As a steady contributor to the Democratc Party who got carried away in 2008, I am on multiple lists shaking me down for money on behalf of the DNC, DCCC and the DSCC. I even got a letter from Carville on behalf of the DSCC; an apparent hits of the 1990s fundraising effort targeted at aging baby boomers. My problem is that the next election is in 2010 and there is time enough to fundraise before the political season gets underway. Right now, my party controls the House, effectively controls the Senate (cloture whining is bullshit) and controls the White House. Yet I see very little legislative accomplishment other than printing a whole lot of money. I do see a lot of incumbency protection efforts and political cover. Was I a naive jerk who threw money at these people stupidly? For example, my business just got socked with a 20 percent Blue Cross Blue Shield premium increase. It is quite apparent that our health care financing and delivery system needs thorough reform to provide care to more people affordably. On this issue alone the smell of shit emanating from the Capitol is so strong, for me it permeates those fundraising letters. Its pudding making time. Let's see the proof.
I am heartened by the reaction of many democrats to the efforts of the DNC to shake down money from people who support progress on gay and lesbian issues - simple issues like equal rights. Boycott. Keep the check book closed. This reaction needs to be expanded to other donors and supporters who worked hard and gave hard to create the government we have. It controls all the levers of power in Washington except the Supreme Court. That government is working hard but for what. For K Street? For Wall Street? For health insurance companies? For the Waltons and other rich Americans?
There is a lot of work to do. We know that. But the skittishness of our politicians, oops I means leaders, in Washington is bothersome. All the work in 2006 and all the work in 2008 were not meant to empower Susan Collins, Arlen Specter or Joe Lieberman. The work was meant to reform this country so that my children will have a better future, so that all of our people benefit from the same set of rights and responsibilites, and so that the United States can be a leader in steering our planet in a direction that can sustain life for hopefully thousands of years more.
And yet I now get these fundraising letters from Tim Kaine, with membership offers in meaningless honorary societies and offers of presidential tchotchkes that echo the crap the RNC produced in the Reagan era. I am not interested in having "won", of having my guys in power. I am interested in what they do with it. With results. And frankly I miss Governor Dean.
For years people - policy wonks, academic and others - have been working on developing reforms for our country. There are lots and lots of plans and proposals on the shelf. Sure they need to be tweaked and test driven. But they are there. That is why delay is not justified particularly given the political calendar.
This is the season for governance. And there isn't even a coherent opposition. I mean if the thing that worries the opposition the most is pissing off some right wing radio talk show guy, then the field in Washington to get things done is pretty clear.
Start pushing back and show Democratic leaders we are not pushovers.