maybe, like me, you get urgent emails from "progressive" senators telling us how they're fighting for gay rights, gun control, women's issues, climate issues, immigration reform and on and on. urgently they ask us to "sign this petition" ( i usually do) and "send money" ( i sometimes do) to show support for these causes and also to remind us who the good guys are. some of these people ( or more likely their press people ) write the occasional diary for this site and other left sites to let us remind us that, on this issue or that, they stand with us and want us to stand with them. every one of the humanistic causes mentioned above are both sensible and compassionate and i support them wholeheartedly.
BUT WHEN THE ISSUE IS MONEY FOR SOCIAL SECURITY OR MEDICARE OR MEDICAID OR IMPROVED PUBLIC EDUCATION OR SUPPORT FOR UNIONS THESE PEOPLE OFFER ONLY LIP SERVICE OR DUCK AND HIDE. THE SELLING OFF OF THE COMMONS WHICH IS HAPPENING RIGHT NOW IN EDUCATION, THE PRIVATIZING OF THE PROPERTY OF WHOLE CITIES BY UNELECTED "MANAGERS," THE INCREASING PRIVILEGES GIVEN TO INDUSTRY TO MINE PUBLIC LANDS, THE ATTEMPTS TO COMPLETELY HAND OVER SOCIAL SECURITY TO THE STOCK MARKET, THEREBY UNDERMINING IT'S VERY PURPOSE BY REMOVING THE SECURITY, THIS IS HAPPENING WITH ALMOST NO PUSHBACK FROM DEMOCRATS, NOT FROM (HUNDRED MILLION DOLLAR BILL) CLINTON OR OBAMA OR REID OR SCHUMER (SEN. WALL STREET) OR ALMOST ALL OF THE PEOPLE WHO WRITE TO TELL ME HOW MUCH THEY ARE FIGHTING FOR MY OUR RIGHTS.
last year, in state and local elections in supposedly liberal new york state, some democrats running for state assembly and state senate and in local races began calling themselves SOCIALLY LIBERAL AND FISCALLY CONSERVATIVE. that meant that they stood for any social issue that might energize voters but which wouldn't cost them backing from the bankers or the giant real estate interests that control state politics. this view, while rarely stated openly, has become the fallback position of most of the so-called "progressive" wing of the democratic party in the entire country. (i'm not referring to the "centrists" - these terms don't mean much anymore anyway - who have openly sold out)
i'm talking about the people who have been sending us chummy emails telling us how good they are on social issues. outside of bernie sanders - not a democrat anyway, and alan grayson, who ELSE has written to you to ask for help in overturning this step in privatizing the security of social security. and it is only a step (as grand bargainer obama well knows. newt gingrich said a while back, if he can't get the whole loaf he'll settle for something and come back for the rest later. this is what mcconnell and boener are trying to convince their tea partiers to accept).
all the little liberal sweeteners that are in the bill like universal pre-k, etc., obama knows that will all be dropped if it comes to a final vote. AND THAT IS THE POINT OF MY DIARY. THE DEMOCRATS ARE HOLDING UP A HANDFUL OF PLAYING CARDS AND SAYING "LOOK OVER HERE" WHILE THEY AGREE TO LET THE REPUBLICANS PICK YOUR POCKETS. LOOK HOW GOOD I AM. I'M FOR GUN CONTROL.
SO I SAY, LET'S CHAIN CHAINED CPI TO ALL OUR SUPPOSED ALLIES.
FROM NOW ON, KIRSTEN GILLIBRAND (MY SENATOR, WHO SENDS ME EMAILS TELLING ME HOW SHE FIGHTS FOR THIS OR THAT SOCIAL CAUSE) GREAT1 I SUPPORT YOU ON THAT! BUT WHAT ABOUT SOCIAL SECURITY? YOU'RE FOR GUN CONTROL. GREAT BUT WHAT ABOUT MEDICARE? AND I DON'T MEAN SOME BILL THAT YOU CO-SPONSORED THAT YOU KNEW WOULD DIE IN COMMITTEE OR ON THE SENATE FLOOR, I MEAN STANDING UP TO OBAMA AND REID AND SCHUMER AND THE PRIVATIZERS BEHIND THEM AND VOTING FOR WHAT YOU KNOW IS THE RIGHT THING TO DO.
now the way the game is played (and they are playing us, you better believe, or you don't see the whole picture) once the shouting dies down and the smoke clears, once obama and mcconnell know that they have the votes to pass this travesty, then they will allow whichever democrat needs to show liberal colors to oppose the bill. BUT NOW, WHEN IT"S STILL ALL UP IN THE AIR, OUR "CHAMPIONS" ARE WAITING FOR THEIR ORDERS.
LET'S CHAIN CHAINED CPI AROUND THEIR NECKS! LET THEM WEAR IT, A COLLAR OF SHAME. THEN LET'S VOTE THEM OUT. ANY TRUE LIBERAL WHO REPLACES THEM WILL STILL VOTE SOCIALLY LIBERAL BUT WILL ALSO VOTE FISCALLY LIBERAL, ON BEHALF OF THE "300 MILLION AMERICANS WHO ARE SUCKING AT THE TEAT OF SOCIAL SECURITY..THE LESSER PEOPLE," AS THE DISGUSTING ALAN SIMPSON, AS CARDBOARD AS JOHN GALT, CALLS AMERICA. the lesser people are the 99%. WHERE ARE OUR HONEST REPRESENTATIVES?