My first diary, although I’ve been lurking for years, so go easy.
I’ve been reading and hearing the newscasters etc trying to establish and implant the idea that we are still a "center-right" country and that Democrats should "reach across the aisle" and be bipartisan. I decided that one way to try to nip that in the bud was simply to call my representative and senators and let them know I didn’t think that was true. I ended up calling the offices of Mike Thompson, Dianne Feinstein, Barbara Boxer, Nancy Pelosi, and Harry Reid.
more below the fold.
In each case, I said "Congratulations on the big win yesterday. I wanted to leave a message for the (senator/representative). I am hearing on TV that the newscasters are saying we are center right, and I wanted to say that I don’t believe that is true. Rather, the election yesterday should be seen as a mandate for moving toward more liberal policies, for moving toward the left. Bipartisanship is not an end in of itself, but only has merit in service of achieving a better policy, one that is likely more liberal than what has come before. Please use your mandate to enact more progressive bills."
All of the recipients of my calls took my comments and said they would pass them along to the congressperson. The staffer at Barbara Boxer’s office sounded very enthusiastic about receiving my comment and I got the impression he felt it would be welcome input.
Although such a general message may have little effect, it provides at least some pushback against the conservative frame war that is happening right now. May I suggest that if you feel in the mood, you might call your representatives and give them a similar message at this moment when they are assessing what the election outcomes mean. Let’s try to set the frame ourselves.