TocqueDeville wrote:
If someone has another way of holding them to account, I would love to hear it. But the only bargaining chip, the only fire with which to hold their feet to, is our willingness to tell them to fuck off.
I completely agree. I especially agree that Democrats are a "them," a "they," or an "it." "We" does not apply when it comes to Democrats. Considering this, why was I helping them?
This week I co-hosted a DFA Meetup where we talked about Social Security framing and wrote letters to Rendell to help him wake up. I also wrote about 12 articles with a Democratic slant over at
MyDD, talked with Simon Rosenberg about the progress of the vast left wing conspiracy, met with lawyers to help from a PAC for the local DFA, gathered recruits for "my" new grassroots plan
talking liberally and began updating
OurCongress for the 2006 elections. Quite frankly, what was I thinking? How is any of this going to help elect progressives?
I could have found a better outlet for my energies. Could there possibly be any better ways to influence the way a party is run than by telling it to fuck off? Man, it is so hard to think of anything. Just consider these terrible ideas:
- Voting in a Democratic primary? Nah, participating in the election of Democratic nominees is surely far less effective than telling them to fuck off. If there is one thing politicians care about more than votes, it is the word "fuck."
- Running for committee member? Whatever. It takes millions of dollars to run for one of those things. What can the grassroots possibly do when only around 20% of all committee seats are left open, and only around 30 people vote in local committee elections? Simply too hard. Rather than participating in the process, profanity is a superior means of accountability.
- Becoming a precinct captain? As if. The current precinct captains are so utterly effective and powerful that overthrowing one would be nearly impossible. Besides, what can a precinct captain really do, besides be the party representative on your block? What good is that when you can just tell people to fuck off? Rather than representing your party, abandoning it is a superior means of accountability.
- Donating money only to Democrats you like? Whatever. Democrats, like all politicians, don't care about money, and changing your donation patterns won't influence them at all. They only care about language, not money, and telling them to fuck off would be more effective than only donating to Democrats that you believe in. Besides, targeted grassroots donation never work and never cause anyone to pay attention (cough Dean, cough). Again, profanity is a better means of accountability than donations.
- Running as a Democrat for an elected public seat? Fuck that. I haven't seen an election where there wasn't a Democrat running in my lifetime. Surely there are no places where I could get involved on such a front. They would notice me better if I told them to fuck off. Rather than being one of their nominees, surely profanity will cause them to take me seriously.
- Participating in an allied outside group? Whatever. Democrats could not possibly care less about outside pressure groups. The AFL-CIO has no place in the Democratic Party. Environmental and civil rights groups have no place in the Democratic Party. Never in my life have I seen a Democratic politican seek out the endorsement of such groups. They mean nothing to them. That would be a pathetic way of holding them accountable.
- Contacting your Democratic representatives? Only if it is to tell them to fuck off. Every Democrat elected to public office specifically has made all of their phone numbers and office addresses unlisted. Even if you do somehow dig up one of their secret numbers or addresses, they never, ever respond to such calls (cough, Boxer, cough).
- Volunteering for a campaign? If there is one thing Democrats hate, it is free labor. Surely, targeting your volunteer time only to Democrats you support would thus be ineffective. Who needs volunteers when you can pay consultants tens of thousands? Democrats don't care about winning over volunteers at all.
- Participate in blog discussions? Not gonna happen. If there is one new innovation in Democratic politics over the past decade that I have seen go less appreciated by Democratic politicians than blogs, I cannot think of it. Again, a lone, profane voice in the wilderness is a superior means of holding them accountable.
So, basically, I completely agree with TocqueDeville, and the many others on this site who today advocated leaving the Democratic Party. The only means of accountability we have to the Democratic Party is to abandon it. The only means of ownership we have over the Democratic Party is to throw it away. After all, I have always had a lot more influence over meetings where I was absent than the ones that I attended. The unions I did not participate in at the places where I worked did a much better job of reflecting my concerns than the unions that I participated in. The reading groups I attended in college talked about things I was interested in much more often when I did not show up than when I did. Homes I have never lived in or been to reflect my decorating tastes much better than my apartment. And everyone takes angry profanity seriously. If you are anything like me, when someone tells you to fuck off, then and only then do you sit down and listen to their concerns with an open mind and in the spirit of compromise. I need to be threatened by an outside force, rather than influenced by a colleague, before I change anything. If calling me Vichy doesn't work, telling me to fuck off will.
I had a lot more influence over the party back in 2002 when I didn't pay attention to the midterms until September, never donated and never spent any time working with the Democratic Party. That was when the party took me seriously. It will be the same for you as well. So, everyone, in one giant voice, tell Democrats to fuck off. After all, it is only those who take any ownership over their coalition that can become sell outs. Even better, you can only lose elections if you enter them.