Full disclosure, I'm a democrat, so get over it. I'm not here to insult you, and I'm certainly not here to gloat. I'm not here to trade barbs, undermine Free Republic, or infiltrate your ranks. I'll be honest -- I disagree with most FReepers on almost every issue.
So, why am I posting a new thread?
Because I -- we -- need you. We at Democratic Underground and Daily Kos, and all of the lefty blogs you love to hate, and who love to hate you. We need you to acknowledge that if there's one thing we're learning about our country's political system, it's that there's way too much corruption. Too much greed. Cronyism. Lying. It's on both sides, folks -- I'm no apologist.
Yes, the Democrats won. Yes, we're very happy about that. It means we get to put the emergency brake on what we see as runaway irresponsibility in our government. Some of you FReepers see it, too -- the Bush administration is spending like Paris Hilton on a bender and Harry Reid is spending his afternoons thinking about how to double his real estate money instead of how to lead his new majority. Result? America's losing its ethical center.
Indulge me for a moment: we at Daily Kos and Democratic Underground are ecstatic for one particular reason that it may be difficult for FReepers to understand. Candidates like Jon Tester, Jerry McNerney, Paul Hodes, and Jim Webb were all relative political unknowns -- guys with great ideas who just had no "street cred" at all. The lefty blogs -- dKos and DU, chiefly, coordinated the fundraising and did the canvassing, calling, and late-night video posting on YouTube.
We wanted this one like rabid dogs, and we got it. You guys will win again, and win big, but this time it was the democrats. If Jon Tester and Jerry McNerney begin taking money from lobbyists and accepting flights on Learjets, do you know what we'd do?
We'd castrate them. We'd end them. Ask a DUer -- if these guys let Washington's corruption get under their skin, we'll vote against them.
But the truth is that they won't. I know this because that's why we picked them. They're committed to bringing some civility and dignity back to our country's political system -- and so am I.
And, hopefully, so are you.
So, today, I'm reaching across the aisle, in earnest, and in what I hope you will realize is good faith. America isn't America without all of us, and I'm not about to let this election force us to self-segregate and turn into the epitome of what we hate. This country wasn't founded on ideological differences. America was founded as a place for people with unpopular beliefs. That's why the Puritans came here -- and why everyone else followed.
Disagreement is no justification for acrimony.
If Free Republic joined with Daily Kos and DU to denounce corruption, cronyism, and dishonesty in government -- regardless of our political stripes -- we'll all be better for it.
I'm cross-posting a similar thread to dKos and DU in the hopes that the netroots on both sides can come together to reorient our government's ethical compass. Let's agree to disagree, but let's do it in an American way -- in a way that helps all of us. We can (and should!) continue to fight for our personal morals, beliefs, and ideas -- but we must ensure that our government, no matter which party controls it, is still a government of, by, and for the people.
So, come on, FReepers. Let's fix this country. Concentrate on common ground instead of ideological divisions. What do we all believe, and how can we leverage the immense power and respect of the blogosphere to do the most good?
I wish you all the best, and I'm sorry if I've ruined your day.
UPDATE: My post was taken down after about ten minutes, and then revived so they could sh*t all over it. I mentioned Reid because it was the only Dem scandal I could think of. Yes, I've learned my lesson -- yes, I'm young, idealistic, and -- apparently -- naive. Please read my past diaries and understand that this was a reach across a huge chasm, so you're not going to love what I had to say there. But please don't vilify me, as I am only trying to help. I'd really appreciate it -- I got enough of that at FR. I've already said everything I've mentioned here over at DU, so... yeah...
Here's a link to the revived, screed-filled post I made on FR.
UPDATE #2: The reality-based (mostly) responses!: Note, however, that these were all sent via private message -- it's so unfortunate that the few sane souls on FR are too ashamed to post these comments publicly.
We aren't all like that...some of us have graduated from schoolground insults and really would like to engage in meaningful political interchange. I've been here since 1998...I'm libertarian. That mostly means I would like to have Republicans vacate our bedrooms, Democrats vacate our wallets and both of the vacate our Constitution...my 7 personal beliefs on other matters: 1. While women do have the right to choice in certain stages of pregnancy, there exists a moral absolute (line in sand) point of no return (somewhere in the second trimester) when abortion become infanticide. 2. The war on drugs is an abysmal failure. 3. NAFTA, CAFTA (Clinton and Bush) were stupid job killers. 4. Gay people are entitled to the same union as straight people but don't call it a marriage. 5. Firearms are necessary for the prevention of crime. 6. Foreign entanglements should be avoided at all costs until the Congress actually declares war. 7. Jesus Christ was a universalist, available to all, and probably a liberal!
Hello landerapi.
I'm not sure how real you are in your plea for partnership and harmony among Democrats and Republicans; but assuming you are, I accept your proposition fully and appreciate you speaking up about it over here in "enemy territory".
I don't doubt the patriotism of any elected Democrat, even those whose ideology is the mirror image of my own. The President put it best today when he said that the challenges we face are bigger than our parties, so I welcome the opportunity to put an end to such accusations of treason that come too often from our side and accusations of Fascism that too often come the other side.
I'm looking forward to the contribution Democrats will make in helping us prevail in Iraq and over the terrorist threat in general, and I for one am most willing to stand with you and other fellow Americans of all stripes to keep our country strong and our liberties safe.
And even though I'm not a Democrat, I'm truly hoping that this sea-change will lead to the return of the great party of JFK, FDR, and Truman.
For obvious reasons, I'm sharing this with you via private mail; but I do hope you will anonymously forward my sentiments to other Democrats and Liberals who love this great country like you and I do.
I hope you pop in every now and then. I appreciate your gracious response.
Please excuse some of the crap being thrown your way. Nerves are raw for some and others are just plain assholes.
Anyway - good to read a different view.