, God is in the mix.”
In other words: God is apparently absent when two gay people decide to commit to love and commit to each other.
I made a tee shirt that read: God IS in the mix in my gay marriage. Wore it to a prop 8 protest. Got a few knowing smiles, but at that time the sentiment was lost on most of the kool aid gays.
look at what’s going on in the health care negotiations right now, we we’re told Obama is what a feminist looks like and right now, all the negotiations are about throwing out women’s health rights.
And could you imagine a President Hillary signing any bill that stripped such rights for women? I certainly can’t.
absolutely friggin not … she would sink this bill in a minute
I do not believe she’d even let it get near her desk. First off, she’d know what was in it, and she’d tell them to go back and craft something decent.
Who’s worse, the group that hates women and gays and plots to hurt them, or the group that doesn’t but goes along with them.
oh, but we get thrown bones … a little toothless symbolism here and there … NOTHING with any real meaning
Still waiting…
He said he’d do his best to fight it, but it didn’t sound promising.
Ya’ know, if I was a Democrat right now, I’d just scrap the current byzantine health care reform bills they have right now and start from scratch with some investigation of what makes health care work in other countries first. Then shamelessly copy one of those approaches. To hell with the Blue Dogs. Let the Republican voters get used to not getting what they want.
All they need to do is ask our SOS.
The party itself has learned nothing. Last year the nation got Obama crammed down our collective throats. In Pennsylvania, the party establishment is trying to cram political windsock Arlen Specter down our throats. I, for one, remain a member of the Democratic Party so I can do things like vote for Joe Sestak; I want to irritate the party establishment.
I hope the votes in next year’s primary are counted very carefully…
and Creigh too … don’t forget what they did to Terry Mc
sigh…Terry. We’ll take him here in PA. I’ll even buy him a nice carpetbag if he’d come run for governor.
Sigh. I’m still seething over that one.
Try to take an objective view of that one. Specter has ALWAYS been elected by Democratic Women and has represented us conscienciously. Sestak, the Naval Admiral who wasn’t ANYTHING until he ran as an opportunist for Congress a mere two years ago, claims to have voted “by Absentee Ballot” as a military person and his votes don’t show up on his record because they weren’t “counted.” (BS.) Spector has a record of voting liberal for social issues and conservative on matters of Natioal Security and gun control. Don’t shoot yourselves in the foot by buying that “Progressive” crap. Arlen has beaten brain cancer, the threat of the Bush Administration to strip him of his Judicial Committee chair AND came to the Democrats DESPITE losing his seniority. I don’t moderate this site, but one thing I learned from the NetRoots Nation seminars: Adam Green and Stephanie Taylo are flippant bullies who established “Push Back” as the bold, progressive signature. Then they proceeded to morph Alan Grayson into an imbalanced, power-mad travesty oblivious to his own principles on the House Floor. “Bold progressive Congressman Alan Grayson (D-FL) helped us deliver nearly 90,000 petition signatures to Sen. Harry Reid on Wednesday.” That Orlando district that elected him didn’t expect the anti-business, BeetleJuice personna that the Bold Progressives installed and now manipulate as more of a puppet than Pinnoccio.
Whoa.
I don’t get what you are saying about Grayson. Are you saying that his outrageous statements on the House floor recently were inspired by Adam Green and Stephanie Taylor who trained him in “progressive push-back”? Your quote about Grayson delivering 90,000 petition signatures—in reference to what–what was the petition about? Are you saying that Grayson represents the Orlando district and he is showing himself now as anti-business and manipulated by the “bold progressives” Green and Taylor which is inconsistent with what that district expected? Sorry but I am a long way from Orlando and do not know the local politics so I have trouble making sense out of what you said because I am missing some pieces.
I agree with SOD about Specter—any guy who has switched his party as often as Specter is supremely suspect in my mind and a flaming opportunist.
Grayson has set up a monumental money-making machine with his comments.
He just loves msnbc that Grayson! Well that is a great recommendation. Isn’t that great politics. Insults and sound bites, kaching.
I guess that is the New Dem.
Jeez, I scheduled this post to go off in 10 minutes and it’s already posted??? Something is wrong with our wordpress settings.
I think it’s still on daylight savings time.
Yes, I noticed last night that WordPress is still on Daylight savings time.
yeah, because we don’t cycle at midnight … we cycle an hour before on the stats
May 31, 2008, it makes me sad to even think of that day.
It began as a sunny day with speeches and hope and real Democratic voters from all over the country, By the time we marched to the hotel where the RBC meeting was taking place, the sky began to darken. Rain, wind and a tornado warning did not deter us. We waited outside with no information about what was being said inside, except from my little transistor radio tuned to CSPAN radio. They broke for lunch and were supposed to continue the discussions and vote when they returned. Instead they took a 2 hour lunch and decided behind closed doors. They came out and announced that Hillary’s delegates were going to Obama. The trip home from DC to Baltimore was one of the longest hours I have ever spent.
Truly “the day the music died’ for me.
Not just Hillary’s delegates–they also gave him the other candidates delegates in MI remember? It was a farce, and that smug piece of work–Brazille–had the nerve to mew about her “Mama and the rulz.”
Ugh…blood starting to boil again…
Yeah, what the fuck was that all about anyway? The voters played by the rules. Hillary played by the rules. She legitimately put her name on the ballot and got votes. The only person who didn’t play by the rules was Barack Obama who had to petition the committee to get phantom voters. Can anybody look on that committee hearing and tell me honestly that that was fair to the voters of Michigan and by extension, every other Hillary voter in the US? See, they made it all about Michigan but it wasn’t. It was about the rest of us. Our votes were inconvenient.
Donna fucking Brazile has a lot of nerve. I can remember MABlue saying that his antipathy towards her was having an effect on his feelings for the country Brazil, that’s how evil she was.
& re: rules, he also advertised in Florida, which–according to the Party Charter–should have disqualified him from ANY delegates there. It was total bullsh*t. I was angry that the only advocate for Hillary to spell it out was Ickes. Why wasn’t someone there to point out these inconvenient facts to the faces of the lairs like Brazile?
Oh, I know…”unity.” We know what our response was to that.
Ickes is the son of the guy who was the architect of the New Deal. I don’t want to get all tin-foily but I suspect there were forces at work making sure we didn’t see another repeat of any New Deal like programs. In the end, I think that’s what really did Hillary in. She was rehab where Obama is an enabler.
Absolutely RD. Obama and his merry men made all the right signals that they were enablers and happy with the status quo. Hillary made it clear she was for rolling up sleeves and fixing things. Americans and even the continued existence of the country be damned. There’s some last bits of gold to be sucked out of the country before she dies and nothing was going to stop them from that.
Don’t need tinfoil to figure that out. The anti-Hillary forces were so strong and so persistent — from all points of attack. The fact that the media opposed her was clue #1. Too bad kool-aid makes MSM bombast sound like poetry.
Wow, RD, you’ve really nailed it! Great piece!
Agreed, great post and comments.
Fantastic post! Should be required reading for all voters, regardless of party affiliation.
My party affiliation as registered with the State: “Decline to State.”
Former lifelong Dem (Teen Dem, College Dem, campaign volunteer who ALSO donated money) who first campaigned at age 4.
Paint me disgusted with the Democratic Party and its faux candidate.
There must be 50 ways for you, RD, to expose the DNC’s self-destruction. I love how you are Bringing. That. On.
It resonates with me every time. I hope it helps clear the fog for some former “hopers” and current “waiters.”
where is the share button?
i got it up there … it takes me awhile to get them all up in the morning, I’m not in the same time zones ! I’m running on CST and most every one else is Eastern and of course, MABlue is in Germany!
Charles Krauthammer has a good take on “The myth of ’08, demolished” WaPo yesterday
http://tinyurl.com/yewgmvx
It wasn’t a Republican landslide here in NJ. The problem is that Democrats just didn’t turn out for Corzine. The number of defectors to the Republicans here only amounted to a few percentage points. Nevertheless, I agree with Krauthammer (God, I never thought I’d every write that) in that Barack Obama was a phenomenon that didn’t truly reflect the Democratic party base that shows up for elections. He was historic, like Hillary would have been. He got out the vote because of what he was, not what he stood for. Take away the once-in-a-lifetime magic and what you have left is a weak, center-right, not very impressive politician. The DNC better think long and hard about this reality. They can’t repeat the “first African-American president” thing twice. They’ve shot their wad in that area.
Yea, and he also didn’t have a record, so people could “project onto the blank slate” as he intended. No State Senate Records? No problem. No school records? No problem. & we’ll just ignore all the contradictions, and the 130 present votes that reveal what an unprincipled coward you are…
Now, there will also be an actual record he cannot dodge. Good luck with that. The only luck that he has is that the GOP is in complete disarray and there are no stars emerging to challenge the Empty One.
…and those die hard Dem Sheep who defend him as “My President” and cover his butt with the ‘inherited’ thing.
From my interactions with some of the hardcore BO believers online and real world, the racism accusations have been more aggressive, more desperate. If this country wasn’t filled with racist rednecks, maybe President Obama could get some things done. A few I’ve known for years, but they’ve truly become untethered. They talk about their “love” for Obama not just respect, they don’t want to see the facts. Maybe it’s a coping mechanism. Freaks me out. I’m hoping the fever breaks for the ones who were once close.
Campaigns built on lofty rhetoric are meaningless to future victories if not followed by meaningful action.
Right on RD!!!
GREAT ARTICLE !!
He is beholden to the status quo and big money, a compromiser, an incrementalist, insufficiently bold, doesn’t look out for the middle class and all too willing to ignore the voters when their will is inconvenient to him.
Who does this sound (exactly) like indeed.
Obama is a Corzine style Democrat or DINO. Here it is in a nutshell: If you run on CHANGE!, you’d better frickin’ change something.
The seeds were planted long before.
Yes. That day was the final blow, but it had been building for a year(s?).
it started for me when i volunteered in Texas and saw what was blatant vote rigging in caucuses … I thought that was the stuff of lore in chicago’s Daly machine and in New Orleans. When both my girls told me it went on in Nebraska too, that was it for me … first time they both vote in presidential elections and they get to witness voter fraud
…and hearing the press corpse brag about how Obama’s campaign “gamed the system”…which, where I come from, Mama Brazil, is CHEATIN’!
Great post.
I don’t think the civil war started on RBC day, I think it started, like Fort Sumter, with a few fanatics. Bill and Hillary were painted as KKK members before Iowa by the Obama online network, and the image was encouraged by officially neutral DNC big whigs like Dean, Pelosi and Brazile. It was circa Ohio and Texas that the party helped kill all attempts to allow FL and MI voters to count, even in special, easily rigged caucuses.
You’re right. It started just before Super Tuesday. It started the previous August when the RBC allowed the wholesale disenfranchisment of Florida and Michigan. Florida was almost certainly going to go to Clinton. They knew back then that if the frontrunner was deprived of critical mass of delegates that she would end up looking weak. Oh, for sure they knew. And then, they allowed her to be torn to bits by the likes of Chris Matthews and never uttered a peep in her defense. The caucus strategy was just the icing on the cake.
Fucking bastards.
I think it started long before that. The Democratic convention should have been scheduled for late July or early August at the outside. Dean scheduled it for the end of August, with the presidential candidate accenptance address falling on the anniversary of Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech. Hillary or Edwards would have been roasted for that if either had been the nominee. The GOP has long tried to demoralize African-American voters by claiming that the Dems take their votes for granted. Stepping on the King anniversary would have played right into that. However, if Obama was the nominee, you could spin it as him being the fulfillment of what King was calling for. I suppose one could claim it was all a big coincidence, but I don’t think Howard Dean is that bleeping stupid.
Yeah and then Obama was too busy strutting around his greek columns to even mention MLK. What a loser.
Chris Matthews was the least of it, IMO. When, in memory, can you remember Senators publicly proclaiming that a colleague should get out of the race so another colleague could receive the nomination? That’s what Senator Leahy and others said publicly about Hillary–the little lady should step aside so that one of the guys (who was so historic, don’t you know) could receive the nomination. So much for Senate collegiality.
This recap is making my blood boil all over again.
OT — I’m reading Hillary’s speech from the No Limits conference yesterday and she mentions the “sisterhood of the traveling pantsuit” !
“…Before there was an EMILY’s List, or a Feminist Majority, or even a sisterhood of the traveling pantsuits – (laughter) – there was Ann Lewis….”
This is a great post but it has my blood boiling again. I sat in my hotel room in DC after the great rains came on May 31 and yelled at the tv. The next day I had lunch with some friends — Koolaid drinkers — who were laughing about it, and for once I did not sit politely and take it but let them have it. NOT OKAY to steal delegates. NOT OKAY to permit sexist statements from the presumptuous one.
To my mind, May 31 was a peak in the disgusting behavior of the Democratic Party. A culmination of all the sexism and misogyny they permitted and did not speak up against, of all the caucus cheating, of all the distortions and lies about Hillary and her record; but then the continuation of the flght, just to get her name on the ballot in Denver.
When I went to vote on Tuesday here in NYC there were only FOUR women on the ballot. FOUR! I nearly cried; so disheartening. I will remain a Dem to vote in primaries and get more women through the primaries to the general election but the days of giving money to anyone but individual women candidates (Martha Coakley, Gillibrand) is OVER.
Sorry for the long comment — I’ve been just reading and not commenting for so long I guess it’s pent up!
Riverdaughter’s post lives on. As if anyone doubts she doesn’t know or care about those of us who continue to stand strong against the horrific events of last year.
Well said nycblue. It was a breaking point after months of frustration and anger. The ultimate anti-democratic violation (and then came the Convention theater). It was also horrifying to watch close friends–and supposed liberals–enable and support fraud if it facilitated their own ends. That what completed the internal divorce for me–they had become as bad as the wingers ever were in my mind. It was primitive, greedy, selfish and bigoted behavior in the name of democracy.
Hi tpfka nycblue…Here we are again. These are painful remembrances, but I was glad to see so many were on the same page regarding the recent losses. But again we are talking to ourselves- these comments and especially that great post (thanks RD) need to be sent to the DNC, etc. They don’t know unless we tell them–and tell them–and tell them. .
nycblue, do you have a link to that speech? It’s heartwarming to hear that she mentioned the ‘sisterhood’. She remembers, and she’s letting us know she remembers.
Sorry for the late response; here’s the link (I can’t find the embed code)
http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid1705667530?bctid=48813408001
But, but, but, RD he’s trying to change things – look at cap & trade, look at that effing 2000+ page “health care” bill, look at how he doesn’t sit at his desk and do the work – he certainly has brought us change
All but PUMAs didn’t recognize what kind of change he meant.
When, in early 08 , Ms Brazille said she would leave the party if the superDs picked the candidate behind closed doors. Then to see the “powerful” go behind closed doors and do just that. She didn’t leave the party.
But the party left me.
I saw my party, the party that I voted for, sent money to, worked for and supported completely for 31 years get hijacked. It isn’t so much that I left as it is they took it away from me.
The power elite broke the promises and the rules. They became what the Dem party has been against since I first registered as a Dem.
Now, I am against them and what they stand for. I saw the level to which they would stoop.
I’m not voting party lines ever again.
I’m not going back. There is nothing to go back to.
I can not forget.
Yep. Still waiting for the “uncommitted” one.
Not only is the Democratic Party not getting me back. The United States is not getting me back. Everyone who asks me if I’ll ever go back to the States, gets this answer: the US has become a neo fascist state, in that the coporations are running everything including the president….it will not be long before things get even worse.
I’m making room here for my close friends/relatives when the realisation (or the sh*t) hits the fan…………
Where are you living? Is there any room for more non-corporatists?
I’m in the same position and frame of mind. I also add, “It would be irresponsible of me to move back to the US.” I’m a healthy person, but with the punishing cost of health care, I wouldn’t run the risk of forcing my family to choose between added years for me and bankruptcy for them.
yup, maybe it’s time to revive the National Women’s Party
Joe Cannon is between jobs (I think) get him to design a logo.
Maybe a variation on Miller’s We Can Do It or Rockwell’s Rosie the Riveter.
I think it’s long overdue
But that takes us back to identity politics. Don’t think that is a good pathway.
Spot on post, RD! Thank you again for laying it out nice and clear.
May 31,2008 was the date that sealed it for me. As I watched the RBC manipulate the system for a narcissistic neophyte I kept hearing that old bumper sticker “If you’re not outraged, you’re not paying attention”.
How dare they?! Because they don’t give a sh*t.
America is a corporate controlled oligarchy. Big $ is pulling the strings.
“I see in the near future a crisis approaching that unnerves me and cause me to tremble for safety of my country; corporations have been enthroned, an era of corruption in High Places will follow, and the Money Power of the country will endeavor to prolong its reign by working upon the prejudices of the People, until the wealth is aggregated in a few hands, and the Republic destroyed.”
ABRAHAM LINCOLN, letter to Col. William F. Elkins, Nov. 21, 1864
Before they can start they have to research and find out what the fx464 those things are—like what is a job, what is income for the working class, the middle class, whatever and where ever is world class education and green technology—ok who do we know who wants to make money there—oh, that would be our friends at GE—and let’s see we can protect social security if we cut back Medicare and go after all that waste, fraud and abuse we are always fighting against.
Wow RD you struck a chord. Like we have not forgotten a moment of this, nor forgiven it one micrometer. We are ready to join The Third Party. Bring it on RD.
I love to talk about the possibility of a third party, but realistically where’s the half a billion dollars it will cost us to run an Independent presidental candidate against the Democrats and Republicans in 2012?
It all starts to sound like Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland in an Andy Hardy film – ” Hey, kids, let’s put on a show in the old barn and raise some money to buy little Timmy that wooden leg! ”
We’re up against the big boys here and we need the $$$ to fight them. And we don’t have it. Grassroots support means nothing in politics these days, except maybe at the local level.
The True Majority, big GIRLS can start holding each other accountable and do it
You know, I just don’t get that argument. Are people saying their votes are up for bid? That it is the person who can spend the most money who is going to get them?
There’s a simple answer to this problem. If you are a Democrat and don’t like what they’re doing, put the money you would have contributed tho their campaign warchests in an escrow account. That escrow account will grow pretty fat with all of our contributions. Then give all of that money to your new third party candidates. Then vote for them. It’s really that simple. You have a vote. That is the valuable thing, not some bigbig’s deep pockets.
If votes are the valuable thing, then why is Obama POTUS and not Hillary?
Because of BigBig’s Deep Pockets.
Beata the reason that happened is because none of us thought it could – I don’t think anyone dreamed what happened could happen.
But now we know – we know what to expect, we know how they operate, we know what we can or can’t do – we need a strategy and be willing to match our tactics with that strategy.
If we get to a point where we actually have done the work to determine how to beat them and determine that we don’t have that capacity – so be it but we haven’t even done any spayed work yet.
while I agree with you on where we need to go and what we need to do, because our real power is in our numbers.
If everyone of us talked to all their acquaintances and people they run into during the normal of events it would be helpful. I talked up Hillary to lots of people who normally didn’t come out to vote in ’08. Some of them did vote for her.
With lots of people, that makes a formidable ground force.
This morning I watched JFK’s Berlin speech on TV. It was incredibly moving, and the crowd was so sincere in its reaction.
The difference between that and an Obama speech was just like styrofoam.
Riverdaughter,
Could this blog be a “meeting place” to discuss forming a real Democratic Party–and calling it “The Third Party” is fine for starters.
My elderly mother (who spent her entire life volunteering for the Dem Party) said that she fears it is too late for the country to have a democratic government–the special interest money controls too much.
Most of the money raised for candidates goes to TV ads. In Britain, TV ads for candidates are free, but the ads aren’t slogans or snipes or 30-second sales pitches–the candidate speaks him or her self and must have address valid points of the campaign (or so I read).
Here, aren’t our air waves supposedly owned by the people?
Campaigns in Britain sound too good to be true. Why did we break from Britain in the first place? Seems we no longer have true representation as people.
I’m not ready to roll over and pack it in.
I’ve never been one to throw up my hands and say “oh well, there’s nothing I can do.”
There is always an alternative – we just have to look under a lot of rocks until we find it.
Well, the alternative is?
The answer is REAL campaign finance reform.
It all starts there.
The Clinton movie case is due.
So,…when do they plan to “start?”
It will happen again, and again, and again…
Yep, that’s the ticket all right.
It used to be there
Well, so much for that promise. The House is going to let Bart Stupak’s amendment come to a floor vote today. Stupak is the so-called Democrat from Michigan who wants to ensure that no government money used for health insurance subsidies be allowed for women to receive an abortion.
Only women rich enough to afford good reproductive care will get it.
Here’s what this genuine far-lefty really cares about, in no particular order except for the first:
Action to reduce carbon and greenhouse emissions and slow or deflect climate change. If we don’t solve this problem, none of the rest will matter because we’ll be back at 450CE with mass migrations, resource wars and the probable destruction of technological civilization.
Equal civil rights: access to the political process and economic opportunity –for everyone, across the board, without respect to gender, race, color, creed, sexual orientation, political affiliation or health status.
Genuine universal health care. Single payer, everybody in, nobody out.
Quality public education that will turn out literate, numerate, at least bilingual socially aware and competent graduates with at least one marketable skill at the end of grade 12. Yes, Virginia, high schools used to do this.
Living wage=minimum wage.
Nuclear disarmament; prevention of nuclear proliferation through strict penalties (eg., embargos) for non-compliance.
Repatriation of refugee and displaced populations.
Economic aid for low-income countries and individuals aimed at self-sufficiency for those nations and individuals.
Preservation of endangered species.
That will do for starters.
Thanks, rd. So correct me if I’m wrong, but looking at what Obama and Rahm and the MSM are trying to define as “far left” and out of the mainstream, it looks like Obama’s election has moved the goalposts even further to the right. And we warned that was exactly what was going to happen, didn’t we?
I think including Christian Science practitioner care in a health care bill has constitutional problems but let’s not belittle Christian Scientists. They are scarcely part of some lunatic fringe. Their founder, Mrs. Eddy, was a revolutionary figure in American women’s history. Take a look at her life story and you will be impressed.
Doesn’t matter — the whole thing is an affront to women when such treatments ARE advocated.
It’s like we’re through the looking glass, isn’t it? Our health care bill provides coverage for people who don’t believe in medical care and refuse to seek it, and pretty much no one else. Maybe we can at least get free religious counseling and hope the clergyperson at least knows basic first aid?
Do these people even read this stuff?
Were there any reports of choking at the platform committee? Maybe it’s possible for us to finally answer the question of whether it’s actually physically possible to choke on one’s own hypocrisy.
They probably handed out T-shirts at the adoption of that provision.
Looks like the Stupak amendment defunding federal coverage for reproductive care may pass with the House HC bill. Pelosi and Obama are supporting it. Boehner was originally for it, now he’s actually against it. Whatever it takes to block the bill. It’s all a game to them.
As long as the mess bill can be killed, I don’t care how it’s accomplished. It deserves to die!
Check out how our women in Congress are treated as they try to discuss the importance of women’s health in the discussion:
cute, really cute
it is incredibly sad that any major party in American politics today could be so straightforward in not giving a shit about the welfare of their mothers, wives, sisters, and daughters… what is even sadder in some ways is that the current Democratic party pretends to care… but doesn’t care enough to actually do anything about the GOP’s “objections.” Doing anything about it would entail the Democratic party to rely on more than the GOP sucking but to actually do something to earn women’s votes, you know…work.
Stupak (D-MI) made a public announcement that he believes he has 225 votes for his amendment.
Does (D) stand for defunct now?
I wish you would, it’s making me feel better. 😉
I like it to, it’s cathartic.
shall I go on?
This is why it’s so important to work our hearts out for those Democratic supermajorities, boys and girls! Run, don’t walk to the polls! Get out the vote! Don’t let the Republicans take your rights away! Let us do it instead!
hippity hoppity… flowers, cookies, kitties, and dancing fairies!
Roe vs. Wade! Roe vs. Wade! Vote for us or you’ll lose Roe vs. Wade! We’ll save it! As long as we can somehow do it while scrupulously refusing to ascertain how any SCOTUS nominees feel about it! And while recruiting as many anti-choice candidates as possible, and by never doing anything to support reproductive choice! Roe vs. Wade!
Rethugs vs. Derelicts, Rethugs vs. Derelicts, vote for whichever one will will protect you!
Destroying the Democratic Majority with horrible health care reform.
Sometimes I think they want to be in the minority again.
Reid + Obama + Pelosi = what leadership? what majority? it’s the GOP’s fault!
undoubedly. 😯
May 31 was when the truth came to light for many people. But I thing it was in the making for some time – when the recipients of the WH policies this year (Wall Street, Pharma, insurers, etc) bought the party lock stock and barrel. If you recall, Hillary was willing to fight the so call “clinching” but was told by delegates she was calling that money is so good, it does not even matter if they lose in November.
They were bought – and stayed bought.
http://www.latimes.com/features/health/la-na-health-religion3-2009nov03,0,2239900.story?page=1
h/t to Melissa over at Shakesville. http://shakespearessister.blogspot.com/2009/11/and-healthcare-reform-disaster.html
Ma’am,
check your mailbox.
done…check urs 🙂
Thx.
You’re the best.
And, what is the difference between them and their complaints about Sarah Palin?
There is no difference. We knew they were up to something when the candidates disappeared their reproductive rights issues pages from their websites. There are some Democrats who have never compromised but they didn’t get much support from their party last year. Eric Massa and Al Franken are among the few who didn’t sell out.
{{{bangs head on table}}}
Democrats who turn their backs on women’s reproductive rights and health and yet support prayer services have a lot of nerve throwing stones at Palin for her record. Palin signed up with the party that actually lines up with those views. What is the Democrats’ excuse?
Main difference is that Palin, though being a christian and pro-life personally, has never taken one step to force her views on anyone else by making them the law of the land. The Democrats now have done so, while saying they are the protectors of women’s rights. That is a huge and telling difference.
That’s an easy one. They’ll say, look at the votes. How many Republicans voted for this? How many Democrats? See? There are more of them. See? It’s their fault. See?
Who controls Congress? Who proposed this amendment? Who scheduled a vote knowing it would pass? Who’s trying to suck up to the Catholic Church? Who’s willing to screw all their supporters over to gain any Republican votes at all? Who? Who? Who?
Stop trying to go all factual rogue on us Seriously.
*is contrite* Puppies for everybody! Roe vs. Wade! Jon Corzine told me a Republican Amendment with the same provisions would be fat, drooling, and kind of smelly! We abrogate your rights with hope and change! Discount Sheperd Fairey t-shirts for the first million women denied health care! Yes We Can!
Shh. Look over there… it’s a teapartier with a misspelled sign.
Lol 🙂
Have been in and out – sorry if this is a duplicate – I just read Pacific John at Alegre’s.
Hilarious comments from HuffPo
That NYT’s Opinionator blog linked by RD is chopped full of little goodies like what Barack/Axelrod/Rham (my guess as who’s behind this latest move) have Soros doing for them. MoveOn.com is sending e-mails for its campaign against any dem senator who does not support obamacare. It’s targeted dems Mary Landrieu (LA) and Blanche Lincoln (AK).
Damn it, dem senators, Obama has to have some “change”, some success, SOMEthing to show for this year or else what will he talk about in his State of the Union speech in January. Oh, yeah, they’ll make up more lies!
***********************************************************
Of interest: I read that in the VA governor race AA turn out was down 20% and those younger than 30, down 50% compared to November 2008 election. Younger voters may continue to be bedazzled by Obama, but dem candidates, and ones O endorses, not half as much.
My daughter said the kids at her college have just about all scrubbed their facebook profiles of anything about him.
Glad to hear it, sod.
I can’t even tell how I’ll vote anymore. I know that I cannot and will NEVER vote for a single living soul who had a hand in shoving Obama down our throats and disenfranchising and insulting the Dem base. That excludes most current Democrats in office.
I vote for women. I will possibly vote for a few Republicans. I will vote Independent if they are a halfway decent candidate. But you know what really pushes my buttons these days? More so than any particular policy or issue? Sending a message. I am drawn to candidates who are outside the DC power circles, not an integral part of their party apparatus, those who are mavericks and demonstrate common-sense and a history of simply bucking the system and SHAKING UP the corrupt power structure.
Whether they are D, or R, or Libertarian, or Socialist, or Green, or whatever, candidates who tend to give a big middle finger to “the game as it’s supposed to be played” get a second look from me. Because I think the stranglehold of the powers-that-be is going to HAVE to be broken before we have a prayer in hell of getting any change.
So my voting from here on out will be a mishmash of different candidates, judged on an individual basis. But “outside the incestuous loop”, and “scares the shit out of the entrenched powers” are qualities that weigh positively in my mind at this point, regardless of ideology. If I get the sense that they feel responsible to the voters, rather than to any party apparatus, that helps too. Those qualities may be true of a conservative, and they may be true of a flat-out communist. I’ll weigh it all. If the corporate media loves them, RUN LIKE HELL, and I don’t care if you agree with every word out of their mouth – that’s a sure sign for me that they are bought and paid for.
Maybe I’m at the “just burn the fucker down” point. Toppling what we have may be a prerequisite to building anything worthwhile. Maybe I’ll vote for any loon who will go up there and spit in Washington’s eye. Maybe I won’t. But along party lines? No. Never again.
I’m winging it.
Exactly. The time for counting on our vote is over. They have to EARN it.
At this point in time, “Burn the fucker down” feels right to me.
Hey WMCB, I’ve missed you around here.
When they refer to the “far left”, what they really mean are the true Democrats. The Democrats that have a belief system, those that legislate and vote their convictions, not what is the necessary talking point of the day depending on who you are addressing. Reading other sites, I’ve come to see that the Obot wing of the Obomination believe that its a generational thing. That older folks have always been against civil rights for all with equal opportunities and the general welfare of this country’s citizens above all else. These issues are only now being addressed. Those of us in the old coalition have been wasting our time. Its the new, improved coalition that will set us free. As soon as Spring Break is over, they’ll get right to it.
“nascent revolt” in the dem party — I’m impatient and want the revolter count.
Everyone that carried home an AT&T totebag from the Convention without questioning how that happened as they crtiticized the warrantless eavesdropping by the Bush (and now Obama) Administration has their head up their a**. I’ve never heard that addressed by anybody in DC.
Is anyone following the health care debate in the House? They are going to vote on the Stupak amendment tonight. It appears that none of the “progressives” are going to fight it. I put up an open thread for anyone who wants to discuss health care issues.
{{sigh}}
glenn — Where just who in the hell do those obots think voted for pro-civil rights candidates and for the welfare of the country back in the ’60s and for the last 45 years? We boomers and older citizens did.
WE can vote Obama out too.
Malkin has a full list.
This. Post. Rocks!!!!!
Wow, glad I came by one of my favorite internet watering holes today after work!
(I have been down, discouraged, & having a hell of a time with keeping my employment, paying rent, food expenditures, etc…..so I haven’t been able to post as much lately… depression has a way of reminding me of my own futility, dontcha know?)
Anyway, thank you for such an inspiring post…
here’s to hoping liberty, justice, egalitarian values, & free-thinking will spring eternal at the TC philosopher & patriot corner of the blogosphere )
From RD:
“Far lefties are militant pacifists. They hang out in trees and feed their children macrobiotic organic fruititarian diets. They are green Martha Stewart’s who think everyone has time to grow their own clothes and walk to work. They’re people who can’t be reasoned with. They’re oblivious to real life and are as fundamentalist in their world view as the religious right.”
—-
Gads!!! that is hilarious and so true —
Another group that I consider “the plastic far left” are the “Whole Earth millionaires” in the bay area (and especially north of San Francisco) who consider *diversity” something that you use to spruce up your social circles at organic wine-tasting tours or religion to be an invitation to a Dali lama conference on “how to enjoy being rich in a world of poverty.”
—
I am tired of extremists & snobs politically hijacking (& dissembling) the concept of liberalism!
I used to associate “Democrat” with *Democracy* — as a simple respect of all citizens & basic protection of rights, freedoms… and basic safety net for those in poverty, the elderly, disabled, disenfranchised–
These concepts are timeless, basically humanistic in a world-wide respect –
I’m sick of fake-progressive suites cheapening & destroying these principles under the guise of “change.” PR for Wallstreet, corporations, & military complex (even though hiding behide the cynical slick diversified *image* and Democratic title) remains the same …
& TRUE Independents, liberals, progressives KNOW that a sham is being perpetuated!!
Obat-creators are the vampires of liberalism
(obviously, Halloween is still on my mind) 😦
RD, thanks for smoking-hot post!!!
(and inspiration from all TCers!)
To this day I am not clear what”contemporary” far left is? Seriously. I keep seeing “liberal” bandied about — well that means (or meant) your average green thinking dem — it’s just who the dems have been out here — (think ecology or Jerry Brown and you kind of get it?) — as CA dems go) But far left seems very different and I think you really addressed that in this piece. I think it would be very cool for a far lefter to explain what that means to the rest of the dems who have split from their old party?
“left” meant anti-war style dems in the 70’s no?
are they still?
a little explanation goes a long way when it comes to dems, I feel?
these types do not appear to be dems, per se?
so who are they?
as RD put it:
“My idea of “far-left” is based on my childhood impressions of news reports of the Weather Underground and defenders of Karl Marx. Far lefties, to me, are people who are rigid ideologues who want to enforce some strange form of a socialist utopian nanny state on the rest of us. And I am referring to a REAL communist-socialist state, not some bizarre Republican misinterpretation of one. Far lefties are militant pacifists. They hang out in trees and feed their children macrobiotic organic fruititarian diets. They are green Martha Stewart’s who think everyone has time to grow their own clothes and walk to work. They’re people who can’t be reasoned with. They’re oblivious to real life and are as fundamentalist in their world view as the religious right.”
yeah — Marx, how is he fitting in to all this? seriously?
it would be nice to know at this point….