We were talking
About the love that's gone so cold
And the people
Who gain the world and lose their soul
George Harrison
"Within You Without You"
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I completley missed this episode of Rachel's show. She stated so clearly why Nancy should be minority leader. Thanks Rachel. I guess this is why you do what you do and I do what I do.
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The embedded segment of "Hardball with Chris Matthews" outlines perfectly the coming battles the Democratic party will face. Right now the debate is centered on who should be the minority leader in the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi or someone else. On the one side is Congressman Cummings (D - MD). He believes Nancy Pelosi should become minority leader. On the other side is Congressman Altmire (D - PA), who believes someone else should take the lead.
It seems to me the argument comes down to should the Democratic party be led with principles in mind, or future party success as the end goal.
Both sides believe equally that their positions will guide the Democrats back to a majority in the House, sooner or later. Cummings believes that a true liberal like Nancy Pelosi will work hard for "middle America" and they surely will recognize those efforts and reward the party down the road. Altmire believes we should try to a-line our party with what he considers are the main stream values of "middle America," thus achieving victories.
I think of the two, the position taken by Congressman Altmire is the most pragmatic. It is the same position Bill Clinton took. Their wing of the party believes in order for the Democratic party to stay viable we must move closer to the center with our positions. They, like many on Daily Kos, believe it is better to get in power and change from within than to stick to the core principles of the party and fight from without. It seems logical, only it isn't working.
Look what has happened to our party since Bill Clinton was president. Most everything we've accomplished has been a nod to the Conservatives, and we still lost very badly in the last election.
I also believe that trying to appease "middle America" will gut the soul of our party. It will make us GOP-Lite, or, as Bill Clinton described himself, Eisenhower Republicans. If we go that route, we can expect more ruinous trade policies, more disastrous bowing to Wall Street, and more discriminatory social policies.
If we want to stay true to our principles, than we need to go the route Congressman Cummings is offering. Elect Nancy Pelosi minority leader and take the fight to the Conservatives and the loony right. Stick by our core principles of strong worker rights, sensible regulations on corporations, and righteous social polices.
If we decide to abandon our liberal positions and take the road Congressman Altmire offers, than we can basically kiss the old Democratic Party goodbye for good. It will never return. The only way the principles that Nancy Pelosi holds could ever again find a dominate voice in Washington would be via a third party, and our political system has seen to it that no strong third party will ever emerge to such status, at least as long as most of us will be alive.
Now, if the liberal wing of the Democratic Party does prevail and Nancy Pelosi does win the minority leader seat, it is no guarantee that the American people will recognize how hard she is fighting for most of them. They didn't this last time around. But I believe if Nancy is fighting for us in the House and President Obama runs for reelection in 2012 (which I see no reason why he won't), then a majority of Americans will clearly see the differences between what the GOP has offered and what Democrats offer. It's not a sure bet, but I'd rather lose an election than lose my soul.