It really bothers me to hear some Democrats conceding the house in advance. This "savvy realism" approach to politics is half the problem. Note to Democratic party: Stop playing m%th@f**g defense, stop amplifying right wing concepts, start offering a real incentive
to voters.
How about a nationwide living wage as a plank in the platform? Not this piddling "10.10 is realistically the best we can do" bullshit! How about $15? You think that might drive up turnout among the base?
Historically, the only time the elites throw a bone to the common folk is when they are a bit scared. It's interesting how money can suddenly be found when there is credible threat of taxes on the rich.
The problem is, Democrats are scared of offending their big buck donors, so they water down their proposals going in, which elicits a big yawn from the base.
The real battle isn't with Republicans, it's with the corporate wing of the Democratic party that dilutes the message and sells out working people every time.
But it's also with ourselves:
The headline in the so-called Progressive Congressional Caucus's latest budget proposal tells the whole sordid, regressive story:
8.8 MILLION JOBS BY 2017
$4 TRILLION IN DEFICIT REDUCTION
Austerity is dead, and income inequality has been proclaimed as the defining challenge of our time. So long live.... Deficit Reduction?
Somebody hasn't been reading their Paul Krugman, who rightly observes that it's stupid to worry about deficit reduction during economic downturns. Somebody didn't get the message that the Fix the Debt cult of billionaire deficit hawks just turned diseased tail feathers and ran. Somebody didn't notice that shrinking deficits are not economy boosters.
If the Democrats are wondering why their electoral chances in the mid-terms are looking so dismal, they should look no further than the progressive wing of their own increasingly right wing corporate party. Why do even the most liberal members of Congress seem to have a pathological need to tout deficit reduction in their "Better Off" budget? The headline of their document should be making the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. Because nobody cares about deficit reduction except obscenely rich people.
From Truth Out: Fat Cats and Suck-Ups
By Karen Garcia, Sardonicky| Op-Ed
So maybe I'm not surprised by the weak tea that we see from the national party. It's nothing new. It still pisses me off, though. How about some moral clarity? Have we forgotten who we are?